Teaching in the UAE: What a Nigerian Educator Learned About EdTech and Gen Z

You can be a strong teacher and still feel like a beginner on your first morning abroad. The smartboard won't connect. Half the class speaks English as a second or third language. A student finishes the task on her tablet before you have finished explaining it.

None of this means you are not good enough. It means the classroom changed, and you have to change with it.

Abiola John Opeagbe knows that morning well. He teaches Business Studies and Economics at PACE British School in Sharjah, a British curriculum school in the UAE, and he began his career in Nigeria. On an episode of Suraasa's Teaching Tales, hosted by Michelle Dennis, he talked through what the move actually demanded. He needed new tools and new speech habits. He met a new kind of student. And he made a commitment to keep learning that never really ends.

This article builds on that conversation. Perhaps you are thinking about teaching in the UAE. Perhaps you are already there and still adjusting. Either way, his experience points to practical steps you can use this term. It also points to a bigger truth: the teachers who thrive abroad are not the ones who arrive finished. They are the ones who arrive ready to grow.

From Nigeria to the UAE: The Journey of an International Educator

Abiola did not set out to become a teacher in the usual way. He found the calling during his undergraduate degree in economics. Classmates kept coming to him with concepts they could not crack, and he kept explaining them. Over time, those informal tutoring sessions showed him something about himself. He had a natural ability to take a difficult idea and make it make sense to someone else.

That origin story matters, and it is more common than you might think. Many teachers first discover their ability not in a training college but at a study table, a church youth group, or a younger sibling's homework session. The instinct to explain is the root. Everything else, from lesson design to assessment to classroom technology, is the structure you build around it.

When Abiola moved from Nigeria to the UAE, the root came with him. His subject knowledge travelled. His ability to explain travelled. What did not travel automatically was the method. The UAE classroom expected a different toolkit, and he had to build it.

In the conversation below, Abiola walks through that transition in his own words, including the specific tools he now relies on and the adjustments he made to reach a multinational class. It is worth watching if you want to hear how a working teacher describes the shift rather than how a brochure describes it.

If you are weighing a similar move, it helps to see the international path as a sequence of decisions rather than a single leap. Which curriculum? Which country? Which credentials will a hiring school actually recognise? Our guide on the best countries to teach abroad compares salary, cost of living and hiring demand. If you are working out the route from a local classroom to a global one, this roadmap from local classrooms to global educator roles lays out the stages.

Essential EdTech: Transforming Classroom Management and Student Feedback

Abiola was direct about where technology sits in his professional life now. He said:

“in the 21st century as a teacher, there is need for you to be tech-savvy, without which you cannot really do best. In fact, you're not going to be a good teacher.”

Abiola John Opeagbe

That is a strong position, and he backs it with the specific tools he uses every week. Three stand out.

Google Classroom as the backbone

Abiola described Google Classroom as the place where his teaching lives between lessons. Notes go there. Assignments go there. Examinations and student data go there too. The value is not the platform itself. The value is that the platform removes friction. Students cannot lose a handout that lives online. You do not have to carry a stack of exercise books home to mark. And because the work is in one place, you can see patterns across a class that a pile of paper hides.

Smartboards for preparation and explanation

Interactive smartboards turn the front of the room into something students can work with, not just look at. Abiola linked them to better student preparation. For a subject like economics, that matters. Supply and demand curves shift. Market equilibrium moves. A static diagram on a whiteboard captures one moment. An interactive board lets you move the curve while the class watches, and then lets a student come up and move it themselves.

Kahoot for engagement and quick feedback

Gamified platforms like Kahoot turn retrieval practice into something students look forward to. A five-question quiz at the start of a lesson tells you, in under three minutes, who remembered last week's content and who did not. That is assessment you can act on immediately. If you want to understand why this kind of quick check is so powerful, our guide to assessment for learning versus assessment of learning explains the difference between checking understanding and grading it.

Putting the tools together: a worked example

Here is how these tools might combine in a single Year 10 economics unit on price elasticity of demand. This is an illustration of the workflow, not a description of Abiola's exact lessons.

Notice what this does. Feedback no longer waits for the next lesson. It reaches students beyond classroom hours, which was one of Abiola's central points. The cycle of teach, check, respond gets shorter. Shorter cycles mean fewer students fall behind without anyone noticing.

If you want more ideas for quick checks that slot into any lesson, our list of 25 classroom assessment techniques gives you options that work with or without devices.

Integrating AI in the Classroom: Practical Approaches for Teachers and Students

Abiola went beyond the familiar platforms. He described using generative AI tools like ChatGPT to prepare lesson notes and build presentations. He also uses them to guide students through research, with clear boundaries on how to do it responsibly.

The context in the UAE makes this especially relevant. According to the UNESCO Courier, in 2025 the UAE made AI a mandatory subject in public schools from kindergarten to graduation. Students across the country now grow up treating AI as part of normal schooling. A teacher who avoids these tools risks standing outside the conversation their students are already having.

The teacher side: AI as a planning partner

Used well, AI handles the first draft so you can spend your energy on the parts only you can do. A practical routine looks like this:

1. Start with your objective, not the tool. Decide what students should be able to do by the end of the lesson. Write that down first.
2. Ask for a structure. Prompt the tool for a lesson outline that meets your objective, with timings that fit your period length.
3. Ask for variation. Request three versions of a key explanation: one for students who are new to the idea, one standard, one stretch.
4. Check everything. AI can state wrong facts with confidence. In economics, check every figure, definition and example against your syllabus and textbook.
5. Make it yours. Add local examples your students recognise. A pricing example from a mall in Sharjah will land better than a generic one.

If you want to sharpen this process, our guide to ChatGPT for teachers covers lesson planning, assessment and productivity in depth. For a structured approach to writing better prompts, see using prompting frameworks to cut lesson planning time.

The student side: teaching responsible research

The harder part is the student side. Abiola emphasised guiding students on how to conduct responsible research with AI, not simply banning it or ignoring it. That means setting parameters. Here is one way to frame them for a class:

• AI can help you start. Use it to understand a concept or find terms to search for.
• AI cannot be your source. Every fact in your final work must trace back to a textbook, a named publication or a reliable website.
• Show your process. Include the prompts you used and explain what you changed.
• Your argument must be your own. The analysis and the conclusion should be in your words, built from your reasoning.

This approach treats AI as a learning tool rather than a shortcut. It also prepares students for a world where knowing how to question an AI answer is a real skill. Our article on moving from learning to use AI to AI for learning explores this shift further.

Comparing Educational Landscapes: Nigeria's Developing System vs. the UAE

When Abiola compared his two teaching contexts, he was honest about the gap. In Nigeria, his teaching leaned on traditional methods: the whiteboard, the marker, the spoken explanation. Resources were often limited. In the UAE, technology is not an optional extra. Schools expect it as the foundation of everyday teaching.

It would be easy to read that as a story of one system being better than another. That is not the most useful reading. Teachers who come from resource-constrained classrooms often bring real strengths. They know how to hold attention with nothing but their voice. They improvise when materials run short. They explain an idea three different ways because there is no video to fall back on. Those skills do not disappear when you walk into a smart classroom. They become an advantage.

What has to change is the default. Here is how the shift looks in practice:

Abiola's response to this gap was not to resent it. It was to commit to learning. In his words:

“You have to be a 21st-century teacher who is ready to learn, who is ready to relearn, relearn and relearn until you are able to do the right thing the right way.”

Abiola John Opeagbe

That repetition is deliberate. One round of learning is not enough. You learn a tool, the tool changes, and you learn it again.

The wider picture supports this. The OECD's Digital Education Outlook 2023 looks at how education systems are building digital ecosystems for schools. The direction of travel is clear. Teachers who arrive with digital fluency will find doors open faster.

If you are moving from a national curriculum school to an international one, the transition has its own logic. Our step-by-step guide to moving from a CBSE school to an international school was written for Indian teachers, but its core steps apply to anyone making the jump from a national system.

Navigating Culture Shock and Accents in a Global Classroom

Technology was only half the adjustment. The other half was human. A British curriculum school in the UAE brings together students from many nationalities and linguistic backgrounds. Abiola described the need to consciously adapt his speech pace, his pronunciation and his vocabulary so that every student could follow.

That is harder than it sounds. Your accent feels neutral to you because you have lived with it all your life. To a student who learned English from different speakers, it may not be. Fast speech, unfamiliar idioms and regional pronunciation can turn a clear explanation into noise.

Abiola put the principle simply:

“You need to understand the students and you need to speak to them in the language that they understand, no matter what. That is part of adjustment.”

Abiola John Opeagbe

Notice where the responsibility sits. Not with the student to decode you, but with you to reach them. That is not a loss of identity. It is a professional skill, the same way a doctor learns to explain a diagnosis in words a patient can follow.

Practical adjustments for a multinational class

• Slow down at the key moments. You do not need to speak slowly all lesson. Slow down when you introduce a new term, give an instruction or explain the step that most students get wrong.
• Write the key words. Put new vocabulary on the board or the screen as you say it. Seeing and hearing together closes the gap that accent opens.
• Swap idioms for plain language. Phrases that feel natural at home can confuse students from elsewhere. Say what you mean directly.
• Check understanding without asking “Do you understand?” Most students will nod. Ask them to repeat the instruction, or answer a quick question that proves they followed.
• Invite questions privately. Some students will not admit confusion in front of peers. A digital comment box or a quick exit ticket gives them a safer way to ask.
• Learn from your students. Ask how words are pronounced in their languages. Showing curiosity builds trust, and trust makes every adjustment easier.

Culture shock reaches beyond the classroom too. New norms around communication with parents, school hierarchy and student behaviour all take time to read. Give yourself that time. The first term is for learning the room. Our guide to classroom management strategies that actually work offers techniques that hold up across very different student groups.

Understanding Generation Z: Catering to the Tech-Native Student

Abiola's students belong to Generation Z. They grew up with devices in their hands. As he described it, they process information rapidly on their personal devices, and they learn fast.

That speed is a strength, not a problem to manage. The mistake many teachers make is treating digital fluency as a distraction to fight. Abiola's view was different. Meet students where they are. Design lessons that use the medium they already think in.

What this looks like in a lesson

Take a Business Studies lesson on marketing strategy. Here is a contrast between two approaches. Again, this is an illustration, not a transcript of Abiola's classroom.

The lecture approach: You explain the four Ps of marketing for twenty minutes, students copy notes, then they answer textbook questions.

The digital-native approach: You give small groups ten minutes to find a real social media campaign from a brand they know. Each group posts a screenshot to Google Classroom and tags which of the four Ps the campaign targets. You put the posts on the smartboard and lead a discussion comparing them. Students then write a short analysis of one campaign, using the correct terms.

The content is identical. The second version uses the students' speed, their familiarity with digital media and their instinct to search. It also produces work you can see, discuss and assess in the same lesson.

Principles for teaching tech-native learners

• Shorter chunks of instruction. Explain, then let students do something. Then explain again.
• Visible tasks. When work appears on a shared screen, students take it more seriously and learn from each other.
• Real-world material. Students who live online respond to examples drawn from the world they actually see.
• Fast feedback. A generation used to instant responses engages more when your feedback arrives quickly too.
• Depth on purpose. Speed is not the same as understanding. Build in moments that force students to slow down and explain their reasoning.

That last point matters. Fast processing can hide shallow learning. A student who finds an answer in seconds may not be able to explain why it is right. Our guide to aligning EdTech with Bloom's taxonomy shows how to push digital tasks beyond recall toward analysis and evaluation.

Balancing Technology: Strategies to Mitigate Digital Classroom Distractions

If you put a device in every student's hands, you will also put every distraction there. Abiola was clear that the answer is not to remove the technology. It is to set boundaries, and the school plays a central role in setting them.

He described the use of school restriction tools that keep students on relevant learning websites during class. When the school manages those boundaries, individual teachers are not left fighting the battle alone in every lesson. The system holds the line, and the teacher can focus on teaching.

A layered approach to focus

Practical strategies you can start this week

1. Ask your school what tools exist. Many schools already have restriction software. New teachers often do not know it is available. Ask your IT team or head of department in your first week.
2. Give every device task an output. “Research the topic” invites wandering. “Find two examples and post them by 10:15” does not.
3. Use the screen-down signal. When you need full attention, ask students to turn devices face-down or close laptop lids halfway. Do it every time, so it becomes routine.
4. Move around the room. Walk the back of the classroom where you can see screens. Presence does more than any warning.
5. Mix device and non-device work. Not every task needs a screen. A paper-based discussion or a whiteboard problem gives students a break and resets attention.

The research community continues to study how teachers manage technology use in classrooms. If you want to explore the evidence base, the ERIC database is a strong starting point. This ERIC record is one example of the institutional and peer-reviewed work you will find there.

The balance Abiola describes is the right one. Technology is the foundation of the modern UAE classroom. Boundaries keep that foundation steady.

Why Continuous Upskilling Is Crucial for 21st-Century Teachers

Every part of Abiola's story leads to the same conclusion. The tools change. The students change. The expectations change. The only constant is the need to keep learning.

He compared teachers to doctors and engineers. Nobody expects a doctor to practise for thirty years on what they learned in medical school. Nobody expects an engineer to ignore new materials and methods. Teaching deserves the same seriousness. Abiola said:

“No matter who you are, the level of your training, the level of your skill, you need to upskill as a teacher.”

Abiola John Opeagbe

That line is worth reading twice. No matter who you are. Not just new teachers. Not just teachers who feel behind. Everyone.

The OECD's report on the demands of teaching examines teaching as complex professional work that draws on deep and varied knowledge. That framing matters. If teaching is a demanding profession, then professional development is not a perk. It is part of the job.

For international teachers, upskilling carries an extra weight. Abiola linked it directly to competitiveness in international school hiring. Schools in the UAE and elsewhere look for teachers who can show current skills, not just past experience. A strong record of professional development tells a hiring panel that you will keep pace with whatever their classrooms need next.

How to build a habit of continuous development

• Plan your year, not just your next course. Decide which areas you want to grow in across the year: a tool, a teaching method, a qualification. Our guide to CPD for teachers and how to plan your year breaks this down month by month.
• Learn one tool properly each term. Depth beats breadth. Master Google Classroom before you add three new apps.
• Learn from your colleagues. Watch a colleague teach. Ask what tools they use and why. International schools are full of teachers with different training, which makes them rich places to learn.
• Reflect on what you try. After a lesson with a new tool, write three lines: what worked, what did not, what you will change.
• Pursue recognised credentials. Structured, accredited professional learning carries weight with international employers in a way that scattered workshops often do not. Our comparison of the best teaching certifications for career growth can help you weigh the options.

Growth that does not stop at one course

The hardest part of Abiola's message is also the most freeing. You will never be finished. That can feel exhausting if you face it alone. It feels very different when you have a structure that grows with you.

That is the thinking behind Suraasa's Professional Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning (PgCTL), and behind everything we build for teachers. Not a single course you complete and forget, but a path that stays with you as your classroom, your country and your role change. If you want to understand how a teaching credential travels across borders, our guide to building an international teaching career is a good place to start.

What Abiola's Journey Means for You

Strip the story back and you find a pattern any teacher can follow.

1. Know your root. Abiola's teaching started with explaining ideas to classmates. Your ability to make things clear is what travels with you.
2. Build the toolkit. Google Classroom, smartboards, Kahoot and AI tools are the everyday language of the UAE classroom. Learn them deliberately.
3. Use AI with judgement. Let it draft. You decide, check and personalise. Teach students to do the same.
4. Adapt how you speak. Slow down at key moments, write key words and check understanding properly. Reaching every student is your responsibility.
5. Teach the students in front of you. Gen Z learners are fast and digital. Design lessons that use that speed, then build in the depth.
6. Set boundaries with your school. Use the restriction tools available, and back them with clear routines.
7. Never stop learning. Treat professional development the way a doctor or engineer would: as part of the job, for life.

Teaching in the UAE asks a lot. It asks you to relearn things you thought you had mastered. It asks you to change how you speak, how you plan and how you give feedback. But it also gives a lot back. A classroom full of students from across the world. Tools that let you reach them faster and better. And the chance to grow into the teacher you always meant to be.

Abiola made that journey from Nigeria to Sharjah. You can make yours too. And you do not have to make it alone.

For the Love of Teaching.