Adam Al Rafey, a British boy of Egyptian origin but born and raised in UAE is a gifted eight year old boy who could read when he was just one, started to study robotics at four, has completed a dozen certified courses, is musically inclined and a triple gold 2018 olympiad UAE winner and a master coder with a great sense of humour.
His 10 minute talk ‘Never Underestimate an 8 Year Old!’ was the only talk addressed by an eight year old at GESS (Global Educational Supplies and Solutions) conference in Dubai. Per him age old teaching practices need some serious rethinking. Schools should not limit a child’s creativity by asking them to follow only one particular way. He very interestingly pointed out how technology has infiltrated the education system today and that ability and not age should be deciding factor for learning.
According to him the schools should lay emphasis on teaching a child to think differently, how to make the unknown possible rather than teaching them what is known. He also advised the parents to explain things in full detail to their children.
