DAMMAM, 24 June 2005 — There has been much talk about the changes needed to modernize the curriculum and teaching methods used in Saudi schools. As of yet though, few of the actions needed have been taken. That is why some private schools in the Kingdom have decided to stop waiting for ministerial direction in this regard. While these schools continue to teach the standard syllabus, with the concurrence of the relevant authorities, they are also bringing innovative educational opportunities into the classroom.

“In our schools we like to take the learning experience a step further,” said Ghada Taha, Arabic supervisor, Al-Bassam Girls School, a part of Al-Bassam Schools. “The school’s philosophy is ‘I hear, I forget. I see, I remember. I do, I understand.’ We want our students to take knowledge and use it to find solutions and solve problems. This is how we can help our students understand how to think and succeed in real-world situations.”

At this year’s Open House, the walls and corridors of Al-Bassam Girls School were packed with the results of the students’ annual projects.

“The annual project is a learning experience and not a research activity in the traditional sense,” explained Taha. “At the beginning of the academic year, each class from preschool to 7th Grade decides on a topic. It can be anything that the students propose. Then, during the year, the class will grow and develop this topic. At the Open House the results of their learning are displayed.”

This year the topics included water, the alphabet, winter, pets, citizenship, apples, colors, sheep, professions, nations, the solar system and many, many other subjects. At the start of the project the students wrote down everything they thought they knew about the topic. Then they began their investigations. In the course of their enquiries, they often discovered that some of their initial “facts” were wrong. As they proceeded in their research, the students documented their work using any appropriate means, such as models or photographs for instance.

The research the students did included a lot of hands-on experiences related to the topic. For example, the class whose project focused on milk made cheese at school. The students learning about citizenship held a “Toys for Tots” fundraiser in order to buy toys for a local orphanage. The class investigating the eye went to an ophthalmologist where they were given a demonstration of the equipment used to diagnose vision disorders.

At the end of the academic year, before the Open House, each class came to conclusions about their topic and then a display of the entire project was arranged so that the path the students took from initial “facts” to real learning and understanding could be demonstrated.

“The course the annual project follows is age appropriate,” remarked Taha as she pointed out various displays. “For the youngest students the teacher must do much of the organization and documentation. For the older students we expect to see the teacher stepping back and acting in more of an advisory role. The parents are informed of their children’s class project from its start. They are encouraged to discuss the topic at home and whenever possible support related learning experiences.”

Once the class projects are displayed and documented, another phase of learning takes place. Students interview members of other classes about that group’s annual project. Then they write reports about what they learned from the interview. This is a way to spread the knowledge about the projects throughout the school. It also gives the students the experience of interacting with others in a learning capacity and can also help break the shyness barrier for certain students.

“We don’t know what our students will do with their lives but our goal is to help them grow the intellectual skills needed to follow their dreams,” said Taha. “Students should be excited to ask questions, to experiment and to realize the value of trial and error. Their sense of curiosity must be allowed to flourish. They must be unafraid to gather knowledge and drawn conclusions. True learning cannot be imposed. The desire to learn must come from within an individual. For our students to succeed they must come to believe that learning is fun and rewarding in and of itself.”