SCHEDULE

Registration 09:30-10:00)

Session One (10:00-10:40)

Oasis Theatre

Room 003

Room 004

Intensive reading, extensive reading Now try extended reading Neil McBeath

Developing teachers cultural competence

Bilingual education in Jordan

Mohamed Azaza Coffee Break

Layla El Khatib

Two (10:50-11:30)

A Smartphone does not make you smart - digital literacies for learning Tamas Lorincz

21st century skills for ELT learners

Encouraging and teaching reading to ESL/EFL learners

Azzeddine Bencherab Coffee Break

Shumaila Omar

Three (11:40-12:20)

Pronunciation problems resulting from first language transfer: causes and solutions Amr El Zarka

Towards enhancing the status quo of Arabic as a foreign language (AFL) Zeinab Al-Hilali

Practical strategies for differentiated instruction

Mahmoud Sultan

Wrap-up (12.20-12.45) (TESOL Arabia updates, certificates, raffle)

Concurrent Session One 10:00-10.40 Intensive reading, extensive reading Now try extended reading

Neil McBeath Language Centre, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman Oasis Theatre This paper will begin by examining why we read, before investigating how EFL practitioners teach reading. It will briefly consider the use of strategies in intensive reading, before giving examples of good, and bad, practice in the introduction of extensive reading to Arab Gulf students. The paper will then explain extended reading which involves the judicious selection of material that can be used to extend, or supplement, students core texts, regardless of level. Examples will be given from Foundation and Credit programmes at the Sultan Qaboos University, demonstrating how teachers who wish to widen students background knowledge can use this approach. Potential problems will be acknowledged, and conclusions will be drawn, but the paper will emphasise the importance of encouraging students to actually process material for information to read rather than asking them to read and then do something else. Bio: Neil McBeath served as a uniformed Education Officer in the Royal Air Force of Oman from 1981 to 2005, during which time he took two Masters Degrees and was awarded, among other decorations, the Wissam al Khidma al Mumtazza (The Distinguished Service Medal) by His Majesty the Sultan in person. Refusing to renew contract in 2005, he worked for BAE Systems in Saudi Arabia, and in 2006 he received the TESOL Arabia Professional Services Award. He returned to the Sultanate in 2007, teaching in the Language Centre at SQU. Developing teachers cultural competence

Mohamed Azaza ADNOC Technical Institute, Abu Dhabi Room 003 At a superficial level, developing cultural competence for teachers entails understanding students culture, or using students cultural knowledge to facilitate learning. It also means helping students understand the dynamics of difference and diversity in order to develop their positive attitudes towards cultural differences. But at a deeper level, building cultural competence could mean developing teachers cross-cultural interaction and communication skills as well as their awareness about their own world views, which would help them overcome the stereotypes held both consciously and unconsciously about their students. This presentation raises awareness about the importance of cultural competence in effective teaching. Bio: Mohamed Azaza holds an M.Sc. from Aston University and DELTA from The University of Cambridge. He is the current chair of TESOL Arabias Research SIG. Mohamed has won some local Educational Awards like Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Award For the Distinguished Teacher and Sharjah Award for Educational Distinction. Email: mazazamelki22@gmail.com

The Effectiveness of Bilingual Education Based on the Quality of Teaching

Layla El Khatib Al Yamamah University, Saudi Arabia Room 004 Most private schools in Jordan have included English curricula and are implementing bilingual programs to ensure the future success of their students in the global market. Although a multitude of studies have been carried out to investigate the effectiveness of bilingual education in different parts of the world, to this authors knowledge there has not been any study carried out in Jordan. This research concentrated on three main factors which are generally held to affect the success of bilingual programs: (a) students adequate exposure to both languages; (b) teachers qualifications and relevant professional development; and (c) parents involvement in their childrens education. This study was administered in two bilingual middle schools in Amman, Jordan. Heads of departments and coordinators in the schools were interviewed to gather data on the backgrounds and qualifications of their teachers, procedures of professional development if any, the aims of the schools, breakdown of language contact hours, and amount of parental involvement in their schools. Arabic and English language teachers were also surveyed about their attitudes, qualifications, aims, professional development, and their perspectives on their students competency of each language. Parents attitudes to their childrens learning of both languages, namely Arabic and English, were also surveyed. This was followed up by interviewing Arabic and English language teachers as well as parents from each school to gather additional information on their perceptions and attitudes and to be able to triangulate the findings. This data helps provide a better understanding of the views and the attitudes of administrators, teachers, and parents towards these bilingual programs. Bio: Layla has been involved in teaching English for more than 13 years. She has taught at various reputable institutes and universities mainly in the Gulf Region and the Middle East. She holds a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) and a master's degree in TESOL from the American University of Sharjah. She is very involved in English for Specific Purposes course design and training, and is currently an ESL instructor at Saudi Interlink, Al Yamamah University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Coffee break 10.40:10:50

Concurrent Session Two 10:50-11:30 A Smartphone does not make you smart - digital literacies for learning

Tamas Lorincz Freelance teacher trainer, Dubai Oasis Theatre In this talk we are going to look at what digital literacies are and why and how we can identify and exploit them to make our students' learning experience more relevant and more fun. The term "21st century skills" has many people upset but it is important for us to recognise the way obtaining, processing and applying learning has changed in recent times. This is not a new development but a new stage in an ongoing process. We have to be able to recognise and exploit the "affordances" (another word many people dislike) of our digital environment. Making your students smarter than their phone is the real challenge but I believe that we can do it by simply concentrating on what we can do to make our teaching more effective and their learning more rewarding and relevant. Bio: Tamas is a freelance teacher trainer, materials developer and curriculum advisor with extensive teaching and training experience in the Middle East. Tamas is currently holding an adjunct teacher position at the Canadian University in Dubai, where he teaches academic reading and writing. Tamas is interested in many different aspects of English Language Teaching but he is currently interested in mentoring for professional development and using technology in and outside the classroom. 21st Century skills for ELT learners

Azzeddine Bencherab ADNOC Technical Institute, Abu Dhabi Room 003 Learning to collaborate with others and connect through technology are essential skills for learners in this age of the global-based economy. The 21st century skills also include developing learners creativity, problem solving, critical thinking, decision making, communication, life skills and citizenship. Not only this, todays teaching stresses learners engagement in interdisciplinary school activities in order to connect the content knowledge to real-world applications and problem situations. In this presentation the presenter will highlight these 21st century skills and suggest some authentic activities which are necessary to meet the needs and aspirations of todays learners. Bio: Azzeddine Bencherab has worked with various student populations in North Africa and the Gulf. He is currently working at EPS, Abu Dhabi as a language instructor at the American Department. He is the author of several articles published in the United States, Japan, and Britain. He has presented extensively at TESOL Arabia events.

Encouraging and teaching reading to ESL/EFL learners

Shumaila Omar ELT professional, Dubai Room 004 According to Jeremy Harmer, good reading texts can help to introduce interesting topics, stimulate discussion, excite imaginative responses and provide the springboard for well-rounded, fascinating lessons. This workshop is based on the SIX principles that Jeremy Harmer encourages to aid reading to EFL/ESL learners. The session will provide participants with effective, learning strategies to help build and strengthen receptive skills reading. In small groups participants will produce and evaluate activities in their own contexts. At the end of the workshop, participants will gain some insights into the importance of teaching various reading strategies to EFL/ESL students. They will also learn how to balance between activities and instructions with step-by-step guidelines for the adult learners. Bio: Shumaila Omar has worked for public and private Universities in Karachi, Pakistan. She has over five years of teaching and teacher training experience. She completed CELTA in 2013 and has been giving workshops across UAE at TESOL Arabia events. She holds a double Masters degree in literature and applied linguistics. Currently, she is working on her linguistic thesis for her degree in M-Phil, Social Sciences. Shumaila also works part-time for a school in Dubai.

Coffee break 11.30:11:40

Concurrent Session 3 11:40-12:20 Pronunciation problems resulting from first language transfer: causes and solutions

Amr El Zarka Teacher development specialist, MAG Oasis Theatre Learning a second language is not an easy task. Throughout the learning journey, learners make errors and have their errors corrected by their teachers, until they learn this second language. This presentation investigates the pronunciation errors of the native Arabic learners, who are learning English as a second language. This main focus is on the pronunciation errors that result from the impact of the vernacular dialects of the native speakers of Arabic. These errors are investigated through a contrastive and error analysis study shedding light on the Arabic linguistic input that causes this first language transfer and the repair strategies that the learners attempt to implement to overcome these pronunciation problems. Finally, the presenter will demonstrate some remedial work to handle these errors. Bio: Amr has a wide experience as a teacher and a teacher trainer of over 20 years in both Egypt and the UAE. He has a B.A. in Arts and Education, a diploma in applied linguistics, CELTA and M.A TESOL. He is interested in error analysis and sociolinguistics. Towards enhancing the status quo of Arabic as a foreign language (AFL)

Zeinab Al-Hilali Amity University, Dubai Room 003 Parents and teachers complain that children arent able to speak Arabic to an acceptable level even after years of studying it. In order to search for possible reasons, an empirical research was conducted to assist shedding light on the status quo of AFL. The study used a sequential mixed methodology and was conducted at an international school in Dubai at Grade Six level, where AFL students were surveyed, some parents and teachers were interviewed, and then classes were observed. Results indicated that the reasons for not speaking Arabic to an acceptable level, even after years of learning it were due to a lack of teachers resources to make AFL lessons more interesting and appealing to the students, a dearth of teacher training in AFL, the formal-colloquial Arabic dichotomy, and minimal practice of Arabic outside classrooms. Bio: Currently, Zeinab is studying for an EdD in TESOL at Exeter University. She has an M.A. in Translation (English-Arabic) from Portsmouth, UK. She is an English tutor and adjunct faculty of AFL (Arabic as a Foreign Language) at Amity University, Dubai. Her research interests are in critical pedagogy by applying foreign language pedagogy to Arabic.

Practical strategies for differentiated instruction

Mahmoud Sultan Head English language M.S.S.E. Dubai Educational Zone Lecturer, Al- Jazeera University Room 004 This presentation identifies the concept of differentiated instruction and states the reasons for its overriding importance in the teaching and learning process depending on brain-based studies. In addition, it gives practical strategies for implementing differentiated instruction taking into consideration the three level of students that are: below the average, average and above the average. Moreover, this presentation shows the ways of implementing differentiated instruction according to Blooms taxonomy and Howards multiple intelligence theory. Furthermore, it illustrates practically the differentiated instruction strategies of cooperative learning through professional layout of group work that considers the learners three educational levels as well as their learning styles. This implies that teachers will take to their classroom some activities that will enable them to implement differentiated instruction practically and professionally. Bio: Mahmoud Sultan is Head of the English language department at M.S.S.E. Dubai Educational Zone and a lecturer at AlJazeera University. He has a Masters of Education in TESOL from the British University in Dubai in association with the University of Birmingham. In addition, he holds The British Council Train the Trainer and IELTS Train the Trainer certificates as well as iBT TOEFL and TOEIC [ETS] qualifications. He has a diversified rich experience in the teaching, supervising and training fields and as a team leader. 12:20-12:45 Wrap-up TESOL Arabia General Update Dubai Chapter Update TTDSIG Update READSIG Update Certificates Raffle