The conference unveiled the World Giftedness Centre, the 1st global platform for nurturing the gifted and launched the ‘School Global Award Initiative of Gifted Education’, & the ‘Applied Research Global Award of Gifted Education’
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: HE Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, the UAE Minister of Education inaugurated today (Monday, 18th October 2021) the 1st World Giftedness Center International Conference hosted by Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance until 21st October 2021 at Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo 2020.
The opening ceremony witnessed the inauguration of the World Giftedness Centre, the first global platform for nurturing the gifted as well as the launch of two international awards, the first of which is the ‘School Global Award Initiative of Gifted Education’, and the second is the ‘Applied Research Global Award of Gifted Education’. The aim of these two international awards is to encourage research and initiatives directed to the giftedness sector and schools’ efforts that help support talented students around the world.
HE Al Hammadi said: “It is a special day to meet in this international conference within this global event, Expo 2020 Dubai, to review and discuss the most important topics related to giftedness in this conference, that is organized under the generous sponsorship of the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance. We welcome all different cultures and intellectual diversities from 192 countries that are present.”
He emphasised: “Our presence today within Expo 2020 Dubai constitutes an extraordinary opportunity to explore the future prospects of the gifted individuals from all over the world, and create an opportunity to form a deeper understanding of our responsibility towards educating the gifted in particular and the future of talent in general. Here, we remember the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Supreme Chairman of the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance, “may God rest his soul”, who passed away last March after a life full of work and giving toward humanitarian and educational initiatives. He never hesitated to extend a helping hand and empower those who were in need.”
He pointed out addressing the gathering: “As you know that the educational systems from all countries of the world have gone through a period of turmoil and apprehension due to the repercussions of the Covid crisis, and it is good that this great challenge has strengthened the collaboration of mankind to confront and overcome it. We have seen together how this affected the pace of recovery and achievement in the educational field. However, thanks to innovative smart solutions, we have more flexibility and experience in building hybrid systems between tradition and modernity that provided more educational opportunities to accommodate more learners with fewer efforts and resources.”
He said: “We should be proud that the United Arab Emirates, under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, may God protect him, was one of the pioneering countries in empowering educational institutions that provided appropriate solutions for students to continue learning, while the government continued in paying great attention in investing in creative minds and talents, through the process of sustainable development.”
He said: “The Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance is working diligently with its partners at the University of Rezenberg in Germany to build a global platform for the gifted that brings together the elites of scientists, students, experts and researchers in order to provide methodologies, tools and scientific developments. Thanks to the wonderful work of the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum – may God rest his soul- in the service of global education, who always repeated the slogan: (We care for the Gifted, for Our Planet).”
The first-of-its-kind conference oversaw the launch of the World Giftedness Center, an initiative of the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance, which aims to become a global hub for talent development and create a mindset of cultivation of excellence to support fundamental educational needs around the world.
Run under the theme, ‘Talent Development for A New Era – Discover Possibilities, Change for the Better’, the conference, hosted on a virtual platform as well, is aimed at facilitating the exchange of knowledge in giftedness, talent development, and excellence. The event is witnessing scholars display pioneering research findings from the fields of gifted education and talent development while practitioners with outstanding giftedness initiatives are sharing best practice examples. In addition, the event also serves as an excellent platform for national and international networking and for sharing knowledge and ideas among leading researchers and practitioners across the globe.
Dr. Jamal Al Mehairi – Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Secretary-General of the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance said, “We are very proud to present the first edition of World Giftedness Center International Conference, where we encourage communication and sharing of ideas and experiences among thought leaders from varied fields. Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance has always been committed to the development of innovative platforms that facilitate learning and sharing. We are confident that the launch of World Giftedness Center and the conference will serve as a benchmark for skill development and talent mentoring across the globe.”
The conference is attended by renowned global researchers, educationalists, psychologists, parents, and anyone interested in the field of gifted education and talent development from all across the world. There are keynote speakers such as Dr. Shane N. Phillipson who will shed insights on how schools can manage the complex learning environment for better learning outcomes; Dr. Duarte Araújo who will share an ecological dynamics perspective for skill learning; Dr. Vlad Glaveanu who will focus on intersections between giftedness and creativity from a sociocultural perspective; Drs. Albert Ziegler and his co-authors who will introduce the conceptual framework of the World Giftedness Center; Dr. Heidrun Stoeger will focus on the self-regulated learning with gifted learners; Dr. Saud bin Saeed bin Abdulaziz Al‐Mathami who will highlight how to promote gifted individuals for talent development in a digital era.
The exchange of ideas and knowledge will happen through discussions and dialogues, as well as through various workshops related to the latest topics in giftedness and talent development. Some of the topics that will be discussed during the presentations and workshops are – Implementing Effective Mentoring for Talent Development, Underachievers, Learning & Learning Resources, Ecological Dynamics and Skill Development, Self-Regulated Learning, Creativity, Acceleration, Advocacy, Intelligence, Twice-Exceptional, and Counselling among many others.
