In the UAE
HTS OF 2015
FEATURED TEACHERS
Alison Turner
Mrs Jillian Fox
Head of Music – Al
Bateen Secondary School
Share
one tip for
music teachers
who
struggle
to get students
interested in music
classes.
“Find
music
they love. Make it
relevant. Celebrate the
small stuff. Encourage students
to be open- minded, and to appreciate music
in terms of what it offers musically. Let the
kids make music and make it their own.
Provide opportunities for positive
feedback, and for sharing!”
Nick Gastaldi
Why
did
you
become
an
educator?
“I became
an
educator
because I have always
enjoyed the school
experience and wanted
to remain a part of it and
if possible help it grow. I try
t o
be creative in my teaching, so as
to allow students to have fun while they learn
and be given opportunities to see real life
connections.”
Grade 4 Teacher
– Raffles World
Academy
Matthew
Pollock
Why
did
you
b e c o m e
a
teacher?
“Teaching allows
me to do the things
I enjoy the most. I was
always interested in
playing sports since I was
at school and I enjoyed the
school environment. I enjoy
helping people and seeing them
make progress.”
Head of Physical
Education –
Al Bateen
Secondary
School
What
is the best
advice that you
have received?
“Rhonda
Byrne’s book The
Secret
had
the
biggest impact on
both my personal and
professional life. It boils
down to the power of positive
thinking, visualising what you want to achieve
and taking the necessary steps to making
it happen. We can achieve whatever we
want if we believe in it and want it
enough.”
Executive Primary
Head Teacher,
Kings School Dubai
Victor
Guthrie
Director of
Technology &
Media Services
– American
Community
School
Who
inspires you
most?
“ R i s k
takers...
this
isn’t a particular
person, but rather
the collective group
of innovative educators
who are willing to see
education differently. If I had
to choose a single person, I’d say it would
be the philosopher, John Dewey, who
recognised and articulated the need
for an educational reform in the
early 1900s.”
Mike Lambert
Head Teacher –
Dubai College
Who
inspires you
most?
“I
am inspired by
anybody
who
willingly gives up
their life in the service
of others. I read an article
recently about David Nott,
the London vascular surgeon
who has spent six weeks each year offering
his expertise as an unpaid volunteer in
Derek Swanson
every major warzone on the planet.
Teacher of Technology –
This guy is a genuine hero in my
American
mind.”
Community
What
School
inspires you
most?
“I
am
following
the
development
of
Gazebo, from the
open Source robotics
foundation. Gazebo is a
software that provides a 3d
world for robotics simulation.
Additionally, I had the pleasure of visiting
the Carnegie Mellon university robotics
institute, which is at the forefront of
robotics technology.”