Forest/ Nature Learning Guide / Teacher (Early Years, Primary)

We are a disruptive school start-up, reimagining education that promotes human flourishing by putting relationships, personal wellbeing, and a strong connection to nature at the core of the learning process.  Our learning approach is grounded in and inspired by the Islamic faith, Emirati culture, and the Arabic language, based on our location.  

 Join us in redefining education and empowering students to thrive in a dynamic world!

Responsibilities

The role purpose is to work closely with experienced educators and play a critical role in building engaging, authentic and creative learning experiences tailored to each learner’s needs.

The main responsibilities will be:

·      Embrace and encourage the ethos, values, culture, and standards of excellence of Najmara.

·      Play an active role in learning design and learning implementation, such that inspires and engages our learning community, most notably the young learners, to realise our purpose.

·      Work on a daily basis with kids 3+ years of age, including working 1:1 with learners developing foundational skills, working with small groups on project-based learning, and supporting learners ideas and their challenges.

·      Co-design and develop unique and passion driven units of inquiry.

·      Observe and document learning as it is happening in and around our learning community.

·      Bring in special talents and interests into the community, enriching all learners young and old though sharing this.

·      Become deeply ingrained in all aspects of our learning community, including engaging with families, events, initiatives, and programs.  

·      Demonstrate care and professionalism to support the wellbeing of the team and learning community by fulfilling safety and child protection requirements in our policies and procedures.  

·      Contribute innovative ideas, collaborate with colleagues, and support students in discovering their passions and strengths.

·      Routinely investigate and apply the latest, research-validated methodologies with a bias towards action and evaluation.  

·      Engage in being mentored by others in the team for up to a term at a time.

Support and uphold the agreed policies and practices of Najmara.

Requirements

You enjoy working with others and understand that while you may have a lot to offer, you also have a lot to learn.  We are doing something completely new and the more clearly, we can express and share this the more on board all will be, so excellent communications skills will be needed by everyone in our team.

Your journey has led you to dream of a world where each child’s needs are being met, learning is engaging and inspirational, and your contribution to it requires you to thread together multiple disciplines like educational research, human psychology, and local context.  

You are looking for a place where you can impact future generations and you are someone who is nourished by applying themselves wholly to their work and to growth.  You are fascinated with play-based, nature-based, and experiential learning approaches and you have a deep respect and knowledge of the region’s culture, faith, and language.  

You will bring the right game changing mindset to the table and be enthusiastic about designing the future of learning alongside our team. 

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications, experience or skills:

·      Bachelor’s Education degree or program.

·      Have a versatile background (perhaps even unconventional), including experience working with learners.

·      Ideally, fluent in both English and Arabic and have lived in (or currently reside in) the UAE.  

·      Committed to improving learning practice and evolving one day into a full-fledged learning guide and perhaps, one day, a school leader.

·      Have an interest in regular engagement and interaction with learners.

·      Ability to work collaboratively with other Learning Guides and the Core Team.

·      Patient and empathetic with learners of all ages as well as their parents

·      Creative and innovative.

Candidates with bi-lingual (English + Arabic) proficiency with respect and appreciation for Emirati culture, Islamic faith and regional aspirations are preferred.

 We offer

The post offers the successful candidate:

·      The opportunity to work in an energetic and innovative environment that will help transform ideas about the form that education should take for the future

·      A collegiate environment committed to our children and young people

·      An international setting and experience in an advanced school model

·      An opportunity to be disciplined, creative and disruptive in building school models for the future