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The conference along with various workshops, organized by Dubai-based Ishara Consultants under the banner "Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice," will conclude on Thursday.
Al Marri recalled that the UAE Ministry of Education has paid great attention to people with special needs, including the category with learning disabilities since the 70s and it has developed plans and regulations for them to provide many services to them.
"On the basis of the philosophy of social responsibility towards this class and to develop their capacities and provide adequate support for them, we support all efforts to train workers and professionals in this category,"
she said.
Al Marri thanked President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, for their complete care and their conviction to give priority to this category to provide them model education to fulfil their hopes and satisfy their ambitions.
She expressed her hope that the conference will be beneficial to the participants in providing such students excellent services such as alternative learning methods, appropriate environment, specialized cadres, and prepare education plans to keep up the spirit of the times and technological development to continue the educational process.
Al Marri called for bringing out recommendations aimed at enhancing the level of education and promoting development of advanced strategies for those who have learning disabilities.
"The presence of the Ministry of Education is a clear indication of the interest of our government to create appropriate conditions that would prepare future generations to shoulder their responsibilities in our beloved country, and the rest of the GCC countries," said Maalainine Salama, Managing Director of Ishara Consultants, who delivered the welcome address in the conference.
He said time has come to understand closer the problems of learning disabilities and the means to overcome them, which has prompted Ishara to organize such conferences and specialized seminars.
The keynote address in the inaugural session was delivered by Dr. Louise Wilson, Associate Professor, Bethel University, Minnesota, USA. She talked about Learning and the Brain, highlighting how children make connection with new information, how information is stored, effect of enriched environments and creating brain-compatible classroom environments.
Dr. Susan Rose, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Special Education Programs, University of Minnesota, USA, spoke about Early Identification and Intervention with Students who are labeled "LD." She focused on the challenges presented by schools, programs and curricula to the non-traditional learner as well as to their parents, teachers and therapists.
The third speaker Dr. Gad Elbeheri, Executive Director of the Centre for Child Evaluation & Teaching, Kuwait presented a framework for assessing the English/Arabic bilingual dyslexic child, focusing on the types and purposes of assessment. He also dealt with the nature of spoken/written Arabic and its influence on dyslexia assessment as well as the need for culture-fair assessment of dyslexia in Arabic-English bilingual children.
Elbeheri pointed out the lack of resources in Arabic to provide complete assessment. He was focusing on teachers and parents in the UAE. Dr. Malek Yamani, USA, a linguistic specialist, was the moderator of the event.
In the workshop on the opening day conducted by Dr. Louise Wilson in the afternoon she talked about design units of instruction that are compatible with how students learn. She pointed out that attending to individual student needs requires flexibility and a variety of innovative techniques.
In the second workshop Dr. Susan Rose dwelt upon the issue of monitoring students' progress. The third workshop of the day was presented by
Dr. El Behairi, who spoke about assessing specific learning disabilities in the Arabic speakers.
The workshop provided participants with practical experience on some of the Arabic tests available for use in the assessment of specific learning disabilities in Arabic and will include the following information.
The Etisalat sponsored two-day event is expected to develop a plan of action to assist educational institutions in the GCC design curricula, and find concrete steps to develop methods of training and effective human resources to address the problem of learning difficulties in general, and children in particular.
The conference focused on the growth of the regional community and educational and social trends that will affect every aspect of people's lives in the Gulf region. The event will feature keynote lectures and workshops by world renowned specialists, psychologists, educators and thought leaders. Their analyses and assessments of the current situation are expected to lead to concepts and reflections on vital social issues.
The conference is attended by some 400 delegates including principals, administrators, counselors, social workers, teachers, parents, researchers, adult literacy educators, college educators, correctional specialists, curriculum specialists, learning disability specialists, reading specialists, staff developers, speech and language specialists, library and media specialists, technology coordinators, medical and mental health professionals, teachers of special education and general education, education policy advocates and college student support personnel, adults with learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and parents of children with learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Posted by Nadeen El Ajou
