Project Context
Situated in the middle of Hamra, a neighborhood in Beirut, Makassed Abi Bakr El Siddeeq School welcomes 225 students daily and offers them the opportunity to learn with a group of educators who believe in the utmost potential of their students.
They believe that the students deserve an excellent education, reigned by 21st-century skills, covering disciplines they might love, including health, technology, cultural awareness, and more.
Project Description
Their intervention focused on integrating inquiry based learning in Science, encouraging fifth grade students to ask questions, conduct research, apply new insights, and evaluate new ideas.
With the objective of modernizing their learnings, the school team members have decided to utilize Tabshoura, a digital learning initiative from Lebanese Alternative Learning, as an open source and tool. They have also worked with Cambridge Primary Curriculum, where the teachers involved in the project enrolled in two courses in order to gain and provide the students with 21st-century skills, through inquiry-based learning, that go beyond traditional academic subjects. The 4C’s to 21st-century skills are Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, and Communication. School teachers were providing the students with the guidance and support to achieve their educational goals independently.
During the first 100 days, the students were following an inquiry circle of “Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation”. They were engaging in new activities and broadening their understanding of concepts such as pollution, electric shortages, and inclusion in schools.
The project reflects nafda’s vision and values, as the students understand the importance of life-long learning and the development of skills like critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation. Their school culture now leans heavily on respect, fairness, equity, and inclusion, clearly seen in the way the team adapted teaching and tools during the inquiry based learning project as it addresses and improves the results of various students for the context of their city, Beirut and Lebanon, their country.
The students’ performance was evaluated based on Cambridge Assessment International Education progression and school-based exams.
Achievements to Date
- 80% of fifth grade students showed progress, with their average grades in Science increasing from 13/20 to 16/20.
- More than 80% of the school community members reflected more on the importance of developing 4C’s to 21st-century skills.
- The school team’s mindset has shifted, as the teachers now encourage inquiry based learning and critical thinking.
The Human Heartbeat