Pre-schoolers Graduate
2012-06-06
Dressed in blue and white gowns and mortar boards, 18 children from Qatar University’s Early Childhood Center (ECC) beamed with pride as they graduated on June 5 in the presence of parents, siblings, ECC teachers and staff, and university faculty.
In her welcoming address, College of Education (CED) Associate Dean for Student Affairs Dr Fatima Al-Maadadi, said: “At the Center, we try to develop very best practices for the education of young children. This is a model for all Qatar society, as we focus not only on their academic achievements but also on developing them as well-rounded individuals. To achieve their potential, children need to be active learners, gaining a host of skills, not just knowledge itself. It is our role to provide them with a rich education which develops their emotional, social and cognitive abilities, but none of this would be possible without the support of all the parents, and we are grateful to them for the crucial role they are playing in their children’s futures.”
ECC Academic Supervisor Dr Hoda Basheer gave parents a virtual tour of the Center, highlighting the range of daily activities in which the children participated such as trips to Katara, Souq Waqif, the Museum of Islamic Art, and to the supermarket, where they learned to identify healthy and unhealthy foods. Additional activities included a baking session, science experiments, craftwork, and learning to read and write.
Dr Basheer explained that the Center had this year adopted a new educational program based on the Reggio Emilia philosophy, which involves redesigning the classrooms to accommodate more project-based, child-led learning.
She said: “This philosophy focuses on giving children a total education and encourages them to be the researchers in their projects. Children learn best by doing, and that is what we allow them to do. This creates confident children, who are able to be themselves and who are well prepared for the future.”
The young graduates performed a play entitled “Our children are producing knowledge”, after which alumnus Majed Al Boflasi spoke to the audience about his experiences at the Center.
Graduation certificates were presented by Dr Al-Maadadi and CED Dean Dr Hissa Sadiq, who congratulated the young graduates, saying: "I am delighted with today's graduation and that the children benefitted so much from their time at the Center. Most importantly, they gained developmental skills such as thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. These are all vital as they move on to primary school and hopefully they will take what they learned with them into the rest of their lives."
Proud parent Lamiaa Mahrous, mother of four-year-old Saleh Mohammed, spoke of her son’s time at the pre-school. She said: “Saleh has enjoyed himself so much here. I am really pleased that they learned by doing things for themselves, which is so important.”
In her welcoming address, College of Education (CED) Associate Dean for Student Affairs Dr Fatima Al-Maadadi, said: “At the Center, we try to develop very best practices for the education of young children. This is a model for all Qatar society, as we focus not only on their academic achievements but also on developing them as well-rounded individuals. To achieve their potential, children need to be active learners, gaining a host of skills, not just knowledge itself. It is our role to provide them with a rich education which develops their emotional, social and cognitive abilities, but none of this would be possible without the support of all the parents, and we are grateful to them for the crucial role they are playing in their children’s futures.”
ECC Academic Supervisor Dr Hoda Basheer gave parents a virtual tour of the Center, highlighting the range of daily activities in which the children participated such as trips to Katara, Souq Waqif, the Museum of Islamic Art, and to the supermarket, where they learned to identify healthy and unhealthy foods. Additional activities included a baking session, science experiments, craftwork, and learning to read and write.
Dr Basheer explained that the Center had this year adopted a new educational program based on the Reggio Emilia philosophy, which involves redesigning the classrooms to accommodate more project-based, child-led learning.
She said: “This philosophy focuses on giving children a total education and encourages them to be the researchers in their projects. Children learn best by doing, and that is what we allow them to do. This creates confident children, who are able to be themselves and who are well prepared for the future.”
The young graduates performed a play entitled “Our children are producing knowledge”, after which alumnus Majed Al Boflasi spoke to the audience about his experiences at the Center.
Graduation certificates were presented by Dr Al-Maadadi and CED Dean Dr Hissa Sadiq, who congratulated the young graduates, saying: "I am delighted with today's graduation and that the children benefitted so much from their time at the Center. Most importantly, they gained developmental skills such as thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. These are all vital as they move on to primary school and hopefully they will take what they learned with them into the rest of their lives."
Proud parent Lamiaa Mahrous, mother of four-year-old Saleh Mohammed, spoke of her son’s time at the pre-school. She said: “Saleh has enjoyed himself so much here. I am really pleased that they learned by doing things for themselves, which is so important.”