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| The Discovery World area at GWA |
At the very centre of GEMS World Academy is Discovery World. It is a multipurpose facility which offers a range of educational activities for the students including the library, science laboratories, design and technology workshops, computer suite, planetarium and peace garden. The proximity of these learning centres to one another will allow for inter-disciplinary educational opportunities to flow freely, opening up new ideas, expanding creativity and out of the box learning and thinking.
The Library
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| Students working in the library area |
The heart of Discovery World is the library. We currently have 16,000 titles suitable for Grades 1 – 10, with a smaller library for the little ones in Early Childhood.
It is an open library with areas for quiet, reflective work and reading. Students are asked to be respectful instead of silent and the library hums with discussion and group work. The library is the focus for literacy initiatives such as Dubai Cares link to Dubai cares see end, Stop Drop and Read, and the Book Club catalogue. Special guests have included HRH Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, and the library will continue to host reading activities with visiting authors, writing workshops and displays planned through the term.
The books in the main library represent the international nature of GWA with titles ranging from the Travels of Ibn Battuta and Japanese Mythology to the latest Caldecott Medal winners. Teachers with years of Primary Years and Middle Years programme experience personally selected many of the books and we encourage parents and students to offer their thoughts on the genres and authors they would like to see in Discovery World.
The students are an important part of the library as it is, after all, their library. Pupils from Grade 3 and up volunteer as Student Library Assistants and play an active role in encouraging fellow students to read by creating displays and book reviews.
The library collection continues to grow but as well as books, the library has a selection of newspapers and magazines for students to keep up to date with the world news and the issues that will affect and influence the next generation. Computers are also available and will be fully integrated with the library management system in 2009, which students can access for bibliographical research.
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| Science laboratories |
Science Laboratories
Clustered around the library are the science laboratories. These multipurpose rooms are spacious, state of the art facilities which encourage collaboration and investigation of biology, physics, chemistry and general science. In the biology lab, each workstation has the ability to connect directly to laptops and digital microscopes so that images, experiments and student work can be shown directly through HD televisions.
Physics provides the latest data logging technology with full internet capabilities and chemistry is ideal for both group work and independent study and encourages further research to develop the minds of future scientists.
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| Secondary students at work in the Design Technology workshop |
Design and Technology
A well resourced, professional design and technology workshop allows students to use their imagination to create masterpieces whilst also teaching them to investigate important design concepts, vital to successful project work.
Computer Laboratories
ICT is an important part of learning throughout the academy and is used daily by teacher and students. The Computer Lab in Discovery World offers a dedicated suite for whole class training as well as independent work.
The Planetarium
Please click here for The Planetarium details.
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| The Peace Garden |
The Peace Garden
The GWA Peace Garden is located on the roof and accessed through the atrium stairs from the library. The garden is an outdoor space for meetings, displays and school activities. Students are encouraged to use the garden in cooler months for quiet, contemplative work where they can discuss their ideas and thoughts in the relaxing sanctuary of peace.
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