The team traveled with a delegation of principals and teachers from Dubai’s schools to share schools’ achievements in improving education through positive practice, and to learn more about international trends that we can bring back to Dubai.
In recent years, schools in Dubai have made great strides in improving the quality of education they offer. To make sure they improve even further and meet the targets of Vision 2021, a different approach is needed. In line with the recent announcement of a Minister of Happiness and the UAE’s focus on building a country of happy residents, KHDA attended the Festival of Positive Education because we believe positivity is the key to continuous long-term and sustainable improvement in Dubai’s private schools. Happier students and teachers equals happier schools.
A delegation of 25 people attended the Festival, including the KHDA team, principals from Dubai’s schools, ‘Happiness Ambassadors’ (Dubai teachers), winners of School of Hearts survey, education partners and practitioners from Singapore and the United States.
Why Positive Education?
Positive education challenges the paradigm of schooling that values academic attainment above all other goals. It considers character development and wellbeing to be as important as academics. Positive education prioritises the experience of the whole child, the whole faculty, and the whole school as the driver for meaningful learning that will lead to happier life outcomes.
The Festival of Positive Education
The Festival of Positive Education was the first of its kind to bring together educators and positive psychology practitioners to talk about what positive education looks like in schools and how its implementation can make life better – for students, for teachers and for parents.
The Festival took place in Dallas from July 18 to 20, and featured talks and workshops from educators and psychologists around the world, including the UK, to the US, Australia, China, and the UAE. More than 1000 international delegates attended the Festival.
This is what we did
- Keynote address: Director General Dr Abdulla Al Karam told the story of Dubai’s experience with positive education & wellbeing, and also talked about ‘positive governance’ - the role government can play in encouraging a positive education sector
- Two hour workshop which was based on the What Works model of positive collaborative practice that has come to define the culture of education in Dubai
- KHDA exhibition stand
Click here to learn more about what people had to say about positive education
Positive Education in Dubai was supported by Dubai presence at the Festival was supported by
- Dubai Tourism
- Emirates
- EXPO 2020
- Falcon