Oman Education Conference: Reflections and Questions

This week I had the privilege of attending a whirlwind 2 day conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which served as a time of collaboration and mutual learning between the Interactive Communications and Simulations department at the University of Michigan, the recently established Institute for Innovation in Education, the Omani Ministry of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, and the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center.

This conference was an amazing opportunity to hear what other alumni from ICS programs are doing in their classroom, get acquainted with a variety of interactive technology-driven projects, and network with like-minded educators from the U.S. and Oman.  In addition I got the unique opportunity to hear about successes and challenges facing Oman’s education system.

For those who may be unfamiliar with the history of Oman, in 1970 the country went through what they refer to as the “Blessed Renaissance” when the current Sultan, Sultan Qaboos, overthrew his father and took over the country.  Sultan Qaboos initiated many changes and reforms including universal schooling, building an infrastructure, developing universal healthcare, and strengthening the Omani economy.  Previous to 1970 many Omanis were forced to leave the country to receive a good education or even find a paying job.  Women were not allowed to go to school, and students studied using camel shoulder bones and sticks to write.  (For a fascinating look at the Blessed Renaissance, check out Voices of Oman, which is a compilation of easy to read oral histories from people who lived through the changes.)

Today things are much different.  Nearly 50% of Omani women graduate from high school, and women are outscoring men at the university level.  Oman has developed a sophisticated system of education that ranges from primary to university level, including technical and vocational universities, and they are intentionally studying education reform in other countries, such as the U.S., in an effort to avoid mistakes that others have made and ensure their population is prepared to support their job market.  A fairly recent shift in education in Oman has been to move away from teacher-centered classrooms to more student-centered instruction.  Like all nations, Omanis are particularly concerned with developing 21^st century job skills in their students, such as communication, collaboration, and work ethic.

Over the course of the 2 days in Ann Arbor, I had the privilege of hearing about and networking with the following innovation educational technology projects:

Place Out of Time – How would a conversation between Muhammad Ali and Napoleon on the subject of the intelligent use of force unfold? What might Queen Isabella have to say about the importance of a diverse society? Come to the Alhambra Palace and find out! 

Place Out Of Time is a simulation of a trial, where students play guests who come from a range of places and times throughout history to discuss some of the great issues of humankind.

Earth Odyssey – Earth Odysseys is an interdisciplinary adventure learning activity that “sends” students to places they may never visit in person. Using a web-based format, middle school and high school students are engaged in an intensive interaction with peers from around the world, and with a staff of university mentors. Student participants learn about the world’s geographical and human diversity as well as the rich and varied cultural expressions of its people.

International Poetry Guild – The International Poetry Guild is a web-based language-arts program that develops student’ writing abilities while encouraging them to become critical, appreciative readers of poetry. IPG combines the individualized activity of writing poetry with the teamwork needed to compile “journals” of student work. The Poetry Guild can easily be incorporated into any language arts curriculum in junior and senior high schools.

Sonlig – Sonlig aims to reduce energy poverty and increase employability possibilities for youth in areas where rural electrification is a significant barrier to accessing technology tools. Sonlig has developed a science kit and curriculum that introduces learners to solar photovoltaic energy allowing them to build something functional: their own solar photovoltaic charging system.

Mapmaking in the Community App – The Mapmaking in the Community Game provides students with an opportunity to create maps and make connections in their local community and in the process build literacy and math skills.  Students make a variety of conceptual and geographical maps to organize thoughts, experiences, and ideas of the people and places that surround their daily lives. Students use a variety of tools to gather their data and collaborate with classmates to reflect on their findings.

Cultural Views – Using digital photography to explore and connect autobiographical stories to wider cultural, political and social meanings

I was at the conference representing my own project, the Coalition for Gameful Learning.

Based on my conversations at the conference, I’ve developed the following questions to delve deeper:

What can we learn about formative assessment and effective feedback from online mentoring programs such as Place Out of Time?  How can we work together to improve student learning and investigate effective feedback?  How can we implement what POOT has learned about mentorship and feedback into analog and hybrid classroom games?  How do student responses on POOT reflect low-stakes writing

(As a possible entry point to answering this question, I recently received an e-mail from my principal encouraging us to use the ATLAS “Learning from Student Work” protocol to reflect on our own practice.  Here is the protocol from the National School Reform Faculty.)

In Oman they reported that they are struggling to motivate male students, and that, overall, male students are less engaged and performing more poorly than female students.  This is also a trend in the U.S.  What can we do to engage male students and hold them to the same high expectations of learning and achievement as female students?

During our jigsaw discussion time with POOT, someone asked if there was a list of frame games somewhere that teachers could easily customize by plugging in their specific content.  Would it be worthwhile to investigate this concept and include it as a chapter in our book?

The Institute for Innovation in Education that is emerging at the University of Michigan identified goals, approaches, and implementation of the institute.  Goals include Inquiry, Curiosity, and Empathy.  Approaches include Playfulness, Social action, Collaboration, and Design/Innovation.  Implementation will be across multiple locations and ages.

• • • As always, I am curious about the interplay of playfulness and social action.  How are these approaches complimentary?  Are they related?  How could playfulness beget social action?  What are some examples of this at work?  I think there is a lot of potential here that we are using, but we have yet to explain, investigate, or interpret it fully.
    • This segment also led me to ask questions about my own classroom.  How am I engaging students in inquiry, curiosity, and empathy?  How are inquiry and curiosity similar and different?  How do teachers engage in these practices, and what supports are available to practicing teachers to engage their own inquiry, curiosity, and empathy?