Proceedings of mate 36th conf 2016 by Mohammed Hassim

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Proceedings of the 36th Annual Conference Fes, Morocco, 14-17 April, 2016

"New Education Reform: Alternative Pathways in Language Education."

: ‫"االصالح التربوي‬ ".‫مسارات بديلة في التربية اللغوية‬ Edited by: Mohammed Hassim Noureddine Bendouqi Fahmi El Madani Lahcen Tighoula Mustapha Zanzoun

Publication of Moroccan Association of Teachers of English (MATE)

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

The views expressed in these proceedings do not necessarily reflect those of MATE.

ÂŠ Moroccan Association of Teachers of English (MATE), 2017

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Table of Contents Foreword

Editorial Noureddine Bendouqi

Enhancing Teacher Professionalism: A Humanistic Approach Reddad Erguig

ELT Teacher Education Program at Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) Rabat: Achievements and Challenges A. Azhar, R. Kerkech, M. Monadi, F. Mouhdi & I. Nejjar

A Study of Web 2.0 Self-Directed Learning and Academic Achievement Fouad Boulaid

Students' Use and Perceived Usefulness of Social Media Software for Academic Purposes Hicham Fatmi

Will(not) the Use of Mobile Phonesi Boost the Quality of EFL Teaching and Learning in (the) Moroccan Universities? Azize Kour

Project-Based Learning (PBL): Enhancing High School Students’ Cultural Knowledge and Language Skills Asmaa Bouchouk

Facilitating Critical Thinking through Collaborative Online Learning Saad Eddine Akhajam

From Reading the Word to Reading the World: Rethinking the Goals of TEFL Karim EL Hiani

The Moroccan National Framework for Certification in Languages Driss Marjane

E-Learning and ICT: Seeking Novelty in ELT Teacher’s Professional Development Fatimaezzahra Abid

Implementing Mind Mapping in ELT at the University: The case of Writing and Grammar Saida Hdii and Smail Kerouad

School-based Activities as a Source of Professional Development: MATE CIRCLEs as example Mohammed Hassim

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Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Foreword This volume of MATE Proceedings includes written versions of the papers presented during MATE 36th annual conference in Fes the theme of which was: "New Education Reform: Alternative Pathways in Language Education." ".‫ مسارات بديلة في التربية اللغوية‬: ‫"االصالح التربوي‬

As for the choice of the theme, it is a timely one, firstly for the importance of the theme in today's world characterised by quick change and innovation. Secondly, it has come in a time of reform in national education. So it serves as a contribution to the current discussion about education change and reform in our country. This volume is so rich and varied in articles and ideas and is a contribution to ELT publications in Morocco. Therefore, MATE is so grateful to the authors of this volume's articles for being so generous as to share their experiences and expertise.

On behalf of MATE national board, I would to express our indebtedness to the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training for the long and continuous support and cooperation with our association both at moral and material levels. We are also grateful to our strategic partners, namely, Regional English Language Office (RELO), the British Council and Macmillan publishing house for their continuous support. Mohammed Hassim, ELT supervisor, President of MATE (2016-2018)

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Editorial Language education has long been geared towards students’ academic achievement, cognitive development and the promotion of their conceptions of the self and the others. However, because of the on-going social developments and the rapid advancements in technology, language education nowadays still faces the challenge of coping with the continuously shifting demands of its customers. This has made of nearly all of the consecutive reforms in Morocco a relative ‘failure’. Our policies regarding foreign language teaching in general, and ELT in particular, have been lagging behind and unable to keep up with the demands of the new generations. To address this issue in Morocco, the High Council for Education and Training has incorporated among its ‘Strategic Vision’ a set of actions to reform the teaching of foreign languages. In this vision, English language learning is attributed a vital importance for the personal and academic development of learners. At the operational level, the ministry of education has in turn launched a set of actions concerning English language education within what is referred to as ‘priority measures’. Given all these initiatives, all language educators are therefore called upon to reconsider their conceptions and practices in the areas of teaching, assessment, and teacher training and at the same time expect shifts in the roles of the different actors in the English language education process. Equally important, considerable efforts need to be invested in the production and provision of appropriate and effective teaching materials. In brief, without these shifts and efforts, these new suggested reforms might not bring about the desired change and may therefore be doomed to failure. As part of servicing the educational community and based on numerous educational reports, the Moroccan Association of Teachers of English (MATE) is trying to contribute to this debate and has decided to analyse, discuss, and evaluate these initiatives. MATE’s 36th Annual National Conference has raised some of these issues. One of the aims of this conference was therefore to help the participants deepen their understanding of this language education reform and get equipped with the necessary tools to address these concerns appropriately. Through discussions of all the related topics during the plenaries and the workshops, the participants were helped to spot the challenges and ramifications of the suggested reform, ranging from research to teaching and administration at the district, local, regional and central levels. Some new pathways were then outlined, as they came out during the panels with a few recommendations that, according to most participants, should contribute to the smooth implementation of this ‘strategic vision’. The discussion of the existing approaches and the ones to be adopted in the near future was another major aim of the conference. In

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

order to come to terms with the above stated aims and objectives, the theme of the conference has been approached from a variety of perspectives. The papers, workshops, panels and poster sessions delivered at the conference were both rich and varied. They tackled a variety of issues seen from different interdisciplinary and theoretical perspectives. At the level of frameworks and educational policy, special attention has been directed towards the adoption of project-based learning (PBL) approach to English language education which, according to the writers, would enhance high school studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cultural knowledge and language skills. Others call for the rethinking the goals of TEFL in Morocco and towards promoting a global perspective to 'reading' the world. At the level of teaching methodologies, some papers encourage the promotion of critical thinking and collaborative online learning. In the same direction, evaluation of learning has received its due attention where some papers call for a reconsideration of the Moroccan National Framework for Certification in Languages. It is highly recommended that MATE officials take the main points raised in these articles and submit them to the ministry. Information and communication technologies received the lion share in MATEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 36 conference. Many articles and workshops have tackled ELT pedagogy from the perspective of ICT. Some have asked for example for promoting learner autonomy through the yduts of Web 2.0 in order to enhance self-directed learning and academic achievement. In the same vein, a whole article is devoted to the exploration of students' use and perceived usefulness of social media software for academic purposes. Another article, in Moroccan Universities this time, addresses the issue of the use of mobile phones and tried to answer the question of whether they boost the quality of EFL teaching and learning or create a source of disturbance to both teachers and administrators. Another important section in this compilation is devoted to teacher education. In this regard, an article argues for the enhancement of teacher professionalism through the adoption of a humanistic approach, where teachers are encouraged to conceptualize the teaching profession not as a job but rather as a 'community service' action. Apart from that, some schools of education have displayed their experience and legacy with pre-service teacher education and highlighted their most recent developments and innovations, including the use of ICT and other internet tools. The current challenges of teacher education have also been raised with more questions and answers. The issue of English language teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s professional development was addressed from an E-learning perspective seeking novelty and alternative ways in this domain. I hope that the coming MATE conferences or other ELT spheres can handle this same issue further by conducting further field research, surveys and benchmarking studies with other remarkable educational systems seeking best practices to help the ELT community come to terms with the dynamic needs of both teachers and students in 21st century environments. Noureddine Bendouqi ELT supervisor, Former President of MATE (2014-2016)

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Enhancing Teacher Professionalism: A Humanistic Approach Reddad Erguig Applied Language & Culture Studies Research Centre, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Chouaib Doukkali University, El Jadida Abstract Within the framework of the theme of MATE’s 36th Annual Conference, “New Education Reform: Alternative Pathways in Language Education”, the present paper is concerned with the importance of boosting teacher professionalism as a prerequisite for the success of the language education reform currently undertaken by the Ministry of National Education in Morocco. The thrust of the argument is that a major factor that should contribute to the realization of the “Strategic Vision” as conceived by the High Council for Education and Training is that along with mastery of the “technical” competencies and the instructional strategies, teachers should also invest in the human dimension or affective competencies. In other words, I argue that strong emphasis should be laid not only on the need to enrich teachers’ knowledge of the most innovative and viable instructional methods and approaches and enhance their ability to manipulate the most up-to-date teaching skills and strategies but more importantly on the importance of developing professional teaching attitudes and behavior. Efforts should be invested in training humanistic teachers who are fully engaged in the learners’ affective needs of self-esteem and personalgrowth rather than ones who attend primarily to their students’ language learning and more specifically exam-related needs. To this end, the paper stresses the importance of professionalism in the ELT practitioners’ day-to-day teaching instruction and suggests ways to help them develop their current professional and instructional practices that positively impact their students’ engagement and learning outcomes and set the ground for a sustainable positive teaching environment. More specifically, the paper aims to: (i) discuss the attributes of professional teachers, (ii) suggest some professional behaviors and attitudes that teachers can apply to boost their teaching methodology, and (iii) consider alternative learning environment and assessment practices for a better teaching and student engagement. Key words: teacher professionalism, humanistic education, quality of education 0. Introduction The purpose of the present paper is to stress the importance of professionalism in our day-to-day teaching instruction as teachers of English in an EFL context. It aims to revisit our current professional and instructional practices with a view to (i) positively impact our students’ engagement and learning outcomes and (ii) set the ground for a sustainable positive teaching environment. The ultimate aim is to suggest ways to boost teacher professionalism as a prerequisite for the success of the language education reform currently undertaken by the Ministry of National Education in Morocco. The thrust of the argument is that along with the need to develop “technical” skills and competencies in ELT, we should also invest in the human dimension

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

or affective competencies in order to contribute to the realization of the “Strategic Vision” as conceived by the High Council for Education and Training. My contention is that there is a dire need to invest efforts in training humanistic teachers who are fully engaged in the learners’ affective needs of self-esteem and personal-growth rather than ones who attend primarily to their students’ language learning and more specifically exam-related needs. It is undeniably crucial to enrich teachers’ knowledge of the most innovative and viable instructional methods and approaches and enhance their ability to manipulate the most up-to-date teaching skills and strategies. However, it is equally important to develop professional teaching attitudes and behaviour that align with the principles of the humanistic school of education in order to establish a sustainable educational environment. The significance of addressing the issue of teacher professionalism and stressing the importance of humanism as a key component of what makes truly professional teachers resides in the strong emphasis laid in the current debates in education circles in Morocco on the promotion of quality education. The “Strategic Vision of the Reform of 2015-2030”, designed by the High Council of Education, Training and Scientific research, revolves around the need to ensure quality education to all Moroccan students regardless of their background; emphasis is laid on the fact that this vision can be implemented through offering all students equal opportunity and equity (Conseil Supérieur de l’Education, de la formation et de la Recherche Scientifique, 2015: p. 11-12). The “Strategic Vision” also underscores the fact that the goal is not only the enhancement of the individual’s skills and competencies but also the contribution to the flourishing of a whole society. The “Strategic Vision” interestingly emphasizes the role of the school in offering an adequate and coherence training to the students. The school is conceived of as a space where students have the chance not only to accumulate knowledge and develop skills and competencies but also acquire the art of life and of living as a group. In the same vein, the “Strategic Vision” stresses the role of the school in shifting from a knowledge-based pedagogy to a learner-centred pedagogy that can contribute to the know-how, well-being and self-growth of students as autonomous citizens in a globalised and information-based context. To achieve this objective, the current educational policy in Morocco therefore stresses the need to establish a healthy learning environment where the teacher is no longer the sole performer but rather one where students are involved in the construction of their own learning. Indeed, it is suggested that a new relationship between teachers and students based on effective and creative interaction should be forged so that the latter can develop the spirit of initiative (Conseil Supérieur de l’Education, de la formation et de la Recherche Scientifique, 2015: p. 14). This claim is supported by the research literature, which highlights the centrality of the role of teachers in shaping the future of our planet. As Hargreaves (1994) underlines, "[i]t is what teachers think, what teachers believe and what teachers do at the level of the classroom that ultimately shapes the kind of learning that young people get” (p. ix).

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

The present paper is organized as follows. Section One, Teacher Professionalism, offers a discussion of the related literature on the issue of teacher professionalism. Section Two, Humanism and the Humanistic Teacher, reviews the basic assumptions of the humanistic school of education. As for Section Three, The Teacher as a Humanistic Professional, it offers a discussion of the main characteristics of professional teachers from a humanistic perspective. 1. Teacher Professionalism Professionalism is defined in The Merriam-Webster Dictionary as "the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person”; it is referred to as "a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation”. Lorenz and Lorenz (2011) provide a more elaborate definition of a professional, in which they note that a professional is a “Person formally certified by a professional body of, belonging to a specific profession by virtue of having completed a required course of studies and/or practice … and whose competence can usually be measured against an established set of standards”. Definitions of teacher professionalism remain a controversial issue in education debates. Whitty et al. (1998), for instance, note that there is “a struggle among different stakeholders over the definition of teacher professionalism and professionality for the twenty first century” (Whitty et al., 1998: p. 65). In point of fact, the literature abounds with research on the characteristics that constitute a professional (see Reeves, 2009: p. 108) because professionalism is multifaceted, and there is a general tendency that the term is elusive and consensus on one encompassing definition is hard to achieve (Brehm et al., 2006; Demirkasimoglu, 2010: p. 2050; Helterbran, 2010). However, it is interesting to note that professionalism in the broad sense of the term is defined as “an ideal to which individuals and occupational groups aspire, in order to distinguish themselves from other workers” (Pratte & Rury, 1991: p 60). It is also important to underline the fact that, against a background where universal definitions of professionalism are lacking, a recurrent theme in the literature is that a professional possesses and uses their specialized knowledge and training as well as the standards of the profession to make judgments and thus be accountable for the expectations of the profession. Yet, Day (2007: p. 600) stresses that professionalism is related to mastery of subject matter knowledge, ethical commitment to meeting the clients’ expectations, and professional commitment to the standards of the professional, namely professional delivery of teaching. Another interesting working definition is as follows: “The term ‘professional’ is an honorific in our society, and denotes occupations characterized by certain attributes. Chief among these is a body of specialized, expert knowledge together with a code of ethics emphasizing service to clients” (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, 2002). In this regard, it is necessary to recall that “[a] teacher is a facilitator of learning and of the development of the youth; he shall therefore,

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

render the best service by providing an environment conducive to such learning and growth” (Almeida, 2005: p. 74). Korthagen (2004) highlights the “classical controversy between a competencybased view of teachers and an emphasis on the teacher’s self” (p. 79). He points out that while policy makers stress the importance of the learning outcomes in definitions of teacher professionalism, researchers emphasise the role of the teachers’ personal characteristics, including motivation and commitment to the profession. However, Tschannen-Moran (2009) succinctly defines teacher professionalism as the: teachers’ perceptions that their colleagues take their work seriously, demonstrate a high level of commitment, and go beyond minimum expectations to meet the needs of students. In schools with a high degree of teacher professionalism, teachers respect their colleagues’ competence and expertise. Teachers work cooperatively with one another, are clearly engaged in the teaching process, and are enthusiastic about their work. (p. 232) It is important to note in this regard that teachers’ commitment has been found to be a strong predictor of their “work performance, absenteeism, retention, burnout and turnover, as well as having an important influence on students’ motivation, achievement, attitudes towards learning and being at school” (Day, 2007: p. 608). To conclude this section, it is interesting to point out that professionalism has at times been viewed “a shifting, rather than a concrete phenomenon” (Hanlon, 1998). p. 45). It has also been considered as an outcome but rather as a process and life-long project which is expected to culminate in the effective contribution of the personal growth of the learners into autonomous and responsible human beings. This is summed up in Seifert’s (1999) contention that: Professionalism is a process more than an outcome – a way of encountering new students and new classroom problems and of finding meaning and solutions to them as you grow. It is not a ‘thing’ worn like a piece of clothing; at no time will you have become professional once and for all. (p. 95 as cited in Helterbran, 2010: p. 126) 2. Humanism and the Humanistic Teacher The literature indicates that there have been three successive paradigms in state education systems, with a change in the goals of education and the roles teachers are expected to play. Williams (1961: p. 163), for instance, suggests that many state education systems have evolved since the turn of the twentieth century from humanism which is based on the belief in the intrinsic value of education for the betterment of the learner to the notion of ‘public education’, in which emphasis was laid on the right of all people to gain access to education in order to fully participate in a democratic society. These systems later shifted into the notion of the ‘industrial training’, in which public education is viewed

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

as an essential means to socio-economic development. The focus of the present paper is on the first stage. As a matter of fact, an important issue in debates about teacher professionalism relates to teacher’s identity. Humanistic approaches to education were a pioneer in this regard as the question often debated by humanists consists of who the teacher is and how can he or she carry out his or her mission of contributing to the learners’ self-growth (see Korthagen, 2004, for a discussion). Humanism is a philosophical and ethical school of education which emerged in the 1960’s and which focuses on human freedom, dignity and potential. Growing as a reaction to the behaviourist school, which stressed the notion that human behavior is the result of operant conditioning and that the discovery of knowledge and the construction of meaning are central to learning, humanism is based on the central belief that, according to Huitt (2001), people act with intentionality and values and learning is not an end of the educational process but rather the means to self-development, self-actualization and self-efficacy. Humanists therefore believe that it is necessary to study the person as a whole, especially as an individual grows and develops over a lifespan. It follows that the study of the self, motivation, and goals are areas of particular interest. Humanism is highly relevant to our discussion of teacher professionalism because the humanist paradigm is based on the central assumption that the purpose of any educational enterprise goes beyond teaching students sets of skills and techniques. Although humanism does not underestimate the importance of teaching a variety of the basic language and academic skills students need to function in today's world, its main goal is, more importantly, the satisfaction of the learners’ affective needs based on the assumption that positive affect facilitates learning. This school of education emphasizes the need to involve the whole person and stresses the importance of the learner’s inner world by moving beyond cognitive and intellectual education to focus on the learners’ emotions and feelings. To this end, it is crucial within the humanist school of thought to establish a learner-centred and anxiety-free environment where the students’ development of self-esteem is facilitated and where the achievement of their full potential is made possible. Following this line of thought, emphasis is laid on the teachers’ need to provide feedback characterized by appreciation, respect and encouragement regardless of how low the students’ language proficiency level may be. As Roger (1969) underlines, I see the facilitation of learning as the aim of education, the way in which we develop the learning man, the way in which we can learn to live as individuals in the process … that the initiation of such learning rests not upon the teaching skills of the leader, not upon his scholarly knowledge of the field, not upon his curricular planning, not upon his use of audio-visual aids, not upon the programmed learning he utilizes, not upon his lectures and presentations, not upon an abundance of books … the facilitation of significant learning rests [instead] upon certain attitudinal

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

qualities which exist in the personal relationship between the facilitator and the learner. (p. 105-6) Humanism thus prioritizes the value of human dignity over any other economic, religious, nationalistic or ideological set of values. Through an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning, it advocates the promotion of meaningful learning and encourages learners to pursue knowledge, to grow, to love, and to find meaning for their existence. In the aim of preparing young people to be citizens in a democracy, humanists recommend that efforts should be focused on fostering the learners’ self-respect and respect for others, encouraging compassion and understanding and finally developing the values of punctuality, fairness, health, courtesy, respect for property, neatness and the like. Although humanism dates back to the 1950’s and 1960’s, it is still highly relevant to mainstream approaches to education today. For instance, the 1996 UNESCO report, “Learning: The Treasure within”, stresses the “belief that education has a fundamental role to play in personal and social development” (UNESCO, 1996: p. 13). The report also underscores that: education is at the heart of both personal and community development; its mission is to enable each of us, without exception, to develop all our talents to the full and to realize our creative potential, including responsibility for our own lives and achievement of our personal aims. (p. 19) An additional reason why humanism is still of paramount importance nowadays is that mastery of academic content and development of instructional methods have been deemed a key component of teacher education programs (see Brophy, 1998). Day (2007: p. 602) interestingly warns that the moral expectations of teachers “are under threat by [the adoption of] teaching and learning agendas which focus upon improving schools and raising student achievement within a restricted, measurable range of subjects, abilities or competencies”. This implies that the teachers’ expectation to meet the goals outlined in the school curricula within a specified period of time creates strains on their capability to assist their students in their pursuit to achieve self-growth. This hurts their professional identity because within the humanistic school teachers are viewed as facilitators who have to contribute to the learners’ self-growth rather than as employees who merely have a content or a set of skills to deliver (see Day, 2007: p. 603; see also Woods et al., 1997: p. 152). The contribution of humanism to the teacher professionalism debate is its insistence on the shifts in the teacher’s role from one who transfers knowledge to one who guides students, facilitates their learning and contributes to their personal development (see Korthagen, 2004: p. 82). 3. The Teacher as a Humanistic Professional We will now address the extent to which the Moroccan teacher of English can be professional from a humanistic point of view. Before we embark on such a task, it is important to be realistic and bring to mind the fact that the Moroccan education context features a whole range of problems and obstacles. Chief

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

among these are challenges related to the lack of the necessary infrastructure relative for instance to the insufficiency of human resources and teaching staff as well as Information Technologies. They are also related to the problem of large classes and overcrowding and the existence of continuous but disconnected reform plans. In addition, this education context is characterised by the prevalence of teacher-centred approaches and the overuse of instruction, lecturing and even spoon-feeding at times. It further features the problem of grade inflation and students’ obsessive concern with grades. As a result, standards are lowered and students lose motivation for learning (see Conseil Supérieur de l’Education, de la formation et de la Recherche Scientifique, 2015: p. 7-8 for details about some of these problems and others). Despite the aforementioned difficulties, our answer to the question posed above is certainly positive. In point of fact, the object of this paper is to advance the argument that the Moroccan teacher can be a professional from a humanistic perspective so that s/he can contribute his/her share to the realisation of the goals outlined in the “Strategic Vision”. What the paper proposes is a set of five attributes that teachers should possess and demonstrate to boost their professionalism while at the same time affiliating with the humanistic philosophy of education. The object of this section is therefore to offer a discussion of our argument that for teachers to rightly and confidently claim to be truly humanistic professionals, they should demonstrate a number of qualities and characteristics. The attributes to be discussed below relate to two aspects that overlap and complement one another: the first relates to professionalism and the second related to humanism. A starting point for the selection of these attributes was the literature, but more importantly it was based on my personal observations as an EFL professional. Firstly, it is important to stress the role of attitude in making a teacher a humanistic professional. Attitude is so important that it is usually compounded in the literature with knowledge to constitute some of the competencies teachers should possess (Korthagen, 2004: p. 80). To put it differently, it has been argued that “a substantial body of evidence has emerged ... suggesting that teacher beliefs drive instructional pedagogy” (Minor, Onwuegbuzie, Witcher, & James, 2002: p. 117). In similar terms, Helterbran (2010) notes that: Vital aspects of … professionalism include attitude and role modeling. A teacher’s attitude - be it positive, negative, or indifferent - pervades all that he or she says and does. It defines the difference between teaching as a passion and lifelong commitment and teaching as a fallback. The ingredient of attitude involves confidence, initiative, personal investment in teaching and children, and enthusiasm in accomplishing the tasks of teaching. (p. 124) In this respect, for teachers to be humanistic professionals, they should view themselves not as employees for whom teaching is a mere duty they have to mechanically and carelessly carry out but rather as dedicated professionals who have an interest in and show concern about the quality of their teaching and students’ learning. They should be committed to serving their students’ learning

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

needs and educational expectations and promoting active student learning. They can do this through interacting with students during as well as before and after class, relating to students as individuals and most importantly taking pride in both the process and product of their educational mission. In terms of attitude, also, teachers are expected to be accountable for their teaching instruction in the sense that they should be fair and honest and avoid any forms of double standards. Being accountable relates to fact that the teachers – though not totally to blame for some students’ failure to learn should take responsibility for their students' results. This entails that teachers should be adaptable, embrace change and be self-starters: they should instantly make changes to lessons or courses because of unforeseen situations or problems. Indeed, professionalism implies the non-uniform treatment of all students and the need instead to adapt the teaching strategies and assessment practices based on the teachers’ professional judgment of the needs of individual students (see Darling-Hammond, 1988: p. 59). Most importantly, humanistic professional need to be determined to overcome any challenge in search of the necessary means to satisfy the students’ learning needs. They need to be inspirational and not only teach but also motivate students to become lifelong learners. Of course, to achieve all these objectives, teachers should support colleagues and school management and engage in any endeavour to serve the students. The second prerequisite to be satisfied for teachers to be humanistic professionals consists in the personality traits that they should possess and display (see Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000, for a detailed discussion; see also Korthagen, 2004: p. 88). For teachers to be able to care for the person of the student, they should first and foremost be considerate of others’ feelings and willing to be cooperative with others, be they students or teachers or administrative staff. They should be polite, respectful, supportive, inclusive, flexible and self-confident so that they can provide a “warm classroom climate” – one which is inviting for learning. In addition, teachers should be not only dynamic and energetic, but they should also be passionate and enthusiastic about the subject. What is more, they should behave professionally in public, including being punctual and maintaining confidentiality. This implies they should be patient and handle complaints, provocation and misconduct without any loss of temper or irritation. The third component of the profile of the humanistic professional teacher is related to adequate and effective teaching methodology. Teachers should not simply demonstrate a command of the technical skills of teaching, classroom management and assessment. In fact, nowadays teachers are expected more than ever to go beyond the basics and show a sense of creativity. It is important to note that “a creative learning environment involves less teacher-centred practice, and making creative processes and collaborative ways of working more explicit” (Cachia, Ferrari, Ala-MutkaPunie, 2010: p. 20; Minor, Onwuegbuzie, Witcher, & James, 2002: p. 117).

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Indeed, although highly desirable, it does not suffice for teachers to simply be a technician in the sense of being well prepared for class, know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students, state the objectives for each class session, use a variety of instructional strategies, encourage class discussions and vary the speed and tone of one’s voice, etc. Being a true humanistic professional should be manifest in creating lively courses that engage students and make a difference in their lives. It may perhaps even consist in not creating courses at all but rather enticing students to partake in the process of course design and manipulating the latest multimedia technologies that are available for developers to create far-reaching learning opportunities for students irrespective of their cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Fourth, interaction between teachers and students as well as among teachers themselves is an important area where teachers should show the qualities of a humanistic professional. Truly humanistic professional teachers should be respectful towards their students and also respectable regarding the standards of the profession. They also ought to be fair and treat all students equitably without discriminating against anyone of them based on background, attitude or language proficiency. This can manifest itself in showing students their strengths and assisting them with their weaknesses through responding to their questions and queries and providing them with regular constructive feedback. Humanistic and professional interaction should equally be clear in the teacher’s interaction with colleagues. A teacher’s relationship with colleagues should be based on mutual respect, and this can be achieved through avoiding gossip and fostering instead a healthy environment where different teachers debate issues of mutual interest and share resources and expertise. Fifth, to adhere to the vision of a humanistic professional advocated in the present paper, teachers should conduct professional and effective assessment practices and offer students feedback that can enable them not only to develop the targeted skills but also grow as responsible and conscientious individuals. To this end, teachers should clarify to students the learning objectives of the course and elucidate how these outcomes will be measured drawing on the notion of rubrics. They should also provide students with timely, corrective and detailed feedback and also grade their papers and evaluate their performance on time. What is more, teachers should combine formative and summative assessment and administer non-credit tests and quizzes which have the potential to enhance students’ creativity through giving them a second chance; this also includes the need to design respectable tests in the sense that they satisfy the conditions of validity and reliability. Finally, with respect to professional development, truly humanistic professional teachers should both keep abreast of education policy and legislation and continuously self-evaluate, critique and reflect on their own teaching with a view to improving their teaching instruction, including their teaching methodology, classroom management techniques and assessment practices (see York, Sommers, Ghere & Montie, 2001: p. 6). Moreover, they should pursue

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

professional learning and development through professional meetings, courses, conferences, seminars and (action) research. Third, they should engage professionally with colleagues, parents and the community (see Hargreaves & Goodson, 1996, pp. 20-21; Helterbran, 2010: p. 124). In short, being a humanistic professional involves a multitude of skills and characteristics that are succinctly summed up by Helterbran (2010: p. 124) as follows: “having a societal purpose and obligation, ethical foundation, a degree of regulatory autonomy, an accretion of content knowledge, and agreed-on standards for the entire profession. 4. Conclusion The aim of this paper has been to stress the importance of teacher professionalism for teachers to be able to contribute to sustainable educational development and to the achievement of the goals of education as outlined in the “Strategic Vision” adopted by the High Council for Education for the period of 2015-2030. The thrust of the argument is that, as far as I am concerned, for teachers to adequately and satisfactorily perform their roles and carry out their noble mission, they should possess and enact the ethics of the profession and simultaneously adhere to the principles of the humanistic school of education. To this end, and to be truly humanistic professionals, it has been argued that, along with the “technical” skills teachers should possess, they equally ought to demonstrate desirable characteristics related to attitude, personality traits, interaction with colleagues and students, assessment and feedback and finally professional development. In a nutshell, it has been argued that for teachers to be humanistic professionals, they should be more supportive, understanding and dedicated than critical or judgmental. By way of concluding the present paper, it is worth-recalling that to adequately accomplish their mission, Every teacher shall actively insure that teaching is the noblest profession, and shall manifest genuine enthusiasm and pride in teaching as a noble calling…. Every teacher shall uphold the highest possible standards of quality education, shall make the best preparations for the career of teaching, and shall be at his best at all times and in the practice of his profession. (Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers, n.d.) References Almeida, A.B. (2005). Social Philosophy 2 (including Gen.& Professional Ethics for Teachers). Manila: REX Bookstore. Brehm, B., Breen, P., Brown, B., Long, L., Smith, R., Wall, A., & Warren, N.S. (2006). Instructional design and assessment. An interdisciplinary approach to introducing professionalism. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 70(4), 1-5. Cachia, R., Ferrari, A., Ala-Mutka, K. &Punie, Y. (2010). Creative Learning and Innovative Teaching: Final Report on the Study on Creativity and Innovation in Education in the EU Member States. European

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Commission: Institute for Prospective Technological Studies. doi:10.2791/52913 Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers of the Philippines. (n.d.). Retrieved from teachercodes.iiep.unesco.org/teachercodes/codes/Asia/Philippines.pdf Conseil Supérieur de l’Education, de la formation et de la Recherche Scientifique. (2015). La Vision stratégique de la réforme 2015-2030: pour une Ecole de l’équité, de la qualité et de la promotion. Retrieved from http://www.csefrs.ma/pdf/Vision_VF_Fr.pdf Darling-Hammond, L. (1988).Policy and professionalism. In A. Lieberman (Ed.), Building a professional culture in schools (pp. 55-77) New York: Teachers College Press. Day, C. (2007). School Reform and Transitions in Teacher Professionalism and Identity. In T. Townsend & R. Bates (eds.), Handbook of Teacher Education, 597–612. Netherlands: Sprinter. Demirkasimoglu, N. (2010). Defining “Teacher Professionalism” from different perspectives. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 9, 2047–2051. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.444 Hanlon, G. (1998). Professionalism as Enterprise: service class politics and the redefinition of professionalism. Sociology, 32(1), pp. 43–63. Hargreaves, A. & Goodson, I. F. (1996). Teachers’ Professional Lives: Aspirations and Actualities. In Goodson, I. F. & Hargreaves, A. (eds) Teachers Professional Lives, 1-27. London: Falmer Press. Hargreaves, A. (1994). Changing Teachers, Changing Times: Teachers' Work and Culture in the post-modern age. London and New York: Continuum. Helterbran, V. R. (2010). Professionalism: Teachers Taking the Reins. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 81 (3)132-127. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/TCHS.81.3.123127 Huitt, W. (2001). Humanism and open education. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved from http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/affsys/humed.html Korthagen, F. A. J. (2004). In search of the essence of a good teacher: towards a more holistic approach in the education. Teaching and Teacher Education 20, 77–97. Lorenz, J. B. & Lorenz, M. C. (2011).Ethics For Trustees: A Guide for All Who Serve As Trustee. IN: Authorhouse. Minor, L. C., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Witcher, A. E. & James, T. L. (2002). Preservice Teachers' Educational Beliefs and Their Perceptions of Characteristics of Effective Teachers. The Journal of Educational Research, 96 (2), pp. 116-127. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27542420. National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. (2002). NBPTS Profile of Professional Growth. Retrieved from www.seattlewea.org/docs/architectureaccompteach.pdf

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Pratte, R., & Rury, J.L. (1991). Teachers, professionalism, and craft. Teachers College Record, 93 (1), 59-72. Retrieved from http://www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 255. Reeves, J. (2009). Inventing the Chartered Teacher. In S. Gewirtz, P. Mahony, I. Hextall, & A. Cribb (Eds.), Changing Teacher Professionalism: International trends, challenges and ways (pp.106-116). London & New York: Routledge. Rogers, C. (1969). Freedom to Learn: A View of What Education Might Become. (1st ed.) Columbus, Ohio: Charles Merill. Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5-14. Tschannen-Moran, M. (2009). Fostering Teacher Professionalism in Schools: The Role of Leadership Orientation and Trust. Educational Administration Quarterly, 45 (2), 217-247. Doi.10.1177/0013161X08330501 UNESCO. (1996). Learning: The Treasure within. Report of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century. France: UNESCO. Retrieved from www.unesco.org/education/pdf/15_62.pdf Whitty, G., Power, S. & Halpin, D. (1998). Devolution and Choice in Education: The School, the State and the Market. Buckingham: Open University Press. Williams, R. (1961). The Long Revolution. London: Chatto & Windus. Woods, P., Jeffey, R. J., Troman, G. & Boyle, M. (1997). Restructuring Schools, Reconstructing Teachers. Buckingham: Open University Press. York-Barr, J., Sommers, W. A. Ghere, G. S. & Montie, J. (2001). Reflective practice to improve schools: An action guide for educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

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ELT Teacher Education Program at Ecole Normale SupĂŠrieure (ENS) Rabat: Achievements and Challenges A. Azhar, R. Kerkech, M. Monadi, F. Mouhdi & I. Nejjar Introduction The English department at Ecole Normale SupĂŠrieure (ENS), Rabat, one of the oldest English departments, has considerably contributed to ELT development in Morocco. Thanks to its adoption of a coherent vision of what teacher education means, the department has constantly strived to progress by introducing qualitative changes to the teacher education program it offers prospective teachers of English. Accordingly, it has regularly adapted its curriculum and education approaches to meet the expectations and needs of new graduates, preparing them, thus, for the challenges they may face in their future professional life. Generally, the department has devoted sustained effort to incorporate new theoretical advances in the fields of education, teacher education, language teaching, ICT and other related subjects. To this end, it has adopted two main regular evaluation practices: a course and instructor evaluation, every semester, and an annual program evaluation. The main objective of these evaluations has basically been to determine the effectiveness of the teacher education program offered. Besides its concern with quality and effectiveness, the department has also strived to offer a teacher education program that would fit the current national and international educational contexts. ENS graduates are accordingly expected to remain updated on education issues and to acquire the ability to understand, analyze, and evaluate emergent teaching and learning situations. The world is constantly changing; so are educational requirements, concepts, concerns, and education research. The teacher education program at ENS has, therefore, witnessed a paradigm shift reflecting important changes in terms of principles, objectives, and the profile of its graduates. The main purpose of this paper is to 1) highlight the major changes that have occurred in the ELT teacher education program at ENS-Rabat in terms of the curriculum and methodologies adopted, 2) shed light on the rationale behind those changes (globalization, internal and external context-sensitive factors, etc.) and finally 3) point out the challenges faced by the department, its accomplishments, and the future prospects it envisions. 1. Curriculum Development Strategy To accommodate the concerns with quality within the shifting sands of societal demands on the educational system, the teacher education program in the English Department at ENS, like many other current educational programs, has undergone continuous evaluations bringing about small and large scale modifications in practices. The recent change of the status of ENS following its annexation to the university in 2011 has necessitated a major reform to meet

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

both the institutional expectations and the socio-economic requirements of the Moroccan context. In fact, the evaluation strategy adopted for the teacher education programs falls within a generalized view of curriculum development where evaluation is conceptualized as a development strategy feeding out of and into each and every phase of the program development. The evaluation starts from an environment analysis of the different factors involved in the process. It is no less axiomatic that any education and training program is a reflection of the requirements of the social environment where it is conceived in the first place and where its graduates are going to function. The environment dictates the form and use of the program by providing criteria and standards geared towards fulfilling sets of needs in the job market in various social contexts. In a teacher education program, four major factors are at play when designing a curriculum: stakeholders (institutional goals), teacher trainees’ feedback and perceived needs, recent innovations in teacher education theory, and the job market (prospective job needs). Of note here is that the order of these sources of information does not imply any type of qualitative precedence; rather, the factors refer to evaluative processes that take place more or less at the same time and inherently interact at various levels pointing to different directions in curriculum design. A major factor in the program development is the requirements set by the Ministry of Higher Education. The program needs to abide by several guidelines in terms of content, form, timing, and evaluation as spelled out in the “Cahier de Charges pour les Licences Professionnelles”. These guidelines are intended to guarantee that all programs conform to the education policy of the country in every detail. They are also expected to express the needs of the new graduates at the level of the job market. In fact, there are implicit and explicit beliefs and practices that have guided the structure and the design of ENS teacher education program, which indicate a fundamental consensus to abide by the national guidelines for teacher education. The Standards-based framework that is at the basis of the ELT curriculum development in Morocco has also inspired the redesigning of the teacher education program. Further, the UM5R curriculum development orientations have reinvigorated the ELT program and have opened up the scope for several opportunities to upgrade the initial program in terms of its structure as well as in terms of its content. A second, but equally important, contributor to the constant upgrading of the program is the feedback provided by the trainees themselves. Their perceptions, reflections, and feedback are a great source of evaluative information on the current program content and the related methodological practices. This feedback is regularly collected through questionnaires and group interviews. The resulting data is analyzed and translated into needs statements and performance descriptors which are then incorporated in the formal depiction of the target profile of the ENS ELT teacher education program. The trainees’ feedback is, in fact, a major factor in determining the program goals.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Another major factor is the constant interest in the advancements in the theory on teacher education. Research findings accumulate in favor of key principles that relate to the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of learning. The ELT program at ENS has indeed always been very well updated with regards to the new innovations in the fields of teacher education, language teaching and learning, and applied linguistics. Theory, in fact, develops in response to the social changes described above. This means there is a correspondence between the context requirements and the new explanatory theories, both of which interact continually with the evolution of the teacher education program. Another source of information is the target jobs the graduates of the teacher education program are prepared for. These are formulated in terms of profiles, roles and specific characteristics that teacher trainees are expected to have developed by the end of the program. Taking into account these four factors, the evaluation process has resulted in the identification of three main areas in teacher development stated as follows: 



ELT competencies - Knowledge of methodological approaches and methods - Skills in instructional procedures and strategies - Skills in the management of the learning context Psycho-social awareness and skills - Psycho-social skills - Socio-cultural awareness and skills (Co-curricular Activities, Community Service, Values Education) Teacher professional development - Reflective andcritical practices - Autonomy and leadership skills - Professional conduct - Employability skills

These areas have been found to be fundamental to the development of professional ELT teachers. They are used as the basis for developing goals and standards which in turn feed into first, the identification of teacher education program management principles, and second, the design of the program components and methodology. 2. Teacher Education Program Principles The English department at ENS-Rabat has developed a set of innovative teaching principles that have guided its practice in the teacher education program it offers. All these principles revolve around the creation of an appropriate learning and teaching environment that allows the teacher trainees to benefit from the different learning situations they are exposed to. Among the main principles the department faculty abide by, we can mention the following:

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

(1) Reflective thinking: teacher trainees are encouraged to engage in the processes of analyzing and evaluating what they have learned. They become aware of their learning and are able to control it by actively participating in reflective thinking – assessing what they know, what they need to know, and how to bridge the gap – during learning situations.(2) Learner-centeredness: in this teacher education program, teacher educators put the teacher trainees at the center of the learning process through taking into consideration their individual needs. (3) Cooperative learning: While the focus when teaching is on enabling each teacher trainee to learn and to develop as an individual, the learning environment is organized in such a way that teacher trainees are offered many opportunities to work cooperatively on tasks and to exchange their ideas in small groups both in class or when working on projects they are assigned. (4) Experiential learning: the adoption of experiential learning is based on the assumption that any form of teaching should support teacher trainees in applying their knowledge and conceptual understanding to real-world problems or situations. It comes in contrast with the transmission approach of education in which the learner acquires knowledge passively from the teacher. (5) Taskbased teaching: this approach is based on the premise that teacher trainees learn best if they are given the opportunity to contribute to their learning, that is, if they are considered active learners. Accordingly, an active learner is a learner who is provided with tasks to do and problems to solve. It is a learner who has the chance to put into practice what they have learned and who would adapt to any educational situation. (6) Using ICT for learning and teaching: based on the conviction that teachers should take into consideration the profile of their students when designing any learning experience, teacher trainers have deemed it necessary to integrate the use of technology in all their teaching and learning environments as ICT offers numerous possibilities for meeting the needs of 21st century learners. Its use significantly enhances student learning when properly designed and implemented. (7) Multiple approaches to assessment and evaluation: Using multiple measures of teacher effectiveness is necessary for teacher assessment and evaluation. In fact, to examine the teacher trainees’ outcomes in our program, one measure cannot capture the complexity of the learners’ learning and growth or development. Thus, the core of the teacher assessment and evaluation system aims at tracking the learner’s achievements using both test score results (both formative and summative assessments) for mastery of content of subject matter and forms of performance-based assessments (mostly criterion-referenced using rubrics); namely: oral and written reports for subject matter courses and co-curricular activities, reflective critical thinking written reports about practice teaching and classroom observations, project-based activities, a small scale research project and portfolio compilation as an evidence of the learners’ professional growth at various levels. 3. Program Description

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

This section describes the four main components of the ELT teacher education program at ENS, Rabat, namely: A) Modules, B) Practicum, C) Portfolio and Research Project, and D) Co-curricular Activities. A. Modules The English department offers a range of modules intended to build up teacher traineesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fundamental knowledge, skills and appropriate attitudes that will prepare them for the challenges of the teaching profession. 1) ELT Methodology Program The main purpose of the methodology modules is to provide prospective EFL teachers with the basic teaching and learning principles, techniques, skills and strategies in the ELT field to enhance their professional practice so that they can meet the needs of their own students in different teaching contexts. Therefore, a number of modules allow the trainees to explore relevant traditional and innovative ELT approaches and methods and, accordingly, to plan and teach effective lessons. ELT Approaches, Methods and Assessment In this module, the teacher trainees are introduced to the main characteristics of the historical development of foreign language teaching and the major traditional and current methods and approaches in vogue. They are encouraged to identify and evaluate the main assumptions or principles of these methods and approaches, their objectives, techniques, roles of teachers and learners, and the role of the teaching materials, taking into consideration their relevance to the Moroccan context. In addition, the teacher trainees are invited to align assessment to teaching by exploring the theoretical foundation of assessment theory and, therefore, to develop the skill to evaluate and design appropriate formal and informal assessment procedures and instruments according to their future teaching contexts. Competencies and Standards in the EFL Curriculum This module is designed tohelp teacher trainees acquire skills in identifying the major competencies that Moroccan students need to developaccording to the EFL curriculum. The trainees are encouraged to refer to the standard-based language teaching framework when making decisions for short and long term planning, when formulating teaching objectives and when devising meaningful teaching materials. Teaching Language Skills

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

This module focuses on the methodology for planning and teaching different language skills, namely, listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary, and on the use of classroom materials for language teaching. Classroom activities aim at involving the teacher trainees in the teaching/learning process, allowing them to reflect on and share their own experiences, opinions and knowledge. Trainees are expected to learn the teaching skills by observing, planning and simulating mini-lessons. Lesson Planning, Materials Adaptation and Evaluation Thecourse enables trainees to develop essential lesson planning skills and strategies for effective teaching. An effort is made to help them understand and integrate the principles of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking in designing their lesson plans, formulating their teaching objectives and planning their classroom language. Trainees are introduced to instructional strategies for teaching different language skills and are expected to design ELT materials. Finally, besides creating pedagogical materials, teacher trainees also explore the assumptions behind the adaptation of ELT textbooks. Microteaching An essential component in the teacher training program, micro-teaching provides a strong link between theory and practice. The trainee creates lesson plans, performs micro lessons, receives feedback, self-assesses and learns from observing other trainees. School Life, Extracurricular Activities and Values Education This course has three main objectives: i.

ii.

iii.

To raise the teacher trainees’ awareness of the fact that a teacher’s role extends far beyond the classroom borders. As such, it considerably affects her/his classroom performance and relationships. To sensitize them about the importance of activities undertaken inside or outside the classroom and which are not part of the students’ core curricular content. To emphasize the trainees’ future role as educators alongside being subject matter instructors. 2) Educational Psychology Program

Educational Psychology modules are designed to ensure quality teacher education in concordance with the main vision and goals of the teacher education program at ENS, Rabat. The modules provide teaching and training in the psychological foundations of education. The main goals of Educational Psychology modules are: f1) to prepare teacher trainees to become competent

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

teachers who will have acquired the basic knowledge, skills and attitudes to teach and educate, 2)to train them to become active educators who will ensure the cognitive, psycho-social, and intellectual development of their students, and 3)to prepare future educators who will positively impact their school and community. Learning Theories Learning is a key issue in the field of education. Theobjectives of this module are1)to familiarize teacher trainees with the major learning theories, and 2) to enable them to identify the mechanisms involved in the process of learning. By the end of the course, teacher trainees should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how individuals grow, develop and learn, and to provide learning opportunities that support the cognitive, social, and personal development of learners. Classroom Management Skills This course aims at providing teacher trainees with basic principles of efficient classroom management and equipping them with managerial skills that would enable them to create a healthy, motivating, and supportive learning environment in their classrooms. By the end of the course, teacher trainees should be able to create a structured and safe learning environment, adjust lesson plans and instruction and efficiently manage discipline issues. Individual Learner Differences This course aims to help teacher trainees acquire a knowledge foundation in individual learner differences in terms of studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; physical, intellectual, cognitive, and psychological abilities and their possible limitations. They are acquainted with some major differences which they can encounter in various educational settings and are offered efficient instructional methods and techniques which can help them connect with and engage a variety of students. Best Practices for Specific Age groups This course links EFL theory and knowledge about the teaching of different age groups (children, adolescents and adults) to the best practices in teaching English Language Learners (ELLs). These are woven together to provide trainees with an excellent basis for working with ELLs according to their age needs, abilities, and interests. It covers current techniques, methods, and materials utilized for effective instruction. Emphasis is on the best practices and approaches through the use of experiential learning. 3)

Professional Development

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The following modules are designed to emphasize future teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ongoing professional development in terms of their research, ICT, and professional communication skills. Educational Research Educational research is conceived of as an initiation course into research methodology used in education settings. The main objectives are to provide the teacher trainees with the concepts and techniques used in educational research with special emphasis on research in language teaching and learning and to enable them to understand and critique educational research. The course methodology includes interactive lectures and discussions, presentations, handson practice on developing research instruments and analysis schemes, and individual projects. Learning Technologies for the EFL Classroom Learning technologies for the EFL classroom is an initiation of the teacher trainees into the field of information and communication technologies used in education. The main objectives are to sensitize the teacher trainees about the crucial role of technologies in the lives of their future students, and to provide them with different ways ICTs can be exploited inside and outside the classroom for the purposes of enhancing the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; learning. The course methodology includes presentations and discussions, hands-on practice on appraising and developing ICT-based materials and activities, and individual projects. Employment Communication Skills The module gives teacher trainees the opportunity to understand and discuss the benefits of effective communication for themselves and for their future work place. The trainees study the requirements of effective communication while focusing on the process of preparing and designing effective business messages. .In addition, they are encouraged to identify the components of workplace effective interpersonal communication and to develop relevant soft skills as well as appropriate phone manners and effective verbal and nonverbal communication. Finally, teacher trainees are encouraged to develop the skills associated with leading and participating in teams. Employment Communication in Arabic and in French Bearing in mind the importance of professional communication in the Arabic and French languages nowadays in the job market, the objectives and the content of both these courses have been thus adapted. The aim is to enable them to acquire written and oral skills in Arabic and in French, and have further opportunities to review their grammar and enrich their vocabulary. Basically,

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

they will be exposed to the specifics of professional and business communication. School Law This module, taught in Arabic, introduces the main legislation and legal texts pertaining to school laws. The aim is to inform the future teachers about, on the one hand, the teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rights and responsibilities, and on the other hand, the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rights and responsibilities. B. The Practicum The three components of the practicum, namely microteaching, classroom observation, and teaching practice, provide the trainees with an opportunity to put into practice their newly acquired teaching skills and knowledge. The practicum is planned in collaboration with experienced ELT teachers in public high schools. Microteaching Microteaching is a supervised initiation to practice teaching. Trainees are divided into manageable sub-groups so that everyone is given the opportunity to perform, self-assess and give and receive feedback. Trainees observe and analyze model lessons on videos, plan and deliver mini-lessons, observe their peers teach Teaching Practice During the five-week practice teaching in public high schools, trainees are exposed to real learning situations where they have the opportunity to: make decisions about what to teach, try out techniques, have their teaching constructively criticized, develop criteria for self-evaluation and gradually become independent. Service Learning This is an essential component of the English Department teacher education program which promotes traineesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; civic awareness and engagement. Service Learning is a comprehensive and an integrative component as it takes the trainees out of their comfort zone. Service learning activities can take the form of tutoring middle school and/or high school students in English. In this component of the practicum, trainees are given opportunities to develop their leadership skills, cooperation skills, problem-solving skills and critical thinking skills.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

4. Portfolio and Research Project The portfolio complements the teacher education program. It accompanies and cuts across the other three components, modules, practicum, and co-curricular events, and provides a more individualized and reflective re-visiting of the content and skill areas covered therein. The portfolio plays three very important roles. It is used as a learning tool; the trainees get the opportunity to reflect on the training activities they are involved in for a second time enhancing in this way the learning process. Second, it provides evidence and justification for the methodological choices the trainees make and thus develops their awareness of professional, accountable, and ethical practice. Third, it serves as an evaluative form. It documents changes, modifications, adaptations, and adjustments in the teaching knowledge and skills of the trainees along the training period, providing thus a formative evaluation of their progress. 5. Co-Curricular Activities The incorporation of co-curricular activities (CCAs) in the regular ELT teacher education program has been essential in the upgrading of the program at ENS, Rabat. The participation of teacher trainees in these activities serves at least three major purposes: (a) At the academic level, CCAs offer them the opportunity to consolidate and apply the knowledge and skills they are acquiring in their regular program curricula. (b) At the personal level, CCAs offer them extra opportunities for personal growth. (c) At the professional level, teacher trainees discover their interests and talents while developing values and competencies that will prepare them for a rapidly changing world. They also raise their awareness to the importance of designing and organizing CCAs for their own future students. 6. Department Management Principles and Strategies To overcome challenges and meet its educational goals, the English department has developed over the years a set of fundamental managerial principles and strategies. These have contributed a lot in implementing the program along the set guidelines and in enhancing quality education overall. Accordingly, it has based its management on the following principles and strategies: prioritizing team spirit and collaborative work, favoring long term planning, sustaining critical and reflective practice, opening up on other institutions (partnerships), and involving native speakers and highly experienced practitioners in the program. 7. Challenges and Achievements Generally speaking, institutional restrictions represent the major challenge for the department. Reduced department faculty over time, budget restrictions, and

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short-time notice ministerial plans have always been more frustrating than any other factor. Other major factors could be summarized as follows: - Teacher trainees’ changing profile over time: the Moroccan BA is reduced to 3 years instead of 4 years, which considerably impacted teacher trainees’ proficiency level in English. - Rapid advances in new technologies: Faculty members have had not only to struggle with ICT advances, but also to decide which ICT techniques work to the best interest of the teacher education program. - Graduates’ future career prospects: Government educational institutions like ENS no longer guarantee a teaching position with the government. Consequently, teacher trainees’ motivation in terms of future job security may be affected. These challenges, nonetheless, were more of a motivator for further evaluation and improvement of the program. In fact, the way the program has developed is mostly in response to problems of adaptation to the ever-changing society where we live today. This strong commitment to serve quality training for future ELT practitioners has indeed given birth to promising results. The department of English at ENS-Rabat has produced well-qualified high school English teachers who have been able to develop professionally. Many ENS graduates have become university researchers, teacher trainers, supervisors, ministry officials, etc. The biggest achievement of ENS teacher education program, nevertheless, has always been its ability to considerably contribute to teacher trainees’ personal, psycho-social, and intellectual development. In addition to subject matter, teacher trainees are provided with golden opportunities to acquire life skills and professional ethics. As explained earlier, the evaluative strategy adopted by the ENS English Department is a never-ending process; this is particularly so because the strength of a program is gauged not only by its achievements but also by its ability to deal with daily challenges, to adapt to changes, and to develop to serve the function it has been created for. The social responsibility implicated in education, especially programs preparing future teachers who would be responsible for educating generations, is particularly critical; it necessitates full commitment to the common welfare of the Moroccan society, and this has been the main drive behind the sustained effort of the English department faculty to promote quality.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

A Study of Web 2.0 Self-Directed Learning and Academic Achievement Fouad Boulaid Abstract Self-directed learning (SDL) is acknowledged as a significant predictor of student’s academic motivation and achievement. SDL is vital to the learning sphere where learners spot their learning needs, establish learning objectives, and feel more autonomous, independent and responsible (AIR). Hence, SDL creates opportunities for students to manage their own resources and perform better in all learning phases. Indeed, achievement is the ultimate goal of any student. The present study attempts to find out the correlation between Web 2.0 SDL and academic achievement of 300 EFL undergraduate students at Moulay Ismail University in Meknes. The outcome reveals that Web 2.0 SDL is highly positively correlated with academic achievement. At different dimensions of the SDL, male and female EFL graduate students do not differ. The implications which come to the surf are that Web 2.0 SDL creates substitutions in academic achievement among students. As well, a person who possesses SDL and manipulates Web 2.0 will also achieve more in his/her academic activities. Moreover, SDL is an increasing factor of academic achievement. Introduction Learners’ self-motivated commitment to SDL is crucial to their academic improvement (Benson & Reinders, 2011; Kormos & Csizer, 2013). The recent learning platform characterized by appropriate access to expanded resources, venues, and learning spaces, means that more than ever learners are expected to take the initiative in their learning (Knowles, 1975; Torrance, 1984; Brookfield, 1986; Candy, 1990; Rbotham, 1995; Zimmerman, 1998; & Teo et al., 2010). As Web 2.0 provides significant learning spaces and venues and enables selfinitiated construction of learning experience (Benson, 2006; Lai & Gu, 2011; Reinders & White, 2011), it is highly recommended that language learners possess the necessary competence to engage in Web 2.0 SDL (Benson, 2011; Lai, 2013; Reinders & Darasawang, 2014). SDL is also said to be a lifelong inclination to learning and knowledge acquisition, meaning that a learner with this characteristic will continue to learn throughout his or her lifetime (Gasevic, Kovanovic, Joksimovic, & Siemens, 2015). Research on students’ Web 2.0 SDL for language learning has produced mixed findings. On the one hand, learners do actively use Web 2.0 to enhance their language learning experience outside the classroom (Inozu, Sahinkarakas, & Yumru, 2010; Lai & Gu, 2011; Murray, 2008). On the other hand, active involvement in Web 2.0 does not necessarily guarantee sophisticated and effective use of Web 2.0 applications for language learning (Lai & Gu, 2011; Winke & Goertler, 2008; Winke, Goertler, & Amuzie, 2010). Previous findings have approved that the Web 2.0 applications learners use are very limited (Lai & Gu, 2011; Winke & Goertler, 2008), and that learners’ use of available applications does not echo a good understanding of their effective use (Kennedy

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& Miceli, 2010; Oxford, 2009). Thus, more and more scholars are arguing for the need for learners to develop the relevant competencies in the active and effective use of Web 2.0 for language learning (Cohen & White, 2008; Hubbard, 2005; Hubbard & Romeo, 2012; Levy, 2011). Theoretical background Current literature has defined SDL as both a process and a product. Knowles (1975) defined self-directed learning as “a process in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help from others, in diagnosing their learning needs, (…) choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies and evaluating learning outcomes” (p. 18). Later, a self-directed learner is seen as a mature who is aware of his/her learning goals, discovers appropriate resources, devises learning strategies, and is responsible for evaluating the progress made toward the attainment of those goals (Brookfield, 1986). In short, the theoretical framework of the present study will be grounded mainly on Piaget’s constructivism and Vygotsky’s social constructivism as well as that of Zimmerman’s social theory of learning. Interestingly, constructivism is a new approach in education that claims humans are better able to understand the information they have constructed by themselves. According to socioconstructivist theories, learning is a social advancement that involves language, real world situations, and interaction and collaboration among learners. The learners are considered to be central in the learning process. In addition, Social learning theory posits that learning is a cognitive process that takes place in asocial context and can occur purely through observation or direct instruction, even in the absence of motor reproduction or direct reinforcement. The study This case study constructed an intervention program that adopted Hubbard’s three-part training framework to target the two major components of selfdirected use of Web 2.0 for language learning – willingness and the knowledge and skill base – and was structured around Zimmerman’s three-phase sociocognitive model of SDL. Specifically, it focused on enhancing learners’ perceptions of the need for and value of SDL use of Web 2.0 for language learning and their technical, strategic, and pedagogical knowledge of effective Web 2.0 use for language learning. The intervention program was conducted with a group of undergraduate EFL learners to examine whether the workshop would lead to attitudinal and behavioral changes towards SDL use of Web 2.0 for language learning. Five hundred university EFL learners at Moulay Ismail University in Meknes were invited to participate in the study. After discarding the responses that were incomplete or did not have identifiers to allow the matching of the pre-survey and post-survey, 300 participants’ responses were included in this study. Of the

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

300 participants, 170 were female and 130 were male. Their average age at the beginning of the semester is within the 18-23 group age. The participants are enrolled at Department of English from S1 through S6, but the majority of participants are from S1 and S3. The online workshop was hosted online. The survey involved general pedagogical training and discussed approaches to language learning, effective learning strategies and habits of good language learners, rationales and tips related to SDL, and the relationship between technologies and language learning. The study aimed to examine learnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attitudes towards Web 2.0 SDL. The respondents were administered questionnaires before starting the training and another exhaustive questionnaire after experiencing the Web 2.0 interactions. Hence, the informants filled out a pre-training questionnaire at the beginning of the semester. The intervention program was then introduced to the participants. The training, in the form of self-study of the online training program as weekly assignments and in-class teacher-led collaborative debriefing, lasted 3 weeks. An equivalent post-training questionnaire was administered at the end of the semester. The questionnaires elicited the participantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; demographic data, their perceptions and actual use of SDL with Web 2.0, and various factors that are associated with the readiness to involve in, or the knowledge and skill base necessary for, SDL use of Web 2.0 for language learning (Lai, 2013). The questionnaire instrument measured the following main constructs: After some demographic information, the informants were first asked to report whether they were aware of some Web 2.0 applications such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Edmodo, etc. a great number reported Facebook as a most known Web 2.0 application followed by YouTube. The other applications, no matter how their academic usefulness offered, are still unfamiliar among many students. When the informants were asked about the extent of their access to internet connection, most of them show strong satisfaction to Internet availability. The Figure displays that 87.67 % reported to have easy access to the Internet and only 12.33% do not have easy access. This means that most university learners possess personal computers and do not encounter any difficulty in having access to the Internet. The participants were asked whether they own a computer as well as whether they possess a smartphone. It is lucid that thanks to the most recent technology availability, many students are able to get a smartphone and a large number can possess a personal computer. 82% (N= 246) of the informants reported to have their own personal computers, while 196 (65%) of them own a smartphone.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

The participants were asked to report how often per day they log into Web 2.0 applications and how much time they spend on using Web 2.0 to support various metacognitive, social, resource, and attitudinal needs of English learning. Figure 4 demonstrates that the vast majority of the respondents in the survey logs in very frequently and stays for a long time. It is visible that using one of the Web 2.0 applications is said to be a central constituent in university students’ daily life and its occurrence becomes unavoidably sprawling. As it is clearly seen in Figure 5, most of informants enjoy Web 2.0 and add their comments on other posts. Almost every participant (98.67%) reports to have inserted comments in English on one of the Web 2.0 applications. The participants rated their enjoyment of interaction through Web 2.0 SDL by indicating whether they confirm or disconfirm their pleasure in learning individually using Web 2.0 applications. The following data shows that almost every participant (93.67%) enjoys interacting through Web 2.0 SDL. The participants rated their perceptions of their abilities to use Web 2.0 for English learning by indicating the degree to which they agreed or disagreed with the idea that they check online dictionaries, make internet research, and look for their instructors’ courses. As it is clear from Figure 6, a great number of informants reported to have sought information on the Web. This implies that learners are now aware of the importance of technology use throughout their study. The subjects were asked to share whether they had used Web 2.0 in their preparation to finals, and whether they had cheated on exams using one of the Web 2.0 applications. More than half of the participants (75.33%) reported to have made use of Web 2.0 while preparing for their exams. Though the data shows a small percentage (31.67%) of participants to have cheated on exams, it sounds dangerous (one of the dangerous aspects of Web 2.0). Concerning the discussion of three taboo elements (the forbidden triad), Figure 8 demonstrates that 78.8% dare discuss religion, 82.4% find an open breathing space to discuss politics, and 56.1% (N= 313) openly speak about sex. Such an outcome implies that there is no room for taboo subjects on Web 2.0. For example, learners are no longer afraid to talk about faith, god and religion overall. Students can also chat about different perceptions to government, constitution, parties’ strategies, educational system, corruption, joblessness, situations at schools and hospitals, and so on. This means that Web 2.0 does not only facilitate discussing the frequently restrained topics of political visions, but political leaders appear to have no trouble with overtly audience contradicting if not assaulting them. As well, it used to be regarded as ill-mannered to talk about sex with anyone especially in class in the presence of the opposite sex, but today students and teachers are much more open thanks to Web 2.0. The participants were asked to rate on a Likert scale of 1–5 the degree of satisfaction of the contribution of Web 2.0 to the improvement of the English

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

language skills and communication. Figure 10 displays that there is a high rate of informants who agree (and strongly agree) with the fact that SDL Web 2.0 effectively helped them improve their skill of English communication an language in general. Though users do not aim primarily to develop English language skills via Web 2.0, they seem to unintentionally improve some basic skills at least at the level of reading and writing. This construct measured the participants’ perceptions of the compatibility of Web 2.0 use with their language learning preference and needs by asking participants to indicate the degree to which they agreed or disagreed with statements like “Using Web 2.0 is compatible with my preferred language learning activities.” This means that some university learners and instructor are “friends” on one of the Web2.0 applications. The latter, when used efficiently, can be a great social networking means of instruction. It helps both students and teachers to overcome their fear and mistrust. Web 2.0 takes place in an e-mediated milieu where the instructor and learner are physically separated for some part, if not all, of the instructional process. Such communication could be synchronous (simultaneous) and asynchronous (delayed) and, thus, student coursework and tasks might be returned to the instructor as Web links and e-mails. This implies that today Web 2.0 is a gateway to a strong educational connection and thus encourages instructors and learners to have greater access to one’s private account than ever before (as in FTF contact). In the post-questionnaire, the participants were also asked to report their frequency of accessing the workshop site and the recommended technological resources, their evaluation of the workshop, and the changes the workshop had brought to their learning behavior. The participants evaluated their perceptions of the value of the workshop, their perceptions of the effects of the workshop and their perceptions of the changes in their attitudes towards and use of Web 2.0 induced by the workshop. The participants were asked to indicate whether the workshop had led to any changes in their English study behavior. Specific behavior changes were elicited via two open-ended questions, one tapping into the change in their English learning behaviors and the other tapping into the change in their Web 2.0 use for language learning. A paired t-test was used to compare the participants’ pre-survey and post-survey responses to see whether there were any positive training effects in general. Indepth comparative analysis of the frequent user and infrequent user of the workshop site and the recommended technological resources was also conducted through an independent t-test to identify whether frequency of accessing the training materials led to different effects. In addition, a chi-square test was conducted to examine whether there was an association between the

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

frequency of training and reported changes of learning behavior. A comparison of the participants’ responses in the pre- and post-surveys revealed that the participants reported a significantly greater frequency of SDL use of Web 2.0 in the post-survey. Among the factors associated with the learners’ readiness to involve in WEB 2.0 SDL, the respondents reported significantly more positive attitudes towards Web 2.0 use, and more positive perceptions of the compatibility of Web 2.0 use with their learning needs. To understand the participants’ perceptions of the various components of the workshop content, the participants were asked to rate the usefulness of different components, from “not useful at all” to “extremely useful” on a Likert scale of 1-5. The participants rated all the components – the general pedagogical workshop the pedagogical workshop relevant to specific skills, the introduction of the technological tools and resources, and tips on how to use the technological tools effectively for language learning – positively and somewhere in between “slightly useful” and “quite useful”. Conclusion This small-scale study explored the significance of an online workshop aimed at providing language learners with the educational motivation for Web 2.0 SDL use for taking the initiative, autonomy and responsibility in learning. The investigation’s outcome reveals that this online workshop was a successful tool in bringing to life a higher rate of SDL use of Web 2.0 for English language learning. The derived data confirmed that Hubbard’s three-part training framework of pedagogical, strategic, and technical aspects of training (Hubbard & Romeo, 2012) is a viable framework in constructing effective workshop to enhance SDL use of Web 2.0 for language learning outside the language classroom. Bibliography A. Print References Alexander, B. Web 2.0: A new wave of innovation for teaching and learning? EDUCAUSE Review, 2006, 41, 32–44. Angel K. (2002). Inside Yahoo: Reinvention and the Road ahead. John Willy: New York. Barnett, R. (1999). The Limits of Competence: Knowledge, Higher Education and Society. London: Open University Press. Benson, R. (2003). Teaching and Researching Autonomy in Language Learning. London: Longman. Bown, J. (2009). Self-regulatory strategies and agency in self-instructed language learning: A situated view. The Modern Language Journal, 93(4), 570-583. Brook, S. (2008). Understanding and Facilitating Adult Learning. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass.

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Candy, P. (1991). Self direction for lifelong learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Douglas, D. (2006). Assessing Language through Computer Technology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kessler, G. (2007). Formal and Informal CALL Reparation and Teacher Attitudes toward Technology. London: Routledge. Knowles, M. (1975). Self-directed Learning: A Guide for Learners and Teachers. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. Knowles, M. (1975). The adult Learner: A neglected species. Houston: Gulf. Laurillard, D. (2009). The Pedagogical Challenges to Collaborative Technologies. London: Routledge. Levy, M. (2011). International Perspectives on Computer-Assisted Language Learning. New York: Routledge. Macdonald, J. (2008). Blended learning and online tutoring. Burlington: Gower Publishing. O’Reilly, T. (2009). What is Web 2.0? New York: Peter Lang Publishing. Rollett, H., Lux, M., Strohmaier, M., Do¨singer, G., &Tochtermann, K. (2007). The web 2.0 way of learning with technologies. International Journal of Learning Technology, 3, 87–107. Schmitt, N. (2000). Vocabulary in language learning. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, new schools. Eugene, OR: ISTE. Tsai, P. S., & Tsai, C. C. (2013). College students’ experience of online argumentation: Conceptions, approaches and the conditions of using question prompts. Internet and Higher Education, 17, 38-47. Wilen, T. (2007). Technology and Learning Environment in Higher Education. New York: Peter Lang Publishing. Zapata, G. C. (2004). Second Language Instructors and CALL. London: London Press. Zimmerman, J. (2013). Self-Regulated Learning and Academic Achievement. London: Routledge. B. Electronic References Belz A. (2007, April). Probabilistic generation of weather forecast texts. In Proceedings of Human Language Technologies. Retrieved August, 2011, from http://books.google.com/ Buckingham, S. S. (2007, February). Cohere: Towards Web 2.0 Argumentation. Retrieved May, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost./aui.ma Cooney, G. (2008). Using Mobile Phones for Language Learning. Retrieved on October 2013 from http://www.learnosity.com Godwin, R. (2008, October) Emerging Technologies Mobile-Computing Trends: Lighter, Faster, Smarter. Retrieved May, 2011, from http://www.ebsco.com Mason, R. (2006, April). Learning technologies for adult continuing education. Retrieved May, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com Oblinger, D. (2008). Educating the Net Generation. Retrieved on March 2013 from http://www.educause.edu:educatingthenetgen

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Students' Use and Perceived Usefulness of Social Media Software for Academic Purposes Hicham Fatmi School of Arts & Humanities, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes I. Introduction Although higher education plays an important role in society, it has hardly been affected by the pedagogical and technological breakthroughs that the world has witnessed during the last decades (Anderson, Boyles &Rainie, 2012). Higher education still sticks to the old structure of previous generations, ignoring the economic, educational and social demands and requirements of the 21st century. University students, on the other hand, as research evidence has recently started to show us, are not learning the same ways as previous generations. As Prensky (2001) puts it, "Our students have changed radically. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach." (p. 1). The new face of higher education is now being sketched by the rapid technology advancements and social media adopted by the university student who belong to the internet generation. The forces of the evolving nature of technology are having a huge impact on higher education practitioners. The proliferation of smart phones, tablets, and social media and the expansion of broadband are changing student expectations of how higher education practitioners engage, communicate, and connect with university student. This has created a disparity between the tech-savvy students who are using technology for recreation, communication, and for education and professors who are still reluctant to acknowledge the huge opportunities offered by these new technologies in the field of education. If educators continue to allow this divide to spread, learning experiences for future students may be negatively impacted. According to Pheiffer et al. (2005), "matching students learning styles and teaching style can increase achievement and retention" (p. 429). While it is unreasonable to expect those in education to suddenly embrace all available forms of technology and immediately implement them into the classroom, exploration of these tools that students are frequently using to determine if and how they foster learning in the classroom must begin. The present study aims, therefore, at contributing to the body of research on students' unstructured use of social network sites (Facebook) mainly because "studies of voluntary student-managed Facebook groups without participation from teachers are underrepresented in educational studies on Facebook." (Aaen& Dalsgaard, 2016, p. 161).Further investigation is necessary in order to determine whether university students' use of Facebook is an issue of concern for higher education professionals. This study seeks to contribute to an on-going dialogue about the importance of social network sites, both for practitioners and researchers. The purpose of the present study was 1) to explore students' use of social media (Facebook) for academic purposes, and 2) to explore students' perceived usefulness of social

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

media for academic purposes. Two research questions were developed for this purpose: RQ1: How do students of the English Department at the School of Arts and Humanities in Moulay Ismail University use Facebook groups for academic purposes? RQ2: What is students' perceived usefulness of these Facebook groups? II. Review of the literature 1. Social media and social networking sites (SNS) In the digital age, communities self-organize around the Internet, which has created a global ‘platform’ that has vastly expanded access to all sorts of resources including formal and informal educational materials. The Internet has also fostered a new culture of sharing, one in which content is freely contributed and distributed with few restrictions. The development of Web 2.0 along with mobile computing devices has also produced a connected student body on university campuses. While there are several definitions of social media, this study uses the following: “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content” (Kaplan &Haenlein, 2010, p. 61). Social networking, as defined by Gunawardena, Hermans, Sanchez, Richmond, Bohley, & Tuttle (2009) is “the practice of expanding knowledge by making connections with individuals of similar interests” (p. 4). Boyd &Ellison (2007) define Social Networking sites (SNS) as "web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site." (p. 211). Facebook, the world’s largest SNS, integrates communities, connections, and interactive discussions, allowing users to become transmitters of information, subverting traditional communications media. Today the use of Facebook in universities is beginning to incorporate actions that were traditionally aligned with learning communities that were not virtual. According to Clem & Junco (2015), "Facebook has been used as a replacement or supplement to traditional Learning Management Systems (LMSs) due to many LMSs lacking tools for social interactions and personal profile spaces found on Facebook". With the Introduction of Facebook closed and secret groups in 2010, the creation of closed, course-specific communities, where only the lecturer, instructor and students constitute the group members became possible. These self-contained communities can be used for asynchronous and synchronous interactions in an academic course. The use of Facebook groups also allows sharing of information, documents, pictures, links to websites, etc. The open nature of the Facebook group (to its members only)

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

provides a convenient platform for cooperative and/or collaborative learning (Miron&Ravid, 2015).

2. Facebook for academic purposes Many studies have demonstrated that Facebook affects all levels of students' academic life (Mazman & Usluel, 2010). For example Ellison et al. (2007) found that, as students entered college, they were already quite familiar with the use of Facebook. This familiarity promotes positive behavior of students to be more socially engaged online than they would be in a classroom. Ease of access and familiarity lowers the barrier to participation in a virtual learning community. According to Ziegler (2007), SNSs offer "the capacity to radically change the educational system… to better motivate students as engaged learners rather than learners who are primarily passive observers of the educational process" (p. 69). Studies have also reported that an increased use of Social Media in higher education would lead to reconnecting academic institutions to the new generations of students (Karvounidis, Chimos, Bersimis, &Douligeris, 2014). Irwin, Ball, Desbrow, and Leveritt (2012) report in the results of their study that the high rate of student engagement with a Facebook page suggests that this technology could promote a collaborative and cooperative learning environment. They also argue that continued integration of Facebook into courses may see further benefits through enhanced ‘student to student’ and ‘student to instructor’ communication, which in turn may translate to greater learning outcomes. Kitsis (2008) describes how she channeled her students’ enthusiasm for online discussions by creating engaging electronic homework assignments. In another example, recognizing the students’ enjoyment of Facebook, Romano (2009) describes the fun teachers and students can experience in English classes. Kabilan et al. (2010) investigate whether university students considered Facebook as a useful and meaningful learning environment that, in turn, could support and enhance the learning process of English. They found that while students thought Facebook could be used to facilitate English learning, teachers noted that Facebook had to be integrated into an educational project with predetermined learning objectives and outcomes to make these learning experiences meaningful. Mazer et al. (2007) measured motivation, affective learning, classroom climate, and appropriateness of Facebook for a teacher, including elements of selfdisclosure. Results indicated that students looked favorably on a teacher‘s use of Facebook for academics. Specifically, the students considered Facebook to be a tool that could be used to contact the instructor, and students found an instructor‘s use of Facebook to be beneficial, as long as instructors remained professional and politically neutral on profile pages. Furthermore, students encouraged teachers to provide information about their interests and looked

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

positively on electronic self-disclosure by the instructor. Students valued the professional use of Facebook by instructors to share information about their lives and experiences. Several studies have examined use of Facebook groups organized by institutions and with participation from both teachers and students (e.g. Aydin 2012; Wang et al. 2012). In many of these studies on institutional use of Facebook groups, the groups have specifically been employed as a Learning Management Systems (LMS), primarily managed by teachers. Studies of both Meishar-Tal, Kurtz, & Pieterse (2012) and Wang et al. (2012) conclude that a Facebook group can successfully be employed as an LMS. Although Wang et al. (2012) argue that Facebook groups can serve the basic purposes of LMS, they also identified a number of shortcomings of Facebook compared to functions of standard LMS. On the other hand, Meishar-Tal, Kurtz, and Pieterse (2012) concluded that Facebook groups hold certain advantages over traditional LMS. Meishar-Tal, Kurtz, and Pieterse (2012) examined the opportunities of Facebook groups to be utilized as a course Website, including a platform for delivering content and maintaining interactions among the students, and employing interactive learning activities. This study shows that students primarily used the Facebook group for interaction with the instructors, including task fulfillment, but that several students also found Facebook to be useful for interaction with colleagues, including collaborative learning and mutual support. These results are in line with Wang et al. (2012) who also highlight the potentials of Facebook groups to distribute documents, put up announcements, conduct online discussions, administer discussion lists, and handle assignment posts. III. Research method The first research question (How do students of the English Department at the School of Arts and Humanities in Moulay Ismail University use Facebook groups for academic purposes?) was explored through a systematic study of the content of the Facebook group page set up by undergraduate students of the English department studying at the school of arts and humanities, University Moulay Ismail, Meknes during the 2015-2016 academic year. Data collection took place between November 2015 and January 2016.The procedure can be best described as non-participant ethnographic research. The content of the group page was analyzed in terms of: - Themes discussed by the members, and - Students' versus professors participation The content was coded and the data labelled inductively, then these codes were converted into emerging themes, then, similar themes were grouped under general headings. Finally, the data was converted into figures in order to compare the frequency of the themes.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

The second research question (What is students' perceived usefulness of these Facebook groups?)was answered using a survey questionnaire designed for students (see appendix). The survey consisted of 17 items. The first item sought to determine the respondents' gender. Items 2 to 9 were designed to capture students' Facebook uses and frequency of use. The last 8 items were designed to explore students' perceived usefulness of the Facebook group page for academic purposes. The survey was sent to some of my Facebook contacts. The reason for not posting it on the group page is that more than 80% of the 10,122 members of the group do not study at the school anymore. I wanted to make sure that my respondents are actually studying there. IV. Resultsand Implications 1. Answer to RQ1: For the analysis of the Facebook page content, posts were categorized by type of post theme of the post. The posts about course information generated the fewest number of comments as these were all posted by the instructor and were meant to be announcements. Most of these announcements were posted by students as requested by their professors. The posts that posed a question to the students generated the most comments. The most frequent themes of the posts were (in order of frequency): 1. Trying to find colleagues from the same group (during the first month of the semester)22%. 2. Posting/Asking about timetables of specific groups. (During the first month of the semester) 19%. 3. Posting/Asking about professors (competence, attendance, character â&#x20AC;Ś)(during the first month of the semester) 16%. 4. Asking about exam content(during the last month of the semester) 14 % 5. Posting/Asking about exam schedules(during the last month of the semester) 12% 6. Posting course content 08 % 7. Miscellaneous posts.08 %.( sharing links, videos or "relevant" informationâ&#x20AC;Ś) Most of the posts were initiated by students (about 99 %). Professors rarely participated on the page (3 professors including the head of the department), and when they did, it was more frequently to answer a question or to comment a post than to start a new one. In general, newly enrolled students tend to ask questions that are usually answered by senior students. This leads to two important conclusions. First, there is a huge communication gap between faculty and students. Second, Facebook groups considerably help in filling this gap. 2. Answer to RQ2: 100 survey questionnaires were sent privately to students on my Facebook contacts. 87 completed surveys were collected (The response rate was 87 %). 46% of respondents stated that they used Facebook to discuss academic work

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

with other students on a daily or weekly basis and 22% on a monthly basis. Almost 70 % of the students were therefore using Facebook for some sort of informal academic purpose every week However, 62% of the respondents did not perceive Facebook as beneficial to educational success (with 29 % disagree, 33 % strongly disagree).This probably reflects the fact that students login to Facebook far more frequently for social rather than academic purposes and see it predominately as a social tool, not an academic one. Concerning the question about whether communicating with professors via their Facebook profiles helps students achieve their educational goals; most respondents (65%) disagree or strongly disagree. Yet the majority of the respondents believe that it is important is for higher education faculty to use Facebook as a platform to communicate with their students (41% agree, 22% strongly agree). This could be explained by the fact that professors rarely interact with their students on Facebook. Interestingly, 25% of respondents believe that Facebook should be formally integrated into the educational process of higher education whilst only 17% of respondents reported that Facebook can have a positive impact on higher education. These findings suggest that students use Facebook for academic purposes as well as for other purposes (socialization, entertainmentâ&#x20AC;Ś), but they prefer to use it only informally to ask for or provide information and advice about study-related issues. V. Discussion and conclusion The results of the present study have demonstrated that students are turning to Facebook for guidance with their projects, homework assignments, or just advice. Facebook and education can go hand and hand in a beneficial way. When students become the stakeholders of their own learning, education will be truly revolutionized through the effective collaboration between educators and students, Lim (2010). Informal learning experiences occur outside the context of formal education settings and offer ways of engaging students in academic content without the time constraints of the formal curriculum. While extracurricular programs and book clubs provide opportunities for informal learning, social media offers the additional advantages of an informal, mobile setting and less rigid time constraints as class discussions can be held outside of regular class times. (Cain &Policastri, 2011) The academic community developed among students and professors could be a powerful tool in the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s learning experience, but it needs to be developed and maintained. It is important that new technologies are incorporated into learning and teaching only when driven by pedagogy, rather than technology for technologyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sake (McCarthy 2010). Social network sites (SNSs) such as Facebook may facilitate informal communication around classroom activities. In considering how Facebook may

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

be employed by students to support organizing within a course, there are a number of software features that may lower the coordination costs associated with communicating with other students to reduce equivocality about classroom-related content. Facebook simplifies the process of managing a large network of connections. Users are presented with multiple communication channels, including private messages, public “Wall” postings, status updates, instant messaging, groups, and applications. Therefore, it may offer expanded opportunities to scholars for professional endeavours, transforming the ways academics engage in teaching and research. Rather than viewing learning as acquisition of a body of knowledge, this perspective views learning as the process of becoming a participant in the sociocultural practice of scholarship through social interaction, development of shared (or non-shared) practices, and activities within socio-cultural environments. REFERENCES Aaen, J. & Dalsgaard, C. (2015). Student Facebook groups as a third space: between social life and schoolwork, Learning, Media and Technology, 41 (1), 160 – 186. Anderson, J., Boyles, J., and Rainie, L. (2012).The Future Impact of the Internet on Higher Education.Washington DC: The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. Aydin, S. (2012).A Review of Research on Facebook as an Educational Environment.Educational Technology Research and Development 60 (6), 1093–1106. Cain, J., &Policastri, A. (2011).Using Facebook as an informal learning environment.American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 75(10), 1-8. Clem, C., & Junco, R. (2015).The future of technology in education. In L. D. Rosen, L. M. Carrier, & N. A. Cheever (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Psychology, Technology and Society. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Ellison, N., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook “friends”: Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), 1083–6101. Gunawardena, C. N., Hermans, M. B., Sanchez, D., Richmond, C., Bohley, M., & Tuttle, R. (2009).A theoretical framework for building online communities of practice with social networking tools.Educational Media International, 46(1), 3-16. Irwin, C., Ball, L., Desbrow, B. &Leveritt, M. (2012).Students’ perceptions of using Facebook as an interactive learning resource at university.Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 28(7), 12211232. Kabilan, M. K., Ahmad, N., &Abidin, M. J. Z. (2010).Facebook: An online environment for learning of English in institutions of higher education? Internet and Higher Education, 13(4), 179–187.

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Karvounidis, T., Chimos, K., Bersimis, S., &Douligeris, C. (2014). EvaluatingWeb 2.0 technologies in higher education using students' perceptions and performance.Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 30(6), 577–596. Kitsis, S. M. (2008). The Facebook generation: Homework as social networking. English Journal, 98(2), 30–36. Lim, T. (2010).The use of Facebook for online discussions among distance learners.Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education.11(4) 72-81. Mazer, J. P., Murphy, R. E., & Simonds, C. J. (2007). I‘ll see you on ―Facebook: The effects of computer-mediated teacher self-disclosure on student motivation, affective learning, and classroom climate. Communication Education, 56, 1-17. Mazman, G. S., &Usluel, Y. (2010).Modeling educational usage of Facebook.Computers & Education, 55(2), 444–453. McCarthy, J. (2010). Blended learning environments: Using social networking sites to enhance the first year experience. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(6), 729- 740. Meishar-Tal, H., Kurtz, G. & E. Pieterse, E. (2012).Facebook Groups as LMS: A Case Study. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 13 (4), 33–48. Miron, E., &Ravid, G. (2015).Facebook Groups as an Academic Teaching Aid: Case Study and Recommendations for Educators. Educational Technology & Society, 18 (4), 371–384. Pheiffer, G., Holley, D., & Andrew, D. (2005). Developing thoughtful students: using learning styles in an HE context. Education + Training, 47(6), 422– 431. Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon , 9(5), 1–6. Romano, T. (2009). Defining fun and seeking flow in English language arts. English Journal, 98(6), 30–37. Wang, Q., Woo, H. L., Quek, C. L., Yang, Y., and Liu, M. (2012). Using the Facebook Group as a Learning Management System: An Exploratory Study.British Journal of Educational Technology. 43 (3), 428–438.. Ziegler, S. (2007). The (mis)education of Generation M. Learning, Media and Technology 32 (1), 69–81. Boyd, D. M. & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 13, (1), 210-230. Appendix 1. what is your gender? __ Male __ Female 2. Do you have a Facebook account? __ yes __ No 3. How frequently do you use Facebook? ___ times a day ___ times a week

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___ times a month 4. How much time do you spend on Facebook? ____________________ a day 5. Are you a member of Facebook, the online social networking (OSN) site? __ Yes __ No 6. How often do you interact with other students from a school you attended via its Facebook Page? __ Never __ Once a Month __ Twice a Month __ Once a Week __ More than 3 times a Week __ Once a Day __ More than once a Day 7. How often do you useFacebook as a medium to receive help from other students on your assignments? __ Never __ Once a Month __ Twice a Month __ Once a Week__ More than 3 times a Week __ Once a Day __ More than once a Day 8. Before you joined your schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook Page, how often did you utilize online social networks (OSNs) to communicate with classmates? __ Never __ Once a Month __ Twice a Month __ Once a Week __ More than 3 times a Week __ Once a Day __ More than once a Day 9. How often would you like your professor(s) to interact with you via an OSN? __ Never __ Once a Month __ Twice a Month __ Once a Week __ More than 3 times a Week __ Once a Day __ More than once a Day 10. Indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements Strongly disagree = SD Disagree= D Neutral= N Agree= A Strongly agree= SA

SD D 1. Facebook is beneficial to my educational success. 2. It is important to participate in students' Facebook groups. 3. It is important for higher education faculty to use Facebook as a platform to communicate with their students. 4. It is important for university students to use Facebook to communicate with their classmates via Facebook. 5. Facebook should be formally integrated into the educational process of higher education. 6. Facebook helps me achieve my educational goals 7. Communicating with my professors via their Facebook profiles helps me achieve my educational goals 8. I think Facebook can have a positive impact on higher education.

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Will(not) the Use of Mobile Phones1 Boost the Quality of EFL Teaching and Learning in (the) Moroccan Universities? Azize Kour Abstract The Ubiquity of smart phones in our daily lives has become an uncontested truism. Their use ranges from personal to professional purposes in various private and public settings. Yet, to the best of my knowledge, their use for educational purposes in Morocco is starkly under-researched. This paper addresses the (im)possibility of integrating smartphones in learning English in the tertiary levels in Morocco. It seeks to answer one major question: will (not) the use of smart phones in Moroccan universities enhance students’ motivation to learn English? This paper sketches out a tentative review of the literature on mobile learning (m-learning) in teaching/learning languages, English in particular, around the world. A questionnaire has been devised and administered to 100 students in two higher education computer science engineering institutions in Rabat to investigate the issue in an attempt to unravel students’ affective and attitudinal perspectives in connection with the integration of these devices in the Moroccan classrooms. Key words: e-learning, m-learning, EFL, attitudes, smartphones Contextualizing the use of social media tools in Teaching and Learning (English) The popularity of mobile phones among learners has become a truism. Isn’t it high time we used them exponentially in education. The incorporation of smart phones in education can be subsumed to the so-called Mobile Learning (ML) defined as an « e-learning through mobile computational devices. Generally speaking, by mobile technology we mean all mobile devices that include Personal Digital Assistance (PDA), digital cell phones and IPOD. These devices are « small, autonomous and unobtrusive enough to accompany us in every moment in our everyday life, and that can be used for some form of learning » (Al Amri Kamla Suleiman, p:143). Indeed devices such as mobile phones and MP3 players have grown to such an extent over recent years and thus are gradually replacing personal computers in modern professional and social contexts (Atwell & Savill-Smith, 2005) (Ismail Cakir, 2015,p. 239). Digital education finds its full enactment in the context where ‘digital natives’ (Prensky, 2007) or the ‘net generation’ (Oblinger, 2003) prime. Attwell (2005), for instance, conducted research with participants from three countries having designed an SMS-based course in order to motivate learners to study foreign languages. The results displayed that the students had great improvement in reading comprehension and increased motivation towards the target language. (Ismail Cakir 2015, p. 242). Ismail Cakir’s (2011) research carried out with 1

Despite the differences between them, this study uses mobile, cellular and smart phones interchangeably. Almost all trendy mobile phones have inbuilt applications that can be used for educational purposes.

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university students who expressed their interest in mobile learning environments and wanted to make use of mobile learning technologies if given the opportunity is significant in this respect. Uzunboylu and Ozdamli (2011) carried out research to illustrate attitudes towards technology-based cooperative learning. The participants in this study developed significantly positive attitudes towards technology at the end of the experiment (Ismail Cakir 2015, p. 242). Nah, White and Sussex (2008) also found that the students expressed positive attitudes to these activities; students found the activities offered by the mobile phone to be convenient and interactive Thornton and Houser (2005), in the same vein, carried a research with Japanese foreign language learners targeting the use of mobile phone functionalities such as e-mail exchange, receiving vocabulary lessons, and using video-capable mobile phones for explaining English idioms. Saran, Cagiltay and Seferoglu’s (2008) equally found that the use of mobile phones had a positive effect on language learning. When Cavus and Ibrahim (2009) explored the use of mobile phone in learning English vocabulary using Short Message Servive (SMS) text messaging. Basoglu and Akdemir (2010) conducted another study with 60 university students; they compared the effects of mobile phones on vocabulary learning with that of flashcards. A close exploration of this literature reveals that there are mainly two categories: proponents and opponents of the incorporation of mobile phones in learning languages. The first category outnumbered and outperformed the second one. For the first group, mobile devices can be used as writing tools for taking notes and composing essays and reports (Thornton and Houser, 2005) (Al Amri Kamla Suleiman, p:149). Mobile phones can interestingly fine-hone reading skills in that « Learner doesn’t need to check the dictionary, all they have to do is to move the mouse to the unknown word and the engine will translate the word for you and give you some examples….And you can also put the new words in your personal memo list to review them in a fast way. And the translation function can help you better understand the meaning of the whole sentence. These functions will speed up your reading ability » (Yi-Sheng Yu, Yu-Ying Lin 2013, p. 190) Accoding to Abdellatif Zoubeir (ELT Supervisor) Moroccan schools are in dire need of the integration of mobile apps in EFL context because:  In-class instruction time is insufficient  Almost all students have a cellphone  Most phones include built-in apps  More apps are downloadable  Students use cell phones more than computers  Mobiles promote practice anywhere anytime  Mobile apps benifit EFL learners in many ways. They:  Support learning, enhance autonomy, promote authentic communication and collaboration

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Reduce the gap between the classroom and the outside world Allow more practice and exposure time to the target language Provide control over one’s learning (Ss choose when and how to learn) It helps learners to remain more focused for longer periods. it helps raise self-esteem and self-confidence (Attwell, 2004)

Opposers posit that smart phones are a « a source of irritation, delinquency and even crime. » (Katz, n.d. P. 92) (Al Amri Kamla Suleiman, p:144) and that « using mobiles in the classroom would end up causing more distractions » and they just « interrupt teaching » (cited in Katz p. 94) (Al Amri Kamla Suleiman, p:144). Kiernan and Aizawa (2004) believe that modern phones with photo and video functions are « not very obviously useful for foreign language learning » as it is moving from verbal to visual forms of communication. They have found in terms of the limitations of mobile as a learning tool such as « economy of words », « quality of language that can be seen » and also limited message length (P.80) There are plenty of apps in App Store (iOs) and Play Store which provide learners with interactive games, quizzes, dictionaries, podcasts.These apps turn one’s mobile phone into 24/7 English language instructor namely:  Dictionary.com (offline)  English Grammar in Use (based on the world’s best-selling grammar book by Raymond Murphy (it isn’t free)  Hangman: Standard English words as well as IELTS and TOEFL vocabulary. It interactively supports two-player mode (free)  Learn English Grammar (4 levels from beginner to advanced  60-second word challenge: vocab quizz (free)  Mobile Air Mouse: once you have the software installed on the main computer in your classroom, you can present powerpoint or allows students that have this application on their mobiles to take control of the computer. That allows them to write or draw on the board and interact with learning material without leaving their seats (free)  English Idioms Illustrated: the secret of over 160 beautifully illustrated English idioms. (free)  Big City: Big City Small World is another British council audio soap for learners of English (set in London) in which a group of young people from around the world share their lives over a cup of coffee. The application consists of 48 episodes to listen to, with a tape script to read while you listen (free)  Duolingo: it structures lesson as a skill tree with « skill points » achievements for tracking progress  Lingua.ly: language learning and vocabulary tool that tries to turn web content into language-learning opportunities  Johnny Grammar’s Word Challenge: little quiz application that tests spelling, grammar and vocabulary

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Speaking Pal English Tutor: a highly interactive app that helps improve English by using one’s device’s voice recognition technology to simulate a voice call with a native English speaker to improve spoken English and pronunciation (yet the free version offers only 16 levels from more than 100 levels) My Word Book 2: interactive vocabulary notebook app flashcards containing pictures, sounds and sentences…extra-activities: a quick word review feature, the ability to create one’s flashcards Busuu: like a social network for learning languages offering more than 150 topics, 3000words and phrases Fun Easy Learn English: a vocabulary app with more than 6000 words in its database including seven different games to learn English. It has a « Spin Categories » function that chooses random topic, subtopic and a game for you (it’s offline) Phrasalstein: phrasal verbs. This app is designed like a classic horror movie and has 100 phrasal verbs that will teach us through humorous animations. It provides meanings and example sentences and translations The Case Study:

The prime objective of this study is to disclose students’ attitudes regarding the use of smart phones in learning/teaching English at the university level in Morocco. The study was conducted during the academic year 2015-2016 in two engineering schools in Rabat. The target population of the study comprised 100 university students who kindly and enthusiastically answered the questions in the questionnaire administered. All the questions were close-ended . The Data collected using a questionnaire is quantified and converted into graphs. The concern in this paper emanates from the assumption that students’ attitudes towards mobile phone in language learning and the challenges they face in Morocco have been, to the best of my knowledge, under-researched. The current study, therefore, seeks to explore and understand this area more, better and further aiming at the fulfillment of two major objectives:  To investigate students’ perceptions, problems and attitudes with regard to the use of smart phones in EFL context  To find out whether/how students use their mobile phones in learning EFL These two objectives along with the rationale of the study stipulate the attempt to respond to three main questions:  Do(n’t) computer engineering students use their mobile phones to enhance their learning of EFL?  Does (n’t) the use of these mobile devices affect their motivation to learn English?  How do these students perceive of the integration of mobile phones in EFL teaching and learning?

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The study utilized a quantitative methodology. A questionnaire was designed and administered to 100 participants The data were processed and descriptively analyzed bringing about the following findings:

Fig 1

Fig 2

More than half (66%) of the respondents were males, while females constituted almost 34%. These figure, to my mind, cannot wholly or partly confirm or disconfirm the gender-b(i)ased allegation that boys opt for technical subjects more than girls. It is observably revealing to note that an overwhelming majority own a mobile phone when only 1% of the respondents does not possess one.

Fig 3

Fig 4

It is noticeable that more than a half of the participants in the study affirm their use of the mobile phone in learning English when an equal number point out that they either donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use them or are not sure whether or not they intentionally make use of these devices for EFL learning purposes (Fig 3). The apparent indecision on the part of the respondents in fig 3 should be pit against their willingness to have these digital tools be part and parcel in the EFL teaching and learning so much so that almost three thirds believe that mobile phones should be availed for pedagogical purposes in EFL context (Fig 4)

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Fig 5

Fig 6

The possibility to use mobile phones in learning EFL is highly welcomed by the participants. Only two students expressed their reluctance with regard to the utility of mobile phones to the teaching/learning operation of EFL (Fig 5). Half the students involved in the study sometimes purposefully use mobile phone in their leraning of EFL when a considerable one-third posited that they rarely resort to theses digital devices for learning purposes (Fig 6).

Fig 7 Fig 8 Ninety students confirm their frequent use of mobile phones to check the meaning and pronunciation (68 participants) of unfamiliar words. An important number interestingly claim targeting communication skills in their use of mobile phones to learn English (Fig 7). Students indecison and reluctance vis-Ă vis various aspects of the incorporation of smart phones in learning English find echo in legal explanation in that an overwhelming majority expressed their school lawsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; clear and firm forbidding of any potential use of mobile phones at school. No wonder that a minestrial memorandum stricly disallows any tacit or clear use of these devices mainly during regional and national exams at high school levels (Fig 8).

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Fig 10

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The EFL community having always pioneered in implementing educational novel theories and approaches, students believe, find its enactment in the assumption that some teachers of English (have) allowed and encourged students to make use of their mobile phone during in-class learning activities. Yet, a fair number of practitioners still resist and negate any utility of these devices in the teaching/learning enterprise (Fig 9). Two thirds of the students involved contend that the permission to use their mobile phones in the EFL context will undoutedly motivate them to be engaged in their learning. One third, however, is not sure whether or not their motivation will be energised and enlivened by the unconditional incorporation of mobile phones in teaching and learning English as a foreign language (Fig 10).

Fig 11

Fig 12

The aforementioned contention is confirmed in the agreement of more than one third of respondents that the use of mobile phones in the classroom can improve the quality and the effectiveness of learning English in Morocco. Another one third, on the other hand, is neutral concerning the link to be drawn between mobile phones and the quality of EFL teaching and learning when twelve of them expressed their disagreement with the assumption that mobile phones, and by extension any digital tool, will boost the quality of education in the EFL context( Fig 11). The majority of the respondents approve the premise that the use of mobile phones can be very effective in enhancing the quality of EFL teaching and learning. Yet, almost 20 of them expressed their neutrality with regard to (not) using these digital devices in education (Fig 12).

Fig 13

Fig 14

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The use of mobile phones to target which language skill generates divergent responses from the participants. 76 of them use them for reading purposes when 57 for listening and more than one-third for writing and importantly 12 students avail them for the four skills (Fig 13). Any attempt at the incorporation of ICTs in education cannot proceed without bringing about serious (at varying degrees) problems. Phone ringing and insidious misuse in watching videos or playing games are deemed to be the major potential side effects of any integration or use of smart phones in EFL teaching/learning methods and techniques (Fig 14). Conclusion This paper has endeavoured to explore the (im)possibility of integrating smart phones in Learning EFL in the Moroccan university level. It has concluded that students express their motivation and willingness to avail these digital tools in their learning, and by implication incite teachers to start implementing these tools in their teaching techniques and activities on a daily basis. The merits of these devices for eduaction are enticingly promising and worthwhile. It can be recommended, in the final analysis, that overcoming the challenges to be potentially encountered in the use of smart phones in learning EFL entails preservice and inservice experiential and academic training in the content (the what) and the methodology (the how) of using these tools and their inbuilt digital applications in teaching English. Teachers ought to sensitize and support their students regarding the use of mobile by explaining the benefits of mobile phones in teaching and learning. This study would have been deeper if a bigger number of respondents had been involved in it. The sample of 100 students in Rabat can, by no means, represent all Moroccan students’ standpoints in connection with the implementation of smart phones in EFL classrooms. It might have been equally worthier if the study focused on some specific mobile apps and experimentally (dis)confirm their utility for learning and teaching. Importantly, teachers’ perceptions and problems were not addressed. These three limitations imply that the area of research is a very fertile and promising in the Moroccan academic spheres. References  « The Use of Mobile Phones in Learning English Language by Sultan Qaboos University Students: Practices, Attitudes and Challenges » AlAmri, Kamla Suleiman Canadian Journal on Scientific and Industrial Research Vol. 2, No. 3, March 2011.  « The Evaluation of Use the Mobile Phone Learning English in Taiwan » Yi-Sheng Yu, Yu-Ying Lin et al International Journal of Information and Education Technology, Vol. 3, No. 2, April 2013.  « Opinions and Attitudes of Prospective Teachers for the Use of Mobile Phones in Foreign langauge Learning », Ismail Cakir Contemporary Educational Technology, 2015, 6 (3), 239-255  Abdellatif Zoubeir « Using Mobile Applications to Promote English Language Learning » IST Workshop, March 2016 accessed at www. slideshare.com

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http://www.englishforums.com/content/resources/top-mobile-apps-forlearning-english.htm www.honkiat.com/blog/mobile-apps-learn-english

Appendix Here are students’ responses with regard to the potential problems and their additional comments on the incorporation of smart phones in EFL teaching and learning: What problems do you face in your use of mobile phones at school? (mistakes in these answers are intentionally left uncorrected to reflect the authenticity of students’ viewpoints)  No listen teacher, the first problem  Dependence  Troubling/loss of concentration  Problem with the teacher  The teachers take our mobiles until the end of ‘seance’  Connection/ no network/ Wifi/ lack of access to internet/ We havn’t Wifi to navigate/ No internet connection/ in the lack of internet  Some teachers doesn’t agree to use the phone in school  Teachers take our mobile phones in the classroom  We can’t use phone in class  Like ringing all time  The phone is prohibited at our institution  Abcence of electricity sector in some classrooms  Deconcentrate and create a perturbation in classroom  Some teachers can’t be able to understand phones for learning  It seems to me that teachers today have become afraid of mobile phones and don’t even think about a way to use them positively  I am not allowed to use it at school:-p  It’s prohibited  I use it but without the teacher notice  None (2)/no problems (3)/I don’t face any problems/ I face no problems  It disturbs me  Personnaly, I don’t use it very match at school except in break time, so no problems/ I don’t use my phone in the classroom/ I don’t use in school so I don’t have problems  I have not the permission to use it at classroom/ We don’t have always the permission to use mobile phone at school/ The taechers don’t allow us to use phones at school/ Teachers rejection  We are not allowed to use mobile phones in classrooms  Teacher  Distraction (3)/ I get distracted from the teacher’s course (?)/I can’t pay attention to the teacher/ don’t concentrate/ It kills the concentration at class/ you can’t constration/ Lacke of focussing on cours  Some teachers don’t accept that

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No inspect laws Some teachers not allow to use mobile phone in the classroom Teachers’ permission (2)/ We don’t have a permission to use our mobile phone in the school/ Permissions of professors/ We don’t have the permission to use it in the classroom Being afraid of the teacher’s reaction if he catches you using it Low battery Some teachers don’t trust that some student’s use their mobile phone in the classroom for improving their knowledge level Sometimes the teacher tell us to shut down our phones at the beginning We usually hear the famous sentence « the use of mobile phones is forbidden at school » Using mobile phone is kind of breaking the law in school; the teacher may punish you Peronaly I don’t face any problems because I know how to use it appropriately The rules of our school forbed the use of mobile at all the classes/ It’s forbidden (2)/ We are not allowed to use them/ Since mobile phones are not allowed within class premises, none The fear that a teacher might take away your phone and file a report against you Playing games None, I can use it whenever I want to The teachers restriction Use other applications No problem because I have a modest phone The teacher’s discourage the use of mobile phone in class/ The teacher’s disagreement or sometimes be suspended from attending the course I can’t think of any particular problem Teachers don’t accept it, they have a very old behaviour as if they were afraid of something. Additional comments/suggestions: Google traduction (3) Application Duolingo/ Evernote/ Dictionary app/ Website of e-learning/ Some applications that helps learning in general: khan academy, udemy, udacity, coursera; for learning languages: Duolingo/ A mobile application: Duolingo is a fun app to learn not only English but a lot of other languages/ There are application that helps reading books using phone such as adobe Reader/ Duolingo is the best application for smartphone to learn foreign language/ application: Book one/ The application that I use mostly to learn English are: Google traduction, Quora (for reading and writing English articles), English (a computer english dictionnary)

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That’s good to use the mobile phone to learning English but just if wanna to learn, not playing or something I feel that reading fun articles are a great way to improve English level It has to be interactive Technology is a good way for a good learning such as mobile phone An efficace application: learnenglish- engrid We can use the « Airplane mode » to stop all kind of destraction It’s important for us as engenier to develop applications for helping students in their studies Phones are useful if used to improve english, but sometimes it’s distracting in boring classes I see that English can be teached by using smart phones and it must be teached in this way May Morocco do as Turkey does and make education deeply based on the use of smartphones I think that we don’t need to study english in school and university. It’s hard to study other language. The teachers should be aware that our generation is different and should use the techonlogy advantages to improve their educational methods Using mobile phone in Morocco will demand a lot of effort from the whole ministry like that teachers should be really aware of anything concerning technical side. Moreover, it should afford true ex. appropriate material to macth the whole connected. Finally people should be aware of all the benifits of that use I suggest to encouraged student to use a dictionary in there sellphone because I personaly used it and seems good Mobile phone is just a tool. It depends on our motivation to use it well or not. If mobile is to used in english education. It had to be watched from any possible distraction I think the mobile phone is not the best way to learn english but watching some documentaries or movies in your laptop is better We have to try this idea and after we can make a decision about using mobile phone in learning English To learn a language we have to practice it and communicate by it every day, and the cellphone is our main speaker and communicer in the day I think that using mobile phones to learn foreign languages may help by creating an interactive interface. However, using phones in the classroom may not be effective due to the distraction and dependence it can cause I disagree with the use of mobile phones in the classroom since I think it would be distractin) but if student want on themselves and use them out of their own choice, I think it’s gonna be a great thing.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Project-Based Learning (PBL): Enhancing High School Students’ Cultural Knowledge and Language Skills Asmaa Bouchouk Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Sais, Fes Abstract The ever-growing need of teachers for improving their students’ achievements has resulted in a number of different approaches to teaching. Project-Based Learning is one of the instructional methods that encourage learning through projects. This approach to teaching entails learners to actively investigate significant content and develop skills that are essential in solving a specific problem (Bender, 2012; Robert, Capraro, Morgan, 2013; Markham, 2015). Although no one denies the fact that implementing PBL is challenging and demanding for both teachers and learners, (Veermans, Lallimo, and Hakkarainen, 2005; Clark, 2006; Gran, Hill, 2006), the role of PBL in teaching and learning process remains prominent and continue to be used in many ELT contexts. This paper examines how Capstone projects offer learners an opportunity to document their exploration and expand their understanding of the culture of the community they live in. Also, this paper’s main goal is to explore the impact of implementing such projects on the process of learning, and the extent to which this approach can increase or decrease students’ motivation and eagerness to learn. The participants of this study are sixteen American high school students who are enrolled at NSLIY and YES Abroad programs. Interview was the major instrument that is used for collecting the data. The study also investigates the challenges that Moroccan high school teachers encounter when implementing PBL into their classes. To achieve this goal a questionnaire was used to elicit the information needed. The questionnaire was submitted to 28 Moroccan high school teachers from different Moroccan cities. This study is beneficial in that it encourages Moroccan high school teachers to integrate Project-Based Learning into their classrooms and allow their students develop and deepen their understanding about their culture and identity as well as about the culture of the target language. Key words: Project Based Learning, Capstone projects, Teaching, Learning, EFL. Introduction The history of teaching approaches and methods has recognized prominent changes and adjustments. These changes considered learners’ need. An example of this is demonstrated in the shift from focusing on developing learners’ writing skills to developing learners’ speaking proficiency. The origins of Project-based Learning go back to the experiential learning, which is the process of learning through experience. Learning in this case is based on observation and interaction. Experiential learning was developed by Kolob (1985) who focused on the work of the pioneers of experiential education

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

such as John Dewey, Kurt Lewin theories and Jean Piaget’s model of development. Educationalists and instructors’ testimony of the great significance of experiential learning, handson learning, which is regarded as one of the forms of experiential learning though it does not necessitate learners to reflect on their product, and student- directed learning in the process of teaching and learning can be considered as one step forward towards valuing the prominent role of students’ engagement in the process of learning, arranged field trips, workshops etc. The evolution of PBL has been the outcome of a number of reasons. It was a result of the enlargement in the field of research that is related to the process of teaching and learning, more specifically; to how learning takes place. Researchers’ center of attention focused on how learning is somehow tied to context and social activities. Educators confirm through a number of experimental studies that learning takes place when learners are invited to actively accomplish and perform activities that enable them to apply what they know in order to develop skills to investigate, interpret, analyze… Researchers also show the positive effect of problem solving and how beneficial it is for learners. It has become a fact that instructors have to acclimatize to the requirements of this century. Unlike ancient times when learners needed to develop their writing and the focus was on knowledge and accuracy, currently learners are not satisfied with knowledge only. With the invasion of technology Knowledge is everywhere, and searching for information is no more a problem. Instead learners have to develop their skills as well as learn to solve problems. Knowledge alone is not sufficient anymore. Instead, learners need ,besides that, to enhance skills like collaboration, communication abilities, planning etc. Project- based learning is generally regarded as an approach to language teaching. It has been defined by many scholars and instructors and thus has numerous definitions but no universal one. To understand project-based learning first we have to agree on a definition of “project”. According to Lenz, Wells (2015), Kingston project can be defined as “an act of creation over time” (p.67). Sylvia Chard defines project as “an in-depth investigation of a realworld topic worthy of children’s attention and effort”. (Curtis, 2002, p. 50) Curtis (2005) also approves of the “three-phased approach” to projects which are an initial discussion of the topic or the issue of the project, fieldwork and data collection, and finally the phase of presenting the project to an audience. (Welsh, 2006) Given its importance there is an urgent need to sharpen and clarify our definition of project-based learning. Buck Institute of Learning (BIE) (2003), an organization whose priority is to grant teachers of all levels the information they need in order to successfully integrate PBL into their classrooms, defines PBL as the “systematic teaching method that engages students in learning knowledge and skills through an extended inquiry process structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully designed products and tasks”. (Luisa & Cañado, 2013) Thus, PBL develops learners problem

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

solving skills (such as: analyzing, synthesizing, comprehending, evaluating, collaboration, leadership…) and this method ends up with a final product that can be presented to a specific audience. The problems that students are exposed to are changeable depending on many aspects (time, space…). Thomas et al. (1999) maintain that “…the need for education to adapt to a changing world is the primary reason Problem Based Learning is increasingly popular. Project Based Learning is an attempt to create new instructional practices that reflect the environment in which children now live and learn. And, as the world continues to change, so does our definition of Project Based Learning.” (Cited in: Gerlach, 2008 p.43) “In Project Based Learning (PBL), students go through an extended process of inquiry in response to a complex question, problem, or challenge. While allowing for some degree of student "voice and choice," rigorous projects are carefully planned, managed, and assessed to help students learn key academic content, practice 21st Century Skills (e.g. collaboration, communication & critical thinking), and create high-quality, authentic products & presentations.” (Keengwe, 2015, p.13) Project- Based Learning is, therefore, a teaching approach that organizes learning through projects and of course a variety of other activities leading to an end result such as presentation or publication of the outcomes of such projects. Using PBL allows students to become engaged in complex, real-life issues and they are expected to expand, develop, and relate the skills and knowledge they learned in a variety of contexts. Also, implementing BPL into teaching plays a central role in the shift to focus on both learners and the process of learning instead of teachers and, therefore, it contributes to the shift from teacher centered approach to learner centered approach. It could be assumed that project-based learning, which emerged in the last decades, persists in the present period as the dominant model in the teaching domain. Although many researchers such as (Blumenfeld et al., 1991; Donnelly & Fitzmaurice, 2005 Stauffacher et al., 2006; Joyce et al. 2013) observed many challenges that teachers may encounter while adopting it in their classrooms, its benefits have remained largely undeniable. A huge number of researchers (e.g. Stoller, 1997; Fried-Booth, 2002; Beckett & Slater, 2005; Beckett & Miller 2006) concurred that BPL is an effective means of teaching in general and teaching languages in specific. Motivating learners has a prominent role in encouraging students to use various types of learning strategies that can facilitate greater skills in language learning. (Oxford & Nyikos, 1989; Griffiths, 2008) Project-Based Learning is proven to have both motivation and learning benefits. Many practitioners and educationalists (e.g. Bartscher et al., 1995; Liu & Hasaio, 2002; Curtis, 2005; Beckett & Miller, 2006; Larmer, Mergendoller & Boss, 2015) advocate that PBL has a significant role in enhancing learners’ motivation and eagerness to learn. Larmer, Mergendoller & Boss (2015), demonstrate that BPL involves four main factors that are proven to promote learners’ motivation. The first

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

factor is that Project-Based Learning invites learners to work in groups and collaboratively, the activity of working with other colleagues according to Blumenfeld et al. (1991) increases students’ motivation. The second factor is that through PBL learners have the chance to make their own choices and decisions. The third factor is the fact that PBL stresses originality and authenticity in performing a task to end up with a unique product that can be presented publicly. These last two factors were approved by Brophy (2013) to have great influence in augmenting learners’ motivation. Lastly, through PBL students experience new interesting and exciting things that encourages them to be innovators while addressing the questions/ problems they are provided with. Also, PBL is an instructional strategy that enables students to learn meaningful content and practice skills needed for the current century success. According to Rost (2013) PBL contributes to developing learners’ language skills in the sense that instructors assign project tasks that end up with a product. The addressed questions, however, are prepared on the basis of the skills that are needed to be developed. Another positive aspect of this approach to teaching is that learners as Bell & Garofalo (2005) state “become the owners of new knowledge as they defend their positions to their peers and others. Gaining knowledge by making connections with prior experience in a social setting remains with students” (p.23) The classroom activities that are suggested following this approach to teaching also imply new roles in the classroom for both teachers and learners. PBL cannot be implemented to teacher-centered classes. There is a strong necessity to shift from teacher centered classes to learner centered classrooms which necessitates students’ independence and autonomy. (Beckett & Miller, 2006) In this case, the teacher is no more a teacher but rather a facilitator whose job is to guide his students and to help them develop their own questions and research strategies to facilitate learning. Learners are responsible for their own learning. Research Instruments/Methods and Participants The participants in this study were American native speakers 1 male and 14 females; their age ranges between 15 and 17 years old. The participants are high school students who enrolled in Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program sponsored by “The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs”. The program grants scholarships for a number of high school students who have a record of high academic achievement, to spend at least one academic year in a host country. These students live with Moroccan host families, attend high schools, and participate in various activities. The main purpose of such programs is to encourage students to build a comprehensive understanding of the host country’s culture, develop leadership skills and at the same time serve as cultural ambassadors for their home countries by representing their own heritage in their host communities. Also, the program’s aim is to enhance students’ flexibility and commitment to promoting cross cultural understanding. At the end of the program each individual is required to accomplish a research project referred to as “Capstone Project”. Students are free in their choice of

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

topic as long as it is associated with a specific aspect of Moroccan culture. Students are encouraged to choose a topic about which they are truly passionate even though it seems hard they get support in every step of the process. In this way, they could become invested in it rather than doing it because it is due. Interests are diverse and students usually tend to give more effort and work harder when they are interested in a project rather than working on an imposed topic. Each student discusses his/her choice with his/her Moroccan Culture and Society professor and later submits a proposal in which they are obliged to generate a preliminary outline along with projected dates, to follow up on their progress, and waits for approval. Students are then encouraged to find remarkable and interesting ways to present their projects. They are able to use videos, photo essays, blogs, books, or social media pages etc. Also, they are welcomed to present their projects at the end of the year to the US Embassy. The goal is to encourage them to invest in and gain knowledge about their host country. An interview was conducted in order to gain in-depth information about the attitudes and perceptions of students, who were exposed to Capstone projects, towards working on projects. The interview also sought to investigate the extent to which Capstone projects enhance the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cultural knowledge and language skills. 15 American high school students participated in a semistructured interview. A semi-structured interview is open and allows new information and ideas to be brought up during the process of interviewing the participants. The interviewing process took about 25 to 30 minutes. Another research instrument that was used in this research paper is a questionnaire submitted to Moroccan High School students. The main purpose behind this questionnaire was to have an idea about some of the challenges that teachers face when implementing PBL into their classrooms. 28 Moroccan high school teachers participated in this study. Findings and Discussion The aim behind this study was to investigate the extent to which implementing PBL influences studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cultural knowledge and language skills as well as the challenges that Moroccan high school teachers face when adopting this method. As Figure 1 indicates all the participants (100%) confirmed their satisfaction and approval of working on projects. They talked about their experiences with delight. 100% Did you enjoy this experience?

50% 0%

Yes No Figure 1: American high school studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attitudes towards Capstone projects

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

According to the interviewees’ answers, projects that were undertaken were different in their nature. Here are some of the issues they tackled: Religious tolerance in Morocco as implemented by the government and shown by the people, Moroccan bread, Rap music as a form of social protest amongst Rabati youth, Moroccan Hammams, Pottery in Morocco. Concerning the question of how much time it takes each one to complete his/her project. Most of the respondents declare that it takes about 3 to 4 months and that they need about 10 hours of work a week. Concerning the things that they learned from doing projects, the students’ answers vary. Their answers were associated with their research topics. Following are some of the answers: “I have been able to utilize my business studies at school and my knowledge of Moroccan culture to really delve into an ancient facet of the culture. I have also learned lots of Darija along the way and have been lucky to learn about the fascinating lives of women in the hammam.” “I learned about religious tolerance and what constructs from people’s tolerance. I am also learning about Islam and Morocco” “Focusing on the topic of bread, which seems very simple, allowed me to delve in deeper into the complexities of Moroccan culture.” “I have learned the history of pottery in Morocco, how pottery affects the Moroccan economy, the difference in pottery by religion, and the process of making “Tagines” and other pots in Morocco.” Their answers demonstrate that they learned a lot from doing projects. The things they learned cannot be reached at schools or other in educational institutions. Additionally, respondents in this study disclosed that they developed many skills when working on their projects. They stated that they developed their interviewing and valuable research skills, how to manage their time, interpersonal skills (life skills that each individual develops and uses in everyday life to communicate and interact with others). Respondents also asserted that they had a chance to enhance their presenting and writing skills. Moreover, many of the interviewees confirmed that through doing this project they had a great opportunity to enhance their speaking abilities either in “Darija” or in French when seeking for the information needed. Some of the respondents maintain that this experience helped them develop their personality and gain confident when talking to strangers. Here is a sample of answers: “I am generally an introvert, so having to go out and speak to people and conduct research pushed me out of my comfort zone, and also made me more comfortable with talking to strangers and random shopkeepers.” “Getting good at reaching out to strangers and asking to interview them” The interviewees also had a chance to share what they like about this experience. Here are some of the answers thy provided:

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

“The chance to talk to all sort of people and to research/discuss a topic I am passionate about.” “I like how much freedom we are given with our Capstone Project. It allows us to reflect on what we have learned in our first semester in Morocco, and gives us a reason to focus even more on a part of the culture that interests us most.” “I really liked being able to go to many hammams and seeing how each one is unique. I love the culture of the Hammam and how it is a way of socializing with your community.” “I like the openness and flexibility of the project. I am able to choose what I research and how I want to present my research and so on.” All the answers were optimistic and show positive sides of PBL and its effectiveness. Participants also asserted that their project contributed to enhancing their language (target language) abilities. Here is a sample of their answers: “I haven't finished my project yet, but I hope to make my presentation in French. Doing this would force me to refine my French-speaking skills and practice more often.” “I am doing most of the interviews and research as well as the presentation in French. This forces me to use and practice French and gain confidence in the language” “Some of my interviewees didn't speak English so I had to conduct my interviews in Arabic which were great practice” “This project helped me because going to the hammam, everyone only speaks Darija. In order to communicate what I needed, I needed to be able to communicate well in Darija, which I have been able to do over time.” “I rely heavily on my AMIDEAST language partner to help me conduct interviews with potters because most of them only speak Darija. However my capstone project is being written in French and English and that is improving my written French abilities.” Existing discussions of implementation of PBL in the classroom are supportive to the results mentioned above, and provide factual information about its benefits. Coy (2009) maintains that PBL has a major role in improving learners’ competencies like time management, responsibility, creativity, team work, and autonomy. Also, Beckett & Miller (2006) affirm that PBL is one way to promote both language and content learning. In addition, many researchers (e.g. Brron, 1998; Blumenfeld et al., 1991; Breault & Breault, 2005) approve that PBL aims to engage students in the investigation of real-life problems and develop students’ creativity, problem-solving skills, and lifelong learning. (Cited in Beckett & Miller, 2006) Moroccan high school teachers also took part in this study. The purpose was to identify some of the challenges that discourage and prevent Moroccan teachers from integrating PBL into their classrooms. The main four reasons that most teachers criticized were: the issue of time, students’ attitudes towards

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

collaborative learning, issues of reliability and the students’ different styles of learning. Overall, regardless of its great advantages, the actual implementation of PBL in any classroom raises several questions. It is evident from Figure: 2 that (65%) of the participants thought that students’ attitudes towards collaborative learning create a serious challenge for teachers when using PBL. These teachers believe that a number of students for some reason may not favor working in groups and this might affect their progress. A number of researchers (e.g. Lehman et al., 2006; Garcia& Rose, 2007; Scigliano, 2011) raised this issue and assert that the Lack of collaboration or when members among the group might not support their team members may create serious problem when using PBL in the class. Results also indicate that (20%) of the participants assume that students’ different learning styles and tendencies can affect the flow of learning especially if they’re involved in group work.

80% 60% 40% 20% 0%

Figure 2: Moroccan high school teachers’ attitudes about the limitations of PBL

Figure: 2 also demonstrates that (54%) of the participants presumed that PBL raises the matter of reliability especially when students are working in groups. It is harder for teachers to assess their students, since some members of a group may probably work harder than others, while some students may rely on their colleagues to do the entire work. To avoid such a problem, and to guarantee that all students have contributed to the project, researchers have provided a number of guidelines and suggestions for teachers (e.g. assigning each individual with a specific role). Finally, (78%) of participants agreed that PBL is time demanding. Teachers will have to spend much time forming groups, explaining the task etc. These results go hand in hand with many researches (e.g. Ladewski, Krajcik, &Harvey 1994; Sahin, 2015) which conclude that teachers criticize PBL as being unrealistic because implementing it in the classroom consumes a great deal of time. Implications for high school teachers This study proves that PBL has an immense effect in improving learners’ language skills and cultural knowledge. As the study reveals, the participants

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

enjoyed working on projects and at the same time they seized the opportunity to learn novel things about their host culture. Also, they expressed how this experience helped them develop their language skills (Arabic, Moroccan Arabic and French); as well as their communication abilities and interaction with other people and so many other skills that can be of great assistance to them in their daily life. Moroccan high school teachers, thus, have to encourage their students to learn about their own culture and motivate them to tackle issues related to their own traditions and culture to be investigated. Students then can be requested to end up with a concrete product, which can be presented publically in the target language. In this case, teachers will kill two birds with one stone in the sense that 1) teachers will ensure that their students are enlarging their own cultural awareness and identity. And 2)The final product which has to be in the English language is a great opportunity for learners to boost and refine various skills such as delivering presentations publicly, have an open discussion; which is a great opportunity to develop speaking skills or prepare a written report to improve their writing skills. Also, there is an urgent need for sponsored activities to raise their awareness of the importance of such new trends of teaching and enroll them in training. These meetings are an opportunity to share their experiences and discuss the problems they encounter in order to find reasonable and adequate solutions. Finally, organizing competitions can be of great effect on students, since it increases their motivation and eagerness. Teachers can make a competition of the best project in an institution. The event might involve many other activities. Further research This study is a start to revealing the educational prospective gained from the implementation of PBL into the learning and teaching process. A number of unanswered questions need to be addressed and tackled in an attempt to overcome all the pitfalls of PBL and to get over the challenges that teachers encounter when adopting this approach into their classrooms. Conclusion To wrap up, PBL has given the process of teaching a new appeal. Thus, it is not surprising that many universities and high schools are attempting to include it within their programs. It is apparent from the findings of this study and of many others that project-based learning has a focal role in enhancing learners' language skills as well as raising their cultural awareness of a specific culture if it is used appropriately. However, the implementation of PBL in the Moroccan context remains questionable since many teachers admit that they faced many challenges that create serious problems and require further action on their part to overcome.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

References Beckett, G., Miller, P. (2006). Project-based Second and Foreign Language Education: Past, Present, and Future. Reseach in Second Language Learning. Information Age Publishing. United States of America. Bell, R. & Garofalo, J. (2005). Science Units for Grades 9-12. International Society for Technology in Education. (ISTE).Eugene, Oregon Coy, M. (2009). Practical Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching and Learning. PETER LANG. Germany Curtis, D. (2002). The power of projects. Educational leadership. 60(1), 50 Dixon, Nancy M.; Adams, Doris E.; Cullins, Richard (1997). Learning Style. Assessment, Development, and Measurement Gerlach, D. (2008).Project-based Learning as a Facilitator of Self-regulation in a Middle School Curriculum. University of Pittsburgh. Griffiths, C (2008). Lessons from Good Language Learners. Cambridge University Press. Keengwe, J. (2015). Promoting Active Learning through the Integration of Mobile and Ubiquitous Technologies. University of North Dakota, USA. Lamer, J.; Mergendoller, J; & Boss, S. (2015). Setting the Standard for Project Based Learning. ASCD Lenz, B., Wells, J., Kingston S., (2015). Transforming Schools Using Project-Based Deeper Learning, Performance Assessment, and Common Core Standards. United States of America. Published by: Jossey-Bass. A Wiley Brand. Luisa, M. & CaĂąado, P. (2013). Competency-based Language Teaching in Higher Education. Springer Science & Business Media. London Rost, M. (2013). Listening in Language Learning. Routledge. New York and London The University of Texas at Tyler Innovation Academy, (2014). Retrieved from: http://www.uttia.org/about/project-based-learning/ Welsh, J. (2006). An Exploration of Project-Based Learning in Tow California Charter Schools.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Facilitating Critical Thinking through Collaborative Online Learning Saad Eddine Akhajam PhD student Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdelah University, Fes Abstract Nowadays, we live in an era when most students are technology-oriented. There have been a number of studies which demonstrate that technology use in language learning and teaching continues to grow. So, its integration in the learning process is a must, and it should facilitate deep learning and critical thinking skills. Gee (2003) proved that students are greatly fascinated by information and communication technology and rely heavily on it. In this regard, collaborative online learning is the use of technological tools that help students to work in a group with meaningful learning interactions between each other. All in all, the paper will shed light on the steps to follow so that we can improve students’ critical thinking skills through collaborative online learning. Key words: Critical thinking; Collaborative online learning; Technology 1. General background Historically, language learning went through a long process marked by different theories of learning, from behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, intercultural competence to humanistic approach. All these theories paved the ground to some methods of teachings like Grammar translation method (GTM), Audio-lingual method, Communicative language teaching ( CLT) and task based approach (TBA). Vygotsky as a psychologist is the pioneer of the Zone of Proximal Development (1987) which means how a learner can do independently and what he/she is capable of doing with the target assistance. Vygotsky (1978) confirmed that students are capable of performing at higher intellectual levels when asked to work in collaborative situations than asked to work individually. Therefore, working in collaboration is very effective in terms of students’ output and it helps to develop their critical thinking skills. However, critical thinking and problem solving are two extremely difficult skills to teach because according to bloom’s taxonomy these skills are considered as high order thinking skills which are hard to master. The main purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of collaborative online learning on student critical thinking skill, and also to help students become critical thinkers instead of passive learners; and last but not least, to use technology effectively and help students to boost their critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is defined from different perspectives, and the majority of definitions fall within the improvement of cognitive skills like synthesis, evaluation and analysis. Halpern (2003) defined critical thinking as “cognitive skills and strategies that increase the likelihood of a desired outcome… thinking that is purposeful, reasoned, and goal-directed — the kind of thinking involved in solving problems, formulating inferences, calculating likelihoods, and making decisions” (2003, p. 6). One can deduce from this quotation that developing critical thinking skills is mainly based on cognitive skills like:

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

inductive and deductive reasoning, analysis, inference and evaluation. Mainly it is through discussion in the classroom or online discussion. The benefits of learning in collaboration are proved by Springer, Stanne, and Donovan (2009) who found that small groups provide students with a better learning experience and ultimately greater academic achievement (as cited in Brindley et al.2009). Additionally, Patricia A. Smith (n.d) claimed that group activities help learners to a higher level of thinking and responding to ideas in educational philosophy of teaching practice in online class. As a result, students improve their thinking when they work in collaboration especially when they are in online classes. 2. Why collaborative online Learning Collaborative learning happens when a group of people help each other to learn especially through sharing and exchanging of ideas, thoughts, and beliefs. Laal & Laal (2011) defined collaboration as “a philosophy of interaction and personal lifestyle where individuals are responsible for their actions, including learning and respect for the abilities and contributions of their peers” (p. 494). Collaborative online learning is called online team or online groups where people can discuss virtually in a meaningful way. Collaborative online learning demonstrates the ability to work effectively and respectively with a diverse team, it also exercises flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal. Moreover, the shared learning in online discussion gives students an opportunity to engage in discussion, take responsibility for their own learning, and thus become critical thinkers. Likewise, it promotes creative thinking through social stimulation and sharing of ideas, as well as an increase of preparation and practice working with one another. Lastly, it affords students the opportunity to share thoughts and interact with peers, facilitators, and experts in a defined area. 3. The use of technology With the abundance of technological devices, teachers and students have to pay careful attention to which technological tools can boost students’ collaboration and critical thinking. Book creator, online games; social networks could be the best tools to foster students’ critical thinking skills. 3.1 Book creator Students can collaborate asynchronously on online group projects. The crucial importance of group project is that it helps students work in teams where everybody is going to work on a section of a book. The book creator is effective in the sense that it improves students sense of collaboration and it is the best tool for authentic learning. To improve students’ writing, Book creator is the best technological tool. Its goal is threefold: it allows students to engage in collaborative writing, it helps them to sharpen their writing and also it helps them to improve their critical thinking skills, mainly it gives the opportunity to students to analyze and evaluate their owns work and their friends’ work as well. Once students are done creating their book with a combination of text, images, video, audio and hyperlinks, the book can be uploaded to any service including Google Drive.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

3.2 Online games They help students to solve problems while playing games, thus, it helps to create a safe environment for learning. Game tasks should require students to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information from various sources or solve problems in order to find answers. A number of games can trigger students’ critical thinking skill like Mastermind. This game should be played in pairs. At this stage, students are collaborating and they are boosting their critical thinking skills as well. The main goal of this game is to generate which color and order of four pegs are selected by the opponent. Another interesting game is called Riddle of the Sphinx. This game helps the learners to solve some problems that are in a form of question/answer. Answering the questions accurately will lead them to win the game and open the gates to “Thebes”.

3.3 Social networks: On social media sites, students are bombarded with data, and they need to apply their critical thinking skills in order to analyze and interpret this data. This is done by asking a range of critical questions such as; ‘is this believable?’, ‘is it reliable?’, ‘who shared this information?’, ‘Why?’…..etc. In addition to that the teacher can post the instructor roles, course management, student support; also the teacher can assess students through online discussion. In Facebook, for example, students can be motivated in discussing various topics that can trigger their understanding where the teacher can intervene and use Socratic questioning like asking thought proving questions especially questions of clarification, questions that prove assumptions, questions that probe implications and questions for reasoning. The online discussion can help introvert students to participate and in the discussion also. Facebook as a social network can give them comfort and confidence. The use of Wikis as a collaborative tool is extremely helpful social networking especially in fostering students’ critical thinking skills. Wikis “shift students from ‘consumer of knowledge’ to ‘creators of knowledge,’ which is a great way to encourage students to develop critical thinking skills, to learn from one another, and to improve their ability to work in groups.” Retrieved from www.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/wikis. 4. Implications The most effective way to enhance students’ critical thinking is through collaborative online learning. since students use technology every time and everywhere, I believe that teachers’ role in fostering critical thinking skill is to use technology effectively especially using the above mentioned technological tools that boost students’ way of thinking. It’s true that critical thinking skill is the most difficult twenty first century skill to teach and learn, but the use of these technological tools can be very helpful for students to sharpen their critical thinking skills. Also for teachers, they are the most appropriate and effective tools. Gokhale (1995) found in a research conducted that students who

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

participated in collaborative learning had performed significantly better on critical thinking. Therefore, collaborative learning is the best strategy to foster students’ critical thinking skill. 5. Recommendations It is high time to cultivate critical thinking through E-learning, as well as blending the teaching process with technology. Implementing ICT inside/outside of the classroom effectively becomes a must. If students use their technological devices anytime and anywhere, teachers have to take this into account and use technological tools as an asset. As far as teachers are concerned, they must consider teaching as a process of improving students’ ability to learn. In so doing, to boost students’ critical thinking skills, teachers should no longer deal with students as jag learners. In this modern age, the twenty first century skills are the most appreciated skills among students. Therefore, teachers for all levels have to give much importance to the teaching of critical thinking skill in the sense that they have to rectify their way of teaching from the teacher who is the source of knowledge to teacher who is a facilitator and a guide. The use of Socratic questioning and debate virtually is the best strategy. Students as well as teachers can discuss topics virtually where all students can participate asynchronously, and that will help them to interact and exchange feedback. In regard to debate, students will improve their critical thinking skill especially by formulating ideas, defending their positions, and counting their position’s reasoning (MacKnight, 2000). Conclusion As a matter of fact, students are highly technologically bound and teachers have to take this into account and use it as an asset so as to help them use technology effectively and boost their critical thinking skill mainly through discussion, analysis of others’ thoughts and evaluation.

6. References Brindley, J.E., Walti, C., & Blaschke, L.M. (2009). Creating effective collaborative learning groups in an online environment. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning.Retrieved from www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/675/1271 Gee, J. (2003). What Video Games have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Gokhale, A. (1995). Collaborative learning Enhances critical Thinking. Journal of Technology Education. V.7 Halpern, D. F. (2003). Thought and knowledge: An introduction to critical thinking. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates

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Laal, M. & Laal, M. (2011). Collaborative learning: What is it? Social and Behavioral Sciences. Retrieved from www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042811030217 MacKnight, C. (2000).Teaching Critical Thinking Through Online Discussions. N 4. Retrieved from www.educause.edu. Patricia A. Smith (n.d). Devoloping Community Online. Student Collaboration in the online classroom, Retrieved from www.FacultyFocus.com Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Webliography https://cftx.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/wikis/

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

From Reading the Word to Reading the World: Rethinking the Goals of TEFL Karim EL Hiani Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Rabat Abstract Over the last two decades, it has widely been recognized that communicative language teaching, which derives its origins from communicative competence, has partially failed in expanding learners’ horizons in favor of their personal and academic development. Many scholars (e.g., Byram, 1997; Alptekin, 2002; Deardorff, 2009; Fantini, 2012 among others) believe in the powerful impact of foreign language education on developing human relationships through mediating and negotiating multiple identities and communication styles instead of restricting learners’ autonomy and creativity, which are limited by virtue of the blind adherence to the American or British native speakers’ competence. Hence, the new trend of TEFL calls for extending communicative competence (CC) to adopt intercultural communicative competence (ICC). The present paper, therefore, highlights the major components and dimensions of ICC, which go hand in hand with the demands of the contemporary society. These dimensions include: a) Attitudes (towards otherness and cultural differences), b) knowledge (of one’s own and one’s interlocutor’s culture and the relationship between them), c) skills (of discovering and interacting with others), and d) critical cultural awareness (which pays attention to the critical dimension of evaluating cultural differences). They are illustrated with regard to the salient goals (in general) and objectives (in particular) that are needed in foreign language curriculum. This paper provides insightful implications to the status of teaching foreign languages in Morocco, especially English language, and the urgent need to reformulate and extend the goals of foreign language curriculum as a springboard for internationalizing Moroccan education. Key Words: Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC); Foreign Language Education; TEFL; Dimensions of ICC; Implications. Introduction The present paper is a contribution to the literature on intercultural communicative competence (ICC) especially in the Moroccan educational context. The growing interest in including ICC as a central goal for foreign language education has been remarkable in the last two decades. This has been the result of the process of globalization and its concomitant calls for placing the concept of culture in a global context. Today, the increasing contacts with people worldwide together with the technological revolution, which provided countless opportunities for virtual learning especially for EFL learners, have raised controversial issues including learners’ identity, intercultural citizenship, and autonomous learning (Byram, 1997; Sercu, 2002; Corbett, 2003).

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Taking into consideration identity in its modern context, learners are exposed to numerous cultural identities. In addition to the basic knowledge EFL learners get about their own cultures, they are exposed at least to two foreign cultures: British and American culture. Some learners are exposed even to other cultures through virtual discussions with people throughout the world. Thus, and in view of these multiple identities, EFL learners’ identity needs to be questioned more than any time ago. In this respect, Niżegorodcew (2011) points that “one of the most important questions to be asked is the students’ identity as simultaneously speakers of one or two national languages and, additionally, of English as a lingua franca” (p. 19). Besides, the traditional conception of citizenship, which has long been equated with one’s duties and responsibilities to one’s community and cultural environment, has been challenged for restricting learners to the geographical space of their own environment (Guilherme, 2002). Accordingly, education for citizenship must be a state-of-the-art translation of global citizenship. Byram (2008) suggests that EFL learners need to be armed with the skills of understanding deep issues of culture, develop an analytic capacity to identify different cultural practices, and evaluate them with equal importance. Thus, learners can see the world from a neutral position and have a good sense of being global citizens. In addition to the contemporary perceptions of identity and citizenship, autonomous learning is salient factor in TEFL. Amongst the huge resources of information today, learners’ huge access to these resources re-considers their roles as responsible for their own learning. Furthermore, the responsibility is doubled when the educational process guides EFL learners for better understanding of autonomous learning (Sercu, 2002). In light of the massive factors under discussion, foreign language education has been placed under great pressure to respond to the immense development of the globalized world. The landscape of TEFL, Therefore, calls for alternative approaches and methods to keep the pace with the consequences of globalization. Within this framework, the resent paper aims at shedding a great amount of light on intercultural communicative competence (ICC) as the most desired outcome of foreign language education in this millennium. The aim is also to highlight its major components/dimensions stressing some interesting implication for the Moroccan education system. This paper is divided into five main sections. The first section describes the motivations behind the inclusion of ICC as a major goal in FLE. The second section highlights some recent developments in the area of ELT in Morocco to pave the ground for discussing the place of ICC in the third section. The fourth section is devoted to prominent issues in researching ICC, and the last section is concerned with some implications for developing ICC in the Moroccan education system. 1. From Communicative Competence to Intercultural Communicative Competence

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

The significant place of communicative competence (CC) in language teaching was attributed to Hymes’ (1972) reconsideration of Chomsky’s linguistic competence. Thus, he coined the concept communicative competence as a reaction to Chomsky’s shortcomings, which restrict language to the strict rules of grammar, phonology, and syntactic rules. Hymes’ salient notice was heavily oriented towards the social forces that shape language taking into consideration the conventions of social groups. He, then, introduced communicative competence as an inevitable factor in the concept of language. By the same token, Canale and Swain (1980) stress the influences of the social conventions on learning language, especially ESL and EFL, and divided the concept of communicative competence into three major components: grammatical competence, sociolinguistic competence, and strategic competence. In addition to the grammatical rules of a language that is linked to language usage, they argue that some rules of language use are heavily important in view of the contextual factors including role of participants, setting, and norms of interactions. Besides, Canale and Swain (1980) refer to strategic competence as an important factor for successful communication. It deals mainly with the useful strategies to manage communication breakdowns that may stem from a lack of language/cultural misunderstandings. Later on, Canale (1983) introduced discourse competence as a fourth component, which highlights the intersentential power of meaning. That is to say, it describes the relationship between the combined sentences to convey a particular meaning based on the contextual forces. As a result, ELT started to move into a new dimension of language competence (Bachman, 1990). The issues of communicative competence and pragmatic competence (Bachman, 1990) gained a large ground in EFL classrooms in an effort to equip learners with sufficient knowledge to reach the native-like fluency in English. However, many researchers have questioned the goal of restricting EFL learners to the native speaker’s competence (e.g. Kramsch, 1993; Byram, 1997; Fantini, 2012; Liddicoat & Scarino, 2013). Following the premise that EFL learners must have a native-like fluency in English, the controversy arises when the phrase ‘native speaker’ itself is not transparent. Provided that the native speaker is the model for EFL learners, this presupposes that there is only one native speaker in view of the different people whose native language is English, for example, Australian native speakers, Indian native speakers, American native speakers, British native speakers, and Canadian native speakers. Consequently, the aim to consider the native speaker as a model is challenging given the multiple ‘Englishes’ worldwide. Moreover, Kramch (1993) argues that the goal of reaching the competence of native speakers is already a harsh task, if not impossible for EFL learners. The aim, rather, should take into account the different experiences of learners in learning languages/cultures to see the world from different perspectives, which do not narrow EFL learners’ eyes in becoming imitators of native speakers. In its simplest expression,

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

communicative competence may not respond properly to the globalized world that is based greatly on different cultures and identities. Hence, intercultural communicative competence is more recommended to be the most desired outcome of foreign language education (Corbett, 2003; Byram, 2008). In light of what has been discussed, the title of the present paper reflects the move from communicative competence (CC) to intercultural communicative competence (ICC). The latter is defined generally as the ability to perform appropriately and effectively in intercultural situations (Deardorff, 2006). More precisely, Fantini (2012) explains the ability to perform appropriately as the adherence to the sociocultural rules including the major social conventions of social groups, and the ability to perform effectively as the mutual understanding and reaching the reciprocal goals of interlocutors in intercultural situations. Furthermore, there are different models of ICC, which differ slightly in the envisaged dimensions. These models differ also in the way of explaining the relationship between the components of ICC (see Spitzberg & Changnon, 2009). Significantly, Byram’s model of ICC has been the most powerful in ICC given its exhaustiveness and strong focus on foreign language dimension. According to Deardorff (2006), Byram’s definition and conceptual framework of ICC is the most complete one among ICC models. In a similar vein, Guilherme (2002) declares that Byram is probably the most prominent scholar who argues in favor of centralizing an intercultural approach, especially the critical dimension, in foreign language education. Byram’s model (1997) comprises four main dimensions: attitudes, knowledge, skills, and critical cultural awareness (figure 1). It should be noted here that the rationale behind ICC is not to exclude communicative competence, but it extends the concept to highlight more complex issues of cultural diversity. Additionally, communicative competence remains an important element in the profile of what Byram calls the ‘intercultural speaker’. Because of educational purposes including assessment, Byram describes his dimensions as savoirs to be the aim for learners. He introduces savoirs (knowledge), which consists of knowledge of one’s own culture, knowledge of the target culture, and knowledge about their relationships. These relationships include historical and contemporary relationships and social distinctions of sociocultural conventions. Savoir être (attitudes) emphatisez learners’ openness and readiness to engage with otherness without prioritizing their own culture, this includes the readiness to suspend disbelief about others. Skills can be divided into two major types: skills of discovery and interaction (savoir apprendre/savoir faire) and skills of analyzing and interpreting (savoir comprendre). Critical cultural awareness (savoir s‘engager) deals with learners’ ability to evaluate different cultural beliefs/practices in explicit and implicit documents based on explicit criteria. This includes a direct reference to one’s ideological perspectives when expressing a particular idea.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Clearly, Byram’s dimensions of ICC include complex processes of noticing, negotiating, and evaluating different practices to highlight cultural diversity. The acquisition of ICC remains a demanding goal in view of its additional tasks to the general goal of communicative

Figure 1: Byram’ Model of Intercultural Communicative Competence (Byram, 1997, p.73)

competence. As a result, many researchers and scholars argue that ICC is a developmental process that goes through various stages of complexity (e.g. Byram, 1997, 2008; Alptekin, 2002, Deardorff, 2009; Benntt, 2009). In brief, ICC has raised a number of nascent issues vis-à-vis foreign language education particularly English as a foreign language (EFL). Given the salient role of EFL in the Moroccan context, ICC remains a debatable issue in the Moroccan educational context. But, some recent developments in the landscape of ELT in Morocco are worthy of attention before embarking into the place of ICC in Morocco and its possible inclusion. 2. The Recent Developments of ELT in Morocco The status of English language in Morocco has gained a great amount of attention in recent years. Then main reasons might be attributed to the increasing demand to keep pace with the huge number of research studies and technological developments that are produced greatly in English language. Additionally, the Moroccan government is aware of the significant role of English in the education system. In this regard, the minister of higher education, scientific research and training, Lahcen Daoudi, declared that English is remarkably the language that promotes technology and sciences worldwide. Similarly, the minister of national education and vocational training stressed during mate’s 36th conference the increasing interest in adopting English as interesting foreign language in Morocco. It is, then, one of the Moroccan

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s priorities to generalize the use of English in Moroccan classrooms. Amongst the steps in the direction of promoting English in Morocco, programs of an international baccalaureate has been included in a number of Moroccan high schools in an effort to produce qualified students able to be competitors in the global market. The role of English in these programs is prominent. Interestingly, the international baccalaureate presupposes that learners must be armed with a deep understanding of global issues-say-citizenship and identity, and good intercultural speakers who communicate with different people throughout the world. Consequently, the role of foreign language education, particularly EFL in view of its status in the world, is outstanding to foster EFL learnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ICC. Moreover, there has been a strong endorsement to generalize English in middle school and prospects of extending it to primary school. This is based in turn on the conviction that English can best be promoted in the Moroccan education system provided it is integrated from low levels. Implied in these plans and decisions is the ongoing interest in strengthening the position of English in Morocco. In a similar context, the ministry of higher education, scientific research and training has encouraged doctoral students to prepare some articles in English stressing the importance of providing these scientific papers to general readership. Other suggestions were introduced in terms of defending doctoral theses in English. Doctoral students from different disciplines are required to defend their theses using English language. Hence, the status of English in Morocco has become valuable due to the great effects of globalization together with the growing impact of foreign languages on general education. Morocco, then, is a fertile ground to include ICC as a salient aim of education in view of the central position of EFL in the development of ICC (Byram, 1997; Corbett, 2003; Liddicoat & Scarino, 2013). However, the inclusion of this desired outcome implies that many unfamiliar issues should be taken into consideration to reshape the goals of communicative competence. Accordingly, it is crucial to refer to some research studies and ideas to include ICC in Morocco. 3. The Place of Intercultural Communicative Competence in Morocco In spite of the growing interest in ICC and placing it at the heart of foreign language education, it is still a fresh area of research in Morocco. Apart from a few studies (e.g. Azhar, 2009; Koumachi, 2015; EL Hiani, in press), much effort is still awaited to strengthen research on the field. As was suggested in the previous section, the status of EFL is immensely valuable in ICC as the international education sees English as a lingua franca (ELF). The development of EFL in Morocco, therefore, paves the ground to the development of ICC alike.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Deardorff (2006) argues that the development of research in ICC must begin with assessment because of the fruitful feedback it provides for learning. In this regard, Koumachi (2015) conducted a study in which he assessed ICC and its development among EFL university Moroccan students. The assessment adopted Byram’s model of ICC (1997), which includes attitudes, knowledge, skills, and critical cultural awareness. The results obtained showed an average mastery of Moroccan EFL learners’ ICC. Accordingly, the objectives set or fostering ICC need serious efforts to provide learners with experiential opportunities and a needed approach of interculturality in EFL classrooms. In a similar vein, EL Hiani (2016) declared that ICC reaches an average rate though it is developmental among Moroccan EFL university students (unpublished thesis). As a result, it is clear that the goal of ICC is not strongly matched at Moroccan EFL classrooms. In spite of the average results, it may not help students develop their ICC if they don’t take regular intercultural courses in the view of the complexity of ICC tasks that take place in long phases (Fantini, 2012). Also, the results might be an indication that Moroccan EFL learners are not provided with useful methods and techniques to practice intercultural issues such as a deep understanding of global phenomena (e.g. citizenship). That is to say, teaching practices must reflect clearly the basic issues of cultural diversity, global citizenship, and international identity. Moreover, it must be made clear that the development of ICC in the Moroccan educational context must undergo numerous research studies either at the level of the conceptual framework of ICC or ICC assessment to understand the particularities of the learning environment in Morocco (Kumaravadivelu, 2003). This justifies the importance of assessing-say-the development of ICC among Moroccan EFL learners to get insights into the complexities of each phase of the educational process. Besides, it is crucial to take into account different implications as an initial step towards the development of ICC in Morocco. 4. Implications for the Moroccan Education System Implications are useful for getting an in-depth understanding of what has been discussed. First, the complex nature of ICC, which goes through stages of noticing, evaluating and interaction, suggest that the educational process must respond to these developmental processes based on the levels of students. In other words, ICC should stick to a hierarchical order of complexity from lower to higher levels of education. Second, moving from communicative competence to intercultural communicative competence presupposes new materials, methods and techniques of teaching ICC which highlight cultural diversity instead of bridging learners’ information gap about the native speaker’s life. Besides, developing any educational practice entails a plethora of theoretical and empirical research studies. It is, then, a great responsibility on the part of researchers and practitioners to investigate further studies.

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Conclusion In short, the huge development of the global village calls for encouraging learners in the 21st century to recognize global issues that strengthen collaboration among people worldwide. The role of education, then, is vital to equip learners with the needed necessary knowledge and skills to act as intercultural speakers and global citizens. Intercultural communicative competence, in this regard, is gradually taking place as a major goal of foreign language education particularly English as a foreign language (EFL) in Europe and many parts of the world (Byram, 2009). It is indispensable for the Moroccan education system to keep abreast with the ramifications of globalization and prospects of international education. References Alptekin, C. (2002). Towards Intercultural Communicative Competence in ELT. ELT Journal, (56) 1, 57-64. Azhar, A. (2009). Objectives and Classroom Practice for Intercultural Communicative Competence. In M. Najbi, & A. Chaibi, & M. Hammani (Eds), Proceedings of the 29th MATE Annual Conference. Bachman, L. F. (1990). Fundamental Considerations in Language Testing. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bennett, M. J. (2009). Defining, Measuring, and Facilitating Intercultural Learning: A Conceptual Introduction to the Intercultural Education Double Supplement, Intercultural Education, 20: Sup 1, 1-13. doi: 10.1080/14675980903370763 Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Byram, M. (2008). From Foreign Language Education to Education for Intercultural Citizenship. Essays and Reflections. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Byram, M. (2009). Intercultural Competence in Foreign Languages - The Intercultural Speaker and the Pedagogy of Foreign Language Education. In D. K. Deardorff (Ed.), The Sage Handbook of Intercultural Competence (pp. 321-332). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc. Canale, M., & Swain, M. (1980). Theoretical Bases of Communicative Approaches to Second Language Teaching and Testing. Applied Linguistics, 1, 1-47. Capucho, F. (2014). Plurilingual Education for Pluricultural Encounters. In P. Romanowski (Ed.), Intercultural Issues in the Era of Globalization (pp. 22-31). Warszawa: Instytutu Komunikasji Specjalistycznej i Interkulturowej. Corbett, J. (2003). An Intercultural Approach to English Language Teaching. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Deardorff, D. K. (2006). Identification and Assessment of Intercultural Competence as a Student Outcome of Internationalization. Journal of Studies in Intercultural Education, vol. 10 (3), 241-266.

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Deardorff, D. K. (2009). Implementing Intercultural Competence Assessment. In D. K. Deardorff (Ed.), The Sage Handbook of Intercultural Competence (pp. 477-491). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc. Fantini, A. E. (2012). Multiple Strategies for Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence. In J. Jackson (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Language and Intercultural Communication (pp. 390405). New York: Routledge. Guilherme, M. (2002). Critical Citizens for an Intercultural World: Foreign Language Education as Cultural Politics. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Koumachi, B. (2015). On the Assessment of Moroccan EFL University Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Intercultural Communicative Competence: A Case Study of the Master Students of the English Department of Meknes. International Journal of Educational Research and Development, vol. 4(4), 054-076. Kramsch, C. (1993). Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kumaravadivelu, B. (2003). Beyond Methods: Macrostrategies for Language Teaching. New Haven: Yale University Press. Liddicoat, A. J., & Scarino, A. (2013). Intercultural Language Teaching and Learning. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. Meier, A. J. (2014). Developing Negotiation Skills as Part of Intercultural Communicative Competence. In P. Romanowski (Ed.), Intercultural Issues in the Era of Globalization (pp. 147-161). Warszawa: Instytutu Komunikasji Specjalistycznej i Interkulturowej. Savignon, S. J., & Wang, C. (2003). Communicative Language Teaching in EFL Contexts: Learner Attitudes and Perceptions. Walter de Gryter, 223-249. Sercu, L. (2002). Autonomous Learning and the Acquisition of Intercultural Communicative Competence: Some Implications for Course Development. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 15:1, 61-74.doi: 10.1080/07908310208666633 Spitzberg, B. H., & Changnon, G. (2009). Conceptualizing Intercultural Competence. In D. K. Deardorff (Ed.), The Sage Handbook of Intercultural Competence (pp. 2-51). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc. Stathopoulou, M. (2015). Cross-Language Mediation in Foreign Language Teaching and Testing. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Storti, C. (2009). Intercultural Competence in Human Resources - Passing It on Intercultural Competence in the Training Arena. In D. K. Deardorff (Ed.), The Sage Handbook of Intercultural Competence (pp. 272-286). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.

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The Moroccan National Framework for Certification in Languages Driss Marjane Faculty of Science at Dhar El Mahraz Laboratory of Didactic, Pedagogic and Curricular Innovation Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fes Abstract Moroccan universities have recently started offering certification in a number of transversal skills that are thought to be important on the job market. They have for that end developed a national framework for certification in these transversal skills, including language and communication skills. This paper is the first presentation of the general architecture and the contents the Moroccan national framework for certification in languages and communication at an academic event. The paper first proceeds to a presentation of the methodology that was adopted in the development of the project, then it describes how the framework is articulated in terms of domains of linguistic competencies, the competencies themselves, the constituent sub-skills of these competencies and a sample of situations where these competencies are deployed. In addition to these, it presents the evaluation activities as well as the level of mastery for each competency that the framework includes. This paper ends by discussion and a critical appraisal of the methodology that was adopted in the development and dissemination of this framework. Keywords â&#x20AC;&#x201C; language certification, Moroccan higher education, transversal skills, framework of competencies 1. Introduction In order to enhance the employability potential of university graduates, the Moroccan Ministry of Higher Education has developed a national certification framework for a number of transversal skills that appear to be required on the job market on the national and international levels. These skills include Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Project Management (PM), Entrepreneurship (ENT), and Languages and Communication (LC). A European project, Tempus P@lmes 530430, was selected by the European Commission to support the process leading to the delivery of certificates during the period 2012-2015. Its mission was to assist in defining a set of real transversal skills, that is, a common core of competencies for all Bachelor and Master Degree graduates regardless of their disciplinary major. In addition to developing a national certificate of transversal competencies, which aims at enhancing the employability of graduates, the project also aimed at facilitating the transfer of existing certification tools and their technical infrastructure in Europe, thus empowering Moroccan universities in the deployment, use and adaptation of these products, especially, the tools for evaluation, validation and certification of skills. The Tempus P@lmes project involved twelve Moroccan universities as well as the Moroccan corporate confederation (CGEM), the University of Mons in Belgium, the University of Aveiro in Portugal, and in France, the

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Universities of Savoie Mont Blanc and Claude Bernard Lyon I, in addition to the French private company PENTILA. The purpose of the present paper is to present the work which was carried out within the Tempus P@lmes project on Languages and Communication (LC) skills. In fact, this is the first public disclosure of the results of the project in an academic paper form. And since this work is the fruit of a large group of university professors, I will first provide some background information on how the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work was organized as well as the methodology that was adopted in the development and implementation of this project. However, the most important pat of the paper will be the description of the architecture of the national framework for certification in Languages, which is made up of a number of domains of linguistic competencies, the competencies themselves, the constituent elements or sub-skills of these competencies and sample situations where these competencies are deployed. In addition to these, the framework also specifies the evaluation activities as well as the level of mastery for each competency. In the final part of the paper, I will proceed to a brief critical discussion of the methodology that was adopted in the project as a whole. 2. Methodology As it was mentioned in the introduction of this paper, the Moroccan National Framework of Certification is the fruit of the joint work of twelve Moroccan universities, two European universities, one Portuguese and one Belgian university, and a private company in France. The project was coordinated on the Moroccan side by Cadi Ayad University in Marrakesh, and on the European side by the University of Savoie Mont Blanc in France. But in addition to these, the project also involved Moroccan socio-economic partners such as the Moroccan corporate confederation (CGEM) and the chambers of commerce in addition to the Commission for the Development of Tensift Region in Morocco. At the level of the Ministry of Higher Education, a national committee was set up in order to integrate the various initiatives and proposals. Its first mission was to lead to the definition of a national certificate of transversal competencies for the employability of graduates, which would constitute a real common core of competencies and skills of Bachelor and Master Degree graduates. Moreover, the national commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission consisted of being attentive to the needs of the Moroccan society, relayed by the socio-economic actors, and the expertise of various university representatives. In fact, each university had to consult the local socio-economic partners and identify with them the transversal skills they expect from students at the end of the Bachelor or the Master Degree regardless of their particular major. Therefore, the national commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s itself was no more than a space of exchange and capitalization of local proposals and experiences. After local teams of professors revisited the existing trainings and identified those that were more likely to enable universities to better meet the expectations

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

of the socio-economic actors, they opted for the development of already existing trainings rather than creating new courses or new modules. The proposal that was put forward rested on the transversal modules that already existed within most university degree programs. Four areas of certification were identified: Information and Communication Technology, Entrepreneurship, Project Management and Languages and Communication, and the work of the different representatives of universities was organized around groups of expertise corresponding to those four areas. The certificates that were proposed to be issued in each of these areas were meant as degree supplements and not mandatory elements of the degrees themselves. Additionally, the certificates were meant to have the side-effect of improving training already offered in colleges and universities by focusing on the skills to be mastered and the final assessment of their mastery. In addition, the ultimate goal was that those certificates would also facilitate the selection of candidates for hiring purposes by businesses. The project was subject to cyclic evaluation at each stage of the process to ensure the quality of the project results. The Belgian and Portuguese evaluation specialists in the use of accreditation and certification in education put in place procedures of qualitative and quantitative periodic assessments that focus in part on the use of the general methodology as well as its outcomes. 3. The Framework 3.1 A Common Structure In order to arrive at coherent standards of the Moroccan national framework of transversal skills, a common structure and terminology were defined by the Tempus P@LMES project for the four areas of transversal skills, hence, the following taxonomies: ď&#x201A;ˇ A referential framework contains several areas of expertise referred to as domains of competence. ď&#x201A;ˇ One domain of competence is a family of vocational situations that define a coherent field of activities. One domain includes several competencies. ď&#x201A;ˇ A competency is the know-how to act in a given situation. It is specified by a set of competency constituents. The P@LMES project defined four types of constituents of competencies: 1. The knowledge and skills associated with the competency. 2. The situations where the competency may be implemented. 3. The activities that assess the mastery of a competency. 4. The indicators of the level of mastery of the competency. 3.2 Language and Communication The Languages and Communication referential framework -just like the other three frameworks, Entrepreneurship, ICT, and Project Management - consists of

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

several domains of competency. Within the present project, five domains of competency were identified. These are the following: D1. Seeking and Delivering Information D2. Public Speaking D3. Negotiating D4. Producing and Using Professional Documents D5. Managing Difficult and Conflicting Situations As it was mentioned earlier, domains consist of at a number of competencies and the competencies themselves consist of at least four types of constituents: 1. The knowledge and skills associated with the domain of competency. 2. The situations in which the competency is put into use. 3. The assessment activities of the level of mastery of the competency. 4. The indicators of the level of mastery of the competency. 3.3 A Sample Domain In order to give some substance to the description provided above, let us take a look at one sample domain among the five domains that were included in the framework, which is Public Speaking. Domain D2: Public Speaking Speaking in public is frequent in professional settings; however, speaking in front of a large number of people is not always a comfortable experience. Therefore, being aware of and observing a set of simple rules can help lower anxiety and improve performance. For example, preparing one’s speech, finding out about one’s audience and one’s objectives from the talk as well as being able to follow a pre-defined plan and backing one’s talk by visual supporting aids can all improve one’s performance. This domain consists of the following competencies: • Competence D2.1 : Being able to take part in a conference • Competence D2.2 : Being able to deliver a speech, • Competence D2.3 : being able to talk about one’s work environment and one’s projects in public Each of these competencies will in turn consist of constituent elements, which are knowledge and skills associated with them, the situations in which these are put into action, and the activities that enable us to assess the mastery of these competencies, and, finally, the indicators of the level of mastery of these competencies. Constituents In order to give an example, if we take the first competency above (D2.1 Being able to take part in a conference), it will have the following constituent elements: 1: Knowledge and Skills associated with the competency • Being able to introduce oneself briefly

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

• • • •

Situating one’s interlocutors Observing turn-taking rules Presenting one’s arguments Being concise and relevant

2. Situations in which the competency is put into use • Work Meeting • Round Table • Interview • Discussion 3. Activities of assessment of the mastery of the competency • Describing a sequence of exchanges in a discussion • Identifying the rules of politesse and their implementation in a discussion 4. Indicators of the mastery of the competency • Clarity of speech • Use of politeness rules • Comprehension of information content • Understanding implicit message 3.4 The Assessment Platform The Moroccan national framework for certification in languages and communication, and in other transversal skills, makes use of an online evaluation platform named EmaEval. This platform is provided by the company Pentila which is based in France. In fact, this platform is the one that serves to support the certification C2i level 2 in France to more than 10 000 students. This platform is also used at two Moroccan universities: the Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech and Moulay Ismail University in Meknes, and more recently at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fes. 4. Discussion In the final part of this paper, I would like to make a few comments on the project as a whole with the hope of highlighting some of its strengths as well as possible weaknesses. Firstlyy, it is to be noted that the project adopted a participatory methodology which meant that the project was open to professors from various Moroccan universities. Therefore, throughout the four years of the program, some professors joined in on different gatherings in different locations across the country and some others dropped out at some point of the program for some reasons or another. Secondly, the project made no reference whatsoever to any theories in the field of language certification and accreditation. It all seems that the project relied heavily on the intuitive knowledge and field experience of various participants in it. Therefore, even if the project had the advantage of being unbiased by theory, there is another negative side related to this fact. The project seems to have no firm theoretical grounds and does not appear to be informed by research in the area of language

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

certification. Another criticism that may be leveled at the project is that the the framework for languages and communication was carried out exclusively in the French language by teachers of French at various Moroccan universities and it was later documented in French2. One may be tempted to wonder if the whole project was implicitly targeting the use of French in the Moroccan university system. All in all, the project was the first national framework for certification in languages and can be viewed as a starting point for long and fruitful research in the future. 5. Resources http://e-palmes.uca.ma/ The projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s webpage This is a collaborative portal used by the P@lmes project partners, students preparing for certification, and those interested in the project results. https://palmes.uca.ma/ The National Evaluation Platform The national platform for evaluation and certification of skills (EMaEval) managed by the Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech is duplicated in each university on a service infrastructure funded by the project.

The author of the present paper was the only teacher of English on the project and there were no teachers of other languages at all. One may wonder why such an important project was carried out exclusively in French.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

E-Learning and ICT: Seeking Novelty in ELT Teacher’s Professional Development Fatimaezzahra Abid Abstract The present paper is a simple reflection on the teaching and the learning of English in ELT classrooms in the Moroccan context. Keeping up with the high pace of technological changes requires teacher training that adopts the 21st century technology. The latter will motivate students who are well aware of the English language’s worth around the world, but unfortunately lack the basic competencies to excel at language learning. The paper will focus on teacher’s professional development as an effective key factor in the learning process. It will demonstrate how to develop one’s teaching resources to create entertaining learning experiences and keep up with students, as digital natives, through online courses. This paper will also showcase how the use of ICT tools can help teachers effectively create learner-centered learning situations to motivate them to learn the language. I will introduce alternative means that can actually be used to appropriately evaluate learners and assess their linguistic and cognitive use of the English language and the learning experience as a whole. Keywords: ICT resources, Professional Development, E-learning, Testing and Assessment. Introduction Teaching the English language in Morocco follows a textbook, whatever its name, which outlines the curriculum expected to be completed at each grade. These educational textbooks provide the guidelines of the courses to be taught with a special focus on second year baccalaureate given that “the results of the exams will determine the academic and occupational future”(Tomlinson 19). The content is gradually taught following a timeline that would be finished by administering two quizzes and a global test. If the learners get high grades, then they are considered to have successfully got the content they’re exposed to at school. Yet, if they perform poorly on the exam, it is assumed that they have learning disabilities that hinder them from success and getting good grades that qualify them for the next level. The textbooks adopted in English rarely change, and the content remains largely the same, despite the social and economic worldwide changes on one side, and the altered learning environments and learners’s individual differences, psychological and social life experiences on the other side. Indeed, “coursebooks seems to mean big business”(Tomlinson 17); hence, the Moroccan educational system proves to be pedagogically and technologically helpless given that it still relies on formal institutions that are supposed to cover more than forty students and traditional approaches that instill memorization and good grades. Teachers are rather left to bear the blame for learners’ failure to pass the exam and for not being able to achieve the expected learning outcomes measured only by grades.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

The paper will highlight the significant role of adapting and supplementing learning materials with particular classroom environments that introduce learners to the social and technological changes through the use of ICT (information and communication technology). It will also enhance teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; professional development in a way to acquire the skills necessary to incorporate those tools inside class and keep up with the so-called technological changes. Hence, success in achieving the learning outcomes given the aforementioned tools would be an unfinished task in regard to assessment tools that should align with these evolutionary educational changes. The New Trend in ELT: ICT Resources Researching in the field of language teaching and learning never fails to prove the significance of learning foreign languages in acquiring lifelong skills given that learning is not restricted only to schooling. Hence, learning languages is such a debatable issue in Morocco as the state and policy makers are still debating whether to adopt English or French in Moroccan public schools given the linguistic variety of the country: Arabic and Amazigh varieties and French as the first foreign language. Indeed, these languages do not fulfil all the linguistic functions, since each one covers only a limited number of domains. For instance, Moroccan Arabic and Berber cover the domains of home and street, while Standard Arabic is used in education, public administration, and the media. French is utilised to complement the picture, as it has functions and domains which overlap with those of Standard Arabic, in addition to covering the private sector, science, and technology (Ennaji 2). Hence, the Moroccan educational system has gone through educational reforms that fail continuously to satisfy the needs of Moroccan learners or even meet the requirements of the job market. The ongoing debates over education constantly stress how these reforms have always let down educational practitioners due to their inability to measure up to the high expectations of educators and fieldwork actors. These consistently aspire to work in institutions that are fully equipped with the necessary pedagogical means to perform well in the most successful and fruitful learning environments that embrace students who use technological resources on a daily basis. Teaching foreign languages, namely English, with the minimum resources (teacher, classroom and textbook) is all that is accessible to Moroccan learners to keep up with the changing technological pace worldwide. Moroccan learners fail to acquire the language properly and even to communicate with it at the university level, though high numbers of students are majoring in English. Being technologically literate is a skill that equals more or less the mastery of the reading and writing skills as they are conventionally taught in schools to reproduce literate learners and hence citizens. So opposed to earlier times, learners are better equipped to learn the English language given the high contact with ICT resources mostly consulted outside the classroom walls. Political speeches concerning the Moroccan educational system go hand in hand with the

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

international changes and the importance of adopting the language of science, but they never line up with the teaching and learning environments on the ground. Given that “no pedagogy is politically or socially neutral; no learning or lack of learning is without economic and cultural repercussions for society or individuals” (Birch 4). The teaching of foreign languages, namely English in this case, becomes politically, pedagogically and even socially sensitive due to the low status of the Moroccan educational system ranking last even among the underdeveloped countries. Despite the ongoing debates that stress the urgent need for the renovation of the educational system and particularly public schools that mostly reproduce passive learners and stream them into different disciplines according to their corresponding grades, a minority of high performing students would have more promising chances to have access to professional careers; while the majority of disadvantaged students, who come from poor, illiterate and working class backgrounds do fail to continue their studies and leave school deficient in basic skills as reading and writing since most of their learning comes from the textbook and their only remaining option would be following in parents’ footsteps. The situation hasn’t changed much since independence except in political discourses that are mostly meant to join the international developing communities. Hence, “countries in the Maghreb are increasingly seeing English as a way to modernize their workforces and strengthen their access to Europe”(E First 46). Morocco is still struggling with literacy in a changing world of massive information and technological evolutions. Neither teachers nor supervisors can do much to change the situation as they’re the ones directly affected by the ministry’s decisions and reforms; they’re left with the only option to do the job and teach the 21st century learners with the least amount of available resources: blackboard and chalk. Learners who are said to grow faster than ever as they get exposed to too much knowledge about the adult life through media means and high contact with social networks that affect their cognitive and physiological growth and shape their views and their understanding of the world and their country as well. The use of ICT tools in language learning turns out to be of paramount significance to both learners and teachers as it makes communication as well as education most accessible than ever. The overwhelming existence and accessibility of these technological resources such as the internet, computers, and smart phones all along with the very sophisticated 2.0 applications forces its incorporation into the curriculum to bridge the gap between the actual world where learners have access to all these tools and the school that lacks the minimum of these resources. Yet, the lack of well equipped classrooms, teacher training, and learners’ lack of the basic competencies in languages, and the inflexibility of administrative staff in supporting and sponsoring its implementation to mention but a few, fail to match these highly and radical

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

worldwide technological changes and cater for the learners’ interests and digital competencies that find no room at school. The human and social traits attributed to education regarding its pivotal role in the development of individuals and societies would definitely frame the educational approaches in producing learners who become well aware of the significant role education plays in their progress from basic to advanced levels as well as their transition into adulthood. An education that is supposed to render them knowledgeable learners who are quite able to process information and analyze it and have critical and research skills that will make them effective and productive learners concerning their schooling and their future career prospects. Beside a curriculum, a blackboard and a simple cassette player, the teacher’s toolbox expands to include the very sophisticated applications that would facilitate language learning and aid learners to visualize their learning experiences. There is an abundance of sites that provide reading, listening and writing materials which would support the curricula and render the teachinglearning process more effective than ever. Using such tools in the classroom proves to be very efficient in motivating learners for better practical learning that does not rely much on theorizing and lecturing. Thus, “integrating technology into instruction tends to move classrooms from teacher-dominated environments to ones that are more student-centered”(Marzano et al. 3). Incorporating ICT in teaching languages necessitates designing approaches and methods that stress learner’s linguistic and cognitive skills on one hand and technology literacy on the other hand. A contemporary philosophy of teaching is to be adapted to the current information technological advances; a philosophy that consistently questions the teaching materials and their applicability within the social and psychological framework of the learners. The introduction of ICT resources in the classroom is more challenging than it might appear. Technology-based activities have concrete and immediate effects on the learners’ motivation as it fosters communication and speaking, which is the most difficult part in learning a language. But technology is not a magic option for resolving the woes of education. Technology, in and of itself, does not create better teachers, learners or administrators. However when technology is used side by side with oher school improvement efforts, it can be a very effective vehicle for progress (Carbonara 2/3). Yet, how to integrate these tools given the specificity of the learners and the teaching context does really matter to ensure the learner’s interaction rather than passivity. Learners are to be introduced to information technology gradually starting at early grades to ensure their proficient use of technology and to foster a positive attitude towards its use in other school subjects, particularly languages. Thus, learners will find it more appealing to them as they get familiar with its use in class as a learning tool, but not being distracted with it and forget all about the course thinking how or when they could get such tools

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at hand. I could never forget how my students look stunned at the idea of reading a short story online though they study informatics and they’re pretty much familiar with the use of a computer and the internet. Having immediate feedback on their answers and navigating simultaneously to check online dictionaries renders them extremely excited for the other following activities. The whole experience of replacing the reading text assigned in the textbook to an online short story and doing all the related activities online alters students’ attitudes towards learning the English language as they start immediately to ask about the next similar lessons while they were supposed in a later discussion to evaluate the lesson and talk about what they have learnt and how they feel about it. Learners’ exposure to educational technologies differs from teachers’ attitudes towards the use of those tools. The first time I started using my own computer in class was an attempt to adopt new approaches to the teaching and learning of the language and to put into practice what I learnt via online courses. It is a real challenge that would take more time in lesson planning so that one can ensure a safe and an effective use of these tools and maintain a stimulating environment for interaction and productive learning. Implementing ICT resources in the learning environment makes the teacher and the learner socially connected in a way that trespasses the usual traditional interactions that rarely go beyond the textbook. Yet, it takes time to learn about the integration of such tools and adapt to the technical issues that come along the way. Indeed, learning about these tools, being it computer educational applications, mobile or tablets are a necessity that teachers have to invest time to learn and experience its use prior to integrating it in the teaching practices. Professional ICT trainings are no longer an advantage in teacher training; yet, Information technology is invading the lives of teachers and learners that the learning experiences are to be assimilated with life and everyday experiences. Given the lack of trainings in that field and the Moroccan Ministry of education’s deficiency to provide training in the field, MOOCs seem to be the remaining option that we as teachers could make use of to boost our professional development and keep up-to-date with the current radical changes in education. MOOCs: Teachers’ Prospect for an Effective Professional Evolution Educational researchers have consistently stressed the significance of continuous training for teachers to keep up with the current changes in the educational field. In the last five years, the Moroccan Ministry of Education, as the official training provider, stopped in-service training for teachers due to the lack of financial resources following the world crisis. But, the latter has come up with some emergency projects to reduce the number of students dropping out of school, raise awareness about girls’ education and last but not least improve the quality of education in public schools. One of these programs that is directly oriented to the implementation of IT (Information Technology) in schools is GENIE (Generalization of IT in Education) which was launched in 2009. The objectives have been designed around teachers’ mastery of ICT tools for its

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

successful implementation in the classroom and the improvement of education in Morocco. The project’s primary goals were very promising as they aim at equipping school labs with computers and provide teachers with the 21st century skills. Soon after, it was announced that the program failed to achieve its whole objectives due to some financial and human resources, though teachers are still enrolling in this program to take elementary courses in Microsoft Word, Excel and Access. I took part for a short term in this program and stopped as I moved to another area; I had taken basic courses in Microsoft Office; tools that I learnt long before this program. The content to be learnt and the timing as well as the final exam that participants take to ensure the mastery of the learnt skills were very ordinary and frustrating as participants expected more practical and up-to-date skills that would be smoothly implemented in class to improve their teaching skills. Teachers were looking for what they would learn about educational technology as advanced practitioners and not as mere beginners. The GENIE program all along with the other following programs, namely the Emergency Program was very ambitious with its objectives, goals and structural integration designed to support the curricula, the infrastructure of schools as well as training sessions. Yet, none of these programs’ objectives were fully achieved due to the government change and successive political decisions overthrowing the previous ones. This rather ensures the fact that there is no political will to improve education or the advancement of public schools that are losing the ground for private schooling. Online courses or distance learning provides a great opportunity for teachers, namely English teachers for their professional development and career advancement. A myriad of courses in Arts and Humanities, Literature, Science, Language Learning, Personal Development and almost in all majors is available. These courses are delivered by prestigious universities around the world, providing educational platforms for distant learning where passionate learners meet virtually to learn, exchange, collaborate and evoke critical discussions over the latest issues with no displacement obstacles. Moreover, free certificates of participation are granted following the outlined objectives of the course; while a Verified Certificate could be purchased. These educational websites ensure learners’ flexibility and free will to join any course that might be of interest to them. They can enroll in courses that suit their schedule and needs as well. Further, the materials to be studied vary between video lectures, reading materials, discussion platforms, short term quizzes and a final test to complete the course and meet its requirements to earn a certificate of completion. These courses can last for ten weeks while there are other courses that can last no longer than five weeks. I’ve been enrolled in two kinds of courses: short term and long term courses on different subjects ranging from literature, social sciences and language teaching

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

and learning. I joined Coursera to pursue most of these courses that are of interest to my academic and professional career. One of the most influential courses that practically enabled me to join global communities, make connections with teachers from all over the globe, exchange teaching experiences and practical approaches on the teaching of English is delivered by the Oregon University following the E-Teacher Scholarship Program, that can be accessed via the following link http://aei.uoregon.edu/teachers/elearning. The following graphic represents the platform that contains all information needed to apply for such course.

The university provides different courses that are of relevance to the teaching of the four skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing, giving teachers the choice to opt for the one that fits their interest and need as well. Here is a picture that showcases the variety of courses to opt for.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

The course “Critical Thinking” lasts for ten weeks; reading materials and multimedia resources as websites, online articles, videos and interaction with other teachers were compulsory to the completion of the course so as to qualify the candidate to pass the final exam. Interacting with other teachers from other parts of the world, peer reviewing and collaborating on projects make the learning experience more effective. As aforementioned, the other kind of online courses that I have experienced lately is a course that involves both teachers and students, namely iEARN. The following screenshots represent a new way to connect students and teachers from all over the world to open up to new diverse learning experiences that trespass the textbook and the biased theoretical curricula activities. The projects are designed to suit students’ abilities and learning styles and skills no matter what their level of mastery of the language is.

The iEARN community provides an interactive platform for both teachers and students to create a fruitful space for learning and collaborating on a learning project. These educational projects foster teachers’ discussions and exchange of experiences while students learn and have fun with other students from all over the world in a safe educational atmosphere. This online course is divided into 4 weeks that are supposed to provide teachers with the needed collaborative skills to monitor their students’ online interactions and guide them through every step. The four week’s activities are to be completed to successfully engage and join one of the educational projects as it is shown in the picture below.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

After the completion of the course, teachers engage with their students in one of the projects and work on its completion for one month. Students do share and communicate with their counterparts virtually. My students have enrolled in a project entitled “Global Food show and Tell”; they were very enthusiastic about the idea of informing foreign students about Moroccan food and Moroccan eating habits. A group of 6 students out of 20 students who first enrolled in the course, worked on delivering a presentation using a video and a poster to talk about Moroccan eating habits. Given students’s rural and poor background as they live far from school and do not have daily access to the internet, as well as the school’ lack of a multimedia room, they managed to post their feedback through my computer. By the end, they presented the project in the classroom.

These online courses provide very educating platforms both for professional and personal development. There are many other platforms that provide such courses such as Coursera, Future Learn and last but not last Open2study, which offers educational materials and learning opportunities that can mostly measure

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

up to a face to face learning experience. Online educational courses offer an opportunity to learn in new ways, interact on a daily basis and get feedback on classroom issues and the latest teaching and learning practices that could be of great benefit to one’s learners. Continuous Self Assessment: Students’ Peer Review and Frequent Interaction Researchers have significantly stressed that regular assessment of learners’ progress and teachers’ evaluation and feedback on the learning results are key factors that determine the success of the learning and teaching process. Given that both terms are used interchangeably to refer to assessing the learning process, learners and educators portray two features of the same process of addressing students’ and teachers’ performance. Hence, Learners’ educational achievement is mostly and traditionally assessed through regular tests or national exams that take place at the end of a unit, the term or at the end of the academic year. Testing provides physical evidence of the learner’s progress; and thus accreditation constitutes one of the vital components of the learning process for parents, the ministry of education and learners. Test scores and evaluation sheets are considered as the official evidence of teachers’ regular work following the ministry’s circulars that showcase the processes of preparing tests and scoring. To some extent, assessing learners refers to the calculation of good grades that are only achievable if the content is perfectly mastered by the learner. Thus, “continuous assessment often carries with it a large workload, which can occasionally be daunting, especially to students whose previous experiences of education have not been entirely positive”(Corder 77). Yet, the ministry’s circular, to be precise the 142 circular, stresses the adoption of formative assessment through short quizzes that would enable teachers to evaluate the students’ progress and to adapt one’s teaching practices to students’ learning performances and needs. Yet, this process does not align with the latest changes that have addressed the implementation of technology in the grading system, namely MASSAR. Following the latest reforms lately launched by the Moroccan Ministry of education, Massar is meant to regularize the grading system through the use of technology. The grading assessment process creates a tense atmosphere for all the educational actors: teachers, administrators, learners and parents as it leads to students’ protests to this reform that simply intends to give up the traditional way of filling up the grades manually on papers. The whole idea of MASSAR revolves around typing grades on EXCELL software which would enable the ministry and the parents to access students’ grades smoothly. Yet, it does not reflect the real change that educators aspire to. The site’s weak performance, lack of computers at school, difficult access to the internet in remote areas, and the ministry’s deficiency to equip schools with multimedia tools does rather highlight the ministry’s deficiency to reform the educational system and address vital issues as overcrowded classes, shortage of teachers and even administrators and last but not least the lack of expertise and training in the field of technology.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Assessing learners’ progress takes many forms ranging from formative, summative and continuous assessment to informal ways that include learners’ self and peer assessment which may be more efficient for it motivates learners to invest more efforts in their learning. I have been introduced to this kind of evaluation via online courses. Peer-reviewing is one of those tools that is vital and mandatory to review your e-peers and assess their work following certain criteria. Hence, I have started encouraging my students to review their peers’ writings guided by the writing checklist that they have been introduced to beforehand. I noticed that they are more open to their classmates’ remarks and hence they make more effort to learn how to overcome their mistakes and get motivated by being engaged in a process that teachers tend to usually monopolize. Indeed, “learners need positive feedback from themselves, their peers and you, the tutor. They need to be given it clearly in a supportive atmosphere as soon as possible. Assessment isn’t just a case of throwing your students on the mercy of an accrediting body”(Corder 80). Self and peer assessment guarantee the full involvement of learners in the learning process as they are given the chance to assess their skills which makes the learning interactive, interesting, and dynamic. Conclusion With the growing need for the 21st century skills in the job market, online courses offer a promising opportunity for teachers as well as learners to acquire innovative teaching skills and learning experiences that will meet the expectations of today’s students: digital natives. Nowadays, the constant economic, technological and educational changes make students learn differently and require them to reconsider those changes with all their prospects and requirements as well. Online courses prove to be a rewarding experience for learning and exchanging new ideas, methods and approaches of teaching a language through social interaction with peers, instructors and sometimes experts in the field of education. Indeed, teachers would be armed with untraditional teaching skills and resources that could reduce their full dependence on those dull textbooks that instil memorization and relieve students from teacher’s mundane lectures. Engaging learners in assessing their skills and academic achievements can make them active in their learning and the evaluation of that learning as well. Being aware of the testing processes and how they are being assessed and the extent to which they themselves can exercise the same process in their own learning would justify the ends of assessment to students. Rather than taking it as an obligation, they see it as a tool that justifies the worth of what is being learnt and how it is taught. A mere paper and pencil would never be enough to evaluate students’ perception of what they are learning, their personal beliefs and values and prospects of education as a whole. This could be approached through informal regular assessment that should be an integrated part of the learning process.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

References Birch, Barbara M. The English Language Teacher in Global Civil Society. Routledge, 2009. Print. Carbonara, David D. Technology Literacy Applications in Learning Environments. IGI Global, 2005. Google Scholar. Web. 1 Apr. 2016. Corder, Nicholas. Learning to Teach Adults: An Introduction. Routledge, 2008. Google Scholar. Web. 7 Apr. 2016. E First. EF EPI English Proficiency Index 2015. Education First, 2015. Web. Ennaji, Moha. Multilingualism, Cultural Identity, and Education in Morocco. Springer Science & Business Media, 2005. Google Scholar. Web. 27 Nov. 2015. Marzano, R. J. Et al. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works.â&#x20AC;? Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL). Denver, CO (2007). Tomlinson, Brian, Ed. English Language Learning Materials: A Critical Review. 1 edition. London; New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2010. Print.

Proceedings of the 36 MATE Annual Conference

Implementing Mind Mapping in ELT at the University: The case of writing and grammar Saida Hdii (School of Arts & Humanities, Beni Mellal) Smail Kerouad (School of Arts & Humanities, Meknes) Abstract ELT teachers are faced with the challenge of being up to date and finding new ways to improve and facilitate the teaching and learning process. To this end, Mind mapping, a technique developed by Buzan, has proved to be a promising instrument for the teacher and the learner alike. Our paper discusses the implementation and adaptation of Mind maps in teaching language courses, basically writing and grammar. Introduction Mind mapping, a graphic tool which was first introduced in the field of psychology by the British psychologist Tony Buzan in the late sixties, has proved to be beneficial in the teaching of foreign languages. It entered the scene in the nineties as an activity to brainstorm learnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; knowledge on a certain topic or to help them acquire items of vocabulary. In fact, as it has been noticed in some textbooks, New Interchange (Richards & Lesley, 2000) a case in point, mind mapping has become a common technique in teaching vocabulary. Recently, however, other skills are of no exception, for it has been implemented in teaching reading (Merchie & Van Keer, 2012), spelling (Al-Jarf, 2011), and writing (Riswan & Putra, 2012). This paper comes as a continuum to previous works on this promising technique, with the aim to present how it has been explored in teaching advanced composition and grammar, mainly modal auxiliary verbs. The paper is divided up into two main sections. The first one deals with an overview of mind mapping: its definition, benefits and characteristics. The second section concerns the incorporation of this tool in teaching grammar and writing at the university level. 1. Background 1.1. Defining mind mapping Buzan & Buzan (1996) defines a mind map as an expression of Radiant Thinking and is therefore a function of the human mind, and a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlocking the potential of the brain. At the heart of a mind map is a key concept from which radiate the main ideas expanding into sub-concepts through a system of branches. In other words, each idea is connected to its more or less important ideas, creating networks of relationships (Sim & Pop, 2012). Along the same lines, Metchie & Van Keer (2012) state that in a mind map, as used in the educational context, â&#x20AC;&#x153;one key concept â&#x20AC;Ś is located at the middle of the page. From this central topic, several related main topics in different colors

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are radiated out in the shape of thick branches. Attached to these main branches, other smaller branches represent related concepts” (p. 1388). Common among most definitions in the literature is the characteristic that mind mapping is a pictorial organizer; it gets its effectiveness from being a visual diagram that can attract learners’ attention, and help them recall as much information as possible. This is so since it has proved to be “a graphical technique for visualizing connections between several ideas or pieces of information” (Sim & Pop, 2012). 1.2. Benefits of mind mapping Mind maps have several benefits for the teacher and the learner alike. Within the era of student-centeredness, this technique has made the teacher’s role easier and more compatible with this approach. A fully completed mind map can help reduce teachers’ talk and enhance a students’ centered class where students feel autonomous and empowered. The teacher is at the same time a mediator, a facilitator, and a motivator. He or she can use this tool for designing courses, planning or revising lessons, and varying exercises. Since the main objective of teachers is the students’ learning outcome, mind maps represent a useful technique that can make the learning process easier, more effective and more enjoyable. This can be reached through different advantages offered by mind maps: a. Concentrating: the generated ideas revolve around and radiate out from a central theme, which permits the learner to focus on tasks and be concise and to the point for better results. b. Thought stimulating: mind maps allow generating more and more new ideas that can easily expand into larger branches allowing a flow of ideas. c. Organizing: The learning process becomes easier as mind mapping enables the organization and clarity of thoughts. It “enables students to better organize, prioritize, and integrate material presented in a course” (Al-Jarf, 2011, p. 5). This organization permits students to understand the relationship between different ideas and focus on the way they might be connected. d. Overviewing: Mind maps give an overview of an idea; you can see the whole picture, the global view of a concept. e. Memorizing: Mind maps can strengthen memory retention. Overall, this technique with its properties (e.g. colors, curving branches, and pictures) can trigger learners’ attention and enhance their motivation and confidence in their learning abilities. 1.3. Mind mapping in ELT The last few decades have noticed a growing interest in implementing mind mapping as a tool in ELT. A number of researchers have studied its effectiveness in teaching some language skills. For example, Dilek and Yuruk

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(2012) investigated the effects of using the semantic mapping technique in comparison with traditional techniques in vocabulary learning and found that the mapping tool is more effective. As for Supriyanto (2013), he conducted a study to figure out the impact of using mind mapping strategy on students’ ability in writing. The study showed that students taught by mind mapping got better scores than those taught by conventional teaching. Other researchers have integrated mind maps in teaching some skills. For instance, Al-Jarf, (2011) has used mind mapping software in teaching spelling to help learners connect the spoken form with the written text. To illustrate how she introduced the spelling of the silent letters, we borrowed the mind map that she designed as shown in the following figure:

In fact, the teaching and learning process is always in need of new strategies that can attract the learners’ interest and motivate them. This need is significant when we deal with courses that they generally consider tough or challenging such as writing and grammar. Actually, the choice of these two skills does not undermine the value of other skills, but it merely stems from the fact that writing and grammar are still, for many students, obstacles and difficult to master and also because the researchers have started exploring the use of this mind mapping technique in teaching the two aforementioned courses. It is believed that this technique can help render subjects that are hard to teach and learn more accessible and enjoyable. 2. Teaching grammar and writing using mind mapping 2.1. Teaching grammar: Modals as an example Modal auxiliary verbs have always been among the biggest challenges for both the grammar teacher and learner, given their complexity and variety of meaning. Students face difficulties in learning modals since they are different from ordinary verbs in a number of ways. First, they never take the infinitive ‘to’; second, they never take the third person singular ‘-s’ or the ‘-ed’ ending for the past; finally, they never use forms of ‘do’ or ‘be’ to make negatives, ye/no questions, or tag questions. Teachers, in turn, to successfully teach the uses of modals, strive to find meaningful and comprehensible techniques. One such

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technique that we have used and found very effective in teaching this complex grammar component is mind mapping. In the approach we adopted, mind maps are designed by the teacher and expanded upon by the learners as it will be presented in the example below. The context is the School of Arts and Humanities, Department of English, second semester students: Grammar course. Example: Teaching modal auxiliary verbs Task 1. We provide students with a handout in which we design a map, allowing them to brainstorm the different functions of modals as illustrated in the following diagram: Figure 1.

We usually help students by giving them a function (ability, for example), and then have them fill out the map with their prior knowledge on this grammar element. In this way, we try to help learners recall and discover the information, instead of being spoon-fed. After accomplishing this task by agreeing on the different functions fulfilled by modal verbs as it is shown in figure 2, we move to the second task.

Figure 2.

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Task 2. At this stage, students are given another handout in which the first function of modals is written in the center (see the figure below). We engage them to work in pairs and try to branch out the different modals that express ability. Figure 3.

Then, the teacher involves the whole class in explaining, illustrating, discussing and giving examples, and summarizes the entire task in a mind map: figure 4. Figure 4.

The same procedure is used until we cover all the functions and the variety of modals used to fulfill the different meanings. As with modal auxiliary verbs, mind mapping has been explored in teaching advanced composition. 2.2. Teaching writing: using mind maps in the stage of prewriting One of the skills that students struggle with even at an advanced level is writing. This is due to many factors, among which neglecting the process of writing and particularly the phase of prewriting is one. From our experience and observation of students during the task of writing, we have noticed that they usually spend the first ten minutes or more just thinking to find ideas without trying to write anything on the paper. Consequently, they have problems managing time, particularly during exams. Moreover, they generally spend time thinking about well formulated sentences right from the beginning; they pay attention to the structure and organization first. Another challenge that students face is that, while writing, they follow the usual order of introduction, body and conclusion. They rarely brainstorm and when they do, the ideas or concepts they put on the paper are not clear or do not follow a

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certain logic, a fact which reflects the disorder and confusion they have in their minds about the subject matter. Students also find difficulties in narrowing the topic of writing, focusing on certain aspects, and leaving others. Actually, a useful starting point for students to overcome the above obstacles is to explore more the process of writing and its different phases in order to produce a piece of writing of a good quality. Accordingly, the process of writing is an essential part of the course of advanced writing in university which also covers other important elements that can contribute to the promotion of studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; writing skills such as using professional essay models and writing mechanics. Brown (2001) argues for the development of the process approach to writing which leads to the final written product and helps students â&#x20AC;&#x153;build repertoires of strategies for prewriting, drafting, and rewritingâ&#x20AC;? (Brown, 2001, p. 335). As a matter of fact, the steps of the writing process which can help students write effectively are as follows: pre-writing, outlining, drafting, revising, and editing (see figure 5).

Figure 5. The concern of the present paper is the first stage, namely prewriting which is of a paramount significance since it involves the starting point for the writing and can help students save time for the subsequent stages. In addition to choosing and narrowing a topic, prewriting is concerned with thinking about and generating as many ideas as possible about that topic. In order to be effective and save time, two techniques can be used (see figure 6). The first one is brainstorming which involves coming up with as many ideas as possible and writing everything related to the topic. The second one, a more organized way of brainstorming, is mind mapping which is the central point of the present paper.

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Figure 6.

In this regard, the strategy of mind mapping has proved to be very useful in triggering learnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; thinking and can be an effective method for generating ideas by association. As Hayes (1992) argues, â&#x20AC;&#x153;ideas are freely associated and written out without pressure, thereby reducing tension and resistance often associated with writingâ&#x20AC;? (Cited in Supriyanto, 2013). To this end, what follows are some suggestions of creating mind maps that can be used for developing a composition and which we have used in the course of advanced writing. It is worth noting that mind maps used for the writing task generally take the form displayed in figure 7. Figure 7.

Task 1. Students can create mind maps from reading or listening tasks. They try to determine the central idea of the reading or listening, write it in the middle and start relating it with other ideas they remember until they reach a whole picture of the task. In doing so, they prepare the basis from which they can shift to the other stages of writing. Task 2. Teachers can design a map or provide ready-made maps and students can use them to develop paragraphs or essays (see figure 8)

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Figure 8.

Task 3. Teachers can provide only the main topic and write it in the center of the board, and students can create their own maps by writing all the ideas and concepts related to this topic. From this map, they can develop their own writing. (see figure 10) Figure 10.

Task 4. Students can also create a collective map on the board. When the map is ready with a number of subtopics radiating from the central idea, the teacher can use it to have a class discussion about the best order in which ideas could be presented in a composition. Students can then develop a piece of writing using the mind map on the board. Task 5. Students can create their own mind maps by choosing their favorite topics as shown in figure 11.

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Figure 11.

Conclusion In this paper we have tried to contribute to the body of research on the use of mind mapping, mainly in ELT. The incorporation of this tool in our grammar and composition courses is a new experience that has been found to be effective and promising. This conclusion is based on the researchers’ observations of the students’ enthusiasm and willingness to be engaged in the learning task given to them. The teachers have also experienced a detachment from the traditional methods of teaching at the university which are based on lecturing, a fact that facilitates the teacher’s task, reinforces his/her required role as a facilitator, a monitor, and a motivator, and finally renders his/her duty more enjoyable and relaxing. Further empirical research is needed to study the effectiveness of mind mapping in promoting learners’ motivation and ultimately in achieving a better teaching and learning outcome. References Al-Jarf, R. (2011). Teaching spelling skills with a mind-mapping software. Asian EFL Journal, 25, 4-16. Brown, D. (2001). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy. 2nd ed. New York: Longman. Buzan, T. & Buzan, B. (1996). The mind map book: How to use radiant thinking to maximize your brain’s untapped potential. New York: Penguin Book. Dilek,Y. & Yuruk, N. (2013). Using semantic mapping technique in vocabulary teaching at pre-intermediate leve. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 70, 1531-1544. Kuzmych, S. (2008). Mind mapping opens creativity of the brain. TESOLUkraine Newsletter, 14(1), 7. Merchie, M & Van Keer, H. (2012). Spontaneous Mind Map use and learning from texts: The role of instruction and student characteristics. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 69, 1387-1394.

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Richards, J. C. & Lesley, T. (2000). New Interchange: English for international communication. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Riswanto & Putra, P. P. (2012). The use of mind mapping strategy in the teaching of writing at SNAN 3 Bengkulu, Indonesia. International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(21), 60- 68. Sim, M. A. & Pop, A. M. (2012). Mind mapping and brainstorming as methods of teaching business concepts in English as a foreign language. Academica Science Journal, 1(1), 75-83. Supriyanto J. (2013). The effect of mind mapping strategy on the students â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;writing ability. JP3, 1(13), 184-190.

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School-based Activities as a Source of Professional Development: MATE CIRCLEs as Example Mohammed Hassim, ELT Supervisor Introduction Education's major goal is to prepare good citizens for the community. Apart from the family, the school is the best place for studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; socialization and education to become good citizens who can hopefully integrate smoothly in social life. The school, like most social institutions, is a community in the first place and not a gathering of students, teachers and administrators as it might look. The school has a life of its own and an internal system, and is not a mere collection of subjects, classrooms and exams. In the final run, the school is a collective culture and not a building or an academic content. What happens in schools should always bear in mind this major goal for education including both class-based activities (CBAs) and school-based activities (SBAs). 1. What are school-based activities? SBAs are educational activities that go beyond one class and involve the school while including students from different classes. SBAs may be in the form of clubs, extra-curricular activities or shows where students and administration might be involved in. They may involve one teacher or many teachers, same subject matter teachers or teachers of varied subjects, teachers from the same school or other schools, and they may also involve invited people from outside the school like experts in specific fields. SBAs may be part of a teacher or a group of teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; action plan, or they may be part of the school programme. They may also be part of a national or an international programme like MATE students-related activities, Connecting Classrooms project, iEARN and many other ones. The activities may be related to one school subject or integrated subjects. They may be related to school subjects, life skills or community service. The activities may be conducted inside or outside the school. 2. School-based activities versus class-based activities SBAs can be compared to class-based activities (CBAs) at many levels. The following table shows the main differences between the two types of activities:

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Class-based activities  Syllabus and curriculum based  Lesson-based  Limited in scope and space  Much related to exams as an ultimate goal  Classroom-based  Follows the factory model  More individualized  Local.

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School-based activities  Life skills based  Project-based  Wider in scope and space  Related to community and life  School-based and community-based  Follows a humanistic and social model  More collective and collaborative  Can go beyond the local to the national and global dimensions.

If we consider education's major goal which is to prepare good citizens for the community, schools can achieve this ultimate goal via SBAs in a better way compared to CBAs. CBAs are more related to the academic content and formal evaluation system, while SBAs are more related to personal development, social life and skill-building. 3. Benefits of school-based activities SBAs serve the very essential aspects of schools as a community based on a collective culture. These activities foster collaboration, help build a school culture and support a community structure in the school. Moreover, SBAs open the school to the community locally, nationally and internationally. As far as personality development is concerned, SBAs help develop leadership and managerial skills. They foster professional development through peers and through practice and they also nurture a sense of volunteerism and solidarity. Ultimately, they make the school work visible beyond the school itself. 4. Challenges of school-based activities Like any other educational activity, SBAs do not go without some challenges. There are at least five types of challenges. 4.1. Sometimes, teachers involved in SBAs may face lack of a flexible administration as the activities involve students and classes in activities different from the normal day-to-day activities that take place within the four walls of classrooms. The administration may consider SBAs as an additional burden they do not feel comfortable with. SBAs also create a break in the daily routine of the school life which might not be welcomed by some administrators. 4.2. The second major challenge is how to involve colleagues in SBAs which are a collective activity if the major goals are to be achieved like creating a

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community spirit and a collective culture. Otherwise, if done by the same teacher all the time, they might run the risk of being limited and fall short of impacting the whole school. Collaboration is a major element in creating a sense of belonging to a community and creating a collective culture. 4.3. Involving and seeking partners is another challenge. By its very nature, SBAs involve the whole school and sometimes they go beyond the school and open up to the community and other institutions. Therefore, working with outside school partners is always a possibility. Community service and voluntary work, for instance, would require collaborating with institutions like the houses of the elderly, youth centers, blood donation centers â&#x20AC;Ś which would push both teachers and students to seek partners. Sponsorship might be required to do certain activities, hence teachers and students need to build up skills of how to market their projects and seek help from potentially interested partners. Skills built up through these activities are related to leadership and managerial qualities that both teachers and students need in life and community service. 4.4. SBAs surely require extra time and energy on the part of both students and teachers. However, the time and energy invested in them are worthwhile because they serve in building good citizens and life skills rather than good teachers and students within the limits of the four walls of the classroom and the formal curriculum. 4.5. Sustainability is another challenge facing SBAs hard work. The fruits of SBAs are much seen when they are sustained through time and continuity. A school culture cannot be built overnight or through a single shot activity. It is built through building clear goals and short/medium/long-term planning. Then, it is sustained through collaborative work. 5. MATE CIRCLEs as an example 5.1. The general background of the project Clubs of Instructional Resources for Culture and Language Enhancement (MATE CIRCLEs) is a project launched by Moroccan Association of Teachers of English (MATE) in the school year 2015-2016. It is based on the ideas and principles of SBAs but at a wider level that includes schools nationwide. In addition to achieving the goals of SBAs as mentioned above, the project seeks to actively contribute to the efforts of the Moroccan ministry of education to implement the current educational reform in Moroccan middle and high schools. MATE CIRCLEs project has come in a critical period; a period of reform and change. So it needs to be given a boost through all MATE branches, partners and synergetic collaboration. It is also a versatile project, i.e. it is

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basically a student-centered project, but it is also an opportunity for teacher development through experimenting with new pedagogies and materials away from obsolete contexts of teaching and learning. Moreover, it is a contribution to the improvement of ELT in Morocco by its varied and non-traditional practices. 5.2. MATE CIRCLEs as a contribution to educational reform This project is based on four axes included in the priority measures adopted by the ministry of education for the current educational reform. As mentioned in the introductory document of the project issued by MATE, the project covers 4 axes included in the new educational reform; namely 1. Axis 2: Mastering foreign languages a. Strengthening foreign language learning in middle and high schools as well as changing the learning model. b. International streams of the Moroccan Baccalaureate. 2. Axis 4: Transversal competencies and self-enhancement a. Openness Institutions (cultural, artistic and sports activities and languages) b. Initiative taking and entrepreneurial spirit. 3. Axis 6: Educational training a. Coaching and training through practice b. Reviewing teacher basic training. 4. Axis 8: School ethics a. Integrity and values in Moroccan school. 5.3. Global objectives of the project Based on the introductory document of the project, the global objectives of MATE CIRCLEs are as follows:  Creating appropriate spaces to promote learnings based on new pedagogies (project-based learning, learner centeredness, 21st century skills, and the use of ICT in teaching, learning, training and activities);  Setting up platforms for experimenting with new pedagogies and enhancing teachers’ competencies through professional learning communities and peer-coaching;  Strengthening the mastery of foreign languages in an integrated way in relation to competencies, skills and the interdisciplinary relationships among the various school subjects that constitute the Moroccan curriculum;  Promoting learners’ cultural openness through joint exchange programs with foreign language speaking countries;  Supporting independent learning through enabling students to acquire autonomous and lifelong learning skills;  Encouraging learners to acquire the ability to take initiatives, engage in personal development and acquire leadership skills;

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ď&#x192;ź Enabling learners to acquire the required skills to integrate in the job market and the entrepreneurial field; ď&#x192;ź Involving learners in active citizenship behaviours, positive values and community service. 5.4. The adopted educational approaches The CIRCLEs are built upon an educational philosophy that considers the integration of language learning and culture enhancement as an integral part of language education. The project also considers the integration of culture and language at the centre of the learning process by incorporating the activities within the whole curriculum. This can also put language at the centre of society through the openness to all the components of this society. Furthermore, language will facilitate students' involvement in global projects that foster international communication, global cultural understanding and concern with global issues. These CIRCLEs are not necessarily for language learning. They are basically meant for strengthening studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; achievements and acquired knowledge and skills in all school subjects, developing their personalities, and making them active citizens both locally and globally. Hence, the learners should become active actors at both the academic and social levels. As mentioned above, all this cannot be achieved unless new learning and teaching pedagogies are adopted; such as project-based learning, learner centeredness and the acquisition of the 21st century skills. There are many definitions and frameworks for the 21st century skills in the literature, but the one adopted by this project is the one put forward by Bernie Trilling & Charles Fadel, 2009 (pp. 175-177). This framework can be summarised in this table: 12st Century Learning Skills st

3Rs X 7Cs = 12 century learning skills A. Basic skills: 3Rs 1. Reading 2. wRiting 3. aRithmetic . B. 7Cs 1. Critical thinking and problem solving 2. Creativity and innovation 3. Collaboration, teamwork, and leadership 4. Cross cultural understanding 5. Communication, information, & media literacy 6. Computing and ICT literacy 7. Career learning and self-reliance. Bernie Trilling & Charles Fadel, 2009 (pp. 175-177): 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times

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5.5. CIRCLEs’ Activities To achieve the goals mentioned above, each MATE CIRCLE should come up with an action plan that includes at least the common activities suggested by the National Committee. Of course CIRCLEs are free to take initiatives and add other activities of their own. The common activities are as follows: 1. Reading: written, visual and audio texts. 2. Creative writing: poetry, short story, articles, plays. 3. Performing arts: public speaking, acting, singing, drawing. 4. ICT skills: audio-visual skills, editing and publishing skills, internetrelated skills. Students’ run circles should also be created based on students’ common interests. These students’ circles could be: 1. Drama circle; 2. Poetry circle; 3. Public speaking circle; 4. Reading circle; 5. Journalism circle; 6. ICT circles; 7. etc. 5.6. Internal and external evaluations a. Portfolio: The portfolio is considered as an efficient tool for documentation, evaluation and showcasing achievements. MATE has prepared a clear and practical model of a portfolio with its components and how to do external and self-evaluation. b. Reporting: Each MATE CIRCLE should write at least three reports a year. The first one should be about the setting up of the CIRCLE, the managing committee and the action plan. The second report should be about the CIRCLE’s work progression. As for the third one, it should be a comprehensive report detailing all the activities carried out throughout the school year. 5.7. Teacher Training MATE CIRCLEs project is an efficient platform to train teachers through practice on the implementation of the new learning pedagogies. 5.8. The Use of ICT Thanks to their growing importance and efficient pedagogical usefulness, information and communication technologies will be used in teaching, learning, training, communication, publishing and other activities. MATE organises practical training sessions for teachers in this field.

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5.9. MATE CIRCLEs’ best practices and celebration of success MATE CIRCLEs participate in local, regional and national events to display students’ best achievements. Students, parents, administration and local and national authorities are invited to attend these events to encourage teachers’ and students’ creativity following clearly defined academic and educational standards set by MATE. Conclusion School-based activities go beyond the limits of the classroom and open to collaborative work, solidarity, a sense of belonging to the institution, building a culture of volunteerism and fostering project-based work. They also offer many opportunities for continuous professional development (CPD) that cannot be possible with classroom-based activities. However, SBAs do not go without some challenges of involving varied partners and professionals with different backgrounds, hence the need for leadership qualities and conflict resolution competencies. This paper has attempted to explore these challenges and probe opportunities for professional development. MATE CIRCLEs have been given as a practical example of a wider scheme for SBAs. This project that has been launched by MATE is a strategic project and has proven to be a successful and rewarding experience based on last year's piloting stage. With the experience MATE has gained through this project and many others, it has shifted its attention to long term projects because they have a lasting impact and show the value of this association and the maturity of its experience.

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