Bio:

Sarah Kuhail, a specialist of cross-cultural communication and international management, is currently the acting Director of Al Nayzak Organization for Supportive Education and Scientific Innovation. Al Nayzak is a Palestinian NGO involved in promoting and mainstreaming scientific and technological innovation as a tool for societal and economic development. Sarah is passionate about education, and has worked in the field of creative education for over 5 years, focusing on innovative educational methods in times of conflict, including drama, literature and scientific innovation.

Abstract:

EMPLOYING CODING AND GAMING IN LIFE SKILLS LEARNING

The world is on the brink of a technological revolution that will change the way we live, work, and relate to one another. Some jobs will disappear while others will grow; new jobs will develop to serve a different marketplace. This requires future leaders to be equipped with the necessary life skills that support and enhance their integration and employability.

While technologies are advancing, we will still need creative and innovative thinkers that are able to come up with solutions to problems, understand human systems, and further develop new technologies. Educational and scientific communication institutions need to adopt new approaches of learning to accommodate these developmental changes.

Coding is an essential driver of innovation, and is becoming a fundamental skill that adolescents need to learn. It offers the opportunity to learn divergent thinking methods, to become more creative; it can build confidence and empower children to create their own projects. It also translates to success in other areas; learning to program supports learning in areas like math, reading, and science.

Al Nayzak employs coding as a tool to develop teachers’ and students’ life skills, including creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision- making, cooperation, self-management, communication, participation, and empathy. This session will discuss the type of skills that can most efficiently be taught through coding and gaming, demonstrating how they can most successfully implement the “Life skills and citizenship education framework” developed by UNICEF as a 360 approach.