Pedagogy, Policy, and Praxis in the GCC
GCES 2025 Symposium
The 11th Biannual Gulf Comparative Education Society Symposium
As we approach a new quarter-century, the 11th anniversary of the Gulf Comparative Education Society (GCES) Symposium invites scholars, thinkers, and educators to reflect on dominant discourses related to educational challenges in the Gulf.
While acknowledging existing hurdles, researchers are encouraged to critically examine how we can disrupt normative frameworks surrounding EdTech, teacher
qualifications, and assessment and accountability. Comparative studies reflecting on the global educational landscape are welcome for submission to the Society.
The GCES 2025 Symposium calls for papers exploring, but not limited to, the following areas:
- Global education governance, policy, and stakeholders
- Educational hegemony, marginalization, and power dynamics
- EdTech, artificial intelligence, and distance learning
- Pedagogy, teachers’ qualifications, and professional development
- Teacher retention/attraction policies, regulations, and accountability
- Nationalization policies, educational visions, and Gulf policies
- Learning outcomes, international assessments, and quality assurance
- Alternative educational models (e.g., homeschooling, unschooling)
Keynotes and Guest Speakers
Pre-Conference Workshop 1: "Understanding the Educational Landscape: Leveraging PISA Data for Research and Policy"
Chi Sum Tse, OECD
Sponsored by Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation
Background
This workshop introduces participants to the insights offered by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and equips participants with the tools to understand, interpret, and apply PISA data to enhance educational research, teaching, and policymaking.
Designed for educators, researchers, and policymakers, the session offers a practical and accessible introduction to the global educational landscape through the lens of PISA, with a focus on the UAE, the broader GCC region, and international comparisons.
Participants will examine key educational indicators, understand cross-country trends, and explore how to integrate international assessment data into their own work. Through a mix of presentations and interactive discussions, the workshop aims to help scholars and practitioners to use large-scale assessment data to inform local education systems.
Technical Summary
The workshop is divided into three thematic sessions:
- Introduction to PISA
Participants will receive a high-level overview of PISA. The session will focus on recent findings, with a focus on how the UAE and GCC countries compare within international education benchmarks. - Understanding Key Indicators and Available Resources
This session explores the some of the main indicators PISA provides (such as student achievement, socioeconomic background, and learning environments) and introduces participants to publicly available PISA datasets and tools. Emphasis will be placed on how to locate, interpret, and apply this information in research, policy, or classroom settings. - Working with PISA Items
Participants will examine selected publicly released PISA test items to better understand the competences measured by PISA. This hands-on exploration will offer practical insights into the design of large-scale assessments and the skills they aim to capture.
Workshop Format
The first two sessions will feature a 20-minute presentation followed by a 30-minute group discussion. The third session will be a 30-minute hands-on exploration of selected PISA assessment items. Participants are encouraged to bring current or prospective research ideas to consider how PISA data can inform and enrich their work.
Key Takeaways
- Understand what PISA measures and how it reflects educational performance globally and in the UAE/GCC context.
- Learn how to access, interpret, and apply key PISA indicators to support research, teaching, or policymaking.
- Explore publicly released PISA assessment items to understand the competences that PISA measures.
Target Audience
- University faculty in education and the social sciences
- PhD and graduate students in education, comparative studies, or policy
- Educators and school leaders interested in evidence-based approaches
- Education policymakers, advisors, or administrators seeking international benchmarking
Duration
This 2.5-hour session combines presentations and group discussions
Presenter
Chi Sum Tse is an advisor in the Office of the Director for Education and Skills at the OECD. He has worked on several projects across the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills, including PISA, PISA for Schools, PISA-VET, and AI and the Future of Skills (benchmarking AI capabilities against human skills). In various capacities, his work has focused on helping educators and policymakers better understand their data and evidence, and translate it into informed decisions. He has contributed to the development of PISA, drawing on his knowledge in assessment methodology. His current research interest lies in using AI in large-scale assessments, particularly for coding open-ended responses and providing formative feedback.
Before entering the education field, Chi Sum gained experience in international development with NGOs in Peru and Argentina. He later served on the board of France’s CCFD - Terre Solidaire.
Chi Sum holds an MSc in Educational Assessment from the University of Oxford and an MA in International Development from Sciences Po Paris. He also pursued master-level courses on Mercosur at the University of Buenos Aires.
Pre-Conference Workshop 2: "The Use of LEGO® Serious Play and Gamification in Education for Sustainable Development"
Prof. Evren Tok, Hamid Bin Khalifa University
Sponsored by Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation
Background
How can playful methods like LEGO® Serious Play (LSP) and gamification transform learning for sustainable development?
This workshop introduces participants to experiential, design-based, and game-oriented approaches to teaching and learning. Drawing on real cases from higher education and policy engagement, the session will demonstrate how playful tools can unlock creativity, foster systems thinking, and encourage collaborative problem-solving around sustainability challenges. Participants will actively engage in exercises to experience firsthand how gamification and LSP can enhance critical reflection, empathy, and innovation in education for sustainable development.
Educators and policy professionals are increasingly seeking innovative pedagogical tools to prepare learners for complex sustainability challenges. LEGO® Serious Play and gamification provide structured yet creative approaches to learning by integrating metaphor-building, collaborative storytelling, and dynamic problem-solving
Technical Summary
This workshop will:
- Introduce the theoretical foundations of gamification and its application to sustainability education.
- Explore how LEGO® Serious Play enables learners to construct, share, and reflect on metaphors of sustainable futures.
- Demonstrate case studies from higher education and policy labs where game-based methods fostered engagement, inclusion, and systems-level thinking.
- Guide participants in designing their own short activity that applies LSP or gamification principles to an education for sustainable development (ESD) context.
No prior experience with gamification or LSP is required.
Workshop Format
This highly interactive workshop combines short presentations, collaborative LEGO® Serious Play activities, and structured game-based exercises. Time will be dedicated to feedback and group reflection to ensure participants leave with practical ideas.
Key Takeaways
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand the value of gamification and LEGO® Serious Play in sustainability-focused education.
- Apply playful learning tools to foster creativity, collaboration, and systems thinking in ESD.
- Design small-scale activities adaptable to classrooms, workshops, or policy labs
- Reflect critically on how play can serve as a serious driver of equity, inclusion, and innovation in sustainability education.
Target Audience
- Faculty members and educators seeking to enrich their teaching practices with playful learning approaches.
- Graduate students and early-career researchers interested in experiential learning and
sustainable development. - Practitioners in policy, NGOs, and international organizations exploring innovative tools
for capacity-building.
Duration
This 3-hour session balances conceptual input with immersive exercises, providing both experience and reflection.
Presenter
Prof. Evren Tok is Associate Dean of Community Engagement and Associate Professor at College of Public Policy, Hamad Bin Khalifa University. Prof. Tok also acts as the regional coordinator for the Executive Master’s Program (Development Policies and Practices) jointly offered by Graduate Institute of Geneva and Hamad Bin Khalifa University. He is the co-editor of Policy Making in a Transformative State: The Case of Qatar, published by Palgrave MacMillan, 2016 with Leslie Pal and Lolwah Al Khater. He is the director of a QNRF funded cluster (2021-2026) entitled “Education for Sustainable Development Qatar”. He is the founder of the maker space entitled Maker Majlis: Islam in a Global World, which received Qatar Sustainability Award under Best University Initiative in 2020 and OIC Shaikh Hasina Award of Best Innovative Idea in 2022. Prpf. Tok is also the recipient of Best Research Project Award in HBKU in 2022 and Service Excellence Award in 2024.
Pre-Conference Workshop 3: "Comparative Education Research: Approaches and Methods"
Prof. Mark Bray, University of Hong Kong & Prof. Hanan Mahmoud Abdelrahim, Alexandria University
Sponsored by Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation
Background
This workshop will utilise the English-language version of a book about approaches and methods in Comparative Education (see weblink here), and will launch the Arabic version of the book (weblink to come). Clarity in approaches and methods has always been important, but critics rightly point out that much scholarly work is loosely defined and inadequately bench-marked. Clearer understanding of alternative approaches, their implications, and of choices in units of analysis, will greatly improve the quality and impact of research.
Technical Summary
The workshop will be divided into two main parts:
Part One: Plenary Session
- It will focus on the field of comparative education, beginning with the early phases.
- It will then explore various milestones that are considered "the state of the art," and how these have led to the conceptualisation of "units of comparison."
- These reflections will serve as a bridge to the workshop's core focus: the units for comparative analysis.
Part Two: Group-Based Session
- Participants will be divided into groups.
- This part will encourage participants to think carefully about the units on which they focus during their research, on relationships with other units, and on implications for the conceptual and practical contributions of their work.
- Facilitators will provide guidance and support to the groups.
- The Workshop then wrap up in plenary again.
Workshop Format
The 3-hour bilingual session (Arabic and English) will combine brief presentations, collaborative group discussions, and activities.
Key Takeaways
By the end of the workshop, participants will have thought more carefully about their fields and the variety, emphases, and implications of different units for comparison. This will help them situate their work within the field and strengthen their ongoing contributions.
Target Audience
The workshop is open to everyone, as we have much to learn from each other across generations, quantitative/qualitative/mixed approaches, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and more. The target audience includes but is not limited to:
- Graduate students and early-career researchers
- Experienced researchers in the field
- Faculty members, who should be made aware of ongoing developments in the field and their roles in critically reviewing its trajectory.
Duration
The workshop will be for three hours, including a 15-minute break.
Contacts
Following registration, participants will be sent electronic copies of the English and Arabic versions of the book to read in advance. They are also welcome to contact the Workshop organisers: Hanan_m_m@alexu.edu.eg and mbray@hku.hk.
Presenters
Prof. Mark Bray holds the UNESCO Chair in Comparative Education at the University of Hong Kong. He is a past-President of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES), the Comparative & International Education Society (CIES), and the Comparative Education Society of Hong Kong (CESHK). He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Comparative Education Society of Asia (CESA). Professor Bray commenced his career as a secondary-school teacher in Kenya and Nigeria, before proceeding to postgraduate studies and then teaching at the Universities of Edinburgh, Papua New Guinea and London. In 1986 he moved to the University of Hong Kong where, among other roles, he co-founded the Comparative Education Research Centre. Between 2006 and 2010 he took leave to work in Paris as Director of UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP). He has also undertaken assignments across continents for the Asian Development Bank, the Commonwealth Secretariat, UNICEF, UNDP, and the World Bank. In the academic arena, Professor Bray is particularly known for contributions on two fronts. One concerns methodology in comparative study of education, and the other concerns the scale, nature and implications of the so-called shadow education system of private supplementary tutoring.
Prof. Hanan Mahmoud works as an Assistant Professor of Comparative and
International Education at the Faculty of Education, Alexandria University.
She is a member of the Egyptian Society for Comparative Education and
Educational Administration, and a certified trainer in entrepreneurship.
Dr. Mahmoud began her academic career as a teaching assistant in the
Department of Comparative Education in 2006 and progressed through
various academic ranks to her current position. She teaches at both
Alexandria University and Matruh University and has held several roles
within faculty and university-level committees and administrative teams.
She is the author of two academic books and has published numerous
scholarly articles in the field of comparative and international education.
Her research interests focus on comparative and international education,
higher education, and education policy.