Textbooks, assessment and training to raise English language standards in the UAE
Cambridge developed teaching and learning materials, as well as accompanying assessment tools and training, to support delivery of a new curriculum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in a landmark three-year partnership.
Quick read
- Starting in 2015, Cambridge supported the UAE Ministry of Education in an ambitious partnership to enable all students by the end of grade 12 to have a high degree of competence in English.
- The project was formed around three strands of support: publishing, assessment and training.
- The heart of the project was the adaptation of the Cambridge Global English series for the UAE, renaming it Bridge to Success.
Strong English language skills
Students’ effective acquisition of English was at the core of the UAE’s long-term educational vision. The Ministry of Education’s goal was to equip all students with a high degree of competence in English by the end of grade 12.
This would enable them to receive a degree-level education, delivered in English, and to take their English language skills into an international knowledge-based economy.
In 2015, Cambridge began working with the UAE Ministry of Education in partnership to transform this ambition into reality.
Why Cambridge? We work with ministries of education and education institutions all over the world to help improve English language learning, teaching and assessment. We also benefited from extensive experience of producing culturally appropriate content for Middle Eastern states.
A ‘Bridge to Success’
To make this ambition a success, it was essential that the UAE had the right textbooks in its classrooms, running from grade 1 (6–7 years old) all the way through to grade 12.
To achieve this, Cambridge adapted its respected English-language course, Cambridge Global English. This was ideal for the UAE, both in terms of language acquisition and pedagogical approach, as well as its embodiment of ‘soft skills’ essential to the modern knowledge economy, such as problem-solving and critical thinking.
It was clear that we’d have to adapt the series significantly to ensure that it was the best fit culturally and educationally for the UAE.
So, working with the ministry on the adaptation process, and providing support training around this, was our top priority.
Named ‘Bridge to Success’, this project was to be ambitious in scope and schedule.
New books
The Bridge to Success project was formed around three distinct but closely related strands of support and consultancy: publishing, assessment and training.
The heart of the publishing programme was the adaptation of the Cambridge Global English series. While the look and feel of Cambridge Global English was kept, our work ranged from heavy adaptation through to entirely new materials, written from scratch.
There was much work to do from author, editorial and design perspectives. This was handled by highly experienced Cambridge authors and editors.
Key steps included:
- Adapting the structure of the Cambridge Global English books to suit the specific lesson and terms requirements of the UAE.
- Adapting the books to suit the cultural perspectives of the UAE, both drawing on our own deep experience of producing culturally appropriate content in the Middle East, but also working closely with the Ministry of Education early in the process.
- Ensuring the whole series closely tracked the ministry’s language development objectives, arriving at the B2 level - as measured by the CEFR languages framework - by grade 12.
Assessment tools
We also had a key role in developing the assessment tools accompanying the learning materials:
- For each grade, we produced one live test that covered all of the key skills areas in the curriculum, working in partnership with the ministry to develop skills in writing assessments. This also included producing an item bank to allow the ministry to construct its own assessments going forward.
- We ensured all the assessments we developed followed a standardised assessment framework and were aligned to the CEFR requirements.
Teacher training
As well as developing materials and assessment tools, we worked closely with the ministry to develop training to support delivery of the new curriculum in an engaging, and relevant way.
We provided teacher training in each phase of the project. We reviewed how this was delivered at each stage and adjusted it as needed.
The results
Jane Mann, Managing Director of Cambridge Partnership for Education, said: “This was an ambitious, inspirational project to instil the English language skills that have become so essential for future employment and economic development. Above all it was a partnership; we worked hand in hand with the Ministry to support its aim of equipping more students with the skills they need to thrive in the modern world. One of the key challenges for developing materials for an international subject like English is to make the learning contextually and culturally relevant, supporting the development of national character and identity, alongside the development of language skills. With Bridge to Success, we did so in an engaging and relevant way.”
Cambridge Partnership for Education and the Ministry of Education have since reached an agreement for the UAE to distribute the Bridge to Success series to learners in disadvantaged countries in support of the UAE Learning for All Initiative.
If you’re working to improve the quality of your country’s education system, then please contact us to find out how we can help you achieve your goals.
