ABU DHABI(WAM)

His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended the second Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed Ramadan session, titled ‘A Learning Mindset: Curiosity and Innovation for Tomorrow’.

The session, which took place at a dedicated venue at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, featured as its keynote speaker Katja Schipperheijn, a renowned learning strategist, author, and the Founder of Habit of Improvement and sCooledu.

A leading voice in AI-enhanced learning, Katja Schipperheijn began by recounting an incident from 10 years ago when her daughter said she needed to be on Facebook. On being refused permission, she said: “You don’t understand our world. We want to be connected all the time.” The speaker recalled how this incident made her realise she needed to see the future through her children’s eyes.

The strategist said schoolchildren often ask her: “Can’t we just have a device that plants the knowledge in our head when we need it?” She discussed the latest advancements in brain-computer interfaces – including devices that can be injected through the veins – and their ability to help people regain speech and movement lost through brain disease, as well as assist with study.

The talk went on to explore the importance of ‘liminal leadership’ and the need to reconnect with human competencies such as curiosity, openness, imagination, and the ability to see a future that is not yet there. She noted that this is something she admires so much about the UAE.

The topic was then opened up to a panel discussion featuring Yaqoob Al Zaabi, Director of Strategy and Future at the Education, Human Development and Community Development Council; Dr. Liew Keat, Executive Dean, Higher Colleges of Technology, Abu Dhabi; and Rama Kanj, an Educational Psychologist at The Valens Clinic in Dubai.

Discussing the ‘paradigm shifts’ taking place in the UAE, Yaqoob Al Zaabi explained how education, human development, and community development are now being seen as interlinked and interwoven sectors with a shared goal. He also noted the UAE’s focus on lifelong learning, the view that education is ‘for everyone and by everyone’, and the notion of collective responsibility for society’s development.

Dr. Keat explored how higher education can prepare students for an unpredictable future. He suggested future educators could be classed as ‘learning architects’, moving away from a one-directional way of teaching to better engage students, especially in the age of technology. He said technology will be ‘front and centre’, with students taught digital and AI literacy while also being instructed in vital lifelong skills including critical thinking, problem solving and becoming good communicators.

Rama Kanj discussed how we can design safe environments to empower curiosity and openness. She said children are often told to take risks, think big, and innovate, but are then penalised when they fail. The psychologist said we need to shift from a performance-based assessment to a learning-based one where we focus less on the results and instead praise children for trying and asking the right questions.

The Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed Ramadan session was moderated by Maryam Hassani, Head of Trends and Innovation at the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority.

‘A Learning Mindset: Curiosity and Innovation for Tomorrow’ will be broadcast on Saturday, 15 March at 5pm on Abu Dhabi TV and the Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed YouTube channel (youtube.com/@MajlisMohamedbinZayed).