Sharing Good Practice
How to promote a culturally
creative curriculum
By Lubna Sarwar
I
f you have been teaching in the
UAE for a few years, you may
have had some discussion about
sourcing
culturally
relevant
material for your school. It is Eurocentric
or Westernized, not UAE centric
material, that is readily sourced online
and in the market. Our students are
living in a young, vibrant and culturally
diverse country; learning to cross
divides, adjust to new ways of thinking
and, to thrive surrounded by multiple
cultures. Many of us are proud of the
fact that the children we teach, in this
very unique environment, are openminded individuals who understand
and respect the local culture. Of
course this can only happen by design
and not by accident. With an eye on
cultural sensibility, where do teachers
go to source exciting and relevant
material for their UAE based students?
Here are some innovative ways in
which you can reference the local
culture and its landscape to promote a
culturally creative curriculum.
Crisscross subject boundaries
Create
cross-curricular
learning
opportunities. Bring in a few copies of
a bilingual RTA timetable for a practical
maths lesson. This means you are
bringing the world outside - familiar
stops and favourite hotspots - into the
classroom. Challenge the children to
calculate duration and length of actual
journeys across the city. It is surprising
to see what excitement can be
generated when student