Dubai, UAE, 11 January 2021: "Future Learning Lab", a leading UAE education initiative, has launched its space as part of the “Innovation Hub” in Gate Avenue at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). And part of its endeavor is to provide educational solutions and tools that are in line with the trends of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the future of education around the world.
The inauguration of the initiative was attended by Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority. Sarah Shaw, founder of the “Future Learning Lab” said,
“We are proud of the tools and solutions presented by Dubai and the UAE to the world, which open up better and easier horizons in the work environment and in other various fields. Today, with the efforts and insights of a wonderful group of Dubai citizens and residents, we launch the “Future Learning Lab” benefiting from the global experiences in the field of learning and education, accessible to many individuals and societies looking for an alternative to the traditional style of learning.”
Sarah Shaw added,
"Our vision focuses on empowering individuals to realize their full potential through education and learning designed for the world today and future world. As we focus on transforming current education models from mere traditional rigid models to a flexible model, a model capable of adapting in accordance with the capabilities of learners and consistent with the needs and requirements of the various current and future industries and sectors in the country.”
The Lab also seeks to continuously develop and improve the approach, pedagogy and learning environments, in accordance with the work and education environment of the future.
New Model
Sara Shaw noted,
"This new model is its first experience in the Middle East, in cooperation with the American “Workspace Education” Institution and its president, Catherine Fraise. The approach called "Co-Learning" has been implemented in Connectiut, USA, which facilitates for large number of learners and their families' with the possibility of educating their children through collaboration and participation to build an individual development plan for each learner, which contributes to and enhances their skills and abilities. The Co-Learning approach does not focus on traditional learning and teaching styles, but rather through participatory, interactive and broader learning styles, based on the curricula that are abundantly presented, and which parents choose according to their needs.”
On her part, Dr. Habibah Ellahee, Executive Director of “Future Learning Lab”, said,
“The institution’s initial experiences, where we were in touch with 50 families from the expat community, particularly in the Emirate of Dubai, expressed their happiness and need of a facility equipped with the basic materials and resources, such as a scientific laboratory, 3D printing devices amongst other things. As well as a central place for social convening of the homeschooling community, which is growing annually in Dubai. We also seek, in the future, to have a larger and integrated facility equipped to provide all utilities, rooms and facilities to ensure that all the individual learning needs of learners, and their parents, are met.”
She added,
"We are fully aware that the experience is new, and may face some challenges, as it is difficult for some families to realize the benefit at this present time. Therefore, we provide two unique services: one of them is an internal service to familiarize our community members with the framework of co-learning and participation in providing those experiences. In addition to the presence of a "Dream Director”, who ensures that a child receives a personalized learning pathway plan, which is a unique, customized educational path that keeps pace with their passion and curiosity towards achieving their dreams in the future".
Compatible Experiences
It is noted that Sarah Shaw, the founder of the project, has more than 15 years of experience in the field of human development, education, innovation, strategy and project management, and making tomorrow's leaders, through her work in several government and private agencies in the Emirate of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
She also led partnership projects between public and private sectors in the social field and the development of the secondary education system. Sarah has trained more than 700 citizens in a professional hospitality program.
About Future Learning Lab
The Future Learning Lab Institution was established during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, especially during the home quarantine period, where a core team of driven individuals motivated by their talents and passion to redesign the learning environment and learning mechanisms to keep pace with the future.
They have collaborated with Workspace Education to develop a successful system that has been in place since 2016 in Connecticut State, USA, and the model has been modified to fit the local culture, multinational and educational curricula in the UAE.
Future Learning Lab's model focuses on (3) main elements as follows:
1- The space: where the community convene, where opportunities are created and are ideal places for work/learning – a home away from home feel.
2- Community: with a shared purpose where they customise, self-organise the work and education, essentially co-create the learning experience; driven by the people within the community.
3- Ecosystem of Services: a distinct set of services, for example, education services (through strategic partners in various educational fields (such as robotics, programming, public speaking, arts and activities)), skills services with work experience and work on real-life projects, as well as the tools and platforms to provide the support.
This system ensures that learning can keep pace with the changes in the world while emphasizing the development of the learners basic skills, such as team spirit building, participation, time management, money management and other life skills needed to build an effective human element for today and the future.
News Source: https://www.difc.ae/newsroom/
