Lesson Plan/Teaching Ideas Reader Response Emerging Technologies
In this issue: Feature Articles Classroom Observations: Taking a Developmental Approach – Kelley Fast Enhancing the Educational Environment through Learning Technologies: Only a Question of Curriculum? – Christine Sabieh, PhD
Reviews Networking SIG Group Reports Chapter Reports
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Message from the President
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Feature Articles Christine Sabieh, PhD
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Daniel Mangrum
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Tandy Bailey
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John Allan
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David R. Byrd
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Ian Cull
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Peter B. McLaren
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Neil McBeath
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Colin Toms
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Neil McBeath
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Dr. Kirti Khanzode
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Neil McBeath
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David Litz
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Justin Shewell
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Kelley Fast
Classroom Observations: Taking a Developmental Approach Enhancing the Educational Environment through Learning Technologies: Only a Question of Curriculum?
Reader Response / Lesson Ideas Response to an Unpopular Opinion Speaking is in the Cards
Emerging Technologies Are Language Teachers Suffering from Technology Overload?
Reviews Guided Writing: Practical Lessons, Powerful Results Cambridge English Readers Strategic Reading 1, 2 & 3: Building Effective Reading Skills By Hook or by Crook: A Journey in Search of English English for Business Life
Networking Middle East and North Africa Writing Center Alliance Conference (MENAWCA) What NeuroLinguistic-Programming Has to Offer Your Students Oman Ministry of Manpower, Colleges of Technology ELT Conference 5th Annual CamTESOL Conference on English Language Teaching Uncharted Mountains, Forging New Pathways: TESOL International 2009
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Calendar of Upcoming Events
TESOL Arabia News Special Interest Group Reports
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Chapter Reports
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TESOL Arabia Membership Form
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Perspectives Contributor Guidelines
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Co-Editors Melanie Gobert / Rebecca Woll Abu Dhabi Men's College
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Copy Editor Allestree Fisher Abu Dhabi Men's College Abu Dhabi, UAE
With our first issue of Perspectives behind us, Melanie and I are excited to bring you our “sophomore” issue. Here is a summary of the contents within: Our Past President, Les Kirkham, and Member-At-Large, Sandra Oddy, have provided a thorough write-up of the 15th Annual TESOL Arabia Conference, which by all accounts was a great success. And as our new President, Josephine Kennedy will attest, plans are already underway for next year’s conference which will be held at Zayed University in Dubai.
Reviews Editor Atta Gebril UAE University Al Ain, UAE
Dr. Christine Sabieh, in the first of our two feature articles, “Enhancing the Educational Environment through Learning Technologies: Only a Question of Curriculum,” discusses the advantages and limitations of using Learning Technologies in a classroom setting and maintains that planning how they will be used is the key to achieving their greatest effectiveness. While Kelley Fast, in our second feature article, “Classroom Observations: Taking a Developmental Approach,” looks at the sharp differences between teaching observations done for the purpose of evaluation versus those done as a means to develop the teacher professionally. She also advocates adopting a reflective approach to classroom observations so that teachers may be made increasingly self-aware of their teaching practices and achieve greater autonomy.
Publication Committee Mashael Al Hamly Kuwait Embassy in Dubai Dubai, UAE Rebecca Woll Abu Dhabi Men's College Abu Dhabi, UAE Melanie Gobert Abu Dhabi Men's College Abu Dhabi, UAE Sufian Abu Rmaileh UAE University Al Ain, UAE
We are also pleased to report that Daniel Mangrum has provided a thought-provoking Readers Response to Nick Poultney’s article from our last issue, “Reflections in the Gulf.” Whether you share Nick‘s or Daniel’s opinion, we are sure that all can agree it is quite stimulating to engage in a healthy debate of educational issues. John Allen, in an Emerging Technologies article entitled, “Technology Overload for Language Teachers,” provides a detailed overview of the various types of technology with which we educators must contend on a daily basis. Seeing a technologically exhaustive list such as this all compiled into one article, is it any wonder that most of us experience moments when we wish we could return to the days of blackboard and chalk?
Advisory Panel Fatma Alwan Supervisor, Ministry of Education, UAE Christine Coombe Dubai Men’s College Dubai, UAE Kourosh Lachini University of Qatar Doha, Qatar Janet Olearski Petroleum Institute Abu Dhabi, UAE Olivia Riordan American University of Sharjah Sharjah, UAE Richard Harrison Oman-German University of Technology Muscat, Oman Lynne Ronesi American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE Nicolas Moore Khalifa University Abu Dhabi, UAE
Finally, we have a simple but effective speaking activity from Tandy Bailey, “Speaking is in the Cards.” This activity is actually a game (for we all know how much our students adore competition!), designed to promote both accuracy as well as fluency. We sincerely hope that you are able to find something within these pages that either stimulates, provokes or engages you to some degree. Please do not hesitate to let us know what you think, whether it be positive or negative. Also remember that we always welcome submissions, from those who have graced these pages before as well as from new contributors. Send any/all feedback and submissions to either rwoll@hct.ac.ae or mgobert@hct.ac.ae Until we see you again in November, have a restful, and fantastic summer!
CREDITS Rebecca Woll
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Layout / Artwork
Melanie Gobert
Sudeep Kumar
Co-Editors, Perspectives
Printing International Printing Press Dubai, UAE
The co-editors would like to remind the readers that the views expressed in this periodical are those of the individual authors. These views are not necessarily shared by the other authors in this issue or by TESOL Arabia. Responsibility for the content and opinion of articles and advertisements rests with the authors. TESOL Arabia is a non-profit organisation based in the United Arab Emirates with membership from the Arabian Gulf and beyond. TESOL Arabia does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, gender, national origin, disability, religion, age, or native language. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.tesolarabia.org
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Dear Colleagues, If you were to ask me what my “vision” is for the next year, I don’t know if I could identify one objective I hope to accomplish or one thing that I seek to promote within TESOL Arabia. What I could tell you about is my admiration for the many things TESOL Arabia does and my desire to sustain and build upon the work of those before me. TESOL Arabia’s greatest role in the region is the promotion of professional development opportunities for teachers across the Gulf. Through regional conferences, chapter activities and Special Interest Group events, teachers have the chance to develop their practice and share their knowledge and experience with their peers. I believe that the colleagueship these opportunities provide help us sustain the energy and enthusiasm we need to remain inspired and inspiring educators. All of this, however, would not be possible without the work of many volunteers who donate their time and energy to support teachers. I admire the dedication of TESOL Arabia members who take time out from the demands of work and family to contribute to their peers, and to the health and wellbeing of TESOL Arabia. My only concern is that there are not enough of these people. I hope to encourage others to take part and contribute their expertise and interest. Even the smallest contribution will lighten the load shouldered by your colleagues and will increase the benefits enjoyed by all TESOL Arabia members. I encourage all members to ask, “What can I do?” I hope you will realize how much you have to offer. I couldn’t begin this year without offering my profound thanks to Les Kirkham and Sandra Oddy for their work in co-chairing this year’s TESOL Arabia conference. Under the theme "Emerging in Learning: Learning in English," the conference, held at the JW Marriott, attracted a grand total of 1,580 participants to consider the implications and importance of CLIL. The organization of the conference, the quality of services and amenities offered, and the presenters themselves all set a standard that I will work to see is matched at our next conference. With that in mind, preparations for next year’s conference are underway. Chaired by Mashael Al Hamly and me, the 2010 conference will be hosted by Zayed University in Dubai, from March 11-13. The theme of the conference will be "Transformations in TESOL." By its very nature, teaching is a transformative process, capable of changing students, teachers, and institutions. At next year’s conference, we hope to look at the changing face of language education here in the Gulf. Presenters will discuss innovations in teaching, learning and leadership; the changes teachers face both individually and at the institutional level; and the changes we can foster in our students, our institutions and ourselves. The next year promises to be full of challenges and opportunities for language educators and for TESOL Arabia. I look forward to your support and efforts in making the most of what the year has to offer. Thank you,
Josephine Clark Kennedy President, TESOL Arabia
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TESOL Arabia Conference Report
15th Annual TESOL Arabia Conference and International Exhibition Report Les Kirkham & Sandra Oddy, Conference Co-Chairs, TACon 2009
This year’s conference, as most of you will know, was held at the JW Marriott Hotel in Deira, Dubai, a venue for which many delegates in 2007 had high praise. This year proved no different, with TESOL Arabia room bookings at the hotel exceeding the initial number of reserved rooms, and with many other delegates opting to stay in various hotels within walking distance. The total attendance this year was well up to our usual levels at 1,580 participants.
English language and content area learning in the country. Judging by the conference evaluations that have come in, this year’s plenary and featured speakers proved to be among the best lineups that we have had at a TESOL Arabia Conference. They ranged from the outright entertaining (George Pickering, Tom Farrell) to the considered and authoritative (Paul Nation, David Marsh, Barbara Seidlhofer), with all the others contributing in their individual ways. Jane Willis and Dave Willis, Phil Benson, Ema Ushioda, Beverly Derewianka, Cheryl Zimmerman and Mario Rinvolucri all contributed excellently to the conference. We were also fortunate to have Sean Conley, Johnette Downing, Kay Bentley and our own Christine Coombe as invited speakers. There was something for everyone, from the more academic amongst us to the more practical-minded. Two remarks made by invited speakers are worth repeating. Mario Rinvolucri commented on the wide variety of presentations and presenters on offer for the delegates, and Phil Benson remarked on the high degree of interactivity and audience participation.
HE Shaikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan delivers the keynote speech.
We were again privileged to have HE Shaikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, open the event and deliver the keynote speech. During his speech His Excellency emphasised how the phenomenon of globalization needs to be tempered with increased skills of communication and cultural understanding, in which English language teachers have an important role. He also welcomed the participation of subject area teachers in view of the integration of
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The later starting times and earlier finishing times seemed to work well, with all opening and closing plenary sessions being very well attended, most being full to capacity. This year we were also successful in enticing to the conference content teachers who teach in English. This is a trend we would like to continue and build on in the future. It was for this reason we had a dedicated Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) strand that provided presentations relevant to this area in every break-out slot.
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There were aspects of the conference which could stand to be improved, one of which was the onsite registration on the first day. This needs to be sped up and made more accurate. We will be working with our processing company to improve upon this next year.
A “full house” for Paul Nation, one of the popular Plenary Speakers.
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Bronze Sponsors were Bahrain Polytechnic, the Emirates College for Advanced Education, Heinle, Oxford University Press, Pearson, the Petroleum Institute, the University of Wollongong in Dubai, and Zayed University. Our sincere thanks go to all of them.
Peter Davidson, 2009 recipient of the TESOL Arabia Professional Service Award, with Les Kirkham.
The Pre-Conference Events proved very successful, with the one entitled “Vocabulary Acquisition and Teaching” being sold out well before the early bird registration deadline. As further proof of the high level of interest it generated, even on the actual day of the event, more people were still trying to gain entry.
We know next year’s Co-Chairs, Jo Kennedy and Mashael Al Hamly, will continue the tradition of bringing quality professional development to TESOL Arabia members at the TESOL Arabia International Conference & Exhibition 2010. We look forward to seeing you all there.
However, the Exhibitors Strand was not as well attended as we had hoped. We need to get together with the publishers, who were very keen on the idea, and see what we need to do in the future. We think it may be worth pursuing for at least another year. In contrast, the Exhibition was fully booked, and we had, reluctantly, to turn away further potential exhibitors due to lack of space. A further bright spot is that we had record cash sponsorship this year and are therefore very grateful to all our sponsors, especially Nord Anglia, our Platinum Sponsor. Our Gold Sponsors were AMIDEAST, the British Council, the Higher Colleges of Technology, and the United Arab Emirates University. The Silver Sponsors were Arab Gulf Education, International House, and the University of Sharjah. Our
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Hedi Guefrachi, 2009 recipient of the TESOL Arabia Professional Service Award, with Les Kirkham.
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Classroom Observations: Taking a Developmental Approach Introduction Both new and experienced language teachers can expect to participate in classroom observations over the course of their careers. Because of a keen interest in not only teacher accountability, but also teacher development, various types of classroom observations are being conducted in all types of language school settings (Cosh, 1999). The type of experience a teacher has largely depends on the purpose of the observation. The type of observation being conducted will affect who observes, who benefits from the observation, the focus of the observation, and what happens before and after the observation (Malderez, 2003). Traditionally, observations have been used primarily by managers and trainers as forms of evaluation. However, observations are also being used by teachers and trainers as tools for development (Malderez, 2003; Wajnryb, 1992). While there may be a need for both, there are sharp differences in the principles and practices of observations done for evaluation and those done for development. This article highlights some of these differences, and suggests that when teachers take a reflective approach to classroom observation, meaningful development, self-awareness and autonomy are possible.
Observations for Evaluation When a classroom observation is used for supervision or evaluation, the overall guiding principle is that the observer assumes the role of authority and makes judgments on what is observed. This top-down approach to observation may be used by managers as a form of appraisal, or by trainers as a way to either help teachers or to determine who passes or fails a course (Malderez, 2003).
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Kelley Fast Intensive English Program, American University of Sharjah
Furthermore, the observer is responsible for directing, informing, and advising teachers, modeling teaching behavior, and evaluating how well teachers perform various tasks in the classroom (Gebhard, 1990). This model of observation is prescriptive in nature and is based on the assumption that “good” and “bad” teaching can be defined (Williams, 1989). The primary goal of this model of observation is to help teachers being observed change, develop, and improve their teaching based on the “… experts’ opinions, theories, or external sources of knowledge…” (Richards & Lockhart, 1993, p. 3). While administrators and trainers may find evaluative observations effective for accountability, this form of observation has weaknesses. Perhaps the biggest weakness is the assumption that teaching can be defined in terms of “good” and “bad.” Research shows that there is a problem defining what “good” teaching is as there is no proof of any one method being “best” (Cosh, 1999; Gebhard, 1990, Williams, 1989). Many teachers use a variety of teaching methods and approaches in the classroom depending on the needs and demands of the class (Richards & Lockhart, 1993), but by assuming there is a “best” method, teachers’ personal teaching styles and responses to various situations are dismissed. A second weakness is the questionable validity of the checklists often used in observations for evaluation. O’ Leary (2004, pp. 14-16), as cited in Leshem and Bar Hama (2008, p. 261), argued that 1. A lesson is a complete entity and cannot be dissected into separate parts. 2. Criteria for effective teaching differ for every instructional situation.
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3. Checklists measure low interference skills and these are limited because they tell us very little about teacher behavior and the learning process itself. 4. Effective teaching manifests itself in high interference skills, which are fundamentally qualitative. 5. Adopting a quantitative approach is discouraging and undermining to teachers. Thus, while checklists may be useful for collecting quantitative data (Farrell, 2004), they may not be a useful tool to measure effective teaching given that they are too directive in nature. A final weakness of these types of observations is the fact that they are prescriptive in nature (Williams, 1989). Being prescriptive encourages a problemsolving attitude. Gebhard (2005) argues that prescriptions may make teachers feel the need to comply with the suggestions of the authority. If this is the case, this puts teachers at a great disadvantage in that it makes them less autonomous and less willing to explore new ways of approaching their teaching for fear of not doing something the “right” way. Indeed, observations for evaluation are not conducive to active development when the focus is on being developed rather than on self-development (Cosh, 1999).
Observations for Development Because of the constricting and sometimes threatening nature of evaluative observations (Cosh, 1999; Wajnryb, 1992), many teachers may think of observations in only negative terms. However, observations can be used by teachers as tools to discover new aspects of teaching. In a developmental approach, the primary principle is for the teacher to take responsibility for the observation and to use it as a way of gathering information about teaching and what happens in the classroom (Richards & Farrell, 2005). Next, in observations based on reflection, importance is put on exploration and self-awareness, in that the teacher sees the observation as an opportunity to see his or her own teaching differently (Fanselow, 1990; Gebhard, 2005). Richards and Lockhart (1993) stated that through self-inquiry teachers can learn a lot about teaching. Furthermore, models of observation with an emphasis on development are
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descriptive in nature. Gebhard (2005) has argued that, “It is through descriptions more than prescriptions, we can gain deeper awareness of our teaching and to see our teaching differently” (p. 4). Finally, the primary goal of observations geared toward development is not for teachers to try to change or improve based on the values and opinions of others, but for teachers to become more selfaware and to take responsibility for their own development.
In Practice Classroom observations with a focus on development can be done alone, with a peer, or with a trainer/manager, and they are primarily teacher-initiated (Richards & Farrell, 2005). Next, the focus of a developmental observation is selfdirected (Gebhard, 2005; Farrell, 2004; Williams, 1989). In other words, the teacher chooses an area of interest or concern to focus on during the observation (Williams, 1989). Richards and Farrell (2005) add that after the data is collected and analyzed in a descriptive, non-judgmental way, teachers then work to interpret and reflect on their findings. This type of observation allows teachers to become more aware of what they do in the class, and allows them to compare what they do with their beliefs (Farrell, 2004). Below are some of the commonalities of self, trainers/managers, and peers taking a developmental approach.
Self-Observations When being observed by someone else, some teachers may feel that they have to defend their practices (Farrell, 2004). One way to become more comfortable with classroom observations is to start with self-observations. “Self-observation…refers to activities in which information about one’s teaching is documented or recorded in order to review or evaluate teaching” (Richards & Farrell, 2005, p. 34). Individual teachers record and watch videotapes of their own classes, describe aspects of the class and then analyze and interpret the data alone (Farrell, 2004). This is perhaps the least threatening form of classroom observation, but this reflective approach still lends itself to self-awareness and development. There are many benefits of conducting selfobservations. First, Richards and Farrell (2005) stated that this type of observation provides teachers
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with an objective account of what really happens in the classroom as opposed to what they think happens. Richards and Farrell add that because it is teacher-initiated, it can be done privately and teachers can arrive at their own conclusions. Finally, self-observations can be used to build confidence. Once a certain level of confidence has been achieved, a shift to participating in peer observations may follow (Farrell, 2004).
Trainer/Manager Observations Trainers and managers can also go into classrooms to observe with the intention of acting as collaborators (Williams, 1989; Gebhard, 1990). Instead of managers and trainers telling teachers what should have been done, they ask questions including “What did you think of the lesson? How did it go? Did you meet your objectives?” (Gebhard, 1990, p. 160). With this method of observation, teachers learn to develop their own judgments about the lesson and take a certain amount of responsibility for the observation. In a model used by Williams (1989), a questionnaire was given to teachers to complete before and after the lesson. This questionnaire was the result of wanting the observation to focus on seven basic principles including, among other things, development, focused content, and teachercenteredness. Self-awareness was integrated into the observation. The benefit of trainers and managers taking this approach is that teachers are given the freedom to explore their own teaching. This in turn leads to more informed decision making on the part of the teachers (Farrell, 2004). In addition, the responsibility for making judgments is taken off the trainers and managers as the teachers are encouraged to take responsibility for their own development. However, there are some possible weaknesses to be considered. For example, Wajnryb (1992) pointed out that doing observations encouraging teachers to take responsibility for their teaching and evaluation can be difficult if trainers do not want to give up the dominant role. Also, some teachers may not be ready to become more independent (Wajnryb). However, Wajnryb believed there is still a need for the person being observed to make decisions, at least about the focus of the observation. Volume 16
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Peer Observations Peer observation is when an observer watches a lesson “…in order to gain an understanding of some aspect of teaching, learning, or classroom interaction” (Richards & Farrell, 2005, p. 85). The words “in order to gain an understanding” are key to understanding how, like self-observations, peer observations can be used for purposes of development rather than evaluation. Cosh (1999) suggested that peer observation be an opportunity for observers to reassess their assumptions by looking at their own teaching adding that “…there is a great deal to be learnt by reassessing our teaching in the light of other teaching styles” (p. 25). For peer observation to be effective, researchers suggest a number of specific guidelines to follow. First, teachers interested in conducting peer observations need to choose someone they trust (Farrell, 2004). They should then hold a preobservation meeting to discuss the background of the class, and the guidelines for the observations, including how often they will occur. Gebhard (2005) added that this meeting is necessary so that both the observer and the observed have the opportunity to benefit from the experience. Another reason for this meeting is to reassure the observed teachers that they still have control of the situation (Cosh, 1999). Next, the observation takes place. Certain aspects of the teaching are recorded in a systematic and non-judgmental way (Day, 1990; Gebhard, 1990; Richards & Farrell, 2005). Finally, a post-observation meeting is arranged as some sort of feedback is needed for the development to occur (Cosh; Richards & Farrell). Following these guidelines will help teachers take a reflective approach to peer observations. The benefits of participating in peer observations are numerous. First, instead of being passive, peer observations make teachers active in their development. Cosh (1999) suggested moving away from a focus “…on the development of the person observed and on the assumption that people improve and develop best through the comments and knowledge of others” (p. 24). Next, in this type of observation, teachers become more aware of what they do by observing others and reflecting on their own practices. Cosh
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supported this stating “…genuine development comes about through self-awareness, reflection, and open-mindedness to other approaches and styles” (p. 25). However, Whalen, de Bie, Morrison, and Beausoliel (1994) cautioned that the peer relationship can be productive only as long as the teachers recognize differences in teaching styles “…without feeling threatened” (p. 568). The peer relationship must be built on trust and the peers are there to challenge and support one another (Farrell, 2004). Over the course of my teaching career, I have been observed and have observed others a number of times and the experiences have been quite different depending on the focus and formats used. Most recently, I initiated a peer observation and found this to be very informative. The goal was to know more about how I used questions in the classroom. The idea of examining the use of questions came from two sources. First, I remembered a comment a student once made to me while I was setting up my classroom. This student came in early and sat in his usual seat. I suggested that he try sitting in another seat in another group just for a change. His response thoroughly surprised me. He told me he liked where he sat because he felt students on one side of the room were asked more questions than students on the other side. After this, I made a very conscious effort to look at, and call on, students from all parts of the room. Second, while completing my MA, I developed a strong interest in reflective practice and the importance and value of looking at my own teaching in a different way. In one of my classes, we were talking about the types of questions teachers used in the classroom, and I realized that I had never thought about my own questioning technique in terms of the types of questions I asked. As a result, I decided to make this the focus of the observation. The process began by asking a trusted colleague if she would be interested in coming into my classroom to observe how I used questions. After she agreed, a short meeting was held where we discussed how long the observation would last and what exactly she would be watching for. The following form was devised to use during the observation.
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Peer Observation Part 1: Please put a check below every time I ask a male or female a question (Or, if I put a question to the whole class, to whom do I call on for an answer – a male or a female?) MALE J
FEMALE J
Part 2: Please put a check when you hear me ask the following types of questions: YES/NO: WH (for comprehension): WH (to make them think more deeply): Part 3: Please put a check every time I check for understanding (Do you understand?) Part 4 (ME): Analysis 1. What do the numbers look like? 2. Is there a balance in all areas? 3. In terms of my use of questions, what might I need to be more aware of or change? At the end of the lesson, she returned the form and together we looked at it. What I discovered was that my questions were very evenly distributed amongst my male and female students. Surprisingly, I found that I asked far more questions than I ever thought with a total of 61 questions in a one-hour writing class. There was a good balance of checks in the various categories and in the end, I was satisfied with my questioning technique. This experience was very positive. First, because the person observing was someone trusted and the observation was teacher-initiated, there was no anxiety involved. Second, it was valuable examining something that no one in the past had ever commented on, but which I felt was important. Third, it gave me the confidence and desire to examine other aspects of my teaching in a similar non-judgmental way. The person observing also found the experience beneficial stating that it made her more open to being observed and that it reawakened her interest in reflective practice.
Conclusion In conclusion, before any observation is conducted, it is important to clearly define its purpose. If the purpose is to encourage development, an emphasis must be put on increasing teachers’ levels of TESOL Arabia Perspectives
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awareness and encouraging that observations be used as opportunities for exploration and reflection. To do this, teachers need to initiate the observations. Furthermore, teachers need to take responsibility for determining the focus of the observation and for collecting, analyzing, and reflecting on the descriptions of the lessons (Richards & Farrell, 2005). By doing this, teachers become empowered and are better able to make their own decisions about what happens in the classroom. Cosh (1999) argued “…toward a view of the experienced teacher as professional, with autonomy and independence, and as the initiator of his/her own development, rather than as a skilled workman/woman dependent on development by others” (p. 26).
References Cosh, J. (1999). Peer observation: A reflective model. ELT Journal, 53(1), 22-27. Day, R. (1990). Teacher observation in second language teacher education. In J. Richards & D. Nunan (Eds.), Second language teacher education (pp. 43-61). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Fanselow, J. F. (1990). Let’s see: Contrasting conversations about teaching. In J. Richards & D. Nunan (Eds.), Second language teacher education (pp. 182-197). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Farrell, T. S. C. (2004). Reflective practice in action: 80 reflection breaks for busy teachers. California: Corwin Press. Gebhard, J. G. (2005). Teacher development through exploration: Principles, ways and examples. TESLEJ, 9(2), 1-16. Retrieved on October 3, 2005, from http://tesl-ej.org/ej34/a4.html
Gebhard, J. G. (1990). Models of supervision: Choices. In J. C. Richards & D. Nunan (Eds.), Second language teacher education (pp. 156-166). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Leshem, S. & Bar-Hamam R. (2008). Evaluating teacher practice. ELT Journal, 62(3), 257-265. Malderez, A. (2003). Observation. ELT Journal, 57(2), 179-181. O’Leary, M. (2004). Inspecting the observation process: Classroom observations under the spotlight. IATEFL Teacher Development Newsletter SIG, 1(4), 14-16. Richards, J. C. & Farrell, T, S. C. (2005). Professional development for language teachers. New York: Cambridge University Press. Richards, J. C. & Lockhart, C. (1993). Reflective teaching in second language classrooms. New York: Cambridge University Press. Wajnryb, R. (1992). Classroom observation tasks: A resource book for language teachers and trainers. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Whalen, K., de Bie, M., Morrison, L. & Beausoleil, D. (1994). Peer-pairing: The first steps of an enquiry into the processes of teaching and learning in the second language classroom. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 50(3), 558-574. Williams, M. (1989). A developmental view of classroom observation. ELT Journal, 43(2), 85-91.
Biography: Kelley Fast has an MA in applied Linguistics/TESL. Over the last 20 years, she has taught in Canada, Australia, Japan, and the U.A.E. Her professional interests include vocabulary building strategies and professional development in the workplace.
TESOL Arabia Chapters and Events For more information about TESOL Arabia Chapters and their events, please visit
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Enhancing the Educational Environment through Learning Technologies: Only a Question of Curriculum?
Christine Sabieh, PhD Notre Dame University
Educators plan learning environments to enhance the teaching of content and the learning of students. However, the ideal scenario does not always happen. Applying learning technologies (LT) to the curriculum and class setting must be planned to ensure evaluation of effective LT use in context. It is not a mere thinking step in the overall planning of the lesson. The researcher will discuss the advantages and limitations to integrating learning tools in the curriculum to enable educators to evaluate the use of LT as a means to an end and will discuss the context in which to use LTs so that they enhance the teaching and learning. Educators must understand the relationship that exists between the teaching, the learning and the tools used to ensure that needs are qualifiedly met.
Introduction Educators plan learning environments to enhance the teaching of content and the learning of students. Educators are expected to plan the learning which is to happen, to decide upon the methodology which will be used to ensure such learning, to devise ways in which to motivate students to remain on task throughout a lesson, and to prepare ways in which a learning technology may be used so as to create an ideal learning setting. However, the ideal scenario does not always happen. The underlying premise of this article advocates the following: Applying learning technologies to a curriculum and a class setting must be planned if it is to ensure the evaluation of effective learning technologies in context (Sabieh, Bahous, Kfouri, Samra, & Yazigy, 2005.)
The Definition of Learning Technology It is important that educators understand the definition of a learning technology or tool. Accordingly, I believe that a learning technology, in any given context, is a medium, or rather, a channel of communication. The learning technology acts as a conduit between a teacher and a student or students. It is what links a source to a receiver or receivers (Heinich, Molenda, Russell, & Smaldino, 2002). Thus, any learning technology utilized must have a
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presentation technology component – something I refer to as a “plug-in” – and a distribution technology component which may be a cable TV, a CD-Rom, an email message, the Internet, or the intranet (Marquardt & Kearsley, 1999). Learning technologies or tools used in a teaching/learning environment may be divided up into two categories: plug-ins and non-plug-ins. Plug-ins are tools that need an electric current to function such as an overhead projector, a television, a video, an audio cassette recorder, a DVD player, a computer, multimedia computer applications, teleconferencing exchanges, or virtual reality computer interactivity. Non-plug-in examples are print material, material objects, chalkboards, whiteboards, flip charts, bulletin boards, and maps to name a few (Brunner & Tally, 1999; Davis, 1998). I would also consider the course instructor and the student as two more examples of possible learning technologies. In this article, however, the focus will be on plug-ins as the type of learning technology. The first thing to consider for any tool’s use and/or integration is clarity and proper learning technology use so as to enhance the teaching/learning setting. As users of technology, educators may take for granted, for example, what the Microsoft© PowerPoint program facilitates educators to do when creating a presentation (Sabieh, 2003).
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PowerPoint provides a template and allows educators to insert information onto slides. Yet, how many educators know that a PowerPoint slide must be kept simple, must ensure audience visibility, may explore sight and sound options, and must capture the message in print? Furthermore, how many educators consider font size, the 6 x 6 rule, the font type, and the use of colors? Finally, how many educators know that it is vital to remain calm when faced with a presentation that does not work?
Purpose The purpose of this article is fourfold. Its first purpose is to ensure that a learning technology is used effectively to enhance both the teaching and the learning which is to take place. Its second purpose is to show how a learning technology may be integrated into a lesson plan so as to guarantee learning outcomes. Its third purpose is to evaluate the use of a learning technology as a means to an end. Its fourth purpose is to consider the content utilized with the learning technology so that it enhances the teaching and the learning message.
Ensuring, Integrating and Evaluating Using the Disney film, Nemo (Disney-Pixar, 2003), I will address three of the four purposes. If an audience is familiar with the movie, then it goes without saying that there is no need for the audience to be given instructions as to how to watch the movie segment. On the other hand, if the audience is not familiar with the movie and is asked the question “Why was Nemo’s father overly protective of Nemo?” the audience needs to decide if the question can be answered from the viewed segment alone. Moreover, as educators, it is important that we ask ourselves if the segment the audience is to watch is too long and overloaded with information, thus making it difficult to take in with just one viewing. Likewise, educators also need to ask themselves if they should give the audience a viewing focus beforehand as to what they should carefully watch out for while viewing the segment. It is important that educators consider the combined use of the learning technology and the process of learning in the teaching/learning environment. If an audience is familiar with the movie in its entirety, they may easily be able to answer the question as to
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why Nemo’s father is overly protective of his son since they will know Nemo’s mother was killed out in the open sea. However, for an audience which is unfamiliar with the film’s plot, the segment they view which reveals the answer to this question, may have too much extraneous information to be understood in one viewing. A focus question should therefore be given to act as a guide, to enable them to know what to focus on, and to enable them to select and attend to the needed information. Only if they were paying close attention would the audience be able to pick up the fact that Nemo was physically disabled with a small fin. The point to be made here is that educators must at all times deliver clear instructions to students.
Enhancing the Teaching/Learning Message As noted above, the fourth purpose of this article is to consider the content to use with the learning technology so that it enhances both the teaching and the learning message. One way to measure content comprehension is to ask a chain question. That is, the answer to one question leads to another question being asked. For example, the audience could be asked “Did any of the other fish look like Nemo?” The assumption would be that the audience answers “Yes,” because from the segment of film watched, the audience should recognize that Nemo’s father was also a clownfish. Likewise, the film shows that Nemo and his father live in a specific area underwater, and that Nemo’s friends have disabilities and incompatibilities. It is important that what is seen in the learning technology is also understood by the audience.
Decision Factors The learning technology choice must be based on several factors. It must be based on a theme, the learner’s age, the learner’s ability, the learner’s cognitive maturity, the lesson’s objectives or purpose, and the learning outcome or outcomes. The film may be used by educators in several ways. First of all, it may be used to teach respect and diversity awareness. For example, students can be made aware of different types of fish or different types of disabilities. The film might also be used to teach role-identity and the importance of parentchild bonding. Moreover, the film could be used to teach students morals and rules and/or social skills.
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Finally, the film might be used to teach students basic scientific knowledge about the underwater world. It is up to the educator to decide what message the learning technology is to send out to students.
Audio Learning Technology
The use of a learning technology is to alter day-today teaching/learning routines (Marquardt & Kearsley, 1999). However, educators must organize its use in advance in relation to the educational set up. It is important that, as a medium, the learning technology becomes integrated into the room setting. Likewise, it is important that educators develop lesson and tool objectives which can be used to measure appropriate learning outcomes. Educators need to be able to evaluate the use of the learning technology and its impact on the students’ mental abilities, feelings, values, interdependent skills, senses and/or motor skills. To this end, it is important that educators be clear with their instructions while using the learning technology since learning involves encoding information through the senses, specifically the students’ ears and eyes. For it is through the learning technology medium that the students code and decode the content. The use of the learning technology is to place the learners in direct contact with the message and for this contact to be in an active engagement mode. Thus, the points to consider ensuring this happens are straightforward. Educators must determine the objective of each learning outcome via the use of the learning technology and its content exposure. They should state how a specific learning technology is to be used in terms of task clarity. Students should know if they are expected to listen or to watch, which sense to use, what type of activity to engage in, and for how long they should remain engaged on the task. That is why it is very important that educators define the activity by the students’ linguistic level and not by the language of the content material. Through clear instruction, all of this can be done effectively. For example, when an audience is to listen carefully to an audiotape to identify the overall content of the message or to listen for distinguishing characteristics to help them determine what they are listening to, it is expected that the task focus is on getting the audience to use the learning technology for sound purposes.
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To provide an example of how to use audio and video technology, a three-minute soft drink advertisement will be used. What the audience heard was opposite to what the audience saw in the advertisement. In the advertisement, a researcher was reporting on how primates were not able to follow instructions and problem-solve; however, the visual showed the opposite. It showed that the primates worked together effectively as a team and were able to solve the problem placed before them. The primates used problem-solving skills to get a key from a table close to the cage in which they were held. They were then able to use the key to get out of the cage. They then went over to a vending machine, pressed the correct information to select a soft drink, got the can out of the machine and took it over to the researcher to drink while she worked. The following is an example of using audio technology during a presentation. First of all, the audience was asked to identify a content message by auditory means only and to compare the ability of primates to that of humans, the so-called “missing link” as proposed in the three-minute advertisement they listened to. In the advertisement, the audience heard the sound of typing and the sound of the monkeys. Given that, they were asked to answer some true or false statements. (See Appendix.) The typing on a keyboard heard in the background, as well as the sounds made by the monkeys, prompted the audience to identify both of these as distinguishing characteristics which helped them determine what they were listening to. Content-wise, listening to the material could be used by educators to teach subjects, such as English and science. More specifically, it could be used to teach research reporting, data collecting or advertising. Audio-learning technology allows educators to exploit sense mediums and to relate listening to specific sense-skill activities in such a way that the listening skill may also be used to focus on writing and speaking outcomes. In other words, educators can use the audio-learning technology as a springboard into activities such as making lists, identifying features, or outlining, so that they may practice other language skills.
Video Learning Technology The same sort of exercise used with a videolearning technology creates a different working TESOL Arabia Perspectives
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medium in which the use of two senses becomes an automatic need to enable the viewers to make sense of what they are seeing and what they are hearing. The two senses working in tandem allow the audience to evaluate and determine the outcome message. This is easily shown in an activity the audience was asked to carry out. First, the audience was asked to hear the three-minute soft drink advertisement and answer a list of true or false statements. In that instance, the audience was expected to use their sense of hearing to answer the statements. Using the same advertisement, the same exercise, with the same true/false statements, was repeated, but, this time, the video was used instead of an audiotape. In this instance, the audience was expected to use both their senses. The answers to the true or false statements were the opposite simply because what the audience saw was different from what they had heard when they were listening exclusively to the segment without the benefit of visual input. Thus, by using the video as a tool the audience was given an opportunity to use their two senses together to make a judgment as to which statements were true or false. In general, when educators use an audio-learning technology, the intended purpose is for the learning to be based on identifying and recognizing information. In other words, the decoding of information so as to better understand it, and then coding it in a new way so as to maximize comprehension. However, when an educator uses a video-learning technology, the intended purpose would be to use the created medium in a way which compares what is seen to what is heard and to decide what is relevant. Observers are able to decide on the power of the message dissipated and the relevance of the content vis-a-vis the task requested or the language used in order to delineate the task.
Linguistic Competence and Activity Type Educators need to predetermine the level of linguistic competence needed in order to perform an activity. Basically, when the student level is elementary or basic, it is important that educators start by creating tasks that enable learners to focus and isolate language items. Similarly, should the student level be intermediate, educators then need to create tasks that focus on the use of language to give an overall message or summary of the content.
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Should the student level be advanced, educators need to create tasks that focus on the extended use of the language as a tool to enhance overall learning. In other words, it is important that educators create activities and tasks based on linguistic competence rather than by the language used in the video material. That is why educators need to recognize the type of activity being used with the learning technology and base activities on the skill focus, such as listening, speaking, writing, and so on, or on expected task achievement. Educators must consider such matters if they hope to actively involve their students in what they watch via content and via specific viewing tasks and if they want to be able to keep students on task and yet fully exploit the content material. The use of content material needs to be planned in such a way that it is capable of being used and reused in the future. It must be attractive and comprehensive, but it must also be length appropriate depending on the intended audience. For instance, I believe that young viewers should not be expected to view material for more than two to five minutes while older students should not be expected to view for more than eight to ten minutes (Heinich, Molenda, Russell, & Smaldino, 2002). In that time frame, the material needs to be flexible enough to allow the students to do a number of tasks or be dealt with on a phase-based approach.
Three Phase Approach When using learning tools, the planning should involve exploiting the tool to enable the teaching/learning process to become more active. The three-phase approach to learning (outlined in the Appendix) involves using the content material in the following way. In the first phase students are allowed to view the material all the way through. For phase two, the students use the content material in sequence and explore the viewing, which allows tasks to be carried out intermittently. This phase enables educators to detail the teaching and learning practices to happen. In phase three, the content material is shown all the way through without pausing to allow learners to make changes or modifications and to reinforce learnt work. The approach used in teaching this is determined by the lesson objectives.
The Lesson Plan Once learning objectives are determined, educators need to decide if the learning technology being TESOL Arabia Perspectives
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used is clear in their minds and in the minds of the students. Educators need to know what to exploit, the sequencing, the topic, skill or idea to focus on, and they need to know how to put the whole lesson together to show organized teaching and effective message communication. Educators need to create a strategic plan to implement the lesson. The lesson plan ought to include not only how the content material will be used, but also outlay the way in which the learning technology will be utilized. Every lesson plan should identify the general and specific subject matter intended for study. Apart from grade or age level and time allocation, the plan should identify purpose, learning objectives, performance outcomes, the resources and content tasks. However, what is of key importance is that educators learn to identify the learning technologies needed, their objectives in using such technologies, the strategies required to maximize their usage, and the know-how needed by both educators and students when it actually comes to using them.
Identifying Objectives Educators need to realize how important it is to ensure that the integration of the learning tool is given a place in the teaching/learning set up. For example, the use of audio is to focus on voice and music; the use of video or DVD is to focus on moving images on a TV screen and on providing visual baseline knowledge; the use of computer multimedia is to focus on graphics, text, and moving images on a monitor; and the use of a computer and the Internet may focus on carrying out research. However, knowing what to focus on in using learning technologies does not automatically mean that educators or learners possess the skills, strategies, and knowledge needed to use the tools. Educators still have to learn to use them in order to facilitate the learning for their students. Learning technologies should have a purpose and it is up to the educator to choose which one matches his or her objectives.
The Impact of Learning Technology In general, learning technologies have an impact on the teaching/learning medium. As a delivery system, the learning technology acts as a conduit through which students may learn and also links the students to the task. As a motivator, the learning technology increases the students’ interest in learning. The learning is much
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more student-driven, making the students responsible for their own learning. They are able to learn at their own pace with the guide of the learning technology. As a power tool, the learning technology strengthens the demand on the students’ cognitive levels. As learners, they become active participants in the teaching/learning medium contributing and enhancing their problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
Evaluating Learning Technology Given the power learning technologies have, it is imperative that educators take time to evaluate their use in the teaching/learning environment (Maier & Warren, 2000). It is vital that the learning technologies be assessed within the lesson itself and separately, in relation to task function. It is important that the tool be weighted both positively and negatively so as to allow educators and students to take in as much value as possible thus enhancing the teaching and learning endeavor.
Conclusion In conclusion, it is important to incorporate learning technology in the teaching/learning setting to ensure the learning message is conveyed. That is why educators need to be familiar with the learning technology and to know how to effectively incorporate it into the setting (Sabieh, Bahous, Kfouri, Samra, & Yazigy, 2005). Tool integration promotes increased learner participation in the learning process and strengthens the task focus. This is especially crucial since the tool is a means to the end, and the end is the learning outcome. I believe that there is no learning technology that may be described as good or bad. What is important, I believe, is that a balance exists between the learning technology and the instruction. I believe that learning technology is best integrated when educators view the tool from the prospective of the teacher and not from the prospective of the tool creators. By using a learning technology, educators change their instructional environments, thus making the learning technology the means to an end rather than the end itself.
References Brunner, C. & Tally, W. (1999). The new media literacy handbook. NY: Doubleday. Davis, B. (1998). Tools for teaching. NY: Jossey Publications. Disney-Pixar (2003). Finding Nemo. Heinich, R., Molenda, M., Russell, J., Smaldino, S. (2002). Instructional media and technologies for TESOL Arabia Perspectives
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learning (7th ed.). NJ: Prentice Hall. Maier, P. & Warren, A. (2000). Integrating technology in learning and teaching. London: Kogan. Marquardt, M. & Kearsley, G. (1999). Technologybased learning. Boca Raton, FL: St. Lucie Press. Sabieh, C. (2003). A call to train the educator in the use of Microsoft PowerPoint for educational purposes: Technology enhances the teaching/learning paradigm. In Education Technology Proceedings (pp. 245-259). Muscat, Oman: Sultan Qaboos University Press. Sabieh, C., Bahous, J., Kfouri, C., Samra, S., & Yazigy, A. (2005). Establishing an efficient education setting. Beirut, Lebanon: NDU Press.
APPENDIX Three-Minute Soft Drink Advertisement Activities For Activities 2A & 2B, the audience was told that they were to listen to an audio tape of a three-minute soft drink advertisement. They would then need to answer the following: First, they were to decide on the content of the overall message, to list distinguishing characteristics they heard during the message and to suggest how they would use audio technology in their teaching environment. Second, they were asked to answer true or false statements based on what they had heard. These are the instructions as given to the audience: Activity 2A: Listen to the following audio tape. a. Identify the overall content of the message. b. What distinguishing characteristics do you hear to help you determine what you are listening to? c. In what teaching context could you use this audio? Activity 2B: As you listen to the audio tape, read the following list of characteristics and decide whether they are true or false. Circle T for True or F for false. Primates are not able to understand or say “thank you”. [This is a verbatim statement taken from the advertisement]
TRUE
FALSE
Primates make good friends to humans. [This statement states the opposite of what is heard on the audio tape.]
TRUE
FALSE
Primates are not smart. [This statement uses a synonym smart instead of intelligent]
TRUE
FALSE
Primates have poor communication skills. [verbatim]
TRUE
FALSE
Primates show no understanding of tools and their uses. [verbatim]
TRUE
FALSE
Primates lack organization skills. [verbatim]
TRUE
FALSE
Primates have no decision making ability. [verbatim]
TRUE
FALSE
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After discussion of activity 2B, the audience was then introduced to the power of using the video in a teaching/learning set up.The audience was asked to listen to the same soft drink advertisement, but this time, they watched it as well.Thus, they were to use both senses of listening and seeing to determine what the message actually being delivered was. They were then asked to answer the same T/F statements. Following that, they were asked to compare the power of transmitting a message using both audio and video, with the conclusion being that the use of more than one sense allows for a better and more accurate perception.
Promoting skill enhancement using learning tools The following information is suggested to promote skill enhancement in language teaching when using a learning tool.
Suggestions - Use audio/video in language teaching so as to enhance skills in the following ways: A. Listening skills: You must consider building strategies to develop understanding of text and retention of information to use in more advanced comprehension activities. Suggested activities for audio learning: N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N
Spot the word Frequency grid Stop me when you hear… Spot the discrepancy Order/sequence True or false statements Matching sentence halves Multiple choice questions Match & complete a picture/complete a picture or a list Gap filling Translation/retranslation Use pictures, draw what you hear Summarize Describe Hands up when you hear…
B. Speaking skills:You must ensure there is progression from straightforward repetition opportunities to creative utterances so that the students will be able to express what they want. Suggested activities for oral learning: N N
Repetition Echoing
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processing the information within that "cut up" unit. It is usually done during phase two of the three phases, but it can be the phase the educator starts with and then builds on so as to give the learners an overall picture.
Prediction Questioning by students and/or teacher Synonyms Jigsaw listening Dialogue cues Speculation Role play Reuse of keywords or phrases Chaining Commentary work
Biography:
C. Writing skills using audio/video or print text: You must ensure the integration of the skills to be able to write. Jumbles & clues Simple descriptive sentences Crosswords Fill in the blank Dictation Correcting discrepancies Script completion Reporting Paraphrase, summary, note-taking Translation/retranslation Paragraph/essay writing
Three-phase approach to learning when you use a Learning Tool Phase 1 Show sequence all the way through Purpose: to orient student with what is to come Phase 2 Explode viewing but pause frequently (as if one was “exploding” each segment) Purpose: to conduct detailed teaching & practices; to focus on specific vocabulary, ideas, concepts; to initiate activity tasks Phase 3 Show material all the way through without pausing, or show silent “exploded” viewing (visual only), pausing at certain points without saying anything Purpose: to reinforce work done in Phase 2 and to allow material to sink in “Exploded” viewing is often used by an educator to help the student comprehend segments which the students are to retain so as to build on and better comprehend the whole viewing. The term "exploded" basically is used to mean that the educator "cuts things up" so that with the viewing of the video, the video is cut up into segments for the students to view and work with. To “explode” each unit of viewing to the maximum enables the students to work on
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Dr. Christine Sabieh, Associate Professor at Notre Dame University, is an American who lives in Lebanon. Having been a university administrator in the past, she continues to teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels, do education consultancy and workshops, publishes and participates in conferences, and is a member of TESOL, WACRA, NCA, CALICO, ASIACALL, ATEL & LPA.
Additional Recommended References as Aids:
Suggested activities for written learning: N N N N N N N N N N N
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Burge, E. & Haughey, M. (Eds.). (2001). Using learning technologies: International perspectives on practice. London: Routledge. Burn, B. (1996). Flip chart power. San Diego, CA: Pfeiffer. Eble, K. (1998). The craft of teaching (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey Publication. Ellington, H. (1985). Producing teaching material. New York: Nichols. Hanson-Smith, E. (Ed.). (2000). Technology-enhanced learning environments. Virginia: TESOL. Lockard, J. (1997). Microcomputers for education. Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman. Lowman, J. (1984). Mastering the techniques of teaching, San Francisco, CA: Jossey Publications. McKeachie, W. (1986). Teaching tips (8th ed.). Lexington, MA: Heath. Petress, K. (1999). Listening: A vital skill. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 26, 261-262. Wileman, R. (1993). Visual communicating. NJ: Educational Technology Publications.
Websites: http://classes.kumc.edu/son/nursedu/nrsg870/contents/ modules/module03/module03.htm http://ctl.unc.edu/hpl6.html http://home.bellsouth.net/personalpages/s/community.dll ?ep=87&subpageid=10382&ck= http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr273.shtml http://www.internet4classrooms.com/teacher.htm http://www.pinetlibrary.com/classpage.php?page_id=112 4&status=last http://www.teachingheart.net/bboard.html
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Response to an Unpopular Opinion If I deciphered the article “Reflections in the Gulf ” correctly, the author has expressed what is sure to be an unpopular opinion. I say “if ” because the false starts and reticence found in the article made it a bit difficult for me to follow. At first, the article appears to address two legitimate questions: “could our students achieve more” and “could they make faster progress.” However, by the third paragraph the reader is hesitantly told that the article “will suggest that …cultural factors, closely linked to our teaching methodology and materials … may be the root of some problems in the classroom” [italics added]. The suggestion is implicitly made and neither the cultural factors nor the classroom problems are identified, much less explicitly linked. The article goes on to encourage teachers to question “our methodology and materials” in the dim light of those unaddressed cultural factors. Additionally, the article criticizes the use of communicative methodology and presents “Post Method Pedagogy” as a solution to some illdefined problems related to teaching EFL in the Gulf. It isn’t until the final paragraph that the hesitant language stops and the author plainly states that “the teacher must adapt to local realities and come to the conclusion that more traditional methods work better than…modern methods” [italics added]. Again, if I have understood his point correctly, the author says this because: Modern communicative methods of language teaching are not suitable for use with local EFL students because the students are not used to them. Furthermore, the students resist learning English because the classroom activities associated with communicative methodology are often culturally and/or politically insensitive (at best) or
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Daniel Mangrum, Petroleum Institute Abu Dhabi, UAE offensive (at worst). Consequently, EFL teachers should not use modern communicative methods with local students. Instead, we should use traditional methods because students are already familiar with them and have no culturally/politically based aversion towards them. When we do this, our local students will achieve more and do so more quickly. Assuming that my summary is truly the thrust of his article and an accurate expression of his opinion, it shouldn’t be difficult to see several reasons why our colleague’s opinion would be unpopular. I think the most potent reason is because it calls into question the need for the numerous, expatriate English language teachers currently employed in the Arabian Gulf. After all, the justification for spending large sums of money to recruit, employ and retain expatriate instructors is our training in modern methodologies and approaches. No one likes to be told that their services are over-valued and unnecessary. However, let’s not rush to throw stones. If this actually is his opinion, the author has shown courage by publicly expressing it. Unfortunately, his article does not offer any validation of his opinion. Terms, like cultural factors, are intentionally vague (presumably to “avoid stereotyping”). Problems are left undefined. Causeeffect relationships are not demonstrated. In short, there is little commending his opinion to us, his readers. Perhaps, once some research is completed and the data analyzed, our colleague will be able to produce a more coherent, less timid expression of his opinion and then we will all have something to think about.
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Speaking is in the Cards If you’re like me, then you would like for your students to speak more English in class. And in a perfect class, they’d be speaking perfect grammatical English! I devised a simple game to get students to practice fluency and accuracy at the same time using speaking cards. Best of all, I don’t need to do any correcting because the members of the group correct each other. Another advantage of this simple accuracy practice activity is that in my experience I’ve found that my Arabic speaking students love competing. In my classroom, even the most mundane grammatical or writing practice activity can be a lot more fun with the introduction of an element of competition!
The Cards: Here are 3 sample cards for 3 different grammatical targets: Present Irregular to Past:
Past Positive to Past Negative:
Present Negative to Past Negative:
He has a nice car.
I did my homework.
They don’t eat breakfast.
(He had a nice car.)
(I didn’t do my homework.)
(They didn’t eat breakfast.)
I make about 50 cards on the grammatical structures I want them to practice, copy them onto colored cards (one set of blue, red, etc) and cut them up, so that I end up with one deck of cards for each group of 3-4 students. This works well for pair work too, but you’ll need more decks. (The best thing about this is that once you make the decks, you’ll use them with all your classes, so it will be worth the effort.)
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Tandy Bailey Abu Dhabi Women’s College, UAE I have cards targeting the following structures in English: 1. Yes/No Questions (Present and Past Tenses) – You can allow either answer, or just positive or negative. N Do you like vegetables? Yes, I do / No, I don’t. N Is she Italian? Yes, she is / No, she isn’t. N Did they go to Dubai last Saturday? Yes, they did / No, they didn’t N Was he angry? Yes, he was / No, he wasn’t. 2. Present Tense Statements (Positives Negatives) N I like pizza. I don’t like pizza. N She has a sister. She doesn’t have a sister. 3. Past Tense Statements (Positives Negatives) N I liked pizza. I didn’t like pizza. N We did our work. We didn’t do our work. 4. Present Past Tense Statements (Regular Verbs) N I want to go home. I wanted to go home. N He visits his family on Fridays. He visited his family on Fridays. 5. Present Past Tense Statements (Irregular Verbs) N We eat lunch at school. We ate lunch at school. N She goes to the mall. She went to the mall. 6. Negative Statements (Present Tense Past Tense) N They don’t have any homework. They didn’t have any homework. N He doesn’t make much money. He didn’t make much money.
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7. W/H Questions in Various Tenses (These can be rather tricky as it must be made clear what question is being answered, i.e. I went to the mall. Where did you go? In this instance, the underlined part in the first sentence should be stressed when spoken. Alternatively, it could be shown to the other members of the group while keeping the bottom answer covered. N They live in Abu Dhabi. Where do they live? N I left at 8 o’clock. What time/When did you leave? N I have two brothers. How many brothers do you have?
Playing with the Cards: Tell students what is being practiced and put a sample sentence on the board, e.g. Present Simple to Past Simple: “They live in Bahrain.” Elicit the sentence in the past tense, changing only the verb and put it on the board: (They lived in Bahrain.)
Small Groups: Now, put students into pairs or groups of 3-4 and show students the cards. Explain that one student draws a card from the face-down deck and says the top sentence to her partners “They live in Bahrain.” She listens for the correct answer, which is the bottom sentence (They lived in Bahrain.). Whoever says it correctly first, gets the card. The next student draws a card and play rotates. It’s best to model the activity with one group while the others watch.
Pairwork: To play the game in pairs, students take turns selecting a card from the deck and quizzing each other. If the responding student is correct, the questioner hands over the card. The winner is the one who has the most cards at the end of the deck. If the student performs the transformation incorrectly, the card is returned to the bottom of the deck. Alternatively, the winner could be the one with the most cards at the end of a pre-determined allotment of time.
Some Rules: It’s important when answering to say the complete sentence, not just “They lived.”, so that students fully benefit from the activity. Lastly, when a student wins a card, the questioner should hand her the card face up so that all the members of the group (or both of the students if it is done as pairs) can read the answer. This may help to reinforce the structures.
Extending the Cards: This could also be used for writing drills. The teacher says the first sentence and students write the second one. At the end of the semester, I mix the cards in with others (which makes a rainbow deck for easy sorting afterwards) for a final review. Email me at tandy.bailey@gmail.com and I will happily send you all my cards. Please feel free to adapt as needed.
Have you been to a professional development event or conference lately that you think TESOL Arabia members might benefit from? Consider writing a review of the event. Contact the editors for more information.
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Here are some sample cards for the grammatical target point, Present to Past Tense Statements (Irregular Verbs).
She begins work at 8 am.
They bring their lunch.
He buys fish on Friday.
(She began work at 8 am.)
(They brought their lunch.)
(He bought fish on Friday.)
I can ride a bike.
She catches the ball easily.
She comes to college late.
(I could ride a bike.)
(She caught the ball easily.)
(She came to college late.)
It costs 25 dirhams.
She cuts her hair by herself.
We do our work well.
(It cost 25 dirhams.)
(She cut her hair by herself.)
(We did our work well.)
We drink coffee together every morning.
I drive to Dubai at the weekend.
He eats fruit every day.
(We drank coffee together every morning.)
(I drove to Dubai at the weekend.)
(He ate fruit every day.)
He falls down a lot.
It feels uncomfortable.
I fight with my sister.
(He fell down a lot.)
(It felt uncomfortable.)
(I fought with my sister.)
She finds a quiet place to study.
I fly Emirates airlines.
She always forgets my name.
(She found a quiet place to study.)
(I flew Emirates airlines.)
(She always forgot my name.)
He gets paid 100 Dhs an hour.
She gives away a lot of money.
He goes to the Men’s College.
(He got paid 100 Dhs an hour.)
(She gave away a lot of money.)
(He went to the Men’s College.)
They grow vegetables on their farm.
He has a good job.
They hear their neighbors shouting at night.
(They grew vegetables on their farm.)
(He had a good job.)
(They heard their neighbors shouting at night.)
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TESOL ARABIA 2009 CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
The Editor of the Proceedings of 15th Annual TESOL Arabia Conference would like to invite you to submit a paper based on your presentation at the conference to be considered for publication in the next volume of the Proceedings. Only those who presented at the most recent TESOL Arabia Conference may submit articles for the Proceedings.
Please send your article to Mashael Al-Hamly at: Email: mashael2@hotmail.com Please follow the specifications outlined below: Articles should be between 3000-4000 words. Articles should be typed using Times New Roman, font size 12, with 1½ line spacing. If you include Tables and/or Figures, make sure they are no wider than 12 cms. Do not use color in Tables or Figures. Do not use footnotes. Only use "portrait" orientation (i.e. don't insert any pages in "landscape" orientation). Remove all hyperlinks. Include a complete list of references using APA style as outlined in the Publications Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition (2001). Send articles electronically as a Word attachment. We will acknowledge receipt of articles within two weeks, except during the summer vacation in July and August.
Deadline for Submission: October 1, 2009
ECAE ENROLLING NOW! Established to play a key role in the modernization of school education in the UAE and throughout the Middle East, Emirates College for Advanced Education (ECAE) is training a new generation of teachers and school leaders. A Professional Teaching Qualification ECAE offers a one-year, full-time Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) customized for bachelor degree holders who are aiming for a career change in Education as a service to their nation (pre-service teachers). Admission Requirements A bachelor degree with a major or minor relating to a school subject. Program Attendance A two-semester, full-time program is available with the attendance options as shown below: Option 1: 2 Days / week, 6 contact hours per day (2 courses x 3 hours) N English plus Arabic support N English only classes
Option 2: 4 nights / week x 3 hours per night contact time (4-7 pm) N English plus Arabic support N English only classes
Students will receive a free laptop computer, a monthly stipend and study free of charge. Students will be bonded for after-study service. For more information, please contact: Tel: +971 2 6964 321 Fax: +971 2 6421 641
P.O. Box 126662 Abu Dhabi, UAE Email: admissions@ecae.ac.ae
www.ecae.ac.ae
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Are Language Teachers Suffering from Technology Overload? In a five-minute span last month, I came into contact with three examples of technology aggravation at my workplace. The first was a colleague wondering what the cryptic instructions the LED (Light Emitting Diodes) display on the photocopier meant. The second was another instructor calling out to anyone who happened to be passing by in the hallway whether or not the PeopleSoftŠ attendance module was working at that time. The third was a broadcast email from management informing us that we could now work from home through a VPN (Virtual Personal Network)! What is a VPN and why would we want to work in the evenings, on the weekends and on our vacations? Technology does assist us in our daily duties as language teaching professionals. We use it for administrative purposes, materials development, assessment, communication and learning object replication. Technology does not have to be used directly for teaching purposes. It can also be used to access human resource information such as accumulated sick days or as a means of tracking attendance on a spreadsheet. Even more technology is being developed under the Web 2.0 canopy, which can assist English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in all of these areas. Web 2.0 resources include drag and drop functionality, community interaction, active contribution and multimedia interactivity. However, many are shying away from adopting these new technologies. At my workplace, we offered five workshops on these cutting edge technologies as they directly applied to the EFL teacher. The turnout was less than ten percent of our personnel. These experiences led me and a few colleagues to discuss the reasons for this perceived apathy to forward-looking Volume 16
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technologies. The three reasons we agreed upon were scheduling conflicts, age of staff (those close to retirement) and technology overload. Our college is saturated with technology so this situation may not reflect the ordinary EFL institution. However, it does demonstrate the potential of the technology load for a language instructor. Below is an inventory of the technology expectations placed upon us.
Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) Computer assisted language learning software is designed to assist language students in acquiring and practicing their target language. There are literally hundreds of EFL titles. Traditional use of CALL often involves multimedia. The instructor must be able to manage volume, audio, screen resolution and hardware issues such as headsets, microphones and screen cameras. Each institution, ideally, should have dedicated staff to facilitate CALL learning situations through instructional design, training and in-person support. However, this may not be the case and many EFL teachers are left to learn, develop and teach using CALL on their own.
Office Applications Office suites or document editing software are the most common tools for teachers. Worksheets, posters, newsletters, reports and official correspondence are usually created with a word processor. There is a great deal of skill involved in mastering these digital tools. Most teachers are proficient with word processors but spreadsheets and databases require a concerted effort on the part of the educator. In order to ensure the staff can operate and create with these tools, many institutes require that staff complete courses such as the International Computer Driver’s License (ICDL). TESOL Arabia Perspectives
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Self-Paced Training Interactive, online training modules are available on the Internet or at dedicated training centers. In order to create a culture of training, some institutions purchase a license of training components. These arrive as “just-in-time” resources or as a complete course. Self-paced, individual training works for some faculty members, but this pertains to only a minority of the staff. Training schemes like these that are downloaded for the teachers can lead to stress and a “pass the test” mindset if not integrated and supported by the organization’s training unit.
Data Storage and Management Data is stored and retrieved from servers directly or via content management systems. These are known to teachers as "the server," “the portal," “Z-drive” or by their trade name such as SharePoint. Teachers are often required to familiarize themselves with the pathways that must be navigated in order to locate relevant files for their teaching, assessment and the administrative requirements of their jobs.
Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)
Grade Book Dedicated digital grade books are rapidly replacing the hand written report or the teacher-assembled spreadsheet. Gradebooks are essentially elaborate spreadsheets that have equations embedded in cells, which serve to alleviate teachers from these laborious tasks. Issues arise with electronic gradebooks for staff when they try to alter the assessment weighting, change individual graded items, coordinate a shared grade book with team teachers as well as submit the final grades to the school’s registrar system.
Assistive Applications Assistive technologies impart better learning situations for special needs students. Speech recognition, text-to-speech and magnified text are application examples of this software genre. Over the course of an entire teaching career, all of us have or will have worked with special needs students.
Internet Resources The potential for content and learning opportunities offered by the Internet are limitless. Issues such as misspelled addresses, appropriate content, poor connections, blocked access, system crashes, unplugged or loose wires, out-of-date plug-ins, lack of administrative privilege and antiquated hardware can ensure that many EFL instructors avoid using the Web with their students. This frustration is potentially compounded by the Internet resources themselves. There are websites that are simply outof-date, unfinished, offering one or two thin layers of activities or are out of reach due to budgetary constraints. Browsers require plug-ins and updates.
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Teachers across the globe are involved with virtual learning environments that allow for the overall management of delivering online or blended learning opportunities. These opportunities take the form of interactive quizzes, digital lectures, asynchronous forums, synchronous chats, democratic polls, electronic drop boxes and a dozen more features. Notable VLEs are BlackBoard and Moodle. Language teachers who use VLEs are usually responsible for managing the class data as well as monitoring interactive activities such as chats and facilitating the students through the course.
Human Resources Human Resources software affects all industries. It allows for numerous tasks related to human resource issues. Human resource applications provide services that inform and track issues such as salary, vacation allotments, pension funds, scheduling, and seniority. For example, PeopleSoft primarily performs human resources functions but has an additional implementation as an educational administration tool. Larger educational institutions use PeopleSoft as a multitasking tool to perform tasks such as attendance, grade entry and enrollment. Teachers have to learn this system to perform two multidisciplinary functions, personnel management and student management, both of which merely add to their already heavy workload.
Audiovisual Equipment Most lecture halls or computer labs have a teacher podium with a workstation or laptop linkage that is
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connected to an audiovisual component system. This system is hardware-based and can be quite confusing to the average instructor. For example, if one teacher switches a setting or even takes the drastic step of altering connectors to achieve optimum performance for their session, but then forgets to restore the system to its standard configuration, this may lead to frustration for the next instructor who then may not have the use of the data projector or the classroom speakers. There is also the matter of an oftentimes complicated remote control device and the computer software which may be used to adjust the setting and performance of the audio and video for the class. This provides the experience of delivering media rich lectures with a further set of settings that must be calibrated in order to ensure success.
Electronic Whiteboards Electronic whiteboards allow an instructor to write ideas on a board and have the students download the draft notes to their laptops. They can project their computer screen on a board and interact with that screen on the whiteboard and perform many other ingenious techniques. One disadvantage of this is that the training and technical support for these machines takes considerable time and energy. Another disadvantage can be found when an educational institution uses more than one type of whiteboard in its classrooms. A teacher, well-trained in the use of one sort of electronic whiteboard, could potentially find themselves assigned to a classroom which uses an entirely different sort of whiteboard from the one in which they have received training.
Image Editors Many teachers create worksheets or web content that include static visuals in the form of illustrations, photographs or clip art. In order to insert these into office suite software the images appear better if they are optimized. Optimization can include a variety of functions such as cropping, resizing, applying filters, altering the resolution or touching up with paint tools.
Media Editors Media editors offer the ability to sequence and optimize mixed media to create a learning object.
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A media-based learning object can be a video, an audio track, animation or a combination of these with an interactive quiz. The majority of teachers are not experienced in using these tools.
CD/DVD Burners or Replicators Saving and distributing rich multimedia or large amounts of media is sometimes completed with DVDs or CDs. Backing up data to large external hard drives or servers is also an option, but in some cases DVDs or CDs are a desired alternative.
Security At smaller centers or on stand-alone workstations, security software often runs on a predefined schedule. Teachers and students can be confused if they are prompted to give permission to execute a specific job if some threat is detected. This also adds a level of stress if teachers are not trained in how to operate the security software. Norton, AVG or McAfee are common security software offerings.
Communications Email software also includes a calendar, a meetings/booking function, archiving, a contacts’ list and other features which take time to learn. Some workplaces encourage chat or messenger communication. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIPs) has also appeared in workplaces. These devices are comprised of a software screen menu with a microphone and listening headset. They require a start up and connection routine with each reboot. They have many functions, which, again, require training. It is quite inconvenient to start up a computer and launch an application just in order to make a simple telephone call.
Mobile Devices Iphones, Blackberries, and IPods are at present not too common in education, but ventures such as iTunes University from Apple may push portable pervasive learning into the EFL consciousness.
Paper Generators These include photocopiers, fax machines, printers, scanners and the multifunction machine. These comprise security codes, email, scanning, linking to servers and color copying. Each of these adds to the complexity of a workspace. The menus on
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modern photocopiers are user friendly enough, but they are an additional configuration of choices to be acquired by the staff. Furthermore, when the photocopier is upgraded or replaced, these menus often change.
Conclusion The sheer volume of technology applications, as listed above, that some institutions acquire has made many educators feel overloaded with technology. At some EFL institutions, teachers are affected due to the expectations imposed by their workplace. This circumstance is exacerbated by the absence of a comprehensive training scheme, lack of practice time, and deficiencies in educational technology support staffing and planning. Instructors are often left to their own devices and are expected to identify technology skill deficiencies, as well as trouble shoot hardware and software problems. The abundance of technology in the academic workplace has quadrupled the “lode� on teachers.
Virtual Personal Networks A Virtual Personal Network (VPN) is a technical means of creating an electronic tunnel into a private or closed network. Thus teachers are able to access a closed network from their homes. This provides instructors with the ability to interact with programs, computers and servers from their institution. VPNs, however, cause stress during the set up process and when connections are problematic.
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Guided Writing: Practical Lessons, Powerful Results Lori D. Oczkus Heinemann, 2007 ISBN 978-0-325-01071-7 168 pp. As teachers of English to speakers of other languages, we face the challenge of teaching our students to write, which is a complex task. Anyone who has struggled to help his or her students master mechanical, lexical and content issues will appreciate the new tools that Oczkus has provided in this publication. This handbook is functional for both the classroom teacher and the teacher educator. Oczkus, a renowned literacy expert and teacher, contends that modeling writing alone is not sufficient to produce effective writers; rather, teachers need to scaffold students through guided writing techniques. This process allows the teacher to demonstrate writing more effectively by taking writers of all ability levels through several steps: identifying examples, modeling, shared writing, guided writing, independent writing, and guided conferring. Oczkus acknowledges the recursive nature of writing (see Flower & Hayes, 1981) by encouraging teachers to be flexible in applying these methods and to choose whichever parts will meet the needs of their students. The techniques are functional and fun. Directed mainly toward the elementary aged student, the methods are broad enough in scope to make adaptation for adult learners easy. The first two chapters lay the groundwork for guided writing, defining it as “a bridge between shared writing and independent writing with support to move students forward in their writing development� (p. 3). Here, she elaborates that guided writing is to help scaffold student learning as they move from the basics of writing to independent writing, by utilizing the social nature of writing (Vygotsky, 1978). The Volume 16
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method’s techniques are applied to both small and large groupings. The teacher and peers provide the students with ample modeling, graphic organizers, conferencing and rubrics or grading guides to establish clear criteria, which push the students beyond their current level of writing ability. Chapter 2 focuses on modeling the various techniques and how to use them in the classroom. Chapters 3 through 7 are rich with examples of guided writing activities for a wide range of ability levels, focusing on the genres of poetry, personal narratives, patterned writing, expository writing, and drama. Real classroom student writing samples and illustrations accompany each genre. Reproducible handouts and rubrics are also provided. The chapters follow the same basic format, describing guided writing methodology as applied to each genre, but they also allow for flexibility so that the teacher can focus on one aspect of writing such as conventions, sentence fluency or whatever area of writing the group may need to practice. Throughout the process, students are encouraged to engage in conversation at key intervals while learning to write. Freeman and Freeman (2001) and Samway (2006) encourage this type of social interaction for English language learners and argue that it is a useful means of improving both oral and written language skills. Finally, the book includes four appendices to help implement guided writing in the classroom. One appendix teaches how to use a graphic organizer
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known as a flap book in each genre presented in the book. Another gives suggestions as to how students can share or publish their work. The other two provide mini-lessons on topics such as elaborating on sentence content and assessment rubrics. Each includes classroom-tested instructions that are readymade for the reader/teacher.
References Flower, L. & Hayes, J.R. (1981). A cognitive process theory of writing. College Composition and Communication, 32, 365-387. Freeman, D. & Freeman, Y. (2001). Between worlds: Access to second language acquisition. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Homstad, T. & Thorson, H. (2000). Writing and foreign language pedagogy: Theories and implications. In G. Br채uer (Ed.), Writing across languages (pp. 3-14). Stamford, CT: Ablex Publishing. Marshall, J. (1994). Of what does skill in writing really consist? The political life of the writing process movement. In T. Newkirk & L.Tobin (Eds.), Taking stock: The writing process movement in the 90s (pp. 4556). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Press. Samway, K.D. (2006). When English language learners write: Connecting research to practice. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
The book is also practical for the teacher educator. Each chapter clearly demonstrates how to conduct a guided writing activity and ends with a set of discussion questions and suggestions for the classroom that can aid in discussion with preservice teachers as they develop skills in teaching writing. Despite the focus on young writers, this book has merit in the ESL classroom and for teacher education courses. The goal of creating welldeveloped, independent writers is well met, even though the process that the author demonstrates throughout is simply an alteration of the prewriting, writing, editing, revision, and publishing models that have been proven effective in classrooms for many years (Marshall, 1994). An additional plus is that Oczkus approaches guided writing as the social activity that it was meant to be (Homstad & Thorson, 2000). The tenets of guided writing can be applied easily by anyone who reads the book.
Reviewed by David R. Byrd Weber State University Ogden, Utah
Is there a new book or a piece of software you really enjoy using with students or one that has helped you in your teaching? Consider writing a review for Perspectives. Contact our Reviews Editor, Dr Atta Gebril, for more information. AttaG@uaeu.ac.ae
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Cambridge English Readers Dirty Money by Sue Leather (Starter) 9780521683333 Let Me Out! by Antoinette Moses (Starter) 9780521683296 Inspector Logan by Richard MacAndrew (Beginner/Elementary) 9780521750806 Jojo’s Story by Antoinette Moses (Elementary/Lower Intermediate) 780521797542 Tales of the Supernatural by Frank Brennan (Lower Intermediate) 9780521542760 The University Murders by Richard MacAndrew (Intermediate) 052153660X In the Shadow of the Mountain by Helen Naylor (Upper Intermediate) 0521775515 Frozen Pizza & Other Slices of Life by Antoinette Moses (Advanced) 9780521750783
A commitment to the development of literacy, reading for pleasure and book ownership is currently topping the education policy agenda in parts of the Arab world, most notably in the UAE, where a project to supply poorer households with the foundations of a family library has been launched to great acclaim. Recent book fairs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have succeeded in promoting, inter alia, scholarly books on Arabic culture and history as well as Arabic literature in English translation. Although legislation designed to ensure that literacy targets are attained at key stages in primary and secondary school curricula can be implemented over a period of time, few people active in education in the region would underestimate the scale of the challenge or ignore the potential difficulty of reconciling the development of “critical awareness” with the promotion of “pleasurable reading.” The EFL classroom in particular and English medium instruction in general are directly affected by these government initiatives and one of the problems facing teachers who use graded readers in class is trying to square the primary importance of reading as a preparation for exam task fulfillment with the auxiliary role played by graded readers in the syllabus. These seven graded readers published by Cambridge between 1999 and 2007 cover the whole range of learner levels from starter to advanced and embrace a variety of fiction genres including detective stories, quirky supernatural tales, mysteries, environmentally themed thrillers and a harrowing tale of genocide seen through the eyes of a ten-year
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old boy. The titles in this selection are all accompanied by CD recordings and photocopiable student worksheets containing a variety of comprehension and extension activities can be found on CUP’s website. Each title has an attractive cover but only those from starter to elementary level are illustrated, which may disappoint some readers. Although only Jojo’s Story has a glossary and none of the titles specify the number of headwords, the lower levels overlap to such an extent that students should have no difficulty charting their progress. Antoinette Moses, author of three of the titles has written in a CUP press release that “all (graded) readers should reflect what students would want to read in their own language” and that “plot and narrative drive are crucial.” These declarations appear to be based on the assumption that students would, given the chance, choose to read works of fiction in their own language and that the
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primarily linear development of western storytelling has universal appeal. To those raised in the Western literary traditions, the genres featured in this selection will be as comprehensible as the implicit and explicit cultural references contained within the texts. I wonder whether the same is true of students using these graded readers in Japan, Thailand or even the UAE despite global communication networks.
comprehension and pronunciation practice. Jojo’s Story and Frozen Pizza offer ample opportunities for fruitful speaking and writing activities but it could be argued that in order to promote enjoyable reading in a culture unaccustomed to reading in the mother tongue, a graded reader bound by pedagogic obligations on both teachers and learners might end up as just another watered down literary critical exercise.
Plot driven detective fiction is represented by two Inspector Logan stories, set in a gritty albeit unspecified Scottish urban landscape, where the eponymous female detective and her trusty sidekick solve modern crimes while remaining true to the conventions of well-established detective fiction. Specific cultural references to such things as the collaborative nature of the relationship between the police and the press or the tension that often exists when an older male employee has a younger female boss are never intrusive; in fact they form a crucial part of the narrative drive Antoinette Moses vigorously supports. Similarly, in Dirty Money, a thriller set in Canada involving a journalist who uncovers a conspiracy to dump nuclear waste in a protected area, environmental issues and the exposure of corrupt politicians are included not as mere cultural footnotes for the mildly curious reader but as central to the narrative flow. Whether the stories in this selection refer to the obsession with “make over” shows in Tales of the Supernatural, football hooliganism in Frozen Pizza or investigative journalism in The University Murders, there are inevitably cultural, historical or sociological themes that are valid as points of contact with the reader. They may require clarification or explanation by the teacher but they are intrinsic nevertheless to the promotion of reading for pleasure with a window open on the world.
Ultimately teachers will have to make a judgement call when using graded readers, based no doubt on their own pedagogic preferences. Mario Rinvolucri’s “deletion/elaboration” approach for example, which favors eliciting imaginative responses to shared texts might not persuade those who believe that even reading for pleasure in its Middle Eastern context is an unnatural activity when it is spatially and physically defined by the classroom and timetable.
However, teachers who contend that the primary function of simplified texts is to promote language development might disagree with Moses’ claim that “content should always precede linguistic considerations.” The British Council online guide to using graded readers asserts that reading should be a pleasurable part of the course while promoting graded readers as a basis for class activities including
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The debate will continue but in the meantime teachers keen to use graded readers are served well by this selection from Cambridge. Man’s inhumanity to man in Jojo’s Story, the winner of the First Annual Language Learner Literature Award in 2004 in the adolescent and adult-beginners category, should give it widespread appeal and I would like to see it adapted for both higher and lower levels. In terms of grammatical development, all the books are well tiered: complex adverbials, gerunds and the past perfect are introduced at lower intermediate level, while abstract nouns appear even at elementary level. Adjectival complexity features noticeably in Tales of the Supernatural with a broader range of vocabulary for animate objects. It will be interesting to see just how far publishers in this field go in response to the various reading initiatives and programs that are currently underway in the region.
Reviewed by
Ian Cull Abu Dhabi Men's College, UAE
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Strategic Reading 1, 2 & 3: Building Effective Reading Skills Jack C. Richards & Samuela Eckstut-Didier Cambridge University Press, 2003 (8th Printing, 2007). ISBN 9780521555807, 9780521555791, 9780521555784 131 pp. each
The Strategic Reading series came as something of a pleasant surprise. Expecting, perhaps unfairly, a standard reading book with little in the way of innovation, or of student interest, I found instead a well-developed and interesting approach to the teaching of reading skills. An approach that draws largely on standard practice, yet still provides plenty to stimulate and interest our students. This series aims, with a degree of success to, “develop reading, vocabulary-building, and critical thinking skills of young-adult and adult learners.” Book one (1) is pitched at a low, or pre-intermediate level, book two (2) at an intermediate level and book three (3) aims for a high, or upperintermediate level of proficiency. In order to achieve these aims, the authors follow a tried and tested route with a firm focus on standard, and universally acknowledged, reading skills. This focus is both the strength and weakness of the entire series. It is a strength in that each and every unit (there are 16 units in each book) follows a familiar and comforting, for both student and teacher alike, pattern. There are classic pre-reading activities such as discussion questions designed to “activate schemata” and tap into students’ exophoric knowledge of the world around them, the whole gamut of reading activities from identifying and extracting key information to inferring meaning from context and many standard post-reading activities to boot (e.g. a range of comprehension questions and grammar manipulation exercises, among others). The texts themselves, and there are always three per
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unit, purport to be authentic in that they all began life as genuine excerpts, newspaper, on-line and magazine articles and such like. The reality, which is no bad thing, is that in whatever format these texts originated they are now considerably, and skillfully, adapted and graded to fit their proposed target audience. And while a degree of authenticity (e.g. of topic) can certainly challenge our students and get them out of their “comfort zone,” the modification of the texts to suit the proposed target readership is, in this teacher’s opinion at least, a sensible and necessary adaptation for making the texts readable and accessible to students. Alas, 100% authenticity (meaning unabridged or un-adapted articles, etc.) is perhaps best reserved for a higher level, more advanced audience. Another pleasing touch is that the every single text throughout the series comes complete with photographs, cartoons and other pictures, designed to make the readings more user-friendly and less intimidating, which is an excellent method for reducing “text anxiety,” especially at the lower intermediate level. However, while the strength of this series lies in its comforting and thoughtful design, therein also lies one of its major weaknesses. Each unit (and remember any student completing the whole of the intermediate level would, presumably, study 48 units/modules in all) is asking exactly the same of the student on each occasion. Any practicing teacher TESOL Arabia Perspectives
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is all too familiar with the look of dismay on their students’ faces when the dreaded phrase, “get out the reading book,” rears its ugly head. To the learner this can often mean that they are being asked to do exactly the same things that they had to do the last time the reading book was used leading to predictability, boredom and a concomitant lack of motivation. Of course, good teachers avoid this trap by mixing up their approaches to the exploitation of the material, but it is hard to see how the thoroughly predictable layout and progression of skills presented here aids the teacher in this aim. Then there is the inevitable problem with what John Gray (2004) has referred to as the “Global Coursebook.” Many of the themes presented in the book are either of no interest, or actually “taboo” to many Middle Eastern learners of English. For example, matrimonial websites, music and superstitions are among the units that some teachers in the Gulf region might feel are best avoided. This is, of course, a classic “Catch-22” situation for coursebook writers and teachers alike. With IELTS examinations establishing themselves across the region, our students will inevitably have to come into contact with global, international and western themes, yet often these themes (as in the Strategic Reading series) do little to personalize and thus motivate language learning at a personal level. Strategic Reading is also based around American English usage, but apart from the occasional spelling difference this would hardly justify abandoning the series just because your students might be going in for an IELTS exam which accepts American as well as British spelling. The above cultural point is not intended as a criticism of Richards and Eckstut-Didier’s work, as clearly they have a young, globalised, upwardly mobile – or, at least, aspiring to be – audience in mind, it is just a consideration for teachers and educational managers in the Gulf when thinking about which book to buy next. Indeed, it is instructive that the acknowledgements to those who helped pilot the material range from teachers working in Japan, through South-East Asia to South America, without any mention of the Arabic
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speaking world at all. One other small caveat is with the level of vocabulary introduced in the first book of the series. Although generally well graded from books 1-3, with a discernable increase in the level of reading difficulty, length and authenticity of text and so on, the level and complexity of vocabulary introduced in Book One (1) seems, at first glance, quite challenging. For example, “rejuvenated,” “quarrelsome” and “irritable” (the latter two given as synonyms of each other) is a higher level of vocabulary than many of us might expect from, or for, our pre- or low-intermediate learners. Exactly how the authors selected the level of vocabulary is unclear. It looks more theme-based and intuitive, than strictly scientific, but with the level of expertise that Richards and Eckstut-Didier bring to textbook writing, they are probably correct in their estimations more often than not. The above caveat aside, this is a well-planned series (albeit with a global audience in mind) with plenty of pedagogically sound and interesting readings, reading skills activities, and vocabulary exercises to exploit. Ally that to a teacher’s book and website back-up for additional and alternative activities, and it is fair to say that Strategic Reading is a very useful and welcome resource for this notoriously tricky, yet vital, skill. Whether or not it is a suitable course book for you and your learners depends more on the interests and outlook of your students, than on any particularly innovative approaches offered in this series.
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Peter B. McLaren Al Ain Women's College, UAE
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By Hook or by Crook: A Journey in Search of English David Crystal Harper Collins, 2007 ISBN 978-00-00-723558 314 pp. In the 1920’s and 1930’s, around the time of the Great Depression, the middle classes of Britain developed the motoring holiday, where they drove themselves around the United Kingdom, visiting places of interest and staying overnight at various road houses. To cater for this new enthusiasm, a new genre of discursive travel literature was created, and this was brought to perfection by the books of H. V. Morton such as In Search of England, In Search of Scotland, and so on. According to its dust jacket, David Crystal’s new book “echoes….the series of explorations carried out by H.V. Morton,” offering a “linguistic travelogue like no other” (p. ix). Crystal moves, first through England and Wales, and then further, offering a series of disquisitions on language, both to inform and entertain. Crystal starts in Wales, or, more accurately, in Anglesey, where a chance conversation with a shepherd gives him the title – By Hook or by Crook. A shepherd’s crook, it seems, is not the simple implement that one might imagine. Traditionally, a crook had a small hook at the other end of the shaft, and this allowed a shepherd to catch a sheep in two ways: round the leg, by hook, or round the neck, by crook. Crystal’s analysis and exploration of this idiom sets the tone of the book. Apparently random pieces of linguistic information are assembled, displayed, and then given a reflective treatment which allows the combination of historical allusion with etymology and local knowledge. In this way, he offers 15 chapters, taking the reader from Wales to Birmingham, through Hay-on-Wye
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to Stratfordupon-Avon, from Kolkota through Arden to Lichfield, and then to San Francisco to Lodz and back to Llangollen. On this journey, he is able to accommodate the sociolinguistics of accent. (Birmingham generally being regarded as one of the least desirable accents in Britain.) The book trade in Hay-on-Wye, where the main trade is secondhand books, and the Shakespeare industry in Stratford-upon-Avon are well-known, but Crystal offers personal interpretations of both. He then moves on to address the growth and spread of languages in the plurilingual setting of Kolkota. (See also Crystal 2003.) In Arden he examines collective nouns and speculates on the extent to which J.R.R. Tolkien’s early life influenced The Lord of the Rings. In Lichfield, the birthplace of Dr Johnson, he considers lexicography. In San Francisco he turns his attention to American English and in Lodz to “European” English. In Llangollen he examines the darker area of forensic linguistics. This sounds fearsomely complicated, but Crystal handles his material with such a deftness of touch that By Hook or by Crook becomes a linguist’s pageturner. He has the courtesy to add not merely one, but three indices: Places (pp. 293-300); People and Characters (pp. 301-306) and Topics (pp. 307-314). As one might expect from so meticulous a scholar, he also gives a chapter-by-chapter list of references and sources (pp. 287-291) thus allowing interested readers to research further on their own.
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More traditional linguists might object that By Hook or by Crook is almost too accessible, that it is written for the informed layman rather than for the academic. This argument, however, rather misses the point. Crystal’s delight in language, as language, is infectious.
I would recommend this book to any teachers who are actually interested in English as a language for its own sake. It is instructive. It is entertaining. Whether it could have direct application in the classroom is open to question, but I enjoyed it very much indeed.
Reference
His style is simple and direct, but that is a virtue. Little, if anything, is gained by writing in a deliberately elevated style. The book allows both professional applied linguists such as teachers as well as amateurs such as scrabble players and crossword devotees to explore areas of English that reveal both etymology and, more importantly, the extent to which language changes. In this respect, the chapters “Shall we Shog?: Kolkota” (pp. 172-187) and “My Husband Is Without: Lodz” (pp. 248-266) are particularly valuable. They reveal the extent that English continues to develop and evolve.
Crystal, David. (2003). English as a global language. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Reviewed by
Neil McBeath Sultan Qaboos University Sultanate of Oman
English for Business Life Ian Badger & Pete Menzies Marshall Cavendish, 2007 ISBN 9780462007557 ISBN 9780462007595 160 pp.
Before my review copies of English for Business Life arrived, I did what anyone else in my situation would: I went online to see what I could dig up. Interestingly, the insight I gained by so doing ended up revealing more about ELT sales practice than it did about the course in question. According to publishers Marshall Cavendish (URL supplied at the end of this piece), English for Business Life is “written by authors with a wide experience of teaching English for business in a range of international contexts, countries and cultures.”
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This, of course, is a good thing, and it’s nothing if not comprehensive. These are wellthought out and cover the ground thoroughly, allowing the learner to perform the essential biographical, commercial, descriptive and social tasks required in modern international business. In reality, however, the website blurb tells us little about what might set this course apart from its
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peers. So, given that expertise has clearly been brought to bear, the second blurb on the website’s list of credentials tells us that English for Business Life represents “a course that respects the modern need for flexibility; learners can follow fast, standard or comprehensive tracks through the materials.” The three study tracks in question, of 40 hours’, 60 hours’ and 90 hours’ duration respectively, thus satisfy contemporary pedagogical principles. Further, they offer a course which, grounded in learner autonomy, allows for a flexible learning approach. This is particularly apposite in Business English, for not only do Business English learners tend to be accomplished people and thus aware of their potential needs, but equally, busy people with constraints that full-time learners don’t have. That being said, there unfortunately does not seem to be any diagnostic apparatus which might actually assist the user in determining which track to follow. Remaining with the topic of pedagogy, English for Business Life, according to the website, “follows a progressive and comprehensive grammar syllabus, with the stress on the effective use of grammar for clear communication.” In actuality, the syllabus might more accurately be described as “accretive” rather than “progressive.” Taken in itself, that is no fundamental failing; it’s merely that there is a sense of the predictable contained within these pages. Moreover, any English course which failed to stress “clear communication” (though whether that communication be spoken, written or both remains unstated) would hardly be worth taking down off the shelf. Finally, English for Business Life represents “a course that supports the learner in a highly connected modern world.” As with previous appeals to a “modern need for flexibility” and “grammar for clear communication," this is an essentially ambiguous statement, more interesting to students of rhetoric than to students of Business English. English for Business Life comprises a package of four books (Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate, of which I have the first two only), their attendant CDs, self-study materials and
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trainer manuals. The Elementary and PreIntermediate books total 36 units each, with their Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate counterparts each having ten fewer. Each book is very usefully pegged to Common European Framework and ALTE levels, as well as to relevant Business English exams. Further, the introduction page lists URLs which allow learners to investigate for themselves what this actually means. As previously stated, the syllabus is a progression through the tenses, with extensive recycling level upon level. There is a functional sub-syllabus featuring exponents crucial to the learner and the level such as telling the time, ordering in restaurants, describing people, requesting information, requesting clarification, and so on. Curiously, the units are of variable length (some three pages, some four) and offer the learner a somewhat irregular diet. For example, there may or may not be a dedicated writing task in any given unit. All in all, English for Business Life is well-presented and lavishly illustrated, though a quick flick through (and books do sell on so cursory a basis) reveals a strong Eurasian bias. In sum, English for Business Life represents a detailed though perhaps unremarkable addition to the Business English canon, being essentially a structural syllabus in a suit and tie. Given the financial and commercial prominence of the Middle East these days, it is indeed a shame that the local learner will find little with which to identify within these pages.
References English for Business Life. (2009.) Retrieved April 26, 2009, from http://www.mcelt.com/catalogue/business/forbusiness.asp
Reviewed by
Colin Toms Petroleum Institute Abu Dhabi, UAE
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Middle East and North Africa Writing Center Alliance Conference (MENAWCA) Al Ain, UAE
Neil McBeath Sultan Qaboos University
MENAWCA broke new ground in Al Ain by holding this conference on February 19-20, which was a Thursday afternoon and a Friday, an arrangement which allowed delegates from Oman to participate (TESOL Arabia SIGs and Chapters, please note). The Thursday afternoon session was, admittedly, better attended, but that was partly because a separate Arabic language thread was running. The Friday sessions were conducted entirely in English. What follows is an impression of the conference, but for anyone considering the establishment of a writing center, this was probably as good an introduction as could be found. Bevin Roue from the Emirates College of Advanced Education offered “A 12-Step Discovery Process” which was exactly that: 12 practical steps that would allow teachers to establish and maintain a writing center. Much of this was concerned with nuts-and-bolts issues, such as obtaining separate accommodation, furnishing it, and getting a budget for reference materials. However, he also emphasized the importance of internal politics such as major stakeholders who have to be brought on board and be made to realize that a writing center is not a remedial unit. Equally practical were M. Donnenworth’s three presentations: “Challenges Our Students Bring to the
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Writing Center,” “Readback Feedback: A Conference Technique and Independence in the Writing Center,” and “Peer Group Training.” Based on experience at the United Arab Emirates University, she demonstrated how students had to be taught that the writing center was not a place for students who required proofreading services or for those who wanted a term paper to be written for them. It was, instead, a place where students could go for writing consultations and where they would learn how to improve their own work. On the same theme, C. Pavick’s “New University Angst - Who Are We Anyway?” offered evidence from a writing center at the American University of Nigeria, an institution in a remote location which is currently in the process of establishing its identity. In this instance, the writing center’s activities had a unifying and cultural significance that went beyond the classroom. In contrast, the plenary by Michele Eodiche, the President of the Writing International Centers Association, fell somewhat flat. In her enthusiasm to demonstrate how widely the alliance had spread, Eodiche spent too long showing photographs from conferences in New Orleans, Germany and so forth, before addressing the particular needs of the Arabian Gulf. And addressing the specific needs of the Arabian Gulf in establishing and developing writing centers is, I believe, a real problem. The Writing Centre at the UAE University thrives because it has dedicated staff support and because it can call upon the services of international students who have received scholarships from the UAE authorities.
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Many of these young men and women are bi- and trilingual as well as having a breadth of experience that goes far beyond that of their UAE counterparts. They are students attending the same university, and I am certain that they offer excellent
tutorial support to their fellow students, but I am frankly unsure if they can really be regarded as “peers.” For writing centers to flourish in the Gulf, tutoring by Gulf national students must be developed.
What NeuroLinguistic-Programming Has to Offer Your Students British University in Dubai, UAE
Dr Kirti Khanzode SP Jain Center of Management
Being on the TESOL Arabia mailing list, which I am only just beginning to realize is an incredibly wonderful thing, delivers a great many opportunities into my inbox (instead of to my doorstep). For example, I recently received an invitation to a free workshop arranged by the British University in Dubai (BUiD) and held in their auditorium on the evening of March18, 2009.The topic was something which, although I could not initially understand it, managed to arouse my curiosity. The topic was “What Neuro Linguistic Programing Has to Offer your Students: Primary, Secondary, Adult” by Mario Rinvolucri. Mr. Rinvolucri is a well-known and highly respected teacher, writer and teacher trainer working at Pilgrims, Canterbury, UK. What initially caught my fancy were the words “neuro-linguistic.” In the past, I had attended conferences which dealt with language or linguistics, so I was definitely intrigued and eager to find out what “neuro” teamed with “linguistics” actually meant.
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As March18 was a working day, I had to leave my office a little early in order to reach the workshop on time. The number of attendees quickly reached well over 50, and at first I thought that such a large audience could prove detrimental to the success of the workshop. However, Mario didn’t appear to agree as he made us sit in a big circle, and informed us that a lot of communication happens when people sit in this formation instead of the typical auditorium style seating. Mario began by outlining what Neuro Linguistic Programing (NLP) is and how one’s NLP is correlated with his/her learning style. He then made us do some exercises which enabled us to find out a person’s NLP and therefore find out what learning style s/he has. A person’s NLP can be visual, auditory, olfactory or kinesthetic corresponding to our four senses. Whatever a person’s NLP turns out to be, his/her learning style is going to be similar. For example, if my NLP is visual and an instructor teaches me in a manner which uses visuals to teach content or simply uses language that evokes visual imagery, I would not only learn more easily but also enjoy the classes to a greater degree. Mario also explained that “tomboyish” students who are invariably recognized by their teachers as being notorious troublemakers in the class are actually a kinesthetic kind of learner. As such, they find it difficult to sit still in class, or, in other words, need to do things in order to able to learn them. Their
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restlessness is not necessarily a sign of disrespect. Nor does it mean that they are not particularly keen to learn. Rather like round pegs in a square hole, which traditional classroom bound education does not cater to, kinesthetic is just their preferred style of learning. Unfortunately they are often penalized for something, which is not necessarily under their control. This was almost like a revelation for me and I found myself and a lot of other teachers around me reflecting about these “tomboys.” I am certain that the next time I walk into a classroom, it will be with a completely new way of looking at these tomboys and so my method of dealing with them will be different as well. Mario certainly did a lot of good to both the teachers and their tomboys by bridging this gap of understanding through his NLP workshop. According to the workshop, NLP can be compared
to any language. By this I mean, by practicing and endeavoring to understand it, you can get better at it. Additionally, it can be quite beneficial to you, not only as a teacher, but in all your other social interactions. Mario actually told us that a lot of people who attend his workshops have found this to be very useful in their relationships. Parents, in particular, have found that learning about NLP helped them to gain a better understanding of their own children. Thus, knowing NLP could help teachers to improve their self management, understand their learners better, and improve the manner in which they deal with people formerly thought of as being difficult. In the second half of the workshop, the trainer took us through some rapport building exercises. For example, when someone discovers that another person comes from the same place, a geographical rapport can be struck up between the people. Similarly, if someone can speak the same language as another person, an immediate linguistic rapport can be built. Finally, even when there is apparently nothing in common between people, a rapport can be established by cracking a joke. Humor builds rapport almost like nothing else. This is why many teachers or presenters, who have little to nothing in common with their students or audience, use jokes to generate laughter; from the moment the audience or students laugh, a rapport has been established. By the end of the workshop, I had discovered my own NLP, had practiced finding out other participants’ NLPs through some very interesting exercises that Mario put us through, and had struck a rapport with some of my fellow workshop attendees. I am extremely thankful to Mario for the wonderful insights that he bestowed upon us. On my trip home, I couldn’t help but think about what I would have missed if I had not attended this workshop. NLP offers a whole ocean of knowledge in and of itself. The little splash of water I gained is something I will cherish every time I am teaching or interacting with people in social settings. Those of you who would like to know more about NLP could go through the books recommended by Mario: Introducing NLP by Seymour and O’ Connor and Unlocking Self Expression through NLP by Baker and Rinvolucri, Delta, 2005.
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Oman Ministry of Manpower, Colleges of Technology ELT Conference Al Musanna College of Technology, Oman
explained that the text had come from a British Council test where it had been given a failing mark primarily because it had little relevance to the topic. This led to a discussion of the importance of readership, and the extent to which teachers focus on how a text is written, rather than on why.
Neil McBeath Sultan Qaboos University
On March 5, 2009, for the second year running, the Oman Ministry of Manpower organized its English Language Teaching Conference at Al Musanna College of Technology. The general consensus of opinion appears to be that this year's conference was an improvement on the first. The plenary speaker was Dr Peter Grundy, a former President of IATEFL, who presented on “Putting the Learner First: The Differences Between Learn-to-Use and Use-to-Learn.” In this presentation, he demonstrated materials used in the northeast of England, showing the extent to which affect influences both motivation and learning. At the end of the conference, a CD ROM with his PowerPoint slides was made available to all delegates, which is a courtesy that other conferences might emulate. Dr. Grundy also gave a workshop entitled, “Responding to Writing,” where delegates were asked to assess a piece of writing, but were not informed of the criteria that they were to apply. The results of this experiment were interesting. While some delegates concentrated on the candidate's rather execrable spelling, others were prepared to give credit based on the fact that the text conformed to the five-paragraph format. Eventually, it was
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Other workshops were Stephen Monteith's, “Magazines: More Than Just a Collection of Articles,” where pictures cut from magazines were used as a stimulus for giving directions or to build a narrative. This was an effective demonstration of an essentially free resource which can be employed by teachers showing initiative. Dr. Victoria Tuzlukova then examined the question, “What Can Literature Do That Textbooks Can't?” She took a slightly adapted version of Hans Christian Anderson's The Emperor's New Clothes, and linked it with worksheets which provided practice in using cognitive skills, self-access research activities as well as the traditional four skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. Again, this was an interesting paper which showed how carefully chosen material could be adapted for classroom use. The day's final activity, unfortunately, was less successful. A panel discussion became a forum in which many teachers working for the Ministry of Manpower complained about various matters. However, no one with the authority to affect change was present to hear the objections. Furthermore, for the delegates who did not work at the Ministry's colleges, the matters raised, namely syllabus design and examinations, were matters that had no bearing on their own concerns. Therefore, at future conferences it might be better to replace this session with a final plenary or another workshop.
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5th Annual CamTESOL Conference on English Language Teaching Phnom Penh, Cambodia
David Litz UAE University Al Ain
With the generous assistance of TESOL Arabia, I had the great fortune of attending the 5th Annual CamTESOL Conference on English Language Teaching that was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from February 20-22, 2009, under the theme “The Globalization of ELT: Emerging Directions.” The first day of the conference included various educational site visits. The purpose of these tours was to provide an opportunity for overseas visitors to gain insights into the Cambodian educational context. For the presenters at the conference, it was an excellent opportunity, prior to presenting to a predominantly Cambodian audience, to gain first hand impressions of local schools and the local learning environment. The various options included the following organised tours: N N N N N N
ELT-focused self access facilities Libraries/Archives Literacy programs Public schools (elementary and high schools) Private language schools Research institutes
I chose to attend the tour on literacy programs that included a visit to the Cambodian Volunteers for Community Development (CVCD). This is a local non-profit organisation that operates non-formal Khmer language classes at the elementary level for children from the poorest families of Cambodia. I learned that the classes operate five days a week and students are taught mathematics, Khmer reading and writing, geography, history, science, environmental Volume 16
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studies, health, hygiene, and social morality. Another visit included Pour un Sourire d'Enfant (PSE), which is a non-profit organisation that supports over 7,000 children from poor families around the country by providing general education from kindergarten through high school and vocational training skills. The latter includes hotel and hospitality training, cooking, childcare, gardening, beauty treatment, and small business management. The final stop on the tour was particularly moving as it involved a visit to the head offices of A New Day Cambodia (ANDC). This non-profit organisation helps Phnom Penh’s “dump children” who spend their days scavenging through the rubbish at the main municipal dump of Stung Meanchy. With its black plumes of noxious smoke rising from rotting mountains of garbage, this place truly could be called a “Hell on Earth”, but ANDC is fortunately providing shelter, clean clothes, food, recreation, and education in Khmer and English for over 100 lucky children who had been previously forced to live and work at this site. I would recommend that those who are interested in obtaining more information, volunteering, providing assistance or donating to any of these groups to visit the following websites: http://www.cvcd.org.kh/about.html http://www.pse.asso.fr http://anewdaycambodia.org In addition to presenting my own paper on student self-assessment of academic writing at UAE University, I also tried to attend as many presentations as I could. While some of these demonstrations, workshops, and paper presentations specifically focused on teaching writing, grammar instruction, task-based and student-based learning, one workshop on Buddhism and modern education really stood out as being particularly enlightening and refreshing. In this talk the presenter discussed how education in Thailand and Cambodia had traditionally been closely TESOL Arabia Perspectives
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linked to Buddhist temples and literary skills had been taught with an emphasis on imbuing students with moral and philosophical principles. However, in recent years this has shifted to western models that emphasize knowledge over wisdom. This was followed by a fascinating open-ended discussion with the audience on the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches to teaching and learning. The topics of most of the featured and plenary speakers were true to the theme of the conference: “The Globalization of ELT: Emerging Directions.” Some of the highlights of the presentations given by featured speakers included the opening plenary speech by Dr Jun Liu of the University of Arizona, USA, who made an impassioned plea for more Non-native English Speaking Teachers (NNESTs) to enter the teaching profession in foreign ELT contexts, but warned of the complexities, challenges, and disadvantages of training NNESTs. According to Liu, there will be a growing need for culturally sensitive training models that will have to be uniquely developed in order to cater to NNESTs and alleviate some of these aforementioned concerns. Dr Alan Maley of Leeds Metropolitan University also gave an excellent talk on Global English. He spoke on the debate about the role and status of English as an International Language (EIL) and questioned the claims of proponents of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) based on the relevance of research for practical classroom teaching, the nature of genuine ELF encounters, and of the “power” relationships between L1-users and L2-users. He concluded that curriculum planners and material designers should begin to look in different directions and that we need to consider the implications of EIL for the teacher’s own English as well as for what is taught in the classroom.
emotional and moving, they remind the visitor of the unimaginable cruelties of which humans are capable. They also stand as testaments to the bravery and fortitude of the Cambodian people who were privy to one of the most destructive regimes the world has ever seen. Overall, the 5th Annual CamTESOL Conference was one of the most memorable academic conferences I have ever attended and I will not soon forget the incredible work that is being done by the educational non-profit groups across Cambodia as well as the fantastic job that Cambodian teachers are doing with such limited resources at their disposal. I also found that the quality of the presentations was excellent and that it was a well-organized conference in addition to being an excellent opportunity to network with other educational professionals from all across Asia. I would highly recommend this conference to anyone interested in attending in 2010.
After the conference was finished, I took the opportunity to visit the Killing Fields and the infamous S21 prison in Phnom Penh which have gained increasing notoriety in recent months as a result of the ongoing United Nations human rights trials that are underway. Both of these places stand as monuments for the myriad of crimes and atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge era in which millions of people were brutally murdered in Cambodia. While extremely
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Uncharted Mountains, Forging New Pathways: TESOL International 2009 Denver, Colorado
Justin Shewell UAE University Al Ain
I had the wonderful opportunity to attend TESOL International 2009 in Denver, Colorado, USA, as a representative of TESOL Arabia. It was an excellent opportunity for me and an extremely valuable experience both professionally and personally.
idea, but it seemed that many teachers had forgotten this simple technique as they tried to be “cutting edge” and use more communicative methods of teaching rather than a more traditional “rote memorization” method. I, myself, have learned at least two foreign languages, and know that unless I review a word, and try to use it in my own language production, I will not remember it for very long. Therefore, this presentation reminded me that a combination of communicative language teaching and rote memorization may be best in order to help my own students retain more of the vocabulary which they are supposed to be learning in class.
TESOL International is a convention of unequaled proportion in the EFL/ESL teaching profession. With an estimated attendance of over 6,000 teachers, program administrators, publishers, and other professionals, the convention offered over 900 presentations on a multitude of different topics. I, myself, attended several wonderful sessions, as well as presented in the Leadership Development Certificate Program on using technology to help manage our time. I also presented an extended version of this presentation at the Teacher Leadership Academy at Dubai Men's College on May 21 – 22, 2009. Amongst the excellent range of professional presentations, two really made an impression on me. The first one was a presentation on helping students learn and remember (or retain) academic vocabulary. The presenter made the point that to retain vocabulary, students had to continually review (or revise) the words they learned. She suggested they start out slowly, with only a few words on flash cards, and spend time everyday reviewing the words. Then, as those words were transferred into the students' language production, and they became integrated into the students' vocabularies, students could add more words. This is definitely not a new
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Justin Shewell presenting on using technology at the Leadership Development Certificate Program.
In another interesting and informative presentation, a presenter offered instructions on how to build an interactive white-board, sometimes called a “smart board,” for about $50 (184 AED). This technique involved using an LCD projector, an infrared light pen, and a Wii remote connected to a laptop or desktop computer via Bluetooth. While many teachers in the Gulf may have “smart boards” available to them, my university does not provide
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them and so this was something I could implement in my own classroom for only a small expense on my part.
giving presentations on using technology in teaching. There were two sessions of this fair, which focused on presentations that were so popular the first time they were presented, that they were asked to come back and repeat their presentation again for a new audience. For the second time, we had at least one presenter who gave their presentation from afar via webcasting technology. The participants gathered around a computer, and the presenter had a web camera and a presentation open in webcasting software so the participants were able to hear and see the presenter and the presentation, even though the presenter was thousands of miles away. The CALL-IS also webcast their open meeting and we had people from off-site participating in our annual election of officers. I, myself, was elected to the CALL-IS Steering Committee, to serve a 3-year term.
At dinner, from left to right: Laila Mouhanna, Justin Shewell, Christine Coombe, Eric Dwyer, Beth Witt, Diane Carter, Ali Shehadeh, Mashael Al -Hamly, and Leslie Barratt.
TESOL International also offered an enormous exhibition in which approximately 130 publishers from different areas of the world displayed the latest in ESL/EFL textbook and professional development publications. Many exhibitors offered samples of their publications, and I was able to obtain a few copies of materials which I think will benefit my institution. Another important part of the convention was the networking. Indeed, many people attend this annual conference mainly so that they can meet and network with many other professionals with common interests and circumstances. While at TESOL International, I was able to meet with many of the TESOL International staff, as well as many people I had not seen for several years. I also met a few past TESOL Arabia Conference plenary speakers and featured speakers, as well as others whom I hope will consider presenting at TESOL Arabia in the future. Perhaps the most beneficial part of the convention was the opportunity I had to work in the Electronic Village (EV), sponsored by the CALL Interest Section of TESOL International. I coordinated one of the scheduled “fairs” of the EV, where attendees could wander around the EV and listen to presenters
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The legendary “Blue Bear” statue in front of the Colorado Convention Center.
While such international conferences are exhilarating and I always come away feeling motivated and inspired, I have always felt that the TESOL Arabia conference was as valuable for me as TESOL International in terms of the sessions offered and the people with whom I am able to meet and network. I also hope that with new advances in webcast technology, more of these international conferences may be made available to all, regardless of location or circumstance, via the Internet.
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Calendar of Upcoming Events July 2-3, 2009
(Central and South America) Miraguane Association of Teachers of English (MATE-TESOL Haiti), "ELT: New Developments and Challanges," Haitan-American Institute, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. E-mail jeanfranois_vilmenay@yahoo.com.
July 3-4, 2009
(Asia and Oceania) The Korea Association of Teachers of English (KATE), KATE 2009 International Conference, "Across the Borders: Content-Based Instruction in the EFL Contexts," Ewha Women’s University, Seoul, South Korea. E-mail kate20082010@hanmail.net. Website http://www.kate.or.kr.
July 8-10, 2009
(Central and South America) ACPI-TESOL Costa Rica, Asociacion Costarricense de Profesores de Ingles, "How to Learn a Language Successfully Through the Connection of Listening and Speaking," Universidad de La Salle, San Jose, Costa Rica. E-mail amadririmo@hotmail.com.
July 31August 2, 2009
(Central and South America) PERU TESOL , Seventeenth Annual Convention, San Martìn de Tarapoto (in the Peruvian Jungle in the Middle Eastern part of Peru). E-mail nefdy@yahoo.com.
August 7-9, 2009
(Asia and Oceania) English Language Teacher's Association of India, "Managing Mixed-Ability Classes." E-mail eltai_india@yahoo.co.in. Website http://www.eltai.org.
August 28-29, 2009
(Central and South America) Argentina TESOL, "Expanding Our Professional Horizons in the Argentine Pampa," Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina. E-mail artesol@bcl.edu.ar. Website http://www.artesol.bcl.edu.ar.
September 9-12 2009
(Europe and Eurasia) EUROCALL 2009, "New Trends in CALL: Working Together," Escuela Politécnica Superior de Gandía. Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Gandía (Valencia), Spain. E-mail Margaret.Gammell@ul.ie. Website http://www.eurocall-languages.org.
October 1-4, 2009
(North America) ANUPI-TESOL/MEXICO, "Fostering Cultural Awareness and Learning Competencies in EFL/ESL," El Dorado Pacific Hotel, Ixtapa-Zyhuatanjeo, Guerrero, Mexico. E-mail asociacion@anupi.org.mx. Website http://anupi.org.mx.
October 8-11, 2009
(Central and South America) ASOCOPI, "The Symbolic Power of English: Implications for Colombian Educational Settings," Universidad Pontifica Bolivariana, Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia. E-mail asocopi@yahoo.com. Website http://www.asocopi.org.
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English for Specific Purposes SIG Report Mabel S. Lalou ESP SIG Chair
This year the ESP SIG focused all its efforts on one big event: The Sixth Annual Conference, hosted by the University of Sharjah in the English Language Centre. The theme was “ESP: The Language for Work,” and it drew the interest of Mark Krzanowski, ESP SIG Chair of IATEFL. Mark agreed to come as Plenary Speaker and had his address ready on “E4W: Current Trends and Suggested Approaches.” However, he was not able to get release time to fly out from London, so his session had to be delivered by proxy. Dr Moncef Lahlou, Director of the Language Centre at Al Akhawayne University in Ifrane, Morocco, was brought at very short notice to deliver his plenary address on “English in the Workplace - Do You Speak Global?” It was a grand conference, not only due to the two plenary sessions, but also because of the two featured speakers, Neil Mcbeath, from Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, and Phil Cozens, from the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi. Both addressed controversial topics with Neil focusing on “English in the Workplace - Resistance and Acceptance” and Phil answering the question “How Do We Know What to Teach?” The concurrent sessions were delivered by ESP enthusiasts from the Higher Colleges of Technology, Ajman University of Science and Technology, American University of Sharjah and from the University of Sharjah itself. Much interest was aroused in particular by University of Sharjah instructor, Mohammad Amir's, “Needs AnalysisBased Curriculum for the UAE Police.” One other interesting feature of the conference was the innovative inclusion of “English for the Arts” by Elizabeth Thomas, a visiting speaker from the USA. What caught the attention of every teacher present was the alumni/students panel discussion by two
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graduates and one final year student from the University of Sharjah and two senior students of United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). The presence of about 30 students from UAEU, accompanied by their teacher, Sally Ali, also seemed significant to the delegates. Everyone felt that it was quite fair that most of the raffle prizes, donated by the principal hotels in Sharjah and the University Bookshop, were won by the female students from Al Ain.
Dr. Moncef Lahlou delivering his plenary speech.
The hospitality extended by the University of Sharjah and the immense interest taken by the English Language Centre Director, Dr Khaldah Al Mansoori, made this conference more successful than the five previous ones. It was at this conference that the Chair of the ESP SIG announced her wish to resign, which she did, in fact, do four days later. With some regret as well as pride, she reminisced on the time of TESOL Arabia’s inception, when she was one of its founding members, and also looked towards the future of the ESP SIG, with a new chair to take it forward to greater achievements.
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Special Interest Group Reports
Learner Independence SIG Year End Report Phil Cozens LI SIG Co-Chair Over the last year there have been a few additional changes within the LI-SIG team. The most important is also our greatest loss. Heather Baba, one of the original founders, has decided to step down as Treasurer and, in reality, “SuperSIG”: The person who always knows who to go to whenever we need help. She is currently working on an MA in Museum Studies and feels that she does not have the necessary time to wholly fulfill the obligations which go with the position. Jane Al Hashimi has also decided to step down, so we will shortly be looking for a new editor. Phil Cozens and David Dixon are helping out wherever they can. The SIG has been involved with the various chapters and in October took part in an event with the Al Ain Chapter. Around 95 educators, including 14 presenters and facilitators, attended the event at the Men’s Campus of United Arab Emirates University. The event consisted of a variety of sessions devoted to encouraging selfdirected learning. Presentations involved selfassessment research, self-assessment in writing classes, developing learner strategies, giving small choices that raise self-management awareness, learning English through leisure activities, and a discussion of the relationship between teacher autonomy and learner autonomy. Computer lab sessions included enabling special needs students to utilize computer-based resources better, using a wiki to increase learner interdependence, and accessing web pages to increase student motivation. Towards the end of last year, on December 26, Phil went to Dubai where he gave a workshop at the Dubai Chapter event on using the tools available on the L'Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) site developed by Tom Cobb. Phil also joined LI-SIG regulars Melanie Gobert, Alan Pollock, Jim Buckingham and relative newcomer Jeff Knowling for the Western Region event at the Madinat Zayed Volume 16
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(MZ) campus of the Higher Colleges of Technology on February 14. Co-chair Jane Al Hashimi was also there, with a presentation entitled, “Reading Techniques for the IELTS Exam.” Alan Pollock, of Abu Dhabi Women's College, gave an interesting session on the use of Hot Potatoes software, including the use of audiovisual materials. Concurrently, Jim Buckingham, of Zayed University, introduced a group to the use of wikis. He had previously set up a wiki at http://madinatzayedwiki.wetpaint.com/ for participants to put forward possible questions. While this did not generate as many suggestions as hoped, it did provide a starting point for those attending his workshop both at Madinat Zayed and Ruwais. Participants in Ruwais, while few in number, were able to contribute to the discussions and eventually left with a wiki of their own to carry forward the message. At the same time as these two technologybased activities were proceeding, Melanie provided details on the ins and outs of the Academic IELTS for Writing Task 1. The first sessions were followed with two technology-based sessions by Jeff Knowling and Phil Cozens, while Jane Al Hashemi, of the MZ and Ruwais Colleges, went into the minutiae of the IELTS Reading Exam. Jeff's presentation, entitled “Providing Independent Listening through Moodle,” gave details of the extensive listening tasks he provides for students at the Petroleum Institute as well as details of the mechanics and, more importantly, copyright-free sites that provide the materials. Phil's session, entitled “Creating Materials with the Compleat Lexical Tutor,” demonstrated some of the activities that teachers and students can create using Tom Cobb's superb site. After a short break, the final sessions started with Phil Quirke giving a session entitled “Innovative Ways of Teaching Reading.” The morning finished with a lunch provided by the Western Region Educational Zone. TESOL Arabia Perspectives
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Testing, Evaluation, and Assessment SIG Update Christine Coombe & Peter Davidson TAE SIG Co-Chairs
The 2008-09 academic year has been a busy one for the TESOL Arabia Testing, Assessment and Evaluation SIG. The organization and participation in various assessment conferences has been very much our priority as well as getting out a second edition of the now sold out Fundamentals of Language Assessment, 1st edition. Our first major event of the year was the 12th Annual Current Trends in English Language Testing Conference (CTELT), which took place at Dubai Men’s College on November 12-14, 2008. The theme of this conference was "Developing Assessment Literacy," and the plenary speakers were Natalie Kuhlman, Hossein Farhady, Ali Shehadeh and Annie Brown. Throughout the year we have organized and run several Fundamentals of Language Assessment (FLA) conferences both in the UAE (Fujairah on November 22, 2008, Abu Dhabi on February 7, 2009, and RAK, which focused on Technology and Assessment on February 21, 2009) and abroad. In the January issue of Perspectives, we provided an account of the FLA which was conducted in Samarkand and Bukhara in Uzbekistan, which took place in December, 2008. The next FLA event took place in Yerevan, Armenia, at the American University of Armenia in May, 2009. We are able to organize these FLAs with the help of a TOEFL Board Grant from Educational Testing Services. The TAE SIG organizers have also worked hard with other institutions to provide professional development for members. In February, we, along with the able assistance of the Ajman University of Science and Technology (AUST), jointly organized a one-day conference on teacher development and education. The event took place on Saturday, February 14, 2009, at the AUST campus in Ajman. The theme of the conference was "Celebrating Excellence in English Language Teaching." Over 350 area teachers were in attendance. On May 21-22, we
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organized a Teacher Leadership Academy for area teachers. This event, sponsored by a grant from the Middle East Partnership Initiative and hosted by Dubai Men’s College, welcomed more than 300 teachers for training on all aspects of educational leadership and management. Plenary speakers included Liz England, Neil Anderson, John Schmidt, Christine Coombe and Bob Richards. TAE SIG co-chairs, Christine Coombe and Peter Davidson, participated in a panel discussion on computerized testing at the Global Forum on Technology and Innovation in Teaching and Learning Conference (GETEX) on April 16, 2009, in Dubai.
The second edition of Fundamentals of Language Assessment should be available in June, 2009.
The second edition of Fundamentals of Language Assessment is slated for publication in June, 2009. So if you are in need of some interesting summertime reading, contact TESOL Arabia Publications to secure your copy! The volume will include articles from locally-based assessment experts as well as internationally-renowned specialists. It’s been a great year for us and we hope to widen the scope of the training and professional development we provide next year. If you would like a TAE SIG representative to come and speak at your institution, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. TESOL Arabia Perspectives
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TESOL Arabia Special Interest Groups ESP SIG Chair Mabel S. Lahlou English Language Center University of Sharjah PO Box 27272, Sharjah, UAE 050 737 6347 (mobile) www.geocities.com/tespsig/index.htm E-mail: eurekaable@hotmail.com
Learner Independence SIG Team c/o Phil Cozens Petroleum Institute PO Box 2533, Abu Dhabi, UAE E-mail: tailearn@yahoo.com Website: http://ilearn.20m.com Independent Learning Forum: http://groups.google.com/group/ilearn2
Virginia Robson
Jeff Knowling
Amr El Zarka
Phil Cozens
Distance Learning Support: http://groups.google.com/group/distancelearningissues Distance Learning Wiki: http://tailearn.pbworks.com/ Study Skills Wiki: http://ilearnstudyskills.pbworks.com/ E-newsletter: http://ilearn.20m.com/newsletter/index.htm Moodle: http://learnerindependence.info Facebook Group: Learner Autonomy and iLearn
Testing, Assessment, & Evaluation SIG Co-Chairs Christine Coombe Dubai Men’s College Higher Colleges of Technology PO Box 15825, Dubai, UAE 050 619 4796 (mobile) christine.coombe@hct.ac.ae christinecoombe@hotmail.com
Peter Davidson Zayed University PO Box 19282 Dubai, UAE 04 402 1387 (off) 050 843 8782 (mobile) peter.davidson@zu.ac.ae
Young Learners SIG Chair
Information Technology SIG Chair Will Moore Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) P.O. Box 90472 Al Ain, UAE Mobile: (050) 334-3657 dreigo.will@gmail.com
Micheline Habib P.O. Box 108137 Abu Dhabi, UAE Mobile: (050) 303-7404 mikaellahab@yahoo.com
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Dubai Chapter and IT SIG Co-Event Rehab Regab & Will Moore
The Saturday, March 28, TESOL Arabia workshops organized by the Dubai Chapter and IT SIG, and hosted by the Canadian University of Dubai, offered a great variety of presentations to those attending. Session 1 got underway at 10:00 am. Considering the problem that Arabic students face when reversing the direction of reading, Will Moore presented on how to use PowerPoint in order to create a left-to-right flow of words appearing across the screen with synchronized voice so that students can “Never Get Lost Reading.” After the demonstration, participants played with varying the speed of delivery, altering the font and line spacing as well as inserting pictures and other items. Rehab Ragab shows Internet Navigation Made Easy.
increasingly popular field of activity, not only as a social network, but as a network with professional applications as well. The attraction that this new communication medium holds for youths surely needs to be captured and included in curricular repertoires.
Concurrently, James O’Hearn presented on using the Google suite of online applications as a solution which can reduce the time spent by teachers on editing students’ writing. James showed the attendees that it is possible for students and teachers to have not only simultaneous access to a text file but also the ability for both to interact with that text.
Robert Hobbs presented on “Movies, Subtitles and Learning English.” Robert reflected on his own experience using foreign movies with English subtitles to improve learners’ reading skills, vocabulary, and their ability to express their opinion as well as participate in group discussions. The presenter provided various activities to use over three stages: pre-viewing, viewing and post viewing. In addition, he stressed the importance of the content and also its suitability for the learners. Robert also talked about using movies in history and sociology classes where students watch in order to focus on matters such as a film’s espoused values, its plot, the furnishings, the architecture, the settings or the characters.
Session 2 had Maryanne Campo presenting on using social networks such as Twitter and Facebook for both professional development and for student writing. She shined a light on this new and
After a brief break, participants at Saima Khan’s presentation on “Assisting Arabic EFL Students with Reading” considered the pros and con that publishing house texts offer versus those produced
Mary Anne Campo presents Lurking and Learning in Social Networks.
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locally. Overly flashy and expensive texts with content which is still largely North American or Eurocentric remain big factors when choosing locally produced materials. However, materials produced too quickly by teachers rather than curriculum authors are often replete with errors of omission and fact as well as offering poorly photocopied, uninteresting, black and white texts. She led the attendees through a good variety of ways and means to work effectively with either. Rehab Ragab’s “Internet Navigation Made Easy” session offered participants new perspectives into using RSS readers (aggregators) in the ESL/EFL classroom. After introducing the educational applications of RSS readers and widgets, the
presenter explained how a personalized page created on iGoogle can save a lot of time at the beginning of class. While iGoogle widgets are useful in starting a class, another web-based RSS Feed Reader, “NetVibes,” can be used to receive updates from one’s favorite websites, such as local newspapers and weather forecasts, and then be placed onto a user’s desktop. The attendees then created their own NetVibes and iGoogle accounts and learned how to add RSS Feed links to their customized feed readers. The workshop ended with a social gathering where drawings for door prizes took place and attendees were offered the chance to do some networking.
Sharjah Chapter Report Mona El Samaty
I had the pleasure to work with Leo Schmitt for two and a half years as the chapter secretary. Leo was a dedicated President of the Sharjah Chapter for four years. He is now in the USA and the Sharjah team wishes him success in his new job and new life in Pennsylvania with his family. Since the last chapter report, we have had two events. The first, entitled “Creating a Successful Learning Environment,” was held on January 31, 2009, and had four presenters and almost 40 attendees. Dr. Najib Jarad from the University of Sharjah showed the audience effective ways of teaching idioms by telling the stories behind them. Hala El Miniawi talked about adapting new technology in order to enhance the teaching/learning process. Amr El Zarka talked about ways in which to assist weak students in a multi-level class. Finally, Halina Campa gave a presentation on the deep writing produced for journals by upper-intermediate students at American University of Sharjah. Four publishers were present at the January event: McGraw Hill, Cambridge University Press, Arab Gulf Education, and Kasha. Each of these publishers kindly donated books ranging from dictionaries to children’s
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Dr. Ghassoub on motivating Arab learners to read.
stories with cassettes for our raffle drawing which took place at the end of the event. We sincerely appreciate their attending our event and for generously donating these raffle items. Our second event, “Exploring EFL Perspectives,” took place on April 11, 2009, and included five speakers and more than 20 attendees. Dr. Suhair Al Alami from Al Ghureir University talked first about how to conduct diagnostic assessment in EFL
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when it comes to using the computer, but is also very talented in design, and produces our program flyers for us. Thanks must also go to Ed Carlsteadt, our treasurer, who ensures that tasty refreshments are available to everybody at our events.
Hala El Miniawa showing how to use technology to enhance the teaching/learning process.
contexts. Concurrently, Hala El Miniawi tackled the topic of psychology in teaching and how it ensures better teaching/learning outcomes. Later, Dr. Ghassoub from the Higher Colleges of Technology gave a presentation on the main reasons why Arab learners do not read and ways of motivating them to read more. Finally, Amr El Zarka talked about using error analysis in order to obtain better language achievement.
For more information on TESOL Arabia Chapter Events, see our calendar at http://tesolarabia.org
Three publishers were present at the April event: Kasha, Cambridge University Press, and Arab Gulf Education. They displayed the latest dictionaries and EFL books as well as books for young learners. This was our last event until the next academic year commences and so we wish everybody a good holiday. We hope, for the next academic year, to have more events, with many attendees as well as publishers. Until then, if anyone is interested in sharing an idea for the newsletter, or giving a presentation, please do not hesitate to contact me or any of the Sharjah chapter team. We always look forward to hearing from you. To continue what Leo started, the Sharjah chapter plans to publish details of our expenses and revenues in the Sharjah newsletter (available online). We receive a small amount of money from the Executive Council and additional revenues come from fees paid by non-members who attend our events. With these funds, we are able to buy refreshments, and hold events such as the two described here throughout the year. I cannot end this report without thanking Halina Campa, the Chapter Secretary for her diligent work and commitment. Halina is not only highly skilled Volume 16
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TESOL Arabia Chapter Representatives Abu Dhabi Representative Ahmed Saadawi IAT PreCORE Program Khalifa University of Science, Technology & Research (KUSTAR) PO Box 127733, Abu Dhabi, UAE 02 444 3763 (office), 02 444 5143 (fax) 050 771-7255 (mobile) a_saadawi@yahoo.com
Al Ain Representative Mokhtar Trabelsi Ministry of Education and Youth PO Box 1245, Al Ain, UAE 03 751 2662 (res) 050 563 0238 (mobile) noorkha97@hotmail.com
Sharjah Representative Mona El Samaty University of Sharjah College of Arts English Department P. O. Box 27272, Sharjah, UAE 06 505 3349 (office) monaelsamaty@gmail.com
Dubai Representative Rehab Rejab Institute of Applied Technology PO Box 124354 Dubai, United Arab Emirates 050 637 5957 (mobile) rehabrajab@yahoo.com
RAK Representative Anna Bailey Ras Al Khaimah Women’s College Higher Colleges of Technology PO Box 4792, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE 07 202 5230 (office) anna.bailey@hct.ac.ae, rakrep@yahoo.co.uk
Acting Eastern Region Representative Yurii Vedrashko Fujairah Women's College Higher Colleges of Technology PO Box 1626, Fujairah,UAE 050 193 9805 (mobile) yvedrashko@hct.ac.ae
Western Region Representative Mohammad Azaza Zayed Al-Khair Model School PO Box 57657, Zayed Town, UAE 02 884 4453 (office), 02 884 4478 (fax ), 050 780 3988 (mobile) amelki22@yahoo.com
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TESOL Arabia 2009-2010 Please complete this application form and follow the directions for payment on the reverse. Please note that membership fees are not refundable. TESOL Arabia Secretariat, I C & E, PO Box 29884, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Fax: +971 4 3355141 Tel: +971 4 3372718 Email: tesolarabia@icedxb.com Please check one: G
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All information given in this form will remain confidential and is solely for the use of TESOL Arabia. First Name: ________________________ Last Name: Postal address: PO Box
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TESOL Arabia Special Interest Groups – please circle up to TWO SIGs of your choice: ESP Instructional Technology Learner Independence Literature Testing Young Learners TESOL Arabia Branches – UAE residents please circle the branch you want to contact you: Abu Dhabi Al Ain Dubai Fujairah + East Coast Ras Al Khaimah Sharjah
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We can only process your application once both the application AND payment have been received by TESOL Arabia. Please note the following about payment:
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The original deposit slip (usually pink in colour) must be sent with the membership application form to IC&E at the address on the form. Your application will not be processed until the deposit slip has been received. G
CREDIT CARD payments are only accepted using our online membership application form at http://www.tesolarabia.org/membership/online.php
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Upon payment, a RECEIPT and Membership Card will be posted to you at the mailing address listed on your application form. If you do not receive a RECEIPT within two weeks of applying, please contact us at: TESOL Arabia IC & E, P.O. Box 29884, Dubai, UAE, Tel: +971 4 3372718, Fax +971 4 3355141, Email: tesolarabia@icedxb.com
* "Regular" membership is for people employed at the government system post-secondary education level or the private sector equivalent, or are otherwise outside the recognised primary or secondary schooling system. Decisions made by the Membership Secretary regarding categories of membership are final. ** Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
w w w. t e s o l a r a b i a . o r g
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Guidelines for Contributors for review will be made available periodically in Perspectives. Please contact Dr. Atta Gebril, the Reviews Editor, at AttaG@uaeu.ac.ae.
General Editorial Policies TESOL Arabia Perspectives is the official publication of TESOL Arabia, designed to meet the organization’s professional objectives by publishing articles that discuss the teaching and learning of English as an additional language at all levels and with a particular focus on the region (the Gulf, Middle East, North Africa and South Asia). TESOL Arabia Perspectives invites previously unpublished manuscripts that address the diverse topics that make up our profession, including, but not limited to, methodology, pedagogy, curriculum and materials development, assessment, classroom inquiry and research, teacher education and language and culture.
Emerging Technologies This section will document short articles of about 5001000 words that provide overviews of educational technologies, their utilities and incorporation into practice. This could include software, hardware, and web-based resources.
Networking
Submission Categories & Guidelines Feature Articles Features should generally be between 2000-3000 words in length, and address educational issues (theory leading to practice) relevant to the membership. The articles can document a critical survey of a particular aspect of the field, detail and analyze pedagogical issues, describe and discuss research findings, or highlight contextual factors and their implications for educational practice. All submissions should be thought through, organized, and clearly written. APA style format will be strictly adhered to regarding referencing. Submissions must be in Times New Roman, font size 12, single-spaced and double spaced between paragraphs. Submissions not meeting APA standards will not be reviewed. Every feature article will go through a review process where the reviewers consider how well it: I I
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discusses issues that seek to inform practice; contributes to the knowledge base for teaching and teacher education in general, and in the region in particular; addresses educational issues and needs of ELT in the region; identifies an educational research agenda.
This section will feature conference and country reports. Reports will range between 250-1000 words. Conference reports should provide the readers with a good overview of the conference in question as well as some personal insights of how it impacted the author. Country reports can provide a glimpse of professional activities, concerns and projects in the Photos with captions must accompany the submission.
Reader’s Response Reader’s Response gives the readers a forum to respond to articles published in previous issues. Responses should focus on the content of an article and provide reasoned feedback. Responses should be between 500 – 1000 words.
Lesson Ideas Do you have a great lesson idea or an activity that others should know about? Lesson Ideas offers teachers the opportunity to share their activities in context. Submissions should be between 500-1000 words and detail the activity as well as provide a context for usage.
Photographs and other images In order to avoid poor quality images, please submit the largest size and best resolution images you have. This should be at least 300 dpi and saved as a tiff, eps, or jpeg (in order of preference). Headshots and brief bios including the author's current professional affiliation must accompany all submissions.
Reviews
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Reviews should evaluate any recent textbook, resource book, CD/DVD and audio or video title. Reviews should be 500–1000 words in length and evaluate materials for their approach, content, appropriateness, adaptability, and relevancy. A list of materials received
Melanie Gobert & Rebecca Woll TESOL Arabia Perspectives Co-editors Melanie.gobert@hct.ac.ae Rebecca.woll@hct.ac.ae
Deadline for the next Issue: September 30, 2009 TESOL Arabia Perspectives is published three times a year: November, January and June Volume 16
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No. 2
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June 2009
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TESOL Arabia Perspectives
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www.tesolarabia.org
Executive Council
56
TESOL Arabia Executive Council President
Vice President
Josephine “Jo” Kennedy Abu Dhabi Men's College (HCT) PO Box 25035 Abu Dhabi, UAE 02 404 8312 (office), 02 681 0026 (res) 050 317 7062 (mobile) josephine.kennedy@hct.ac.ae
Sufian Abu Rmaileh UAE University - UGRU PO Box 17172 Al Ain, UAE 03 706 4562 (res) 050 713 1803 (mobile) sabu-rmaileh@uaeu.ac.ae
Executive Secretary
Executive Treasurer
James McDonald Academic Bridge Program Zayed University Dubai, UAE 04 402 1371 (office) james.mcdonald@zu.ac.ae
Sufian Abu Rmaileh UAE University - UGRU PO Box 17172 Al Ain, UAE 03 706 4562 (res) 050 713 1803 (mobile) sabu-rmaileh@uaeu.ac.ae
Membership Secretary / Past President
Conference Treasurer
Les Kirkham c/o Al Ain Women’s College Higher College of Technology PO Box 17258, Al Ain, UAE leskirkham@gmail.com
Beth Wiens Zayed University PO Box 19282, Dubai, UAE 04 402 1350 (office) 04 402 1003 (fax) 050 4620566 (mobile) beth.wiens@zu.ac.ae
Conference Co-Chair
Member at Large
Josephine “Jo” Kennedy Abu Dhabi Men's College (HCT) PO Box 25035 Abu Dhabi, UAE 02 404 8312 (office), 02 681 0026 (res) 050 317 7062 (mobile) josephine.kennedy@hct.ac.ae
Sandra Oddy Al Ain Women's College Higher Colleges of Technology P.O. Box 17258 Al Ain, UAE 03 709 5319 (office) Sandra.Oddy@hct.ac.ae
Co-Editors - Perspectives Rebecca Woll Abu Dhabi Men's College Higher Colleges of Technology P.O. Box 25035 Abu Dhabi, UAE rwoll@hct.ac.ae
Melanie Gobert Abu Dhabi Men's College-CERT Higher Colleges of Technology P.O. Box 25035 Abu Dhabi, UAE mgobert@hct.ac.ae
Acting SIG Coordinator
Conference Proceedings Editor / Conference Co-Chair
Heather Maria Baba Abu Dhabi Men's College Higher Colleges of Technology P.O. Box 25035 Abu Dhabi, UAE tasigscoord@yahoo.co.uk
Mashael Al-Hamly mashael2@hotmail.com
Web Master Publications Coordinator
Justin Shewell UAE University P.O. Box 17172 Al Ain, UAE 03 713 4465 (office) 03 767 2665 (fax) webmaster@tesolarabia.org
Mashael Al-Hamly mashael2@hotmail.com
Volume 16
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No. 2
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June 2009
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TESOL Arabia Perspectives
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www.tesolarabia.org
Special Interest Group
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TESOL Arabia Special Interest Groups ESP SIG Chair Mabel S. Lahlou English Language Center University of Sharjah PO Box 27272, Sharjah, UAE 050 737 6347 (mobile) www.geocities.com/tespsig/index.htm E-mail: eurekaable@hotmail.com
Learner Independence SIG Team c/o Phil Cozens Petroleum Institute PO Box 2533, Abu Dhabi, UAE E-mail: tailearn@yahoo.com Website: http://ilearn.20m.com Independent Learning Forum: http://groups.google.com/group/ilearn2
Virginia Robson
Jeff Knowling
Amr El Zarka
Phil Cozens
Distance Learning Support: http://groups.google.com/group/distancelearningissues Distance Learning Wiki: http://tailearn.pbworks.com/ Study Skills Wiki: http://ilearnstudyskills.pbworks.com/ E-newsletter: http://ilearn.20m.com/newsletter/index.htm Moodle: http://learnerindependence.info Facebook Group: Learner Autonomy and iLearn
Testing, Assessment, & Evaluation SIG Co-Chairs Christine Coombe Dubai Men’s College Higher Colleges of Technology PO Box 15825, Dubai, UAE 050 619 4796 (mobile) christine.coombe@hct.ac.ae christinecoombe@hotmail.com
Peter Davidson Zayed University PO Box 19282 Dubai, UAE 04 402 1387 (off) 050 843 8782 (mobile) peter.davidson@zu.ac.ae
Young Learners SIG Chair
Information Technology SIG Chair Will Moore Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) P.O. Box 90472 Al Ain, UAE Mobile: (050) 334-3657 dreigo.will@gmail.com
Micheline Habib P.O. Box 108137 Abu Dhabi, UAE Mobile: (050) 303-7404 mikaellahab@yahoo.com
Volume 16
N
No. 2
N
June 2009
N
TESOL Arabia Perspectives
N
www.tesolarabia.org
Executive Council
56
TESOL Arabia Executive Council President
Vice President
Josephine “Jo” Kennedy Abu Dhabi Men's College (HCT) PO Box 25035 Abu Dhabi, UAE 02 404 8312 (office), 02 681 0026 (res) 050 317 7062 (mobile) josephine.kennedy@hct.ac.ae
Sufian Abu Rmaileh UAE University - UGRU PO Box 17172 Al Ain, UAE 03 706 4562 (res) 050 713 1803 (mobile) sabu-rmaileh@uaeu.ac.ae
Executive Secretary
Executive Treasurer
James McDonald Academic Bridge Program Zayed University Dubai, UAE 04 402 1371 (office) james.mcdonald@zu.ac.ae
Sufian Abu Rmaileh UAE University - UGRU PO Box 17172 Al Ain, UAE 03 706 4562 (res) 050 713 1803 (mobile) sabu-rmaileh@uaeu.ac.ae
Membership Secretary / Past President
Conference Treasurer
Les Kirkham c/o Al Ain Women’s College Higher College of Technology PO Box 17258, Al Ain, UAE leskirkham@gmail.com
Beth Wiens Zayed University PO Box 19282, Dubai, UAE 04 402 1350 (office) 04 402 1003 (fax) 050 4620566 (mobile) beth.wiens@zu.ac.ae
Conference Co-Chair
Member at Large
Josephine “Jo” Kennedy Abu Dhabi Men's College (HCT) PO Box 25035 Abu Dhabi, UAE 02 404 8312 (office), 02 681 0026 (res) 050 317 7062 (mobile) josephine.kennedy@hct.ac.ae
Sandra Oddy Al Ain Women's College Higher Colleges of Technology P.O. Box 17258 Al Ain, UAE 03 709 5319 (office) Sandra.Oddy@hct.ac.ae
Co-Editors - Perspectives Rebecca Woll Abu Dhabi Men's College Higher Colleges of Technology P.O. Box 25035 Abu Dhabi, UAE rwoll@hct.ac.ae
Melanie Gobert Abu Dhabi Men's College-CERT Higher Colleges of Technology P.O. Box 25035 Abu Dhabi, UAE mgobert@hct.ac.ae
Acting SIG Coordinator
Conference Proceedings Editor / Conference Co-Chair
Heather Maria Baba Abu Dhabi Men's College Higher Colleges of Technology P.O. Box 25035 Abu Dhabi, UAE tasigscoord@yahoo.co.uk
Mashael Al-Hamly mashael2@hotmail.com
Publications Coordinator
Web Master
Mashael Al-Hamly mashael2@hotmail.com
Justin Shewell UAE University P.O. Box 17172 Al Ain, UAE 03 713 4465 (office) 03 767 2665 (fax) webmaster@tesolarabia.org
Volume 16
N
No. 2
N
June 2009
N
TESOL Arabia Perspectives
N
www.tesolarabia.org