British Council holds Connecting Classrooms Conference

Held over 3 days, from 7th July, the conference aims to draw out, how those working in education, can support children and young people develop their skills and understanding of a global culture, so that they can contribute positively, both in life and work, to a global society.

Experience from current projects - ICT in Education, Networking English and Innovative Approaches to Learning - that have brought together practitioners and decision makers from the region and the UK, will be shared with delegates to demonstrate what has been possible while also using these projects to provide a platform for future activities.

The conference will engage and look for the opinions of all involved in the educational process at schools level, and will seek recommendations for the best approach to achieving the skills and understanding that we all so want our future generations to have, and how countries, through working collaboratively, can achieve this together.

Dr Fouzia Badri, Chief Executive for Educational Affairs at the Ministry of Education will represent UAE at the conference.

During the conference The British Council will introduce the delegates to a new partnership programme called Connecting Classrooms.

Connecting Classrooms is a five year programme that establishes a strategic framework for shaping the agenda for International Education in schools. This will be achieved through 3 core elements of Collaborative Curriculum Projects, Professional Development for Internationalising Education and International Awards.

Through this initiative students will be empowered with an understanding of their own identity and inter-connectedness with the world around them, and equipped with the skills to contribute constructively to their society in all its forms. Teachers, school leaders and education professionals will benefit from the opportunities to exchange expertise and benchmark their own practice and performance against international standards.

Through Connecting Classrooms, young learners from the region and the UK will be supported to become true "global citizens".