Wishes for peace in Lebanon

Have a great summer!

Well, summer time is finally here, and what better place to enjoy it than in Lebanaon, at the beach or cooling off in the mountains.

Congratulations to all the teachers, coordinators, inspectors and principals who participated in this spring's workshops; now it's time to relax- you deserve it!

Many thanks to the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy who made these workshops possible. In particular, I would like to thank Ryan Gliha, Cultural Affairs Officer, for his support, and special thanks to Edith Bitar, Cultural Affairs Assistant, for all of her time and effort coordinating each of these workshops and for her interest and involvement in also attending each of them. We appreciate it!

See you in September!

Critical Thinking and Multimedia at HHHS Saida

Last week we visited Saida to review ways to continue integrating critical thinking in our curriculum, not to mention emphasizing the need to do so. We also brainstormed topics and content areas that cause students to think critically and looked at a few samples of media from the world around us that naturally seem to provoke this process in learners.

Fluency vs. Accuracy at Jib Jannine Secondary

While World Cup fever rages on elsewhere, some teachers decided instead to join the debate on Fluency vs. Accuracy. We discussed types of error correction teachers often choose from the perceptions learners have of each type. We also considered options teachers have to make activities for fluency practice in all skill areas.

Cooperative Learning at Al Irfan

In the beginning of July, we met with teachers at Al Irfan Schools to consider the benefits of 10 different approaches to organizing group work, and the pros and cons of each of them. We all seemed to agree that both “diversity groups” and homogeneous groups are useful and important to include in our lesson planning. Above all, it’s unanimous that implementing a variety of types of group work and of tasks for those groups to complete keeps students actively learning!

Blogging for Makassed

Congratulations to Mrs. Samira and her students at Makassed School Ali bin Abi Talib for their pioneering work in setting up blogs for additional communication outside the classroom and over the summer. She gathered up twenty or so of her students, who had the most experience with computers, from her different classes to attend a two-hour session Wednesday morning at the school’s computer lab. By the end of that time, each student walked out with new accounts at blogger.com, newly created blogs, and a set of basic skills for managing postings, comments and links. Many of the students, with a wide variety of computer skills, were already uploading pictures to their blogs, editing their personal profiles and sending comments to each others’ blogs.

The students who attended the workshop now have the responsibility of explaining to the other students in their classes how to become successful, productive bloggers, and I’m sure they’ll do a great job. (Let’s give Mrs. Samira and her students some time to get acquainted with the variety of applications these new tools can have, and maybe after some time, we can take a look at some of them. Bravo!)
NB: Makassed Schools in Beirut were the first to host the workshop on Using Technology in the Language Classroom, with an impressive turnout of forty plus teachers, in March, before we were posting pictures and updates of recent workshops. We didn’t forget that day, and applaud your teachers and students for applying what they’ve learned.

Speaking fluently in Halba

The subject of Fluency vs. Accuracy got discussion rolling at Halba Secondary after a fluency activity involving peer evaluation. It seems like we need to organize our classes to make sure we are allowing our students opportunities to use the language they are learning to speak and write (and not just learning about), to reduce TTT (teacher talk time), and to make sure- when we teachers are talking- that it is English-only (with needed visual aids and actions to help our students follow)!

Teaching each other and learning together at Tripoli Evangelical School

Cooperative learning might be rewarding and beneficial for students, but it is not easy work- especially when you are moving all around the room trying out several different techniques in one day! At Tripoli Evangelical School, we reviewed ten different strategies for organizing group work and tried out the better part of those. Teachers, don’t forget to explore how you might be able to work some webquests into your curriculum!

PS: Here’s that link I promised you:

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/coopcollab/index.html

Learning Collaboratively in Nabatieh

A meeting at the Kamel Jaber Cultural Center proved engaging for all involved. A round of applause for our four volunteers who let us evaluate their discussion in an activity using authentic input of film. (Hope you liked the movie clip!) We experienced first hand how continuous assessment and the "new curriculum" in general can allow for feedback from fellow learners/educators and the value in attempting non-traditional testing methods. (Don't forget to look for the "RubiStar" page under the 4 Teachers link at the right - you might find some different ideas and save yourself time!) Special thanks to our hostess and best wishes for everyone at your busy cultural center! Hope to see you soon!

Apply to study and teach in the US!

Are you a full time, secondary level teacher of English as a foreign language, social studies, civics, mathematics or science? Are you curious about life and education in the US? Then consider applying for the International Educators Program (IEP), a six-month program in the United States that includes academic coursework and an internship in an American university or secondary school. (Yes, teach Americans; we would appreciate your perspective!) For details and application instructions, click on the link "US DOS Exchange Programs" at the right and scroll down to the first listing. (Notice the deadline is JUNE 10.) (If selected, you will need to provide a TOEFL score.)

Debating Fluency vs. Accuracy in Rashaya

Teachers from all around Rashaya met last week to discuss when to prefer fluency over accuracy in skills assessment. We considered the effects of different approaches to error correction in speaking and writing and who has the right/responsibility to make those corrections- and when! Thanks teachers for your hospitality and participation!

A great turn-out to review fluency activities at Al Irfan!

Many thanks to the teachers at Al Irfan Schools for their exceptional participation in yesterday's workshop on speaking skills and fluency activities- especially to those who traveled from so far away to join us in the Chouf. Along with seeing some outstanding performances of "actresses" there demonstrating different techniques using drama, we also enjoyed lively discussion about some of both the potential pitfalls and benefits of various approaches to teaching speaking skills, like the need to reduce "teacher talk time" and a few strategies for group work. Job very well done; I'm sure your students appreciate your hard work!

Talking in Tyr- Camdous School teachers consider Continuous Assessment

Math, Science and English teachers met yesterday, after a hard day's work, to look at ways they can further implement the concept of Continuous Assessment in their classes. We thought about ways students can be prompted take more ownership of their learning through self-reflection and peer evaluation. We also considered some alternatives to traditional testing methods. Good luck- assessment is an ongoing process!