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Teachers and trainers during the Qatar TESOL event.
Doha: Nearly hundred English language teachers gathered for a professional development session organised by Qatar TESOL, in collaboration with Qatar University (QU), yesterday.
The session consisted of two workshops on ‘Mobile Learning in ESL Classroom’ presented by Ismail Fayed, an E-Learning Facilitator and English lecturer in QU Foundation Programme.
The second workshop ‘Filling up your ESL Toolbox’ was jointly presented by Trisha Lamers and Barbara Stoll, English teachers at Qatar Academy Sidra. The event was open to the public and was attended by English-language educators from numerous educational institutions across the county.
Ismail Fayed said that teachers should encourage their students to engage with technology both inside and outside the classroom. “Teachers need to pay attention to the next big thing already taking place in the field of educational technology that is (M-Learning). Institutions need to provide enough training for educators about the ways and methods of using this new technology.”
“Curriculum developers need to provide the interactive resources and new teaching methods to fit students’ new learning needs in the 21st century. Furthermore, teachers need to make use of the huge potentials of open content, web 2.0 interactive tools and rich media content available through mobile technology to create productivity and critical thinking opportunities for learners. ”
“We looked at the English Language Learner and his or her special needs and introduced some simple techniques and strategies for helping ELLs to succeed. We hope that each workshop participant walks away with a full ELL toolbox that will help guide and improve their ELL instruction,” said Barbara Stoll.
Qatar TESOL is a voluntary organisation and an affiliate of the International TESOL Organisation. The organisation is run by volunteers who work for the improvement of education in the region. Qatar TESOL prides itself on being able to offer professional development events and low conference fees so that all teachers may attend without inflicting financial strain.
Qatar TESOL serves English language teachers of all levels as well as those teaching other subjects through English such as mathematics, science and computer skills. In February next year, Qatar TESOL will celebrate its 10th anniversary conference.
The Peninsula
