Learning Engagement 1: Identifying how schools changed and developed.

Learning Objective: To identify the differences in schools in the past to present.

Introduction and context setting

Students will use the ‘Connect-Extend-Challenge’ visible routine  and will record their responses in their notebooks. This visible routine helps students to draw connections between new ideas and prior knowledge.

Connect – Why do you think education is important and what connections does it have to Qatari customs, culture and heritage?

Extend – What do you think schools were like in the past in Qatar? How has this changed? What do you think schools are like globally? For example, would a school in Nigeria look different to a school in Australia? Explain your answer.

How can the climate and weather conditions affect school designs and education?

Challenge – What are you curious to know? What is puzzling you about education locally or globally? How is it linked with sustainability? 

Activity 1

Instructions for teachers

The teacher will explain to the students that they will work in pairs to sort out the images from resource 1:  https://rasekh.qa/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Resource-1_-Past-and-present-school-sort.pdf onto a T-chart under past or present headings.

Instructions for students 

As students sort the images under the past or present, they write down any information  they want to find out more about, and where they think the school in each image is located. 

Reflection

The students will write down their wonderings in their reflection journals and will share them with the  rest of the class. 

Activity 2

Students will work in pairs to create a Venn diagram using resource 2: https://rasekh.qa/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Resource-2_-Venn-Diagram.pdf to note down the similarities and differences between past and present schools they sorted. They can make comparisons and connections with their responses from the visible routine engagement, and the images from resource 1 (in activity 1) and use some of the responses from the questions below that they can include.

Instructions for teachers: The teacher will provide each pair of students with the following questions as they make their observations and complete their Venn diagram. They can make notes of their responses in their reflection journal. 

Instructions for students: The students will complete the Venn diagram in pairs by making observations from the images, visible routine thoughts, and from some of the questions provided by their teacher. 

Student friendly questions:

Which country do you think  each image is from?  What makes you think this?

What are your perceptions about each image?

Which schools are in the past? How can you tell?

How are the past schools different from the present schools?

What subjects do you think were taught in the past?

What subjects are taught at school in the present? 

What were the building designs like in the past and how is this different from the present building designs for schools?

How many children do you think were taught in a classroom in the past? How is this different from the present classroom? 

Do you think the number of teachers has increased since the development of schools? Explain your answer.

What resources were available in the past? 

What resources are available in the present? 

What resources do you think will be available in the future?

How were culture and ethics taught in schools in the past? Has this changed in the present times? Explain your answer. 

What was missing in schools in the past? Is there anything you feel is missing in schools locally or globally?

What is taught in local schools today in Qatar that represent and preserve Qatar’s customs, heritage and culture?

How can we sustain and preserve Qatar’s customs, morals, culture and heritage within our schools and curriculum?

Then the students will be asked to join up with another pair, and they will discuss and compare their responses, and Venn diagram. 

Reflection

Each pair will provide two responses from their observations, and wonderings to open discussion for further inquiry. 

Learning Engagement 2: Understanding the significance, connections, customs and morals of education. 

Learning Objective: To understand the significance, connections, customs and morals of education. 

Activity 1

See, Think and Wonder visible thinking activity. 

The students will work individually and will be provided with resource 3:  https://rasekh.qa/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Resource-3_-See-Think-and-Wonder-Activity.pdf to write their responses. 

See – What type of tree do you see? What is surrounding the tree? Have you seen this tree before? Where?

Think – In which countries do you think this tree grows?  What scientific  process is essential for its growth? Do you think that  the climate and weather conditions affect its growth? Explain your answer. 

How is this tree connected and in what way is it connected to education?

Wonder – What wonderings do you have about this tree? 

Activity 2: 

The students  will be provided with  the following link to solve the questions on resource 4: Quiz – https://rasekh.qa/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Resource-4_-Quiz-.pdf

English link:  https://www.qf.org.qa/about

Arabic link: https://www.qf.org.qa/ar/about

Reflection:

The students will be asked to pair up with another student and discuss their responses thinking about what they found interesting, what they found challenging, and what they are interested to know more about. In the situation  of an odd number in the classroom setting,  three students would need to form a group.

Learning Engagement 3: Planning and Designing a future school in Qatar. 

Learning Objective: To plan and design a future school in Qatar. 

The teacher will instruct students that they have been provided the task as a Local Designer for Schools to plan and design a future school that will benefit children ranging from pre-K12 in Qatar. This school size and design might vary according to the ability group. 

The students will research and sketch their design in their drawing books/papers for their ideas and plans. The teacher will provide the following as a guide to support the students when planning their designs. 

What will the exterior of the building look like? What sustainability features will it include? How will natural light and greenery be included? How many students, teachers and staff will it accommodate? 

What material would you consider for the building design that is sustainable? 

How many floor levels will it include? 

How many grade levels and classrooms will you include inside the building? Which ages and grade levels do you need to include for the school? 

Where will the access to enter and exit (including fire exits) be?

Will it have a car park outside? 

Have you thought about other areas the school needs? For example, the cafeteria, school laboratory, auditorium and school library. 

What do you have in your school and you want to include or enhance in your design?

What technology will you include?

Will it be a special school designed for specific students’ needs? 

When the students have their thoughts, ideas and plans they can decide if they want to design a model of the exterior of their building, which needs to include labels/notes/sketches to explain the interior of the building, or design a section of the model to show the interior of the building with labels/notes, and sketches of their exterior design.

Differentiation: 

Provide support for low and middle ability students that might want to adhere to a one form entry school (one class per grade level), and they can choose to design a primary or secondary school  to support  them in providing the quality, and creativity in their futuristic designs – Grades: Pre-5, or 6-12. 

Alternatively, students can choose to work in small groups of no more than 3 students in a group or individually, and this would  include mixed ability groups. The students can decide according to their interests.

High ability students should be challenged to create innovative, futuristic designs across the grades pre-K12 and might include the use of robots (AI). 

Presentation

The students will present their design to their teachers, peers and senior members of the school. Their work will be displayed as an open exhibition in the school. The teacher will provide the opportunity for positive feedback.