Every Child. Every Voice.
Dear Ash Mount Community,
This week, our Every Child. Every Voice. series turns to one of my favourite things about young childhood, the joy of curiosity. Curiosity is where learning begins. It is the spark that encourages children to explore, to ask “Why?”, and to see the world with possibility. When we nurture that spark, we help children learn with purpose, live with compassion, and lead with courage.
At Ash Mount, we are designing an inquiry curriculum where questions matter as much as answers. Inquiry encourages children to think for themselves, test ideas, and understand that mistakes are simply part of real, meaningful learning.
We saw this beautifully during last week’s Science Fair, where every project began with a moment of wondering. One of the children’s guiding questions was:
“How does a seed grow, and what happens if I change something?”
It was a simple question, but one filled with possibility, inviting children to notice, wonder, test ideas, and see learning as something they actively create. When learning grows from natural curiosity, children feel ownership and excitement in what they discover.
Where skills and knowledge meet — understanding grows
One of the most exciting parts of working in an inquiry school is seeing how skills and knowledge combine to create deep understanding.
Knowledge gives children the facts.
Skills help them use those facts.
But curiosity is what moves learning into depth, mastery, and meaning.
Curiosity helps children move beyond remembering and understanding into analysing, evaluating, and creating, the higher levels described in Bloom’s taxonomy.
It is the moment they stop asking what and begin asking why and how. Those questions encourage deeper, more connected thinking.
Growing Up as a Dubai Child
Dubai is an extraordinary place to grow up. Children here are surrounded by innovation, creativity, and global diversity. They visit museums and sustainability parks, hear languages from every continent, and watch new ideas unfold around them every day.
This richness helps children develop empathy, global awareness, and confidence, a wonderful foundation for becoming compassionate and courageous learners. We will use this remarkable city as an extension of the classroom, helping children connect their questions to the world around them.
Beyond STEM: Seeing Learning as Connected
Many of the world’s leading international programmes, including the IB, emphasise the importance of interdisciplinary learning. Their research and frameworks highlight that students learn more deeply when they can bring together ideas, skills, and perspectives from different subject areas to explore real-world issues.
This philosophy aligns closely with our ambitions at Ash Mount. While schools often talk about STEM or STEAM, our approach goes further. We are designing a curriculum where children can see the connections between disciplines – how mathematics supports music, how literature deepens understanding of history, how science and design work together to solve problems.
Interdisciplinary learning encourages students to integrate knowledge and ways of thinking, helping them to move beyond memorising facts and into deeper reasoning, creativity, and understanding. It also nurtures compassion and perspective-taking, as students learn to look at an idea from multiple viewpoints.
This connected way of learning prepares children for an increasingly complex world; one where problems rarely fall neatly into subject boxes and where flexibility, critical thinking, and courage are essential.
Encouraging Curiosity at Home
Families play a huge part in nurturing curiosity. You don’t need special resources curiosity grows from conversation, noticing, and time.
For our youngest learners:
- Ask playful questions: “What do you think would happen if…?”
- Offer open-ended play materials: blocks, sand, water, paint.
For Grades 1–5:
- Encourage them to investigate their own questions.
- Visit places that spark interest: parks, galleries, community events.
For middle years students:
- Talk about real-world issues from different perspectives.
- Make connections between school learning and everyday life.
Curiosity helps children understand that learning is everywhere and not just something that happens in a classroom.
Cinema Under the Stars
We’re looking forward to Cinema Under the Stars in Mudon – a community event where curiosity and creativity can shine. Film blends storytelling, science, design, technology, and music. It is interdisciplinary learning in its most joyful form and a lovely reminder that knowledge is always connected.
Thank you for joining us as we build a school where children feel confident to ask questions, explore new ideas, and shape their own learning with imagination and courage.
Best wishes,
