6th Arab Conference on the Systemic Approach to Teaching and Learning (Towards sustainable development in the Arab world) in Cairo and school visit in Alexandria

Egypt, April 12/19, 2006

Dr. Lida Schoen

Introduction

The conference was hosted by the Misr (Egyptian) International University. The conference language was Arabic, apart from lectures from foreign visitors (Prof. Peter Atkins, UK, Prof. Joe Lagowski, USA, Dr. Lida Schoen, the Netherlands) and a few workshops, presented in English. Most of the participants (about 400) came from Egypt, the second large group from Jordan and fewer from other Arab countries, like Libya and Saudi Arabia.

After the conference in Cairo I worked in El Nasr Girls College with students and teachers and met First Inspector in Chemistry Nadia Badra Khan, with special interest in primary education.

Systemic Approach to Teaching and Learning (SATL)

The Systemic Approach to Teaching and Learning is being developed in a number of Arab countries and promoted by Prof Farouk Fahmi. The experiment started in 1998. SATL is a new way of teaching and learning, based on the idea that nowadays everything is related to everything globally. Students shouldn't learn isolated facts (by heart), but connect concepts and facts in a logical context: e.g. sustainability issues also related to culture, architecture and economy.

SATL is not restricted to chemistry education. It is well known in the Arab world and applied in many subjects, but surely in Egypt it is promoted to teaching and learning in all subjects at all levels: from primary education to university level.

Conference

After a smooth flight Amsterdam-Cairo and a quick transfer to the University Hotel, the foreign guests were picked up for the official opening of the conference at Misr International University in the El Obour area, Heliopolis. Prof. Abdel-Aziz Kamal, the conference president, opened officially with his lecture about application of SATL, to cope with the challenge of sustainable development.

Prof. Hassan El Bar (Saudi Arabia) and Prof. Suleiman Al Quadere (Jordan) presented their views on the issue from different view points.

The evening ended with a welcome reception on the beautiful inner courtyard of the university.


On the second conference day Prof. Peter Atkins started with 'Sustaining Education', comparing his ideas about teaching and learning Chemistry with SATL. He warned not to forget the concepts in his model with the superimposed triangles.

Young Ambassadors for Chemistry

The plenary about IUPAC's YAC project (www.iupac.org/projects/2003/2003-055-1-050.html) was scheduled first after lunch (with tasty Egyptian food in the VIP room). I outlined the aims of the project: to enhance the public understanding of chemistry with the help of young students. Young Ambassadors for Chemistry was developed in close collaboration with the Science Across the World programme. The project first trains their teachers in a 'Train the trainers' programme, so that the ideas can be spread after the project has ended. Up till now the project has been successfully carried out in Taiwan (Taipei: www.iupac.org/publications/ci/2005/2702/pp2_2003-055-1-050.html), Argentina (Buenos Aires), Russia (Krasnoyarsk: www.iupac.org/publications/ci/2006/2802/pp2_2003-055-1-050.html) and as a spin-off in Korea (Gwangju).

The 2003 poster competition (It's a Chemical World), also organised in close cooperation with the Science Across the World programme, attracted 402 entries from 24 countries world wide. Unluckily enough no entries from Egypt or other Arab countries.There will be a new chance: a competition by the same organisers, with sponsorship from the Korean Chemical Society (deadline June 1st 2006): 'Chemistry for Humanity'. The first prize for an international team of students to stimulate international collaboration and to enhance collaboration between students in different parts of the world. It would be great to receive entries from the Arab world this time! It also is a wonderful thought for IUPAC that Egypt (or another Arab country like Jordan) would join the series of YAC events, as the ideas in this project fit in in the systemic approach.

The second conference day started with Prof. Joe Lagowski, one of the founding fathers of SATL, lecturing on the theoretical backgrounds and linking constructivism to brain research.

The day ended with a discussion about a selected list with recommandations (from different origins) for future SATL conferences.

Nearly all lectures and workshops were presented in Arab. A recommendation for next year's conference was to provide more translations or interpretors.

Acknowledgments

This disadvantage of the Arabic language for the foreign participants enabled me to have private discussions with many individuals.

Special thanks to Dr. Boshra Awad, who helped with more insight in the Egyptian school system and way of life. Without her and many other interpretors I would have been lost.

Also thanks to all teachers from a variety of school types and subjects that showed their 'home made' materials and were always willing to talk about their ideas and accomplishments. I was impressed by their enthusiasm!

Workshop Science across the World in Alexandria

After a comfortable train trip from Cairo to Alexandria with Dr. Abdel Hamid, Dr. Nadia Badra Khan, first Inspector in Chemistry took me to El Nasr Girls' College (5000 students in primary and secondary education). After an introductionary meeting with the principal Mrs Enaam El Defrawi, a full chemistry lab with 26 teachers and 9 students was waiting for me. We started with a short explanation about the Science Across the World programme (www.scienceacross.org). The programme aims the exchange of opinions, ideas and facts, collected by students locally to choose from 16 different topics (existing student materials, translated in many languages) with students in other countries all over the world (a choice of 4000 teachers in 122 countries in a well organised database). Consequently we worked on an activity from the Science Across the World topic 'Chemistry in our lives', that is also used in the Young Ambassadors for Chemistry project: The task was, in groups of three, to design, produce and market a new Egyptian cosmetic line. After finishing, all groups presented their marketing tools: creative TV commercials with product lines like 'Arabian nights' and 'Nile flower'.

Follow up

After the presentation Mariam El Agamy, deputy head of environmental affairs at El Nasr Girls' College and in charge of the talent school, related to the Arab Environment Association, showed interest to join the programme. A translation (Dr Boshra Awad) of 'Chemistry in our Lives' in Arabic is on it's way. The translation will be uploaded to the Science Across the World website, so the whole Arab world can download and use the materials.

The topic 'Chemistry in our Lives', already translated in many languages (www.scienceacross.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.showcontent&node=79) can offer authentic texts in Arabic/English. After carrying out the surveys, the students can exchange their results in Arabic/English with students of the same age in other countries. A real systemic approach!

Meeting with Nadia Badra Khan, first Inspector in Chemistry

Nadia took me to her educational centre, where we met the managing director in his beautiful office. We investigated possibilities to introduce one of the two primary Science Across the World topics, as Nadia's main interest in Science is in primary education. Probably translations in Arab will be needed.

Final remarks

The trip to Egypt has been extremely successful.

·  More familiarity with IUPAC's Young Ambassadors for Chemistry project and the value to introduce the project in the Arab world;

·  more knowledge about SATL and possible ways to collaborate with other teaching and learning theories;

·  invitation to the Jordanian conference in in Tafila in July 2006,

·  translation of 'Chemistry in our Lives' in Arabic;

·  first Egyptian (real) school taking part in Science Across the World;

·  possible membership of primary schools in the (near) future.

Acknowledgments

·  Dr. Abdel Hamid, inspector of Science, for taking me from Cairo to Alexandria;

·  Dr. Nadia Badra Khan, first Inspector in Chemistry in Alexandria for discussions about Science in primary education and showing me around;

·  Dr. Mariam El Agamy, deputy head of environmental affairs at El Nasr Girls' College and in charge of the talent school, related to the Arab Environment Association, expert tutor for the young master programme at Lund university in Sweden, for faciltating the workshop in El Nasr Girls' College and many discussions afterwards about taking part in the Science Across the World programme and taking part in the Young Ambassadors for Chemistry's poster competition 'Chemistry for Humanity'.

Amsterdam, June 2006

SATL: 6th Arab Conference + visit Alexandria April 12/19, 2006 1/4