330: Khalifa International Award for Early Learning (KIAEL) with Prof. Nirmala Rao
The new Khalifa International Award for Early Learning (KIAEL), funded by the United Arab Emirates, wants submissions from UK academics, projects, schools and nurseries displaying brilliance and innovation in the early education sector.
Two winners in each of the categories “Best Research & Studies” and “Best Programmes & Teaching Practices” will receive $50,000. The recipients will be announced in June 2023.
The KIAEL Awarding Committee, which features Professor Iram Siraj, Professor of Child Development and Education, University of Oxford, are looking for high-quality, evidence-based research and impactful programmes, methodologies, and advanced teaching practices. Early education is defined as anything aimed at children aged eight and under.
Initiatives for children with disabilities are particularly welcome.
The prize was founded by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister, and aims to improve the standard of early childhood education around the world.
It is open to entrants from any country, including developing nations.
There have already been more than 40 prize registrations from the UK, but the organisers want many more through January and February.
“Our mission is to identify and reward research on early-childhood education, care that supports improvements in practice and exemplary programmes or teaching practices demonstrated to improve quality and/or the learning and development of young children,” says Professor Iram Siraj.
Professor Siraj is one five internationally renowned early learning experts who make up the KIAEL Awarding Committee. They also include: Dr Steven Barnett, founding Co-Director of the National Institute for Early Education and Board of Governors Professor of Education at Rutgers University in the US; Dr Nirmala Rao, a Chair Professor at the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong and Serena H C Yang Professor in Early Childhood Development and Education; Fatma Ahmad Abdulla Al Bastaki, Cluster Manager, Emirates Schools Establishment, Ministry of Education, UAE; Dr Jana Fleming, Director, Early Childhood Development, Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, Abu Dhabi.
Judging will place a firm emphasis on rigorous evaluation and impact to recognise initiatives and research in early childhood that can be globally inspirational due to measurable positive results.
“All programmes submitted for consideration should have been subject to an evaluation of implementation or outcomes that provide strong evidence of current or potential impact,” said Professor Siraj.
The deadline for entries is the 28 February 2023. Applications need to be submitted online at https://el.khaward.ae/.
Nirmala Rao is a Serena H C Yang Professor in Early Childhood Development and Education, Chair Professor of Child Development and Education, and Director of the Consortium for Research on Early Childhood Development and Education (CORE), Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong (HKU).
She is a Developmental and Chartered (Educational) Psychologist by training and has conducted research on early childhood development and education in Asian cultural contexts. Professor Rao has published widely and serves on the Editorial Board for premier scholarly journals. She is a regular participant in high-level international meetings, written advocacy material, and undertaken consultancies for international organisations. Professor Rao has received awards for both research and teaching.
329: Changes to the podcast from March 2023
From the start of March 2023 the Education on Fire podcast will return to releasing 1 episode a week on a Monday.
The reason for this is the Primary Education Summit. I will be involved in hosting 4 live discussion panels and coordinating the events during March which will need a lot of my focus. With a natural break in place I started considering how the podcast could/should change to support me with regards to my work/life harmony and how I can best support you moving forward.
Please get in touch if anything in the episode resonates with you or you can help provide feedback about the options I explained.
- Sponsorship
- Creating additional themed podcast series to support the main show.
- Community action through my www.buymeacoffee.com/educationonfire
Thank you to Sandy from www.thegoodeggs.org for her recent purchase of 4 coffees and kind words of support for the show.
Subscribe on YouTube to get information about our new live podcasts where you can comments and ask questions www.youtube.com/@educationonfire5530
Show Sponsor – National Association for Primary Education (NAPE)
Primary Education Summit – ‘Visions for the Future’ – March 2023
Book NOW at www.nape.org.uk/summit
328: Ocean Plastics Academy with Sarah Duffy – Common Seas
Common Seas is a social enterprise tackling the plastic pollution crisis by driving new policy, investing in the circular economy and catalysing a cultural shift in how we make, use and dispose of plastic.
Common Seas has four interconnected programmes. Together, these achieve the system change we need to halt plastic pollution and protect our ocean.
Their mission is to quickly and significantly reduce the amount of plastic produced and stop it polluting our rivers and seas. Common Seas is an international team of scientists, researchers, policy experts, communicators and behaviour change professionals.
As Project Manager for Ocean Plastics Academy, Sarah Duffy is working with Common Seas to help inspire and empower the next generation of change makers. Our ocean needs a new generation of sea champions. Common Seas want every child to understand the plastic crisis so they can help create a plastic waste-free future.
Ocean Plastics Academy combines a suite of curriculum-aligned resources with practical activities to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to lead a plastic waste revolution in their school and beyond.
Sarah has shaped her career to combine her interest in education and her passion for the natural world. With Qualified Teacher Status, a Master’s in Education for Sustainability, and more than a decade working in the environmental education sector, she has extensive experience designing and managing programmes on complex topics of sustainability.
Website
Social Media Information
Twitter @CommonSeas
Instagram – Common Seas
Resources Mentioned
Show Sponsor – National Association for Primary Education (NAPE)
Primary Education Summit – ‘Visions for the Future’ – March 2023
Book NOW at www.nape.org.uk/summit
327: Yellowdig with Shaunak Roy
Shaunak is the founder and CEO of Yellowdig. Yellowdig is a community-driven active learning platform adopted by over 130 colleges and universities, K12 schools, and corporate training clients.
Yellowdig’s mission is to transform every classroom into an active, social, and experiential learning community.
Shaunak graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from IIT Bombay and completed his graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Prior to founding Yellowdig, Shaunak spent a decade advising global companies on technology, strategy, and growth.
Website
Social Media Information
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunak-roy-65231b/
Resources Mentioned
Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World – David Epstein
Show Sponsor – National Association for Primary Education (NAPE)
Primary Education Summit – ‘Visions for the Future’ – March 2023
Book NOW at www.nape.org.uk/summit
326: The science of achieving equity in schools with Don Berg
Whether you are a principal, a superintendent, a school board member, or a leader without a title, Don Berg wants to help you understand what he has discovered about the psychology of learning.
And how knowledge of that psychology will enable you to be the best school leader you can be from whatever position you happen to occupy.
His work on educational leadership includes innovative ideas like Holistic Equity, Catalytic Pedagogy, and Back to Basics 2.0 which you can learn about through his books, videos, and other works.
Don wants to help you make deeper learning become the norm, not the exception. He will show you how to manage the hidden curriculum, not just worry about it. But most importantly he paints a picture of Holistic Equity and how to achieve it by putting the psychology of learning into policy so that policy stops undermining the learning.
Website
Resources Mentioned
The Unschooled Mind – Howard Gardner
Show Sponsor – National Association for Primary Education (NAPE)
Primary Education Summit – ‘Visions for the Future’ – March 2023
Book NOW at www.nape.org.uk/summit
Next live Education on Fire video podcast Wed 8th Feb 5.30pm GMT on YouTube @educationonfire5530