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KDSL Global interviews Mirai
Our KDSL Global Intern recently had the opportunity to interview Nyla Tariq, Co-Founder of Mirai. They are passionate educators, founders & strategists shaping innovative learning & leadership to prepare you for the future now.
What inspired you to start Mirai?
The belief that education and learning are critical drivers of preparing people of all ages and countries for the future workforce. It isn’t just about starting schools and neither is it about creating workforce training programs, it’s about creating ecologies of learning and innovation that have measurable impact, that encourage learning and that help people find opportunities.
What was the mission at the outset?
The mission is to bring together the best in learning design, learning technologies and innovation to ensure employability, opportunity and innovation for people of all ages, races, and backgrounds. We saw a huge gap in what was happening on the ground, in schools and in workplaces versus what needs to be happening for future workforce needs.
What is the most important thing that you are working on right now and how are you making it happen?
While technology is not the definition of innovation, it is definitely a driver. We are focusing our efforts right now in sourcing the best in learning technologies from different parts of the world, and bringing it to the Middle East and Asia to be able to scale the impact of great learning.
We are working with schools and corporates on creating ecologies of innovative learning through learning & leadership consulting, predictive analytic models and digital learning.
To learn more about Mirai visit https://www.miraipartners.co.
Nyla Tariq is motivated to create global social change. Her work spans 4 continents & all ages of learners, innovating to build people’s talents and capabilities.
She co-launched Mirai, one of the Middle East’s first innovation consultancies, to help schools, businesses, & governments prepare for the future.
Prior to that, she led business development at NYU StartEd Accelerator, working with leading startups & investors in the U.S EdTech space. Nyla has led growth & training for one of the U.A.E’s top teacher development & training platforms and has worked to implement workforce strategies for thousands of GCC based blue-collar workers.
She also co-founded Kids World Group in the U.A.E, a network of boutique Montessori nurseries delivering affordable & high-quality early years education. At Kids World, she led operations, taught toddlers fine-motor skills, & trained teachers.
Nyla is a passionate advocate of gender & minority rights. To that end, she has personally educated men on gender-based violence in the favelas of Brazil and taught English to increase the employability of women in refugee camps in Greece.
Meet our KDSL Global Intern – Tanner Lauren Harris
Tanner Lauren Harris is a junior at Oregon State University studying accounting and education with a focus on multicultural education. She has over four years of experience working with educational companies, including MidSchoolMath and Imagine Education, developing organizational systems for curriculum, mailing marketing campaigns, assisting in planning of national conferences, and working behind the scenes to complete invoices, payroll, business reimbursements, and other accounting projects. Tanner recently received her Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment Professional Teaching Licensure in preparation to become a substitute teacher. By the end of this internship, Tanner hopes to gain a worldwide understanding of education and increase her global awareness of other cultures.
New KDSL Global Senior Associate
Meet Mona Fairley Nelson, our new KDSL Global Senior Associate.
Mona Fairley-Nelson is an educational leader who has served in numerous international schools since relocating abroad in 2014. Mrs. Fairley-Nelson’s vast leadership experience includes: developing international partnerships with colleges and universities to support school innovation, developing quality instructional practices in K-12th grade, accreditation planning and report writing, multidivisional strategic planning and school improvement, budgeting development and allocation for organizational growth, implementing effective leadership and supervision models, and creating sustainable practices for start-up schools across the globe.
The majority of Mrs. Fairley-Nelson’s work in education has centered on supporting American curriculum schools in the NESA region. She presented at the MENA Teacher Summit in Dubai, AAIE conference in San Francisco, and the END conference in Portugal. Additionally, she organized the PEAK 2019 educational conference in Kuwait which hosted over one thousand of the country’s educators. In August of 2019, Mrs. Fairley-Nelson will expand her professional reach to include the AASSA region as well.
Mrs. Fairley-Nelson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development, a Master of Education degree in Elementary Education, and a Master of K-12 Leadership and Supervision degree. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education degree in International Educational Leadership from Wilkes University.
New KDSL Global Manager of Learning
Meet Rashenah Walker, our new KDSL Global Manager of Learning. In this role Walker will manage projects in our professional learning portfolio for the MENA region.
Rashenah Walker is an international curriculum specialist and educational trainer. She holds a Master’s degree in Education majoring in Instructional Technology and is a dual major Doctoral Candidate in Educational Leadership and Curriculum Design. Rashenah began her career in the United States as special education and Advanced Placement teacher. Since then, she has worked in the areas of curriculum design, educational administration, organizational needs analysis, and teacher development. As an independent contractor, Rashenah has completed professional development training for TESOL, College Board, Edmodo, and KDSL Global making significant contributions to educational organizations within the U.S. and internationally. Currently, she is serving on the TESOL Professional Standards Council, has appeared as a guest on the radio show Myk12career.com, in addition to winning multiple Global Education Supplies and Solutions (GESS) awards for her research on using Edmodo in schools.
KDSL Global interviews The GEMS Camp Founder Saki Milton
KDSL Global recently had an opportunity to connect with Saki Milton, Founder of The GEMS Camp. The GEMS Camp, launched in summer 2010 as a free 6-week Saturday camp, preparing urban girls in grades 7 through 9 to be well-rounded, confident, and ready for college and beyond. Since its inception, The GEMS Camp has been instrumental in inspiring more than 200 girls in STEM studies and is hosted annually at The University of North Texas at Dallas.
What was your inspiration to work in STEM?
As a secondary mathematics classroom teacher, every year I saw 1-2 kids in each class who actually wanted to learn. They were focused, studious, hard-working, and hungry for a challenge. Unfortunately, with the challenges many teachers like myself face in an urban classroom, those students are typically the ones who end up getting shafted. Large classroom sizes, disrespect, and lack of resources are issues an urban teacher faces on a daily basis. I know I did. My heart broke every time I saw a girl who reminded me of myself as a student, but wasn’t getting the quality education that every child should receive because I was too busy dealing with classroom management or catching up those who were 1-2 grade levels behind. Going home every night knowing that I wanted to do more led me to action.
In 2010, I was teaching at an IB school. I was so moved by my students’ personal projects that I decided to explore my own summer project to give back to those students in my neighborhood. That’s when I started The GEMS Camp. I started The GEMS Camp for the girls who are ridiculed for being smart. Girls who do everything they’re supposed to do, but have to stay in their environments just because they don’t have anywhere else to go. I wanted to give them what was given to me – a quality learning experience that made me curious about the world and compassionate about others in a safe environment. Over the years, my interest in STEM has grown as demands for the workforce have changed. I’ve realized the significance of preparing students for jobs of the future, especially problems facing the environment or those with disabilities.
I believe that the shortages in STEM fields can be filled by preparing more women, which currently account for about 13% of the U.S. STEM workforce. To do so, we need to prepare girls with knowledge and skills but also equip them with confidence to be successful in such fields. My involvement in the community led me to combine my background, experience and passion into forming a nonprofit organization. I encourage teachers to find ways to explore their talents and interests beyond the bell.
Tell us about the GEMS Camp
The mission of The GEMS Camp (Girls interested in Engineering, Mathematics, and Science) is to build confidence in urban teen girls in grades 7-12 through five core areas called the 5 Karat Gems – Academics, Career, Creativity, Leadership, and Service– so that they will be successful in STEM studies and careers. The Organization’s vision is to change the trajectory of generational poverty for underrepresented girls’ families.
We teach girls how to be CREATIVE thinkers and communicators – a valuable life skill to help them break away from the pack. They learn LEADERSHIP strategies through a one-of-a-kind, research-based curriculum addressing specific needs of urban girls. Third, girls participate in SERVICE to help them internalize the value of giving back to a greater cause. The camp also prepares girls through ACADEMICS by using rigorous and engaging lessons and experiments led by highly qualified instructors. And finally, The GEMS Camp addresses CAREER opportunities to its participants by inviting local, successful STEM women to speak about their professions and personal backgrounds.
The program started in 2010 as a Saturday day camp servicing 30 rising 7th-9th-grade girls held at a public library in Dallas, Texas. Since 2017, the model has evolved to a one-week residential Summer Experience program held at the University of North Texas at Dallas. The program concludes with a Graduation Ceremony and Community Exhibition, recognizing girls for completion and achievements throughout the program. The GEMS Camp continues to gain momentum reaching more students while maintaining authenticity to its mission. To date, we have served roughly 400 girls, exposing them to more than 30 North Texas female STEM professionals representing major corporations and organizations such as IBM, Atmos Energy, Frito Lay/Pepsico, Mary Kay, Inc., Hilti, Texas Instruments, HKS Architects and more.
One of our greatest accomplishments is the expansion of our mission to include helping girls build global STEM networks through travel. In June 2018, eight high school girls traveled to Italy (Naples, Rome, and Florence) to explore the “M” in STEM, studying geometric concepts of ancient and modern architecture, technology, and engineering. June 5-15, 2019, ten girls will have the opportunity to participate in a culture exchange in the United Arab Emirates (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) with local female STEM girls, while the Dallas camp will be held, June 21-28, 2019.
What do you see as the future of STEM?
To address the whole child, The GEMS Camp program design is rooted in the latest STEM education research, primarily STEM Learning Ecosystems (SLE’s)and incorporates best practices for bringing minority and low-income girls into the STEM career pipeline. In the future, I foresee STEM education headed more down this path based on reports I’ve read. The phrase STEM learning ecosystem has emerged from early works of human development research. SLE models include children at the center influenced directly by other people (e.g., family, friends) and settings (e.g., schools, neighborhoods) and indirectly by their environment and culture. Students shape and influence their environment and narrative via connections with other learners, community representatives, and the broader scope of world culture. I believe more funding will shift towards collaborative partnerships that are operating with this model. The emergence of newer adaptations of STEM –STEAM and STREAM will continue to take place.
However, long-term sustainability of such concepts are dependent upon the global job market. All of the data still point to science, technology, engineering and math-based positions; not the arts – though I am a firm believer and supporter of the arts. Until we see extreme shortages and disparities in the arts, as it pertains to STEM, I am not fully convinced yet that STEM is on its way out nor STEAM has enough critical mass to sustain its current popularity. But, I could be wrong; I hope it is not a fad.
Unlike the early days of STEM where emphasis was on engineering and computer science, I do believe greater increase in the sciences –biology, environment, and chemistry — will experience tremendous growth as human impact, biological warfare, and medical care are becoming macro-economic issues for both government and private sector.
To learn more about The GEMS Camp visit:
Saki Milton is an experienced mathematics educator with more than 20 years in the education industry including adult learning, curriculum writing, coaching, market development, consulting, and most importantly eight years of classroom teaching. Passionate about STEM education, Saki is known for her extensive work in the U.S. by founding The GEMS Camp (Girls interested in Engineering, Mathematics and Science), a non-profit organization whose mission is to build confidence in girls in grades 7-10 in five core areas called the 5 Karat Gems – Academics, Career, Creativity, Leadership, and Service – so that they will be successful in STEM studies and beyond. The organization has served more than 350 girls across Texas since 2010, partnering with major STEM employers such as BP Oil, Pepsico-FritoLay, HESS Corporation, and NASA to name a few. Saki has worked for Pearson Education Middle East as the U.S. Schools Curriculum Manager, delivering educator support to American international schools across the gulf region. Today, she is an independent international educational consultant working on worthwhile edTech and publishing projects globally. Saki holds a B.A. in mathematics from The University of Texas at Austin and an M.B.A. in marketing from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
KDSL Global Founder selected as a judge for Top School Awards in the United Arab Emirates
SchoolsCompared.com has announced the judges for the SchoolsCompared.com Top Schools Awards 2019. Seven senior educationalists will assess the final shortlist, and choose one single winner in each category.
The 2019 judges include the founder of the Emirates Literature Festival, Isobel Abulhoul OBE; the former head of the UK boarding association and Repton, Dubai, Jonathan Hughes -D’Aeth; former Samoan dual code international and professional rugby player, and owner of Apollo Sporting Academy, Apollo Perelini; former head of School Development for Sobha, and founder of the Education Intelligence Group, Shaun Robison; founder of the Early Years Educational Services and a recognised authority in Early Years, Sarah Rogers; founder of professional learning organisation KDSL Global, Kevin Simpson, and Which Media’s Head of Community, Lyn Soppelsa.
To learn more visit https://whichschooladvisor.com/uae/school-news/top-school-awards-judges-announced.
IIE Summit 2019: The Future of International Education
KDSL Global Founder Kevin Simpson will be attending the IIE Summit 2019 and serving as a Summit Voice.
The IIE Summit 2019: The Future of International Education will take place February 17-19, 2019 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Grand Central, New York City. The Summit will convene more than 500 leaders, influencers, and practitioners from education, government, business, philanthropy, and media for action-oriented discussion as we envision the next 50 years of international education, specifically centered around the primary themes: student mobility, access and equity, scholars and innovation, higher education in emergencies, and international partnerships.
Passionate about bringing new voices to the international #education conversation? Attend the #IIESummit2019 to join new and seasoned professionals as they envision the next 50 years of #intled: www.iie.org/summit.
Education Networking Night in Dubai
Finnish Education Expo- Middle East
KDSL is serving as a partner for the first ever Finnish Education Expo- Middle East to be held on the eve of GESS Dubai 2019.
The focus will be on sharing real life learnings and discussing how Finnish solutions can work in a local UAE context.
Some of the topics to be covered:
- Gamification of learning – real life experiences from UAE (examples of Arabic language and math learning)
- Moral Education and Finnish Curriculum Transversal Competencies – can we use the same learning methods?
- Early childhood education
Join us for an afternoon of discovery and innovation on the 25th of February 2019 at the beautiful Raddisson Blu Waterfront, Dubai!
The event is targeted at school leaders and senior management. It is invitation only.
For more information please visit http://finnisheducationexpo.com/.
