TESOL Arabia Abu Dhabi Chapter,
Teacher Education SIG, Research SIG
The Centre for Professional Development for UAE Educators at Zayed University
Present
~ Four workshops ~
Making the Most of your Materials
Colin Toms (TE SIG)
~
Toward Effective Handwriting Instruction
- Erven Bowery
~
Critical Thinking: The Fifth Skill – Lyn Bray
~
EFL Writing & Error Correction
Dr. Sadiq Midraj (Research SIG)
+
Publishers Bookstalls & Refreshments
At
Zayed University, Abu Dhabi
Thursday, 17th March 2005
09.30am - 12:30pm
Non-Members will be asked to pay 40AED for attending the sessions
For further information, please contact:
Douglas Thompson,
(Acting) Abu Dhabi Chapter Representative
Sadiq Madraj Research SIG
Lauren Stephenson Teacher Education SIG
Colin Toms
Having worked as development editor for a major series of ELT coursebooks, I can attest to the amount of preparation that goes into their publication. Materials are written, edited, piloted, expanded and updated in order to ensure that they suit their projected audiences. However,
“No coursebook can be ideal for any particular class… an effective classroom teacher needs to be able to evaluate, adapt and produce materials so as to ensure a match between the learners and the materials they use.” Tomlinson B in Carter and Nunan, eds., The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. CUP, 2001)
Two questions implicitly derive from this statement:
1. How can we evaluate the demands of our target audience with a view to then evaluating our materials?
2. What, consequently, are the ways in which we can adapt those materials?
This workshop comprises a highly practical, hands-on series of activities that aim to raise teacher awareness of how published materials can be adapted and exploited. It considers the learner and the learning situation before then inviting attendees to experiment with adapting existing published materials to suit their own particular needs.
The activities, deriving from insights by Krashen, Johnson, Nunan and Gairns and Redman, are as enjoyable as they are instructive. The workshop takes in the principles of vocabulary selection and the use of contextual support in listening texts. It culminates in a substantial group-work activity during which a dense and potentially controversial reading piece is adapted for local suitability. If nothing else, attendees come away with a useful booklist to promote further reading on the subject. This workshop would be of particular value to inexperienced or NNS teachers of EFL.
Erven Bowery
Beautiful handwriting was once regarded as Everyman’s Craft—but sadly, no longer. The teaching of penmanship has degenerated, both in the U.S and worldwide, into little more than an embarrassment. Many teachers have given up expecting legibility, and feel they have to wait for the development of typing skills in their students. Handwriting reform is one answer. A powerful way to improve our students’ handwriting (and our own) is to adopt what master calligrapher Tom Gourdie calls The Simple Modern Hand, which is based on the insights of the Renaissance writing masters Arrighi, Palatino, Tagliente, and Mercator. Participants in this workshop will learn solid principles that can enhance any personal style. After students adopt an ergonomic writing posture and pen hold, they begin by observing and practicing the natural clockwise and counter-clockwise scribble movements of the hand, and then go on to learn consistent letter formation, slant, height and spacing, joins, pen-lifts, and so on. A rhythmic flow is established and speed increases with practice. Students and teachers alike will be surprised at the results in a very short time as these principles are applied. Special informational tips will be given on how to inspire and help Arab students succeed in this vital area.
Erven Bowery has been an educator for nearly two decades, having taught in various school systems, colleges and universities, and language programs in the United States, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. He holds a Master of Science in TESOL, and is state-certified in Secondary English, ESL, Elementary Education, Music, and Gifted & Talented Education. His interests include calligraphy, archery, musical improvisation, and studies in world cultures. One of his main motivations for teaching is to help learners tap into their natural creativity by trusting their own processes and insights.
Lyn Bray
Lyn Bray has extensive experience teaching adult migrants and international students in Australia. She has also been a teacher educator at the University of South Australia. She now teaches at the Military language Institute in Abu Dhabi.
Rationale
A lack of critical thinking skills in school leavers has been identified as a problem for post-secondary educators in the UAE (Australian Education International website, accessed August, 2004). In practice, the concept of “critical thinking” varies for different disciplines. For example, the critical thinking taught in a school of Philosophy focuses on argument and logic, whereas the critical thinking developed in English literature programs is for the evaluation of literary texts. We need to be clear about what kinds of thinking skills are most important for our students.
Abstract
In this interactive workshop, I will first address the need for the teaching of critical thinking in English language courses, linking it with developments in computing and communication technologies. The participants will then be invited to discuss the nature of critical thinking as they understand it. My own contribution to the discussion will centre around three types of critical thinking:
· Logic and reasoning
· Critical literacy
· Reflection on learning
I will provide examples of each type as I have used it in my own teaching, and draw out implications for students in the UAE.
Lyn Bray has extensive experience teaching adult migrants and international students in Australia. She has taught Critical Thinking as part of a Foundation Studies course, and lectured in TESOL at the University of South Australia. She now teaches at the MLI in Abu Dhabi.