Abu Dhabi: The Zai Centre at Zayed University has announced the launch of a new diagnostic tool called “Screening Arabic Reading Difficulties” (SARD) to identify reading difficulties in young children. SARD utilises innovative technology to identify learning gaps and potential developmental disorders in children from grade 1 to grade 6.
The tool is cloud-based and produces easily digestible analytical reports and charts to present a student’s performance data on reading skills assessments, enabling teachers to tailor their approach to teach individual students.
The Zai Centre is launching an initial pilot scheme in Lebanon before launching a wider pilot across the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with the hope of rolling out the programme to all schools that wish to utilise the tool.
Zai Centre aims to recognise best practices while encouraging teachers to inspire their students with a passion for the Arabic language. The Centre’s mission is to develop education tools for Arabic teaching and to inspire research through innovative solutions based on knowledgeable research.
Zai is not only about teaching the Arabic language, but also about celebrating the rich culture and history of the Arab world. As a country that highly values its cultural heritage, the UAE understands the importance of promoting and preserving the Arabic language and its diverse traditions. We hope that the development of innovative resources, such as SARD, will revitalize Arabic teaching.
Dr. Hanada Taha Thomure, Endowed Chair Professor of Arabic Language at ZU, remarked.
Dr. Hanada further added that “SARD will not only strengthen the future of the Arabic language and enhance the learning experience for young people across the UAE, but it will also contribute to the national goal of preserving the country’s unique cultural identity for generations to come. The overwhelming interest in SARD expressed by those involved in Arabic education across the Middle East highlights the importance of our efforts to develop new tools to improve the teaching and learning experience.”
Furthermore, the launch of the new tool is directly aligned with ZU’s new strategic approach, which focuses on the delivery of academic research with practical applications in national and international standards.