Proposal for Connecting Creativity with the UN's 17 SDGs

Rebecca Taylor Al-Samaraie, United Kingdom

Rebecca Taylor Al-Samaraie has a wealth of experience as an educator and sustainability professional, having worked with adults and children in four countries across Europe and Asia. E-mail: rjtaylor71@hotmail.com

Vocational training in Abu Dhabi is a rapidly growing sector. In this 45-year-old nation, the regulatory environment is under-developed and the UAE is beginning to regulate training across many industry sectors. For example, there is as yet no national fire code and developers are merely hindered by conflicting recommendations, sometimes electing to follow guidelines used in other countries while keeping an eye on their budgets. Following a series of high-profile fires, a new fire code has been drawn up and there is a general consensus that it must be enforced more stringently (Badam R T 2017). Food hygiene is another example; the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority requires all personnel in the catering and restaurant sector to undergo training and certification. However, the courses and assessments are currently only available in English. This presents an added challenge to the many thousands of mainly low-skilled multinational staff who understandably do not see English as part of their skillset. The tests contain a lot of technical language and the multiple choice format used as a compromise merely detracts from the integrity and effectiveness of the assessments, while doing nothing to help learners with a limited grasp of the language.

With this in mind and having worked with low-level English students, I decided to create a course that could cater to the particular needs of these students. The course was designed for beginner/elementary students based on the Food Preparation Section of a private members’ club in Abu Dhabi. In order to continue working, the students required certification in food hygiene and preparation. The students came from India, Sri Lanka and Nepal and none of them had completed formal education up to 16 years of age. They also ranged in age from their early twenties to their early fifties. As stated already, at the time of planning and delivery, the certification assessments were not available in their languages, but only in English (either paper-based or orally). Diagnostic assessment established their low literacy levels and it was decided that the training should prepare them for the oral assessment in English. The work on this project was undertaken pro bono, based on several factors, most important of which was the students’ financial situation. I strongly believe that given the right teaching methods and encouragement, students with particular needs will be motivated to learn and eventually succeed. The course depended on the use of free digital storage to provide more access to the materials, and the gamification element.

When I started to design the course, I was given a list of 100 practice questions that the students were tested on. These questions were in no particular order, so my first task was to group them into cohesive units which then formed the modules of the course. The course centred on materials of a highly visual nature, with a large amount of drilling and repetition. Also, there was a lot to be done in terms of enhancing listening skills and the ability to pick out subject-specific vocabulary. The lack of experience with formal education necessitated some exam preparation in order to ensure that the students understood the format of the assessment (30 multiple choice questions, four choices). Taking into consideration the nature of the learners’ jobs and work patterns, it was important to make the course materials available online outside the classroom. This was made possible through the use of smartphones and other devices using the app/website Box.com and students could access the materials at any time of the day or night as their shift patterns permitted. The low digital literacy of many of the learners meant that I was restricted to basic software such as MS Powerpoint and Word, ubiquitous and widely available. I also employed gamification as a classroom tool to encourage learning by splitting the group into teams during exam training activities (beginning as review and end of new material).

The learners mostly sacrificed their free time in order to study and achieve certification, and could only attend class for 90 minutes a week. In addition their work was very physical and some were doing night shifts, therefore, the activities in each class took on a very formulaic structure as the outcome was mostly dictated by the assessment used by an external entity. The emphasis was about trying to enhance retention as much as possible. Consequently, learners became accustomed to what was expected of them each week, which helped with the flow of the class. This consistency contributed to the students’ confidence. At the beginning of each session there was always a review of previous language learnt. The main part of the lesson was visual cues with the question and answer above them. Lastly a practice test of the module was given and this mirrored the actual test they would have to do. As an added aspect to the motivational aspect of the course, the students were placed in teams to stimulate competition. At the end of the course, the team with the highest score received a gift voucher to use locally (to put it into context, the gift voucher was equivalent to 2 days' wages). Printed materials were made available to those without smart devices or laptops or otherwise unable to access the materials online- this was mostly the older members of the group.

In order to further enhance the student experience, I would recommend the following:

• Reducing the reliance of the students on the teacher by nominating a tech-savvy student to help others outside the classroom. The learners' low IT literacy was a considerable barrier to learning.
• Using a free recording app, to record the vocabulary and question types. I would recommend uploading the sound file to Box.com to provide the learners with a listening file to complement the materials.

Badam R T, The National Newspaper UAE 2017.
www.thenational.ae/uae/government/uaes-new-fire-code-must-be-enforced-experts-say

Please check the How to be a Teacher Trainer course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Creative Methodology for the Classroom course at Pilgrims website.