Curriculum Vitae

Personal Details

Name Rida Blaik HouraniCorrespondence Address P.O. Box 8230, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.Contact Number Tel: (02) 632 3504 Mob: 050. 315.8668Email mhourani@hotmail.comDate of Birth 15 February 1965Nationality AustralianRegistered Schools Board No R111006- Registered Private School Teacher in

Victoria, Australia

Education

1982 - 1985 Bachelor of Arts in Sociology-Anthropology American University of Beirut.

1982 - 1985 Teaching Diplomas (Methods of Teaching)American University of Beirut.

Oct 85 - June 88 Masters in Education/Educational Foundation and Policy Studies.American University of Beirut.

December- 2007 Ph.D in Education Policy and Management /The University of Melbourne.

My Bachelor degree, Teaching Diploma and Master degrees have been assessed and accredited by the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR) in Australia and by the Department of Employment Education and Training (DEET) in Australia.

My Bachelor degree, Teaching Diploma, Master degrees and Ph.D have been attested and equivalence has been issued by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, UAE.

Languages:

English (excellent written & spoken ) Arabic (excellent written & spoken) Spanish (beginner written & spoken) French (beginner written & spoken)

1

Professional Profile

I am versatile in academic areas I am well rounded and have a multi cultural exposure and capable of dealing and

communicating with different ethnic backgrounds. I am an active social worker, hard working, punctual and very good at meeting

deadlines. I am qualified in re-designing programs and course development. I have worked with various school systems both Arabic and Western systems, in

Australia, Lebanon, Bahrain and the UAE. This includes the American High-school Diploma, Advanced Placement (AP), Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and International Baccalaureate (IB).

Teaching Experience

Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE)

P.O Box 126662 Abu- Dhabi

June 2008 and still in progress

Associate Professor at ECAE and Division Head of Education and Leadership

I am currently teaching at ECAE. I have taught and authored education courses in the B.Ed. M.Ed. , Doctorate and PGDE programs. I designed, constructed and delivered the following courses in the PGDE program: Curriculum Studies-Social Studies-CS (6701), “The Conceptual Framework of Social Studies”, CS (6702)” Comparative Curricular Studies in Social Studies”, and CS (6703) “Teaching Social Studies”. In addition to curricular studies, I taught Class-room Management.

On the B.Ed. level I authored and developed and taught the following courses: “Learners and Learning”, “Effective Teaching”, “Planning and Assessing Learning”, Social and Cultural Worlds of Children” and “Teachers and Schools”. On the M.Ed. level, I have authored taught “ Social and Cultural Perspectives on Education’.

I have served 2 years as a the Arts & Humanities Division Head. As part of my Division Head of Arts and Humanities duties and responsibilities, I have authored the following concentration courses in Arts and Music, for the B.Ed. program: “ Elements and Principles of Visual and Communication Arts” , Elements and Concepts of Music” and “Creative Arts and Integrated Teaching-Learning of Visual Arts.”

In addition to the above course writing, I constructed e the following courses for the M.A. Program- Social Sciences Track: ”Social Sciences, Pedagogy and Curriculum”, “Family, Child Support and Community Development” and “ Social Studies without Borders.”

2

Currently, I am teaching and supervising M.Ed. courses within the Educational Leadership and Social Sciences tracks. In addition, I am supervising M.Ed. research projects, within the realm of educational leadership, management and policy.

On the Doctorate level, I have constructed the rationale for the Education Doctoral program and have authored the following Ed.D. course: “ Educational Leadership and Innovation.”

As for the Professional Development Program- Curriculum and Instruction, I have constructed the following course: “Effective Planning, Teaching and Assessment.”

In addition to teaching, I have been allocated Internship and Research Project supervision. I have constructed the following workshop outlines to be offered to stakeholders, Ministry of Education, UAE: Brain Storming and Problem Solving Within the School Community Context and Strategies of Counselling: Practical Aplication.

University of Abu Dhabi

P.O. Box 59911. Abu Dhabi-UAE

February 2008-May 2009

Assistant Professor at ADU

I have been appointed by the University of Abu Dhabi as a visiting Assistant Professor with the College of Arts and Sciences-Education Department. I taught the following courses at The University of Abu-Dhabi: Introduction to Teaching CAI (204), Educational Technology EDT (303), Teaching Thinking CAI (302), and Measurement and Evaluation in Education EDC (301).

Higher Colleges of Technology- CERT

P.O. Box 41012, Abu Dhabi-UAE

October 2007- February 2008

I have been appointed as a faculty member in the Work Readiness Program- Continuing Education. I taught two different groups: Al Wathba Group (rehabilitation of Al-Wathba prisoners), sponsored by the Ministry of Interior, and Diwan Group, sponsored by the Ministry of Presidential Affairs. Both programs are part of the Emiratization program. I taught a Work Skills course offered for both programs.

University of Abu Dhabi

P.O. Box 59911. Abu Dhabi-UAE

September 2005–January 2007

3

Assistant Professor at ADU

I have been appointed by the University of Abu Dhabi as an Assistant Professor with the College of Arts and Sciences-Education Department. I have taught the following courses: Foundation of Education EDA (100), University Study Skills UNS (100), United Arab and Arabian Gulf Society, SOC (201) and General Psychology, PSY (201).

Abu Dhabi International School (AIS)

P.O. Box 25898. ABU Dhabi-UAE

August 2004-2005:

I taught Social Studies for grades 10, 11 and 12.I supervised the Model United Nations (MUN) extra-curricular activity.

Higher Colleges of Technology (Women’s College)

P.O. Box 41012, Abu Dhabi-UAE

February 2004- 2006:

I was a Lecturer, at the Higher College of Technology-Abu-Dhabi Women’s Colleges. I was an adjunct faculty member at the HCT, and taught: “The History of Arabs and Its Perspectives” HIST (401). This embodies Islamic history, Arab medieval history and the modern history of the Arab World, within its colonial and postcolonial contexts. This a course offered for the Bachelor degree students.

Ibn Khuldoon National School (IKNS)P.O. Box 20511, Manama, BahrainAugust 2002-June 2004:

I taught social studies grades (Gr. 4-12)

IKNS offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and is accredited from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, USA. Most of IKNS graduates go to colleges in Europe and the United States.

I have prepared social studies workbooks for grade 4, 5 and 6.

I have supervised Model United Nations

I was Head of Social Studies Department for the: primary, middle and secondary schools. I taught introduction to social sciences at the senior level and IB History for grades 11 and 12. My duties also included the supervision of history extended essays and the Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) program as a requirement for the IB diploma.

Presbyterian Ladies’ College (PLC)

4

141 Burwood Hwy, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

April 1998 - December 1998:

PLC offers the VCE and the International Baccalaureate program. I taught year 8 English History, year 9 Australian History and year 10 U.S. History.

Lake Wood Child Care/ La Pepiniere/ Geenola Early Learning Centre

Melbourne Victoria, Australia

March1999- June 2000

I have done casual work in Lakewood Child Care, La Pepiniere and Geenola Early Learning Centre. All centres belong to the same proprietor; I have worked with children between ages 3-4.

Ibn Khuldoon National School (IKNS)

P.O. Box 20511, Manama, Bahrain

September 1988 - June 1997:

I taught social studies, for grades (4-12). The courses I taught covered Islamic history, European history, US history and IB history.

In addition, I acted as the social studies coordinator for the primary school (Gr. 1-6)

and prepared social studies student teaching-learning material and students’ workbooks

for (Gr. 4-6).

American Community School (ACS)

P.O. Box 8129 Beirut, Lebanon

September 1985 - June 1988:

I taught social studies and English at the Junior and Senior levels (Gr. 6-10), at the above-mentioned school. The A.C.S. has an American college preparatory curriculum. The majority of the students go to colleges in Europe and the U.S.A. During my years at the A.C .S, I have prepared social studies student teaching material and workbooks.

Professional Affiliations

I taught social studies at the primary, junior and senior levels. The courses included introduction to social sciences, world history, world geography, geography, current affairs and IB history.

I acted as a member of the advisory committee for, primary, junior and senior classes.

5

I acted as a member of the social committee of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) for the year 1988-1990 at IKNS.

I was the head of the social studies department team, which contributed to the Ibn Khuldoon National School’s self-study evaluation and accreditation process from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools-USA

Professional Achievements and Development

During the academic year 1990-1991, I prepared social studies textbooks and map skills workbooks for grades 4, 5 and 6.

During the academic year of 1991, I participated in the self-study which led to the accreditation of the secondary school at Ibn Khuldoon National School, by the Middle States Association of Colleges and schools U.S.A.

In June 1991, I worked with Geo-Project Publishing. It was assigned by the Bahrain Ministry of Education to plan and redesign the social studies curriculum and syllabus from grade 1 to grade 12. I was a member of one of the teams assigned to redesign the social studies curriculum, writing textbooks, workbooks and teacher’s manuals for grades 1 to 8 for government and national private schools- Bahrain.

During the 1991 academic year, I participated in the International Baccalaureate history curriculum development.

I attended the International Baccalaureate Economics/History workshop held in Bahrain in 1992 and 1994 respectively.

In June 1994, I was invited by the International Baccalaureate Curriculum and Assessment Office to attend the history grade award meeting held in Cardiff, Wales. During this workshop, I observed how both papers 1, 2 and 3 I. B. history are graded as well as how the detailed grading procedure takes place in general for I.B. courses.

In February 1996-1997, I attended a workshop organised by IKNS on “How to Improve Student /Teacher Relationship”

During the academic years 2002-2003 and 2003-2004, I supervised the Creativity, Activity and Social Service Program (CAS), which is a requirement for International Baccalaureate Diploma students.

During the academic years 2002-2003 and 2003-2004, I supervised model United Nations at IKNS, Manama, Bahrain.

In October 2003, being in charge of the Model United Nations program at IKNS, I accompanied students to the MUN held in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

In August 2004, I have conducted an orientation in-service work shop for the social-studies teachers, at Ibn Khuldoon National School.

In February 2004, I was appointed, by the IB Exam Administration (Geneva- Switzerland), as an IB Assistant Examiner for the History Extended Essays.

6

In April 2006, I have worked with a group of educators on the Strategic Planning for the College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Abu- Dhabi.

In January 2007, I prepared the syllabi for the following courses at the University of Abu Dhabi: Critical Cultural Studies, a minor in Sociology and a minor in public Administration.

During the academic years 2005-2006/ 2006-2007, I have acted as an academic advisor for the students at the College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Abu Dhabi. This included the preparation of graduation plans and helping in pre-registration procedures.

During the academic year 2010-2013, I acted as a member in the research committee at the Emirates College for Advanced Education, Abu Dhabi.

During the academic year 2013-2014, I acted as a member in the following committee: Assessment and Admissions Committee- Emirates College for Advanced Education, Abu Dhabi.

During the academic year 2014-2015, I acted as a member in the following committees: Academic Affairs Graduate Studies Committee, Academic Affairs Undergraduate Committee and Assessment and Admissions Committee- Emirates College for Advanced Education, Abu Dhabi.

During the academic years 2010-2011 and 2011-2012, I took part in Abu Education Council (ADEC) teachers, social workers, psychologists and principals’ recruitment.

April 2015 I have been invited by Abu Dhabi Education Council, Curriculum Department K-12 to take part in reviewing social studies curriculum. This involves reviewing the scope of curriculum integration, amending learning outcomes, constructing curricular standards and indicators for teaching/ learning of social studies within the scope of authoring integrated social studies textbooks.

April 2015 I took part in the brain storming session organized by the MoE, UAE. This was organized by the Assessment Department, MoE, UAE. The session aimed at improving assessment tools, assessment criteria and assessment tasks for Gr 1-12. During the brain storming session, recommendations by participants were proposed to improve the assessment standards at UAE public schools.

May 2015, reviewed the MoE assessment guide for social studies K-12. I have been working with MoE, Curriculum Department on a project since October

2014 (still in progress). I have been involveved in authoring social studies textbooks ( part I& II), for cycles 1,2 & 3, for the MoE, UAE. My duties include: delivering workshops on authoring integrated social studies curriculum Gr.1-12, supervising the authoring teams and reviewing the authored textbooks and providing feedback for the authoring team.

November 2015 constructed a textbook assessment tool, for the MoE, UAE. The tool targets evaluating the newly authored social studies textbooks Grades 1-12.

November 2015 I have organized, facilitated and delivered training for 32 Azerbaijani Principals. This project entitled School Based Management3 was initiated in collaboration with Paris Sorbonne, United Arab Emirates.

In December 2015 I have worked on constructing testing items for teaching licensure, for the MoE, UAE. These test items reflected various performance standards for the teaching profession.

7

In January 2016 I have mapped and aligned Post Graduate Diploma of Education program (PGDE) courses against Vocational, Education and Training Awards Council (VETAC) PERFORMANCE CRITERIA, EVIDENCE AND CORE LIFE SKILL-S tandard 2- Professional Knowledge, Element 2.1- Demonstrate Knowledge of Learning, Development and Diversity.

In February 2016 I have constructed test items for teachers’ licensure- Vocational, Education and Training Awards Council (VETAC), The performance criteria I was involved in Professional Growth Standard and Professional and Ethical Conduct.

Workshops:

September 2014 I took part in a workshop organized by Emirates College for Advanced Education. The workshop entitled “Five Effective Teaching Strategies.

October 2014, I have conducted a work shop on Integration of social studies, curriculum and textbooks, for the social studies authoring team in the MoE, UAE.

Research Seminars

Presented the following papers at Emirates College for Advanced Education research seminars:

History Teaching for Palestinian Arabs as a minority group in 1948-Colonial Palestine, curriculum for coexistence, (October 2009).

Constructivism: Basic understanding, implementation and constraints-The Case of Abu Dhabi (May 2009).

Teaching thinking in Gulf countries: Arguments for the deconstruction of current educational model, (February 2010).

Pre-service teachers’ reflection: Perception, preparedness and challenges, (March 2013).

Presented the following paper: School self-evaluation-Irtiqaa: Its implications process and challenges“, at Emirates College for Advanced Education , Faculty Research Forum (June 2014).

Presented the following paper: Teachers’ performance standards as contextualized by Abu Dhabi Education Council (June 2015).

Conferences, Paper Presentations

In June 2009, I presented a paper:” Teaching history for the Palestinian Arabs in Israel”, at the Redesigning Pedagogy International Conference 2009 at the National Institute of Education (Nanyang University), Singapore.

In June 2009, I presented a paper entitled:” Constructivism and social studies: The case of Abu Dhabi” at The Practical: An East West Curriculum Dialogue- International Conference, at the Capital Normal University, Beijing.

In February 2010, I presented a co-authored chapter entitled: ”Teaching in the Gulf countries: arguments for the deconstruction of the education model” at the National

8

Education Research Forum-International Journal of Arts and Sciences conference in Malta.

In February 2010, I presented a paper entitled: “Teaching thinking in Gulf countries: Arguments for renovating education”, in the 1st National Education Research Forum; organized by Centre of Excellence for Education, Sharjah Higher Colleges of Technology-Women’s College.

June 2011, I presented a co-authored paper entitled: “Parental involvement in a changing society: School stakeholders’ perceptions of constraints that limit”, at the National Education Research Forum-International Journal of Arts and Sciences conference in Prague.

August 2013 presented the following paper; “Professional development: Perceptions of benefits for principals”, in a conference organized by the Association for Teachers Education in Europe. Osfold University College, Halden, Norway.

May 2014, presented a paper entitled: “School self-Evaluation: Perceptions of administrators, implications and Implementations” in the 16th Annual International Conference on Education, Athens, Greece.

August 2014 presented a paper entitled: “Perceptions of Pre-service Teachers' Roles As Contextualized Within The Professional Performance Standards Set by Abu Dhabi Education Council”, in the Association of Teachers Education in Europe, University of Minho Braga, Portugal.

May 2015 I have presented the following paper: “ Reflections on Pre-service Teachers’ Performance Standards”, in the International Conference on Communications and Information Technology ( ICCIT-2012), Abu Dhabi.

June 2015 Presented a paper entitled : “ Folktales, socio-cultural values & children’s literature. “ , in 2015 International Education Conference, Clute Institute, London. ( winning best presentation award).

Conferences Attended In November 2002, I attended an IB History Conference held at the American

Community School, Beirut- Lebanon.

In October 2003, I attended the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (NESA) conference, held in Bahrain, through which I participated in the “Creative Teaching across the Curriculum” workshop.

In January 2009, I attended New York University Conference” Education, Media, and Human Development”, held in Abu Dhabi.

In October 2010, I have attended the 1st Annual Education Conference: “Education in the UAE”. This conference was organized by the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research.

December 2012 attended a seminar organized by the Ministry of Higher Education, Abu Dhabi. The seminar entitled: “Aligning Programs to the Qualifications Framework of the Emirates.

December 2012 attended a conference at Zayed University, entitled: Research Roadshadow. The Roadshow concept represents a partnership between the British University in Dubai in conjunction with the Higher Colleges of Technology, the

9

United Arab Emirates University and Zayed University to share inter-institutional and school-based research.

September 2013 attended the 4th Annual Education Conference: The Future of Education in The United Arab Emirates, Innovation and Knowledge Production. Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies & Research (ECSSR).

February 28-29, attended the International Conference on Educational Neuro Science, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Publications: Conference Proceedings

Blaik Hourani, R. (2009). Constructivism and social studies: The case of Abu Dhabi. In The Practical: An East-West Curriculum Dialogue: 259-266. Beijing: College of Education, Capital Normal University.

Blaik Hourani, R (2015). Perceptions of Pre-service Teachers' Roles As Contextualized Within The Professional Performance Standards Set by Abu Dhabi Education Council” Association for Teachers Education in Europe Conference “ Transitions in teacher education and professional identities http://repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt/handle/1822/36281?mode=full.

Publications: Papers in Peer Reviewed Journals

Baker, F. & Blaik Hourani, R. (2014). The nature of parental involvement in the city of Abu Dhabi a context of change: Nurturing mutually responsive practice. Emerald: Education Business and Society Contemporary Middle Eastern Issue, 17(4). DOI: 10.1108/EBS-05-2014-0023.

Blaik Hourani, R. (2011). Constructivism and revitalizing social studies. The History Teacher, 44 (2): 227-249.

Blaik Hourani, R. (2011). Postcolonialism and ethnicity: Does it matter to history teaching? Social Identities-Routledge, 17(5): 655-679.

Blaik Hourani, R., Stringer, P.& Baker, F. (2012).Constraints and subsequent limitations to parental involvement in primary schools in Abu Dhabi: Stakeholders’ perspective. School Community Journal, 22 (2): 131-160.

Blaik Hourani, R. (2012). Pre-service teachers’ reflection: Perception, preparedness and challenges. Reflective Practice: International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives, Routledge, Taylor and Francis, 14 (1): 12-30.

Blaik Hourani, R. Stringer, P. (2015). Professional development: Perceptions of benefits for principals. International Journal of Leadership in Education, Routledge. 18(3), 305-339. DOI: 10.1080/13603124.2014.904003.

10

Blaik Hourani, R. Stringer, P. (2015). Designing professional development in a context of change: The case of Abu Dhabi. Professional Development in Education, Routledge, 41(5), 777-805. DOI: 10.1080/19415257.2014.938356.

Blaik Hourani, R. (2015). A call for unitary history textbook design in a post-conflict era: The case of Lebanon: The History Teacher.48 (3). The Society for History Education, California.

Blaik Hourani, R. (2015). Performance Standards: Insights and Challenges of Pre-service Teachers. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators, 4(2), 137-165.. http://jtee.org/document/issue8/MAKALE%201.pdf.

Blaik Hourani, R. (2015). Folktales, Children’s Literature and National Identity in the United Arab Emirates. Looking Glass: New Perspectives on Children’s Literature , 18 1. http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/ojs/index.php/tlg.

Stringer P. & Blaik Hourani, R. (2012). School-home relations. A school management perspective. Educational Research for Policy and Practice: Springer, 12 (2): 149- 174. DOI: 10.1007/s10671-012-9134-0.

Stringer, P. & Blaik Hourani, R. (2015). Transformation of roles and responsibilities of principals in times of change. Educational Management, Administration & Leadership, Sage. DOI: 10.1177/0123456789123456, 1-23.

Blaik Hourani, R. & Litz, D. (under review). Perceptions of school-evaluation process: The case of Abu Dhabi School Leadership& Management. Manuscript ID CSLM-2015-0067

Blaik Hourani, R. (under review). Trajectories of school self-evaluation: The Case of Abu Dhabi. The Educational Forum. UTEF-2015-0047.R1

Book Chapter

Blaik Hourani, R., Diallo, I.& Said, A. (2011). Teaching and Learning in The Arab World. Teaching in the Gulf countries: arguments for the deconstruction of the educational model, (pp. 335-352): New York. Peter Lang International Academic Publishers.

Litz, D. & Blaik Hourani, R. ( in progress to be submitted in January 2015). Leveraging Social Capital in Schools for Systemic Education Reform. Developing Social Capital in Abu Dhabi Schools: Singapore. Springer.

Books

11

Blaik Hourani, R. (2010). What Palestine Do We Teach? The History Curriculum for Palestinian Arabs, 1861-1999: Germany and U.S.A. Lambert Academic Publishing.

Reviewer

I have reviewed several scholarly papers in the areas of sociology of education , education leadership management and policy, for the following journals:

Educational Management, Administration and Leadership, Sage. Emerald Education, Business and Society: Middle Eastern Issue. Emerald International Journal of Pedagogies & Learning. International Journal of Leadership in Education Journal of Teaching and Teacher Education.

Research Activities:

I was the primary investigator (PI) of the following research. These researches were approved by ECAE and Abu Dhabi Education Council (for school- based research projects).

1. Constructivism: Basic understanding, implementation and constraints: The case of Abu Dhabi public schools.

2. Parental Involvement in Abu Dhabi PPP Schools: The case of Abu Dhabi (2011-2012).

3. Pre-service teachers’ reflection: Perception, preparedness and challenges (2011-2012).

4. Principals’ Professional Development: Goals, processes and design in Abu Dhabi public schools (2012-2013).

5. UAE folktales and social and cultural, moral and civic values in children’s literature (2013-2015).

6. School self- evaluation-Irtiqaa: Its implications, processes and implementations in the context of school reforms in Abu Dhabi (2013-2015).

7. Pre-Service teacher’s perceptions of their roles, as contextualized within teacher’s professional performance standard set by ADEC (2014-2015).

Current Research:

12

Currently I am involved in two research projects. The first research is entitled: “Correctional Institutions and Needs Analysis: The Case of Abu Dhabi”, I am working on this research with ECAE colleagues and I am the PI of this research. This research falls within the realm of Abu Dhabi school reforms, and correctional institutions in the UAE. The research is multidisciplinary within the paradigms of educational leadership, management and sociology of education. The second research is entitled: “Exploring the Availability and Effectiveness of Leadership Development for Higher Education Leaders in the UAE. This research is situated within the area of educational leadership in higher education.

Research Grant:I have received an ECAE Research Grant in February 2014, for the following research project: UAE folktales and social and cultural values in children’s literature.

Children’s Literature:I am the author of 3 children literature pieces. These stories stem from UAE folktales and aim at educating children in terms of differentiating between fact and fiction. The stories entitled:

“ Hemarat Al Qayleh”“ Um Al Souf Wa Leef”“ Um Dways and Bu Diryan”

The above mentioned children’s literature is under review for publication.

Future Research Activities:

I am interested in conducting research in educational leadership, policy and management, social studies- pedagogy and curriculum, sociology of education, peace education, and interdisciplinary cross- cultural studies.

Computer Skills

Technically proficient in advanced use of PC software such as Microsoft office suite.Technically proficient in using the Smart Board, Blackboard and Prstigio interactive board.

Extra Curricular Activities and Interests

I acted as the secretary and vice president of the Civic Welfare League Club at the American University of Beirut for the years 1986-87 and 1987-1988. This League is responsible for organising fund raising activities, enhancing rural development,

13

educating illiterate workers as well as organising several social activities such as voluntary work for helping different social institutions.

I did volunteer work for the Handicapped Association Beirut, Lebanon,1983-1985.

I participated in the Peace On Earth Marathon Relay Charity Run, 1994-1998, Manama- Bahrain.

In 1994 I received a certificate of recognition for volunteer social work, at the Hope Institute for special needs children in Manama, Bahrain

I was directly responsible for the preparation of the newsletter for the London-Bahrain Archaeological Expedition.

I participated in the 2001 Mother’s Day Classic Charity event in Melbourne to raise funds in aid of breast cancer research.

At both the American Community School and Ibn Khuldoon National School, I was directly responsible for the organisation of social studies fairs, which were aimed at displaying students’ projects, three dimensional models, maps, charts, diagrams, grids, curricular activities and research work.

At both the American Community School and Ibn Khuldoon National School, I have assisted with the organisation and implementation of several sports and annual social school functions such as the carnival day, marathon relay and sports day. Additionally, I was responsible for other extracurricular activities like; Model United Nations, drama production, glass painting, cooking and the production of the school year book.

In addition to my interest in social work, I love drama, reading, archaeology, photography, jogging, swimming, cycling, and Yoga and learning languages ( in addition to English and Arabic, I speak French and Spanish at an intermediate level).

References

Prof. Mounir BashshurAmerican University of BeirutEducation DepartmentBashshur@aub.edu.lbTel: 01-374444/ Ext.3055 01-370345

Dr. Kay. GallagherDirector of Bridge Program, Zayed Universitykay.gallagher@zu.ac.ae

Dr. Traver Hay

14

University of Melbourne. Education DepartmentAustralia-Victoria. 3010t.hay@unimelb.edu.auTel: + 61394394854

Dr. Julie WhiteLa Trobe University. School of Educational Studiesj.white@latrobe.edu.auTel: +61394791866

Dr. Louay Jeroudi Ministry of Presidential Affairs- Abu Dhabi jeroudi@aldhafra.gov.aeTel: 0504468343

Prof. Raouf GhusayniAmerican University of BeirutEducation Departmentrghusayni@ic.edu.lbTel: o3-607697

Prof. Rober Milne,Emirates College for Advanced Education, Abu Dhabi, UAE rmilne@ecae.ac.ae.\

15

16