Newsletter of the Moroccan Association of Teachers of English, Volume 29 (Issue 1-2), Summer-Autumn 2009

EDITORIAL
MATE: Where do we go from here? for global purposes”. These issues certainly impact ELT in
Mohamed Najbi Morocco.

MATE must pride itself on having been at the forefront of Having succinctly chronicled the endeavors made by MATE
ELT in Morocco since it was founded in 1979. On leafing so far, using some of its proceedings as a frame of reference,
through the back issues of MATE proceedings, you will let’s outline some of the challenges ahead for MATE in the
notice that MATE was chiefly instrumental in introducing next decade. MATE will have to (i) commit itself to
ELT innovations in our English classroom. In the 1980s, it researching practice in order to develop more effective
held workshops and conferences on issues such as teacher education programs to be implemented across the
communicative testing, English for communication, country; (ii) respond pragmatically to the challenges that will
integrating language skills, teacher education/ development… arise out of the four-year "emergency plan"; (iii) foster
These issues represented the state of art of ELT as it was at professional dialogue between teachers of English and
the time of these workshops and conferences. State-of-the-art teachers of other languages; (iv) continually evolve in order
and current issues have been a concern for MATE since its to reflect the ever-changing needs of ELT practitioners in
inception. Morocco irrespective of their teaching status; (v) continue
through close collaboration with RELO to evolve the
One of the landmarks in the history of MATE is that it English Access Micro-scholarships Program into one that
brought together speakers from Maghreb countries for a four- will meet the linguistic needs of as many non-elite 14- to-18-
day conference in 1989, giving them the opportunity to share year-old students as possible across Morocco; (vi) further
ELT Maghrebi Experience and strengthen their ELT ties. evolve the English Summer Camps to reach out to the largest
Since then, it has become customary to have speakers from nationwide student audience possible and (vii) further cement
the Maghreb at MATE Conferences. In the 1990s, it took a its cultural ties with all those concerned about enhancing the
more articulated Maghrebi/Arab perspective as is evidenced quality of ELT in Morocco. MATE has made over the years
by the themes of the conferences it held during this decade; great strides in making itself heard in language education in
for instance, “ELT in the Maghreb: Focus on the Learner”, Morocco. It certainly will continue to do so in the decades
“ELT in the Maghreb: Current issues in Evaluation”, “ESP ahead.
in the Arab World: Reality Check and Prospects”…

At the beginning of the new millennium, MATE played a

Published with this issue,
Guidelines for the Teaching of English as
vital role in raising ELT practitioners’ consciousness of the
a Foreign Language in the Middle School:
challenges ahead. The theme of MATE 2000, “The new
Third Year. (2009)
education reform in Morocco: The role of English”, provided
a broad platform for addressing the key issues pertaining to
the teaching/ learning of English in Morocco. Mohammed On the Inside
Melouk’s (2000) assertion, “the notion of General English,
* MATE Borad Meeting.
currently adopted in the Moroccan syllabuses needs
* Reports on MATE Activities.
readjustment to meet the needs of future generations as well
* Boosting reading - writing relationship in an EFL
as the requirements of the educational orientations for the
Classroom, by A. Bouziane.
coming decades.” still resonates ten years on. The first
* Integrating assessment in your EFL class, by A.
decade of this millennium ended with MATE having
Chaddoudi.
addressed a wide variety of issues such as “Assessing Quality
* Building a professional milieu for the teacher's learning
in Language Education: Focus on Teacher Competencies,
community: Theory into practice, by K. Bratt & Y.
Educational Materials and Learner Performances”,
Elbousty.
“Leadership and values in Language education”,
“Enhancing ELT quality through evaluation and information Edited by:
technologies”, and “The teaching and assessment of English Lahcen Ahmam, Mohamed Hammani
& Mohammed Hassim
MATE Newsletter Summer-Autumn 2009, Volume 29 (Issue 1-2) -1-
 Minutes of MATE board Meeting: Agadir, November 6th, 2009
The meeting was attended by: served principle. They are responsible for the registration too.
Mohammed Hammani - Fahmi El Madani - Rachida Senhaji - The theme of the seminar is as follows:
Abderrahim Rhaiti - Mohammed Makhfi - Mustapha “Innovative Practices in Teaching Young Learners.”
Zanzoun - Lahcen Ahmam - Ahmed Atlagh - Elarbi Bounsir -
Hamid El Bhioui - Hassane Fathi - Hamza Mahmoud - MATE 30th National Conference 28 – 31 March 2010
Lahcen Tighoula Two cities were chosen for this conference
Tetouan (first choice); Casablanca (second choice)
Agenda
- Discussion of Moral and Financial Reports Ms Senhaji and Mr Benyahya are to find out information
- MATE Activities in 2009 - 2010 about the possibility of organizing this conference in
- Access-related Issues Tetouan. They should inform the board in a period of 15
- AOB. working days.

Discussion of Moral and Financial Report Mr Rhaiti, Mr Hammani, Mr Ahmam, Mr El Bhioui and Mr
Moral Report Zanzoun are in charge of writing a call for papers for this
Mr. Fahmi, MATE Secretary General, gave MATE board conference. The theme chosen for this conference is:
members an idea about the report on MATE activities 2008- “Promoting Language Education: Local and Global
2009. This report, written by both Rachida Senhaji and El Challenges”
Madani Fahmi, was sent to the Ministry of Education.
All board members were asked to send in their suggestions
Financial Report on how to celebrate the 30th MATE Annual Conference
Ms Rachida Senhaji, MATE Treasurer, gave a short report on anniversary. These suggestions will be discussed in a future
MATE financial situation. A brief explanation of correct meeting.
ways of managing a budget was given. She then reported on
MATE/RELO Summer Camps and informed the board about Access-related Issues
the refund of the unexpended budget to RELO. a. International Access Summer camp
MATEBOARD discussed Mr Akeddar’s proposal to RELO.
While discussing those short reports, everybody thanked all The decision made concerning this issue is as follows:
the people who were in charge of the 2008-2009 activities, A committee will be appointed by MATE board to further
but most members stated that there were some pitfalls that discuss this issue.
threatened the quality of MATE services. The decisions made
concerning this issue were to: b. End-of-program project (Access 1)
- avoid making the same mistakes Mr Hassim and Mr Fahmi will prepare a document about this
- create organizing committees for each event project and decide on a suitable time and venue for this event.
- communicate to the board all preparation-related issues
- look into all the projects MATE is involved in. c. FAST (Festival of Access Students’ Talents)
- pay more attention to the budgeting of future events. This year, FAST will be held in Ouarzazate on April 30th-
May 1st, 2010.
MATE Activities in 2009-2010
a. ICT Conference d. What to do with the equipment
The ICT Conference will be held in Agadir. Agadir Local It was decided to give one pack to MATE local branches if
Branch is in charge of organizing the conference and one exists in the area where Access is held. Otherwise, this
reporting on the preparation phase. Important to note that this equipment will be donated to the school where Access has
conference is national and is to be held under the name of been held. MATE is to receive a sealed and signed document
MATE. attesting that this equipment has been handed in to the school
or the local branch. Also a notification letter about this
b. Middle School Seminar donation to the beneficiary school will be sent to: the
Two sites were chosen for this seminar: El Jadida and inspector of English in the area, the delegation, The
Mohammedia. Mr Bounsir and Mr Fahmi have to inform the Academy. The letter will also talk about what this equipment
board within a period of ten working days about the will be used for and who should benefit from it.
possibility of organizing the seminar in one of these two
cities. e. Buying other equipment
CD players as well as readers and dictionaries will be
Mr Fathi, Mr Atlagh and Mr Tighoula are to write a call for purchased and sent to all Access 1 centers.
papers and send it in to the board and to sort out speakers’
abstracts, bearing in mind that the email address to be used is: f. Equipment for Access 2 Centers
[email protected]. Five desktops (screen19”) and a printer will be bought for
these centers, but this will be done within the budget of each
Mr Makhfi and Mr Fahmi are to contact the potential center.
participants in this seminar, make a list of these participants,
and inform those who are accepted based on first-come-first- AOB

MATE Newsletter Summer-Autumn 2009, Volume 29 (Issue 1-2) -2-

- A new local branch will be set up in Nador. Mr Makhfi will - Advertising and public information (posters, leaflets,
represent MATE in this event and supervise the elections of a brochures… in schools and delegations)
MATE local board. -Summer camps:more centres, capacity building for teachers.

Reports on MATE Activities

Briefing about Ouarzazte-Zagora MATE branch activities 2008-2010

Ouarzazate -Zagora MATE branch outlined a programme for expectation. Students proved of their decent and above
each academic term. It obviously catered for a multitude of average level in their background knowledge of Human
activities that concerned both teachers as well as students. Rights. They came up with certain answers that were really a
Every newly elected board felt the need to adjust the way to token of their rich knowledge of dealing with such issues.
govern mostly on the recommendations of the general
assembly that preceded the mandate. The general remark was The activities included brainstorming tasks, matching
that many activities would be included in the annual activity, introducing some key words with their definitions,
programme but did not get a chance to be materialised. That multiple choice exercises, going through the 30 articles of the
was why only activities that were to be achieved that should UDHR, matching some photos with the articles they
be allowed to be programmed. represent. Case studies were the activity where students
expressed their strong feeling. They were deeply engaged that
Following is a brief description of the activities that were they defended the victims offering quite reasonable solutions
organised by Ouarzate-zagora MATE branch: or alternative answers for the cases studied.

1. International Teacher’s Day After a ten-minutes break, students resumed their work.
Venue: Lycee Ibn Alhaitham There was a fourteen-minute video projection about three
Date: October11th, 2008. cases of people sentenced to death for the mistake they hadn’t
In partnership with the Delegation of the Ministry of National committed; but later acquitted. There was a degree of
Education, OZMATE celebrated the International Teacher’s suspense but worse was the hardship and psychological
Day at Ibn Alhaitham Technical School. Many Teachers and torment they underwent before they finally reached the
students attended the event. Ten short talks were presented by acquittal and the pressure the NGOs and appealing letters
different people including administrators, teachers of other exerted on the oppressors. The activities which ensued were
subjects; namely, philosophy, French, History and very interesting that students were very excited and
Geography, in addition to the contribution of the president of enthusiastic to discuss the issues.
pupils’ parents and tutors association, etc.
The last activity in the schedule was the viewing of a song
2. Human Rights Day Celebration that dealt with instances of human rights violation. At 17:00
Date: December, 27th, 2008. we came to the end of our celebration of the day. Everybody
Venue: Ibn Alhaitham Technical school was satisfied with the activities and the way they were
The Ouarzazate-Zagora MATE branch celebrated the presented. It should be mentioned that teachers of English
universal event of Human Rights on December 27th, 2008, at had met for many times to finalise those activities from a
Ibn Alhaitham Technical School. Students, along with bulk collected from the internet. The question was what could
teachers of English and some administrators attended the be of importance and pertinence to the students. Thanks God
event. Those students were representatives of their respective we were successful to a larger extent.
classes. The only criterion for students to be selected was to
be able to communicate in English. 3. Ouarzazate-Zagora MATE Study Day
Date: 21st February, 2009.
The objectives were as follows: Venue: Mohamed VI High School.
- to celebrate the Human Rights Day.
- to get students involved in the activities. Ouarzazate Zagoza MATE branch, jointly with the English
- to sensitise them to the importance of The Universal inspectorate of Ouarzazate delegation, held a MATE Day, on
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). February 21st 2009, at Mohamed VI High School in
- to embed reading speaking, listening and writing skills Ouarzazate. 33 English teachers attended the event.
throughout the afternoon.
Abdenacer Razzouki, a high school teacher in Mohamed VI
The activities started at 14:30. The roles were distributed School, facilitated a demo lesson. It was about writing a letter
among teachers in such a way as to guarantee the using the frame and the notes taken. The teacher conducted
participation of all teachers and students at the same time. his lesson following the steps of process writing.
The former provided help whenever felt necessary to the
latter who themselves asked for any further clarification. Mr Mohamed Larbi Tlemsani, the English Supervisor in
Ouarzazate delegation, gave a presentation on Peer Coaching
Students were split into five groups including different levels in which he stressed the idea of the importance of classroom
(mixed ability group) in such a way as to have common core, observation in general, and peer observation in particular. He
first and second baccalaureate students in each individual ended his presentation by asking teachers to give it a try and
group. The interaction and participation was far above our develop it socially before making it formal.

MATE Newsletter Summer-Autumn 2009, Volume 29 (Issue 1-2) -3-

After the break, Mr Mohamed I El Asri, a high school teacher Date: 24th -26th April, 2009.
from Ibnou Al Haitham School, gave a presentation under the Venue: Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of
theme, Classroom Management. He focused on the Ouarzazate.
importance of management in classroom practices, in terms
of discipline, lesson plan, teacher-students rapport and even Ouarzazate-Zagora MATE branch organised its 10th Annual
the design of the furniture within the classroom. All these Colloquium on 24th-26th April, 2009; at Chamber of
components contribute to an optimal learning on the part of Commerce, Industry and Services of Ouarzazate. The theme
students. He stressed that a good management ends up in was “ELT IN MOROCCO: CHANGES AND
good teaching as well as teacher development. CHALLENGES”. The vent was attended by exactly 45
teacher from different regions to mention but M’hamed,
Mr Hamza Mahmoud, a high school teacher from Abou Bakr Tagounit, Zagora, Tazarine, Agdez, taznakhte, Ouarzazate,
High school, gave the MATE day schedule a certain variety. Skoura, Kelaa, Dades, Tinghir, Amzmiz, and Casablanca (
It was a light activity which he conducted in a cheerful way, British Council).
making the audience thus feel completely involved in the
light activity. After stressing certain points in literature The opening ceremony was Chamber of Commerce, on
regarding the five Cs in the standard based approach, the Friday 24h April, 2009; at 17:45. Mohammed Larbi Tlemsani
presenter presented the activity and introduced some – Ouarzazate delegation Inspector chaired the speeches
vocabulary items used in the trial and the court. He then session of the following guests– Municipality president ( M.
chose two teachers to participate in the activity. The two Addad), MEN delegation ( M.Ait Belkas), The Chmber of
alibis were accused to have stolen their head master’s steal Commerce (L. Redouan), MATE National board( H.
while being in a meeting .The audience was supposed to Elbhioui), Ouarzazate MATE (M. I Elasri) . Immediately
prove the innocence or guilt of the two alibis by asking them after, the guests, including high schools headmasters, were
separately. Towards the end, the jury was to decipher and invited to a tea party that lasted for about 25 minutes. Mr.
spot the contradictory responses of the two alibis. Everybody Lahsen Ahmam gave a keynote speech, through which he
was involved and Mr Mahmoud concluded his workshop by revisited the teaching methods and approaches to ELT ; in
checking with the teachers whether the activity touches upon addition to that, he stopped by some big challenges that lie
the five Cs he presented at the beginning ahead. An insightful discussion and debate ensued.
Everybody concluded that every individual teacher was to
After the four presentations, the audience engaged in the endeavour to surmount the challenges that might hamper the
discussion in a round table. They focused mainly on the teaching-learning affair.
importance of such meetings and collaborative work, either
with peers in the school area, or in such pedagogical meetings On Saturday on 25thApril, 2009, there were three
or in MATE regional and national conferences. More points presentations namely: Presentation 1, NLP in large classes,
revolved around the remaining schedule of the Ouarzazate – by Abdelkader Hamouchi. Presentation 2, Disruptive or
Zagora Branch, especially the regional meeting as well as the Challenging Behaviour: Causes, Effects and Management, by
National Conference in BeniMelal. The meeting ended with Omar Bentabet. Presentation 3, Enhancing teacher
the view of meeting on 21st March, 2009 in Kalaa Mgouna development through teacher-based professional Evaluation:
and in Tinghir in May 2009, as parts of the components of Peer Observation, Project Work & Portfolio, by Mohammed
the annual action plan of MATE Ouarzazate and with the Hassim. Besides, there were three workshops: Workshop 1,
collaboration of the English Inspectorate, Ouarzazate “From Tinghir to Beijing, many scenarios for a story of
Delegation. (Adapted from Hamid Elbhioui’s report) success." by Hamza Mahmoud. Workshop 2, Continuing
Professional Development: Lifelong Learning Portfolios by
4. OZ MATE Study Day in Kelaa M’gouna Jason Price; Workshop 3, the Impact of Cross-Cultural
Date: 21st March, 2009. Communication on International Business by Naima Leghtas.
Venue: Alwouroud high School. Needless to mention that all the participant were highly
motivated and collaborative.
Jointly with the English inspectorate of Ouarzazate
delegation, Ouarzazate Zagoza MATE branch held a MATE On 26th April, 2009, there were 4 presentations which were
Day, on March 21st, 2009 in Alworoud High School. About as follows: Presentation 1, The Celluloid in EFL Classroom,
30 English teachers attended the event. by Mohamed I Elasri. Presentation 2, The Implications of
Constructive Theory on Education, by Brahim khartite.
A demo-lesson was conducted by Brahim Khartite, a high Presentation 3: Challenging the Numbers: The teacher’s
school teacher in Alwouroud high School, Kelaa. The other Roles and the Teaching Practices are the Heart of the Matter’
activities that ensued were the same as the ones presented in by Mohamed Elarbi Tlemsani. Presentation 4, Battling
Ourazazzate by the same facilitators. But what differed was Teacher-burnout by Abderrahim Missar. AS to workshops,
the setting: especially the outing that took place in a there were three which came as follows: Workshop 1:
wonderful Kasbah like space where teachers had a collective Teaching or testing, that’s the illusion by: Youssef Nadri.
lunch. Of importance was the fruitful discussion that Workshop 2, Tips for minimizing TTT. (Orchestrating
followed the meal; for, teachers raised many an issue related Activities) by Mohamed Elarbi Tlemsani. Workshop 3
to teacher development, contests between schools in Differentiated Instruction Strategies ‘‘One size does not fit
Ouarzazate delegation area. Alworoud school teachers had all’’ by Brahim khartite.
already initiated the project, and it was successful.
6. British Council Ouarzazate-Zagora MATE branch
5. Ouarzazate-Zagora MATE 10th Annual colloquium. workshop on: Student-centred teaching
MATE Newsletter Summer-Autumn 2009, Volume 29 (Issue 1-2) -4-
Date: Saturday, 13th June 2009 Another meeting worth of mentioning was the meeting
Venue: Alfourate Private School in Ouarzazate. between teachers and students on 22nd June at Kadi Ayad
School where enrolment was checked. There were explicit
British Council, in collaboration with Ouarzazate-Zagora clarification of the program and its aims. Students were also
MATE branch, held a workshop on Saturday, 13th June 2009, asked to fill in some forms accompanied with their parents’
at Alfourate Private School in Ouarzazate. This was a three agreement and signature. At the same time, students were
hour morning workshop divided into one hour sessions on given opportunities to ask further questions about the
exploiting resources such as websites and podcasts in class. program and express their impressions and opinions. They all
Jason Price, the Training Manager at British Council, and reflected a sense of responsibility, willingness and
David Bunker, an EFL specialist, focused entirely on enthusiasm. Generally this marked a positive atmosphere
practical rather than theoretical side of the training. The aim proving to reach success of a first and important phase of the
was to suggest to teachers a range of activities which could program.
be used with students in class.
As scheduled, the program started on July 6th. The students
The theme was student-centred teaching. The content was were categorized into three levels:
suitable for both Middle and High School EFL teachers. The Level I: Two classes: A and B
number of participants was about 34 teachers from Level II: One class
Ouarzazate Elkelaa and Boumalne. Level III: Two classes: A and B

British Council provided participants with a set of CD- Then books, shirts, CD players, audio CDs, badges, pens and
ROMs, in addition to lunch. The programme was as copybooks were distributed to all the participants in the
followed: program.

Timing Activity Topic Presenter The timetable was as follows:

09:00-10:00 Workshop1 Making Texts Jason Price From 9:00 to 10:30: Core English
Student-Centred From 10:30 to 11:00: break
10:10-01:00 Workshop 2 Integrating ICT David Bunker From 11h to 12h30: Enhancement activities
into Lessons
11:00-01:20 Break For the last day, it was a bit longer as it included a party
11:20-02:20 Workshop3 Resource-Free Jason Price which concluded the whole program.
Activities
12:20-12:40 Feedback & Participants During the teaching learning process, the following materials
Wrap-up have been used: CD players, books (Inspiration 1 for level 1,
12:40 Lunch Inspiration 2 for level 2, Go for it! for level 3), photocopies
of song lyrics, data-show and laptops. For enhancement
The participant expressed their satisfaction with the content activities, they were mainly focussed on teaching music,
and the way the workshop was conducted. Therefore, the through which students were able to repeat and sing.
British Council experts promised to work with the branch on
other themes we judge pertinent to our context. As for snacks various food was served alternatively: tea,
yoghurt, juice, pastries, cookies, bread and cheese. And
7. MATE-RELO English through Music Summer Camp exceptionally for the last party lemonade, juice and cakes
Dat: 6th- 17th July, 2009. were served. Some students presented some pieces of work
Venue: at Kadi Ayad Junior High School Tarmigt, such as songs, sketches, public speaking, poems and
Ouarzazate. paintings), which proved their positive feedback toward the
carried-out program. Some students in level1 who had never
There had been many meetings organised by MATE local learnt English before made the audience puzzled over!
branch members. They all aimed at achieving the goals set
for the success of the program. The discussions evolved During the farewell party, to which some parents were
around the procedures of work such as first contact with invited, the Kadi Ayad school headmaster, the president of
teachers of English (who were selected according to some the Students’ Parents Association, the coordinator, the
pre-definite criteria), headmasters of schools were also assistant, the teachers and some students were given floor to
involved in the pre-selection process. As a matter of fact the express their feelings and impressions. All the participants
plan was to be implemented when some members of MATE were highly satisfied with the achievements made during the
local branch volunteered in the form of school committees. ten-day program. Their main query was: “Will we be lucky to
They had a first contact with headmasters of schools who have another summer camp next year?”
took them to classes where they clarified the objectives as
well as the benefits of the camp. Later application forms were 8. Classroom Management workshop
handed out to interested students. But the last selection of Date: 14th November, 2009
students was based on certain criteria, such as being from Venue: at Mohamed VI High School in Ouarzazate.
Tarmigt area, from a disadvantaged background family, being
a second, third middle school or Common Core student, The Classroom Management workshop consisted of four
willing to complete the 30 hour English course, and well- sessions based on material from two British Council
disciplined. Most if not all the people showed concern and Teaching English (wwwteachingenglish.org.uk) training
enthusiasm. courses: TKT Essentials and Training Videos. The four
MATE Newsletter Summer-Autumn 2009, Volume 29 (Issue 1-2) -5-
sessions were interactive and aimed to deal with a range of What is feedback? When and how can we most usefully give
common classroom management issues effecting teachers in feedback?
Moroccan schools. The Sessions aim to address the following
questions: Games, Warmers & Fillers
Why should we use game-like activities in class?
Teacher Roles What are the most popular ELT games? How can they be
What are the many roles that teachers typically play during a adapted according to learner level, age and class size?
lesson?
What skills and qualities make for an effective language The workshop included video clips taken from the British
teacher? Council Training Videos series
What is rapport? How can we establish rapport in our (www.teachingenglish.org.uk/transform/teachers/training/trai
lessons? ning-videos) which included excerpts of actual classroom
practice filmed in state schools.
Grouping Learners
What interaction patterns can be used in class and how can The activities scheduled for the current terms 2008 – 2010
we vary them? 1. The 11th annual colloquium
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the most Date: 16th – 18th April, 2010
common seating arrangements used in classrooms? Venue: Zagora city
Why is it important to monitor our learners and how can we 2. School contest
do it effectively? Date: 9th May, 2010
Venue: Chambre of Commerce industry and services,
Correcting Learners & Giving Feedback Ouarzazate.
What errors do Moroccan learners make and why do they 3. Britich Council Ouarzazate-Zagora workshop on Drama
make them? Date: 20th March, 2010
What are the best techniques for correcting spoken errors? Venue: Alfourate Private School in Ouarzazate.

El Kelaa First MATE Day, May 9th, 2009 at Tassaout High School
Theme: "Using ICT in ELT and Teacher Development"

The Kelaa Seraghna MATE Branch inaugurated its activities stress upon the importance of using hotpotatoes software as a
by organising its first MATE study and training day on powerful enabling tool in learning interactively.
Saturday May 9th at Tassaout High school. This event
centered upon the theme: “Using ICT in ELT and Teacher The following activity was a workshop run by Mr Blibil
Development”. Participants reached the overall number of 69. again. The workshop was about how to handle the six
They are from the delegations of Kelaa, Marrakech and Beni authoring tools of hotpotatoes in ELT classrooms.
Mellal. The activities included three presentations and two
workshops. The next workshop was led by Mr Amhaoul, a teacher in Ben
Guerir and an ICT connoisseur. The workshop was about
Mr Hassan El Boustani, the ELT supervisor in Kelaa how to use Interwrite Workspace in designing many
Seraghna, was the opening keynote speaker. In his speech, he interactive activities. The workshops were interrupted by a
thanked the participants for attending the event. He also power failure which lasted a few minutes; but this did not
thanked the speakers, the organizing committee and the seem to be a spot of bother to the attendees as they displayed
school headmaster for the efforts they invested to make this understanding, attention and enjoyment.
event possible. He also pointed the importance of ICT for
ELT; and that ICTs have been touted as potentially powerful At about 11:30, the attendees headed for the dining hall to
enabling tools for educational change, reform and quality. He have a tea break. During that time, they exchanged
then gave the floor to the school headmaster who thanked viewpoints and enquired about things they did not grasp
MATE for organizing such an important event and expressed during the presentations.
his readiness to collaborate for the common good whenever
he is asked to. After that, Mr El Boustani asked Mr The next activity was a presentation by Mr Akaddar, a
Abdelkrim Arhlam, MATE Kelaa president, to chair the teacher in Beni Mellal and an experienced ICT practitioner.
sessions of the study day. His presentation was about Blogging, and how important it is
in ELT. He first defined a blog as a frequently updated
The first presentation was given by Mr Mustapha El website that often resembles an online journal; and that it is
Mouhaddab, a physics and chemistry middle school teacher so easy to create and update as it requires only basic access to
in Ben Guerir who was awarded first national prize for his the Internet. He then showed the difference between a blog
ICT creations. In his talk, he presented his ICT latest and a website. He also emphasized the importance of using
innovation: a very “low cost” interactive board that can be blogging with students. Mr Akaddar presented his talk in a
used in teaching. The presentation was excellent and all the smooth interactive way, which everybody appreciated.
attendees were fascinated; which constituted an added value
to the success of the event. The second presentation was At the end of the event the attendees handed in evaluation
given by Mr Blibil, MATE ex-treasurer. In his talk, he laid forms which they had filled earlier. In these forms they all

MATE Newsletter Summer-Autumn 2009, Volume 29 (Issue 1-2) -6-

expressed their satisfaction with the event and profusely - Mr A. Amhaoul, a high school teacher in Ben Guerir.
thanked MATE for this initiative and asked for more events - Mr Akaddar, a high school teacher in Beni Mellal.
as these do help teachers keep abreast with modern and fast- - Mr M. El Mouhaddab, a physics teacher in Ben Guerir.
changing trends in the classroom. - Mr Aziz El Ankouri, the Delegate of education in Kelaa
Seraghna.
In the end, the Kelaa Seraghna local branch would like to - Moulay Abderrahmane Houssni, Tassaout High school
express gratitude to the following people for their invaluable Headmaster.
support and assistance:
- Mr Hassan El Boustani, the supervisor Reported by Mohamed Mahzouli
- Mr Blibil, ex-MATE treasurer. Kelaa MATE secretary general

MATE 5th ICT4ELT National Conference: Agadir, May 29-31, 2009

Theme: “ICT for communication and project work:
Focus on social software and web 2.0.”

MATE, jointly with Souss-Massa-Daraa Academy and 10:15 – 11:00 5. Get your classroom connected using
MATE-Agadir and in collaboration with the British Council Web 2.0 tools Mohamed Assabbane
and Connecting Classrooms Project, organized the 5th 11:00 – 11:30 Break
National ICT (information and communication technology)
Conference, on May 29-30-31, 2009 at Mohamed Zerktouni 11:30 – 12:30 6. Connecting classrooms through a
Training Centre in Agadir. The theme of the conference was: virtual learning environment, Simon
“ICT for communication and project work: Focus on Cowton
social software and web 2.0.” 12:30 – 13:15 7. "WEB FORUM" Towards
Connecting Moroccan ELT
Similar to the previous four events, this conference focussed Community, Zakaria Jamaati
mainly on ICT supported teaching and learning activities and 13:15 – 14:15 8. Experience sharing
projects. The conference aimed to
1. contribute to the emergency plan especially in relation to 14:30 Lunch
the use of ICT in education;
2. focus more on pedagogy and teacher professional 16:00 – 19:30 Excursion
development; 20:00 – 22:00 Social Evening and Dinner Party.
3. make use of the facilities provided by Genie programme
in its second version; and Day 3 : Sunday, 31 May, 2009
4. provide the necessary technical skills and tools that
would enable the participants to carry out ICT-based 08:30 – 08:45 Announcements
activities and projects. 08:45 – 09:45 9. The uses of web 2.0 and social
interaction sites in teaching and
Programme learning English, Daniel Graves
09:45 – 11:00 10. Comment réaliser un tableau
Day 1 : Friday, 29 May, 2009 interactif et un vidéo projecteur Low
Cost. Elmustapha Elmohaddeb
14:30 - 16:30 Registration and check-in
17:00 – 18:00 Opening Ceremony 11:00 – 11:30 Break
18:00 – 18:30 Reception
18:30 – 19:00 1. Keynote speech by Simon Cowton 11:30 – 12:15 11. Teacher’s Pet: A tool for creative
ELT and ICT: the synergy of two teachers, Salaheddine Beassal
powerful tools 12:15 – 12:45 12. The real web, Fahmi Elmadani
19:00 – 19:30 2. Opening paper: MATE online 12:45 – 13:15 13. Web. 2. and social software for
course project teacher development and project work
Mohamed Hammani in Morocco, Mohammed Hassim
13:15 – 14:00 14. Experience sharing
20:00 Dinner 14:00 – 14:30 15. Round Table, Feedback & Closing

Day 2 : Saturday, 30 May, 2009 14:30 Lunch

08:30 - 08:45 Orientation & announcements Participants

08:45 – 9:30 3. Moodle as a social constructivist
pedagogical platform, Youssef Tamer There were about 100 participants including tertiary level
09:30 – 10:15 4. An introduction to Mlearning, teachers, teacher trainers, inspectors, and upper and lower
Abdellatif Zoubair secondary school teachers. The Participants were selected
according to the following criteria:

MATE Newsletter Summer-Autumn 2009, Volume 29 (Issue 1-2) -7-

- having basic skills in ICT materials use and production Organizers
- willing to actively participate in a productive project during 1. Mohammed Hassim
and after the workshop 2. Lhoussain Bouchouat
- being ready to cascade information and similar work with 3. Abdellatif Zoubair
colleagues in their area 4. Mohamed Hammani
- first come, first served. 5. Hassan Fathi
6. Elmadani Fahmi
This year’s edition of MATE national ICT conference 7. Zakaria Jamaati
witnessed the participation of teachers from 14 Moroccan 8. Ahmed Atlagh
Academies which is another evidence of its success and 9. Abdelkader Assafir
growing importance.

MATE RELO Summer Camps: Tassaout High School, Kelaa des Sraghna: 13-24 July, 2009
Reported by: Abderrahim El Khalil

Our summer camp came to its end on 24th July, 2009. It Speaking pedagogy, I’d like to emphasise that the swapping
turned out to be a good experience with both its good and was a great idea. It allowed students to get exposed to
tough moments. Not only did we spend two weeks of hard different sources of language, profit from the variety of
work but also enjoyed nice moments with the kids. teaching and create ranges of feedbacks. It was good for
teachers, too, as it made them avoid seeing the same group
On 5th July, about a week before the camp started, we held a throughout the morning session.
meeting with the kids’ parents. It was meant to explain what
it all would be about. Parents were asked to boost things up The books were very inviting, though sometimes challenging
by encouraging their children to be serious and to make the for the 2nd grade middle school students. We agreed upon the
camp an occasion for them both to learn and to have fun. It fact of letting a free margin for teachers to deal with the
was also an opportunity to introduce the team and share content and pace in accordance with the kids’ degree of
responsibility with them. engagement. We also opted for communication, interactive
target language and culture spot. The summer camp was a
The camp started on July 13th at 8:30. The 100 kids were light-hearted environment. Games, songs, role-plays,
excited and ready to get engaged in a 10-day learning discussions, listening and easy reading comprehension were
process. 20 other students came to school with their parents prevailing in the learning process. We did not want our
hoping to find a vacant place. students to feel stressed, but to be present with their
emotions, bodies and cognition all at once. Teachers had the
The first week of the camp was a bit difficult especially with privilege of using multimedia classrooms while enhancing
replacing the students who were obliged to leave. We had to the already given course. Interactive videos were very helpful
enroll 10 other new kids to guarantee complete seats. We also in this respect.
assigned different levels to students who proved to have a
high or low level of language learning assimilation. The lists On 23rd July, we organized an outdoor activity under the
were finalized on Thursday 16th, July. trees. The kids sang in chorals and played games. They liked
it very much. It looked like a scout camp. The objective was
The course and enhancement were really a big success. This to bring a change through going crazy.
should be attributed to the enthusiasm of the kids, teachers’
professional competence, efficient coordination and The closing ceremony was really fantastic. There were more
successful coordinator’s management. than 130 people present: the kids, MATE branch board,
guests, a journalist, and some headmasters. The kids
Tuesday July 14th, which we may call the “zero bridge day”, contributed with songs, poems, acting, a sketch and words
was one of the kids’ best days in the camp. The music about their overall impression on the summer camp. We also
workshop and the concert took place in a 140 seats invited some parents to give a word on their part. We gave
auditorium in our school. The band members were nice to the certificates to all the kids in a celebration-like setting. Two
kids. They brought a big change and created a remarkable representatives of the delegation spoke in favour of the camp.
atmosphere. And I would like to thank Mr Gdira for his We thanked all the participants and called for a new summer
punctuality and sense of seriousness in dealing with such camp in 2010.
activities.
Finally, I would like to thank Ms Ruth Petlzold and also all
As for catering, printing and photocopy matters, we arranged those responsible for the US embassy’s cultural programs for
things with a local service agent. The latter met most of our the concern they have towards underprivileged students. I
expectations in what concerns hygiene, the quality of food would also like to thank all MATE national board members
and the punctuality of serving kids and teachers. Everyone for their confidence in the team here. We are surely doing our
was satisfied with the snacks; we told them about food grant best to meet their expectations and I believe they are
and we made clear that we were open to any suggestion. undergoing tougher experiences to run 5 camps, too. I want
to assure them that they can be proud of the summer camp
here.

MATE Newsletter Summer-Autumn 2009, Volume 29 (Issue 1-2) -8-

 Boosting reading-writing relationship in an EFL Classroom
Abdelmajid Bouziane, Faculty of Arts and Humanities Ben Msik, Casablanca

Introduction in other aspects such as organization, vocabulary and

This paper, which is a written version of the talk delivered on mechanics. It has also been empirically shown that good
a MATE Day in Casablanca on March 1st 2009, reports readers are generally good writers (see Cox, Shanahan, and
research-based evidence of the relationship between reading Sulzby (1990) on the use of cohesive ties and cohesive
and writing. It also provides a framework of a ‘new’ look at harmony; Nemassi (1993) on inferencing cohesive ties and
the concept of comprehension within which it suggests some writing quality; and Boutwell (1983) on shifting between
classroom activities. It ends with a case study which reading and writing and rereading and rewriting during the
illustrates the targeted view of the relationship under focus. process of composing; inter alias). Murray (1982) has found
that reading and writing go together in the act of reading. He
Research-based evidence calls the monitor used by writers when they revise their
Research has shown that there exists a close relationship written chunks or sentences “the other self”. “… the act of
between reading and writing. Krashen (1989) argues that writing is inseparable from the act of reading. You can read
reading exposure, i.e. reading for pleasure, indirectly without writing, but you can’t write without reading”, Murray
increases competence in aspects of literacy as it enhances writes (p. 141).
reading comprehension, builds vocabulary, improves writing
style, and develops grammatical competence. He Similarly, Tierney and Shanaham (1991), in a review of
corroborates his view with empirical studies which support several process-based correlational and experimental studies,
the role of reading in the aforementioned aspects. Smith report that these studies show that writing instruction results
(1983) holds the same point of view when he writes that “… in reading achievement, reading improves writing
it could only through reading writers learn all the intangibles performance, and combined instruction leads to improvement
that they know” (p. 558). Hafiz and Tudor (1989) take in both reading and writing. In this same vein, Shen (2009)
Krashen’s (1984, 1989) premises as a starting point for their conducts an empirical research study to investigate the
research. The two researchers then validate these premises reading-writing connection at the college level. Her explicit
and discover that the group that read for pleasure instruction of text structure and the students’ reflective
significantly outperformed the two other groups that did not reading journals result in providing proof for the two skills
after a three-month interval, particularly in writing. being mutually reinforced in an EFL classroom. She also
concludes that her findings go in accord with:
In a comprehensive synthesis of research on reading/writing “previous studies which have suggested that reading and
relationships in L1, Stotsky (1984) reviews both studies writing should be mutually reinforced; that is, reading helps
examining the influence of writing on reading and those writing with the stimulus, structures, feeling and prior
examining the influence of reading on writing. She has come experience (schema), just as writing helps readers look back
to the following conclusions: what they read (metacognitive skills).” (ibid., p. 103)
“… the correlational studies show almost consistently
that better writers tend to be better readers (of their own The above studies provide enough evidence that reading
writing as well as of other reading material), better plays a very important role in enhancing writing abilities.
writers tend to read more than poorer writers, and that They also suggest that mental processes involved in the
better readers tend to produce more syntactically mature transfer of reading abilities may be similar to those involved
writing than poorer readers” (ibid., p.16) in the transfer of writing abilities. This, in turn, suggests that
as there is an effect of the threshold on reading, there should
Similar views have been supported theoretically, empirically, be a similar effect on writing as well (Bouziane, 2002).
and pedagogically in a collection of papers edited by Jensen Practically, the relationship between the two skills can be
(1984, see Sections I, II, and III, respectively). brought into the classroom through activities.

Carson, Carrell, Silberstein, Kroll, and Kuhen (1990), who A new look at comprehension
draw on the conclusions by Stotsky (ibid., see above), put the Jacobs (2002) explains that understanding involves more than
L2 threshold level of proficiency as a condition for transfer of ‘doing’ or ‘knowing’; rather, it involves “choosing topics into
literacy skills across languages and the interaction between which students can find their own points of entry; directly
the language proficiency and cognitive processes for the telling students the goals for their understanding; and
transfer across modalities. developing assessment systems that allow students to
demonstrate their understanding.” (ibid.: p.58). She
From pedagogical and empirical perspectives, research illustrates her model in the following figure:
studies have confirmed the reciprocal effect of reading on
writing. Zamel (1992) claims that reading should be given
due attention and should be geared towards facilitating
composing processes. Similarly, Dubin and Olshtain (1980)
call for a type of classroom pedagogy in which the two skills
are interwoven with one facilitating the other. Empirically,
Tsang (1996) provides enough evidence for the existence of a
positive effect of reading and writing on writing performance,
mainly on certain aspects of writing such as content,
agreement, tense, number, etc. but has not been so effective

MATE Newsletter Summer-Autumn 2009, Volume 29 (Issue 1-2) -9-

The above figure shows the interwoven arrangement of Finishing a story,
reading, writing, and understanding. The author claims that
“the cognitive processes involved in the stages of Etc.
comprehension ... are virtually the same as the cognitive
processes involved in the three-inquiry stages that promote A case study:
effective composition.” (ibid.: 61). The three stages of Children’s Television Viewing Habits in the UK
reading-to-learn and those of writing-to-learn help learners to Parents and teachers throughout the country often express
move from understanding to demonstrating understanding. concern about the amount of hours that children spend in
Put simply, Donat (2006) describes comprehension to be front of the television.
when “[T]he children must understand what they read and be
able to apply the information in other situations.” (p. 311). It According to recent statistics, teenagers watch between 2.5
is this demonstration of understanding that needs further and 3.2 hours of television every day. Many children watch
attention in the Moroccan context. television in the mornings over breakfast but most viewing
takes place after school in the evenings.
In a succinct article, Rinvolucri (2008) claims that the
comprehension questions asked in a second language learning Peak viewing times for teenagers are between seven and nine
setting seem less natural because they are asked by the o’clock. They watch soap operas, music programmes and
teacher while in a natural setting, it is the listener or reader quiz shows. Between the hours of four and six, when the
who normally asks questions especially for clarification programmes are specifically aimed at children, the viewing
requests. He explains that the texts that second language figures are much lower.
learners read or listen to undergo a process of deletion –
removing insignificant details-, elaboration – building ‘inner’ Girls watch more drama series, documentaries and news
picture of the incoming information-, and transformation – programmes. Boys watch more science fiction and sport.
framing it with previous experiences-. Alternatively, he
recommends some types of comprehension questions that Television plays an important part in the lives of children.
encourage the activation of these processes. It is within the They are affected by the images they see and they find role
framework of this new concept of comprehension that the models in their favourite programmes. What parents and their
subsequent part suggests some activities to implement. children have to consider is how much time should be spent
watching television and which programmes are suitable or
Alternative activities unsuitable.
The following activities will promote integrating the two
skills in one class (see details of these and more activities on Even if a teacher extensively uses this text; i.e., explains
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk). every vocabulary item, tackles different issues / themes in the
Shifting across genres: from a dialogue to a paragraph, from a text, asks comprehension questions dealing with different
poem to a text, from a narrative to an expository / cognitive thoughts –including inferencing and thought-
argumentative text ... and vice versa provoking questions-, s/he has not given her/his students the
opportunity to demonstrate their understanding (as described
Changing points of view: telling a story from a different above). A suggestion can be to conduct the same survey
perspective or arguing against something for which a text within the classroom. This table can be assigned to each
argues or vice versa. Changing a point of view in reporting student to fill in:
and commenting on news.
Your
You
Text summarising partner
1. Do you watch TV every day?
Text expansion – from summary to full text 2. Have you got a television in
your bedroom?
Sentence combining – providing a text in short sentences 3. Do you ever watch television
(kernel sentences) and asking learners to combine those before going to school?
sentences using linkers and other devices; 4. Do you think you watch too
much television?
Reproducing a text in a different form such as a poster, a 5. Does anyone restrict your
picture, a cartoon, etc. Students should explain why / how television viewing?
their new representation of the text matches the original 6. Do you have a favourite
passage, preferably in writing; television channel?
7. Do you watch more television
Duplicating a survey (see the case study below); at the weekend?
8. Do you watch educational
Writing comic strips and asking the learners to evaluate one programmes?
another’s product; 9. Would you find it easy to stop
watching TV for a week?
Parallel writing with necessary modifications (shifting
10. Do you think children in
personal pronoun, shifting tense, shifting topic);
Morocco watch too much TV?

MATE Newsletter Summer-Autumn 2009, Volume 29 (Issue 1-2) - 10 -

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/lesson-plans/young- learners are to be encouraged to demonstrate their
people-television understanding. It ends with suggesting activities that will
help teachers give more attention to the post-reading stage
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/files/teacheng/tv_workshe and especially include writing activities at this stage.
ets.pdf
References
As a follow-up to the survey, students can be assigned
different activities to demonstrate their understanding: Boutwell, M. A. 1983. “Reading and Writing Process: A
Reciprocal Agreement” Language Arts, 60 (6), 723-730.
they get inspired from the text and then write quite a similar Bouziane, A. 2002. Linguistic and Rhetorical Features in
article to report the findings of their survey. EFL Pupils’ Narratives: A Longitudinal Study.
Unpublished Doctorate Thesis. Rabat: Faculty of
they can negotiate which picture can suit the article if it is Education.
appearing in a newspaper. Carson, J. E., P. L. Carrell, S. Silberstein, B. Kroll, and P. A.
Kuhen. 1990. "Reading-Writing Relationships in First and
they can negotiate which graph / visual representation will be Second Language" TESOL Quarterly, 24 (2); 245-266.
the most significant to suit an article which will appear in a Cox, B. E., T. Shanahan, and E. Sulzby. 1990. "Good and
school magazine. Poor Elementary Readers' Use of Cohesion in Writing"
Reading Research Quarterly, XXV (1); 47-65.
To share good practices, samples can be put up for Donat, D. J. 2006. “Reading their Way: A Balanced
appreciation on school / class bulletin boards, class blog, or Approach that Increases Achievement” in Reading &
on any accessible point for the whole class. Writing Quarterly, 22; 305-323
Dubin, F. and Olshtain, E. 1980. “The Interface of Reading
Other activities through which students can demonstrate their and Writing” TESOL Quarterly, 14 (3), 353-363.
understanding are: Hafiz, F. M. and Tudor, I. 1989. “Extensive Reading and the
Development of Language Skills” ELT Journal, 43 (1), 4-
Guess the next word(s): teacher reads parts of the text and 13.
pauses before words / or parts of the text that learners can Jacobs, V. A. .2002. “Reading, Writing
guess; Krashen, S. 1984. Writing: Research, Theory, and
Applications. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Dicto-comp: Teacher dictates (a) sub-part(s) of the text and _________ . 1989. Language Acquisition and Language
students complete the other sub-part(s) in their own words; Education. New York: Prentice Hall International
Murray, D. 1982. “Teaching the other Self: The Writer’s First
Students write a scenario for casting film stars to act different Reader” College Composition and Communication, 33
characters; (2), 140-147.
Nemassi, A. 1991. An Investigation into the Written English
Students write (fictitious) interviews of the characters in the of Moroccan Secondary School Pupils. Unpublished
passage being read; D.E.S. Dissertation. Rabat: Faculty of Education.
Rinvolucri, M. 2008. “How useful are Comprehension
Dramatizing parts of the story (or de-dramatizing them); Questions?” Online article, retrieved December 2008,
available on:
Students debate/discuss topics/ideas/arguments in a reading http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/how-
passage and then report the main trends in their debate; useful-are-comprehension-questions
Shen Ming-Yuhen. 2009. “Reading-writing Connection for
Comparison activities: discussion of the differences among EFL College Learners’ Literacy Development” in The
versions of the same story; Asian EFL Journal, Vol. 11 (1), 87-106. From:
http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/March_2009.pdf ,
Meta-text activities: students report why a picture (does not) retrieved April 2009.
fit(s) in a reading passage, which comprehension questions to Stotsky, S. 1984. “Research on Reading/Writing
ask for reading between / beyond the lines, how the structure Relationships: A Synthesis and Suggested Directions” in
of the text has (not) helped them understand it, the role Julie M. Jensen (ed.) Composing and Comprehending.
cohesive ties – especially connectors – have played in their Urbana, IL: ERIC and NCRE, 7-22.
understanding, how vocabulary has facilitated (or hindered) Tierney, R. J. and Shanahan, T. 1991. “Research on the
comprehension, etc. Reading-Writing Relationships: Interactions,
Transactions, and Outcomes” in Rebecca Barr et al. (eds.)
Content transfer: Students refer to the text to write about their Handbook of Reading Research: Volume II. New York:
/ or their peers’ or relatives’ previous experiences; Longman, 246-280.
Tsang, W. K.1996. “Comparing the Effects of Reading and
Etc. Writing on Writing Performance” Applied Linguistics, 17
(2), 210-233
This article has overviewed the relationship between reading Zamel, V. 1992. "Writing One's Way into Reading" TESOL
and writing as reported in empirical research-based studies Quarterly, 26 (3), 463-485.
and has provided a framework of comprehension in which

MATE Newsletter Summer-Autumn 2009, Volume 29 (Issue 1-2) - 11 -

 Integrating assessment in your EFL class
Abdelkader Chaddoudi, ELT Supervisor at the Academy of Rabat

The following article is a summary of a presentation and a workshop for teachers of English in Salé and Fkih Ben Salah
(December, 2009).

Introduction to test, it is simply a matter to inform the school

No one would argue about the importance of assessment in administration of students’ achievement by the end of the
teaching English or any other subject. Assessment in efl in term after covering a set of units of the syllabus. But the best
particular should not always be given a perfunctory thought assessment practice is where teachers, fully aware of the
by teachers of English but it should have a parallel function value of assessment in class, integrate assessment to teaching
to teaching and learning. Where testing / assessment remains and learning.
a traditional ritual in its form and practice, little would be
expected to improve students’ performance and acquisition of Defining the purpose of using assessment in your class will
any communicative competencies or knowledge; it is guide you throughout the teaching / learning experience, and
therefore highly required that innovative approaches to will help your students understand assessment as a form of
assessment are to be implemented gradually and learning and not as a form of punishment and penalization .
systematically in the day-to-day classroom practice. The test samples that syllabuses often provide are
unsatisfactory and do not reflect the real assessment needs of
Defining concepts: students. So teachers are well positioned to determine those
Concepts such as testing, assessment, and evaluation are needs and find satisfactory answers to the keys questions
frequently used interchangeably and sometimes confusedly. related to classroom assessment – Why assess (determining
Briefly stating that testing refers to standardised tests whether purpose)? How to assess (seeking assessment designs and
they are teacher-made or state-wide administered. They aim procedures)? What to assess (selecting content to be
at evaluating the final learning achievement of testees or assessed)? When to assess (determining the frequency of
getting a snapshot of students’ acquired proficiency level in a assessment)?
given time. While assessment (formative, authentic, dynamic,
alternative, performance, and self assessment), though it may The general goal of assessment is to improve teaching and
make use of different tests, focuses on improving teaching learning but different teachers may set different purposes for
and learning experience in general. It is regular and feeds into assessment during a school year of instruction. There are
classroom teaching and learning. times when teachers think of assessment as a tool to:
¾ get an accurate picture of their students’ competence
For more clarification, we include the following funnel ¾ measure their acquisition of discrete learning items.
diagram. It depicts the view that both assessment and testing ¾ use the information drawn from scores to improve
meet in the shaded area and differ in other parts – and both teaching
lead to a more encompassing process which is called ¾ satisfy an administrative requirement
evaluation. ¾ want to know the best students in class
¾ see if students can pass the exam

A key concept coined by Arthur Hughes (1989), an expert in

language testing, is what he labeled the washback effect of
testing: this washback can be positive or negative. The
concept relates to test consequences and teacher reflection -
positive washback gives evidence that teaching is effective
and efficient, and that leaning is progressing in the right
direction.

Negative washback, on the other hand, informs the teacher of

the drawbacks of his/her methodology and explains the
learning difficulties students face. So positive washback
boosts and maintains teaching and learning procedures while
Purpose of assessment negative washback prompts teachers to work on more
It is very important to think of assessment and testing as a effective teaching methods and help students implement more
shared responsibility among school administrators, teachers, successful learning strategies.
students and parents. All partners want to see and justify the
efforts made and the money put into the process of Tips for teachers
evaluation, and consider the exam results that it yields. In a more innovative EFL teaching environment, students are
viewed by their teachers as contributors and important
Teachers are most of the time directly held accountable for investors in the learning process. They cannot be subject to
the success and failure of their students since they are the forms of assessment where they have no voice. Creating
ones who are directly responsible for implementing the authentic assessment formats as much as possible for your
curriculum and doing the assessment. Some teachers however students would certainly help them bridge the gap between
think that their job is simply to teach and not test; if they are classroom instruction and the real world. They would

MATE Newsletter Summer-Autumn 2009, Volume 29 (Issue 1-2) - 12 -

understand that your teaching is in harmony with your Test Construction
assessment designs and that assessment is principally meant As for test construction, teachers are really in bad need of
for learning. By doing so you will increase their motivation training on how to design tests that are relatively both valid
and the assessment results would give them a sense of and reliable. A good test should meet principles of:
achievement and a sense of direction to better learn English (1) Validity: that is giving an approximative reflection of
in and outside the classroom. course content; (2) Reliability: being consistent and
systematic in situations of test and retest or in terms of
Nonetheless, traditional testing is still common everywhere. yielding results; (3) Practicality: being feasible and
So students have to learn how to sit for an exam manageable; (4) Beneficial washback: meaning that the test
(Baccalaureate for example); they have to receive basic should have a positive impact on learning.
training in reading comprehension and learn the effective
ways and strategies how to answer the questions; they have to Teachers have to find texts that are new, appealing, and
learn how to go about the process of writing since it is a authentic and devise items that are authentic and of general
major component of the final exam, and finally they have to truth; their tests can range from simple quizzes through
get enough grammar practice in preferably contextualized presentations and interviews to mini-projects and students’
situations. The following tips may seem important for portfolios.
teachers embarking on assessment and testing in their classes:
Conclusion
*Tell students about your ‰ Test items should not It is obvious that both assessment and testing are forms of
assessment methods. be tricky. evaluation of both teacher and students in their interaction to
*Inform them when you want ‰ Test items should be see and understand the progress made in learning English.
to assess. of appropriate length. Teachers are often by their very position entitled to be
*Provide them with training to ‰ Test-taking time controllers of this process of evaluation during instruction or
help them become familiar should be justified at end-of-term intervals. Students can also, in innovative
with your test content and ‰ Test items should not teaching environments based on dynamic assessment, be
format. overlap. given an opportunity to self- assessment which is often a
*Arrange items in a sequential ‰ Test sections should milestone towards promoting learner autonomy.
order. be balanced in scoring.
*Ensure discrimination by References:
including easy as well as - Jalilzadeh, Kaveh. (2004) “Role of Alternative Assessment
challenging items. Techniques”.
*Use a variety of test - Gomez, Emily (2000). “Assessment Portfolios: Including
techniques. English Language Learners in Large-Scale
*Have recourse to Assessments” - Online ESL Articles.
collaborative reviewing and - Guidelines for the Teaching of English as a Foreign
editing. Language in the Middle School: Third Year. (2009)
*Devise a clear and objective Prepared by: Chaibi. A, Hammani. M, Marzouki.O.
marking scheme.

Building a professional milieu for the teacher's learning community: Theory into practice
Kirstin Bratt, Penn State University & Youness Elbousty, Daniel Webster College

Introduction Kruse, Louis, and Bryk (1994) postulate that, “a core

Within the Professional Learning Community milieu (PLC), characteristic of the professional learning community is an
teachers develop and apply common assessments, discuss undeviating focus on student learning” (p. 9). McLaughlin
their teaching, and conduct peer observations. Under the and Talbert (2006) concur that it is crucial that teachers
purview of the PLC, educators develop consistent, systematic examine student work together. Under the Professional
procedures to support students and solve academic issues. In Learning Community construct, students will benefit from
peer observations, teachers observe each other and the ongoing collaboration of their teachers, as they master the
conference among themselves about best practices and intended outcomes of the curriculum and transfer that
feasible methods of implementation. All the forgoing learning to different milieus (Elbousty & Bratt, 2009). As
concepts undergird the common goal of a successful learning DuFour and co-authors (2004) state: “We contend that a
community, where the values and goals of the school become school truly committed to the concept of learning for each
commonly shared among the faculty, students, and student will stop subjecting students to a haphazard, random,
surrounding community (DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, & de facto, educational lottery program when they struggle
Karhanek, 2004; Freidus & Grose, 1998; Hord, 1977, 1997; academically” (p. 33).
McLaughlin & Talbert, 2001; 2006). Linda Darling-
Hammond (1995) postulates that the PLC is an essential Astuto and co-authors (1993) further explain that within a
component for school improvement, helping school learning community, teachers and administrators
personnel stay cohesive and focused on teaching and learning continuously seek learning and act on what they learn. In an
issues. Anderson and Larson (2009) argue the exigent need ideal learning community, teachers are engaged in deep
for this coordination, especially for schools in impoverished levels of inquiry, primarily focused on students’ learning.
communities.
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They devise strategies to assist struggling students. Most The survey indicates mostly favorable responses to the
importantly, they work together for all students rather than Professional Learning Community. Clearly, the construct is
relegating responsibility for individual students with a single seen as beneficial. Some teachers have not embraced the PLC
teacher. construct, but the majority has found it relevant to
professional development. The teachers confirm what
The PLC evaluated here is located in an urban high school on research indicates: that when teachers work together, they
the East Coast of the US. This professional learning share different perspectives and practices that make a
community has very specific goals: to encourage collaborative environment useful and productive.
collaboration and ensure student success. With the support of
the principal, the teachers have a common planning hour Because the school benefits greatly from collaboration, we
during which they calibrate assessments, discuss curricular might seek further ways to convince teachers of the efficacy
decisions, develop plans to assist failing students. They of community building. They must see results when they
collect, compare, and disaggregate student data to ensure make the effort to collaborate, and the community must make
student success. To better their teaching craft, they visit one every effort to use their time wisely, treating time as a
another's classrooms for peer reviews to learn new techniques valuable resource. As we begin to understand why teachers
and critique their colleagues. prefer to work alone, we can anticipate thoughtful and
reasoned resistance that will help us to re-evaluate and
Our survey was administered during the second month of the negotiate our plans for community building, embracing
PLC’s second year. Survey questions elicit responses about collective efficacy.
teacher attitudes toward collaboration and other tenets of the
PLC. Of the nine teachers solicited, five women and one man We have witnessed several barriers to the progress of the
responded; their years of teaching experience range from one PLC, and we see firsthand that change nearly always
to thirty years. The survey includes multiple-choice and essay encounters resistance. The resistance seems to come in two
questions. forms: one active form of resistance by which the teacher
rejects the idea of working collaboratively, and then a passive
Results form by which the teacher chooses to work with one or two
Survey results indicate a wide range of responses, with the colleagues while excluding others. We contend that
majority of the teachers indicating positive experiences in the resistance is a strength of the process. When met with
PLC. To the question, “Do you think that collaboration responsive dialogue, resistance can be used to guide the
strengthens your department?” All of the teachers mark creation of the PLC and identify the continuing needs and
positive responses (ranging from “absolutely” to “very much” limitations of the model.
to “somewhat”). Among the benefits of collaboration, the
teachers express that they gain insights for curriculum, Teachers who resist actively express a sense of frustration
classroom management, motivation, and learning disabilities. about fairness and equity, stating that collaboration with
They claim strong group efficacy, explaining that they colleagues causes more work for them rather than
provide empathy, stress relief, and complementary strengths ameliorating their difficulties. Such feelings of unfairness, no
for one another. By working together, they solve problems matter how large or small, pose significant threats to the
collectively, save time and energy, and benefit from development of the learning community.
constructive criticism. They also describe the acquisition of
new skills and generation of new knowledge from their Those who resist passively claim to be supportive of the
collaboration. When asked about the drawbacks of PLC, stating that they do work collaboratively; however, they
collaboration, four teachers respond that there are no say that they collaborate only with a few colleagues whose
drawbacks. However, two of the teachers respond by ideas are closely consonant with their own. These types of
identifying problems. One says collaboration wastes time and exclusionary collaborations threaten the development of the
creates more work. Two write that they work harder than learning community. While this sort of close collaboration
their colleagues. One complains that colleagues are too can be productive and supportive for teachers, it is not part of
“chatty” and “unfocused.” the democratic process that the PLC encourages. The PLC
must welcome all colleagues, including those who are
When asked about the optimal conditions for collaboration, resistant to collaboration. In a democratic institution, as a
the teachers share that they prefer to work in small, public school must aim to be, the teachers embrace plurality
homogeneous groups. They prefer to work with someone and differing opinions, seeking consensus with those whom
who is consonant in approach, easy to communicate with, and they disagree.
responsive to collaboration. A teacher states, “I would rather
work with one or two than work with a crowd because a lot Even if we heartily disagree that working in isolation
of ideas are lost.” Another teacher states a preference for produces best results, we understand habitual behavior
working with someone who is similar in “work ethic, strongly determines teacher practice. We understand that
understanding of curriculum, and realistic expectations.” collaboration does not come easily to many teachers. Yet
Another writes, “We should have similar views, ideas, goals, there is no reason to defend teacher practice if it continues at
and be able to discuss clearly what we what and why it’s the expense of student learning and achievement. If
important.” collaboration is the key to productivity in teaching, then we
must make every effort to assure that the PLC is supported
Discussion and thriving.

MATE Newsletter Summer-Autumn 2009, Volume 29 (Issue 1-2) - 14 -

Conclusions Crow, G.M., Hausman, C. S., & Scribner, J. P. (2002).
Although many teachers state their willingness to participate Reshaping the role of the school principal. In J. Murphy
in a Professional Learning Community, the reality is often (Ed.), The educational challenge: Redefining leadership
that a great deal of internal resistance disrupts the creation of for the 21st century (pp. 189-210). Chicago: University
these collaborative efforts. McLaughlin and Talbert (2001) of Chicago Press.
argue that the ethos of teaching must change, from a Darling-Hammond, L. (1995). Policy for restructuring. In
conservative, individualist perspective to a focus on Ann Lieberman (ed.), The Work of restructuring
innovation and collaboration. In spite of our findings that schools: Building from the ground up. New York, NY:
indicate teachers can be ambivalent about the benefits of Teachers College Press.
collaboration, we continue to argue that the formation of the DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & Karhanek, G. (2004).
learning community and the collaborative efforts of teachers Whatever it takes, how professional learning
are essential to the success of public school students. communities respond when kids don’t learn. Indiana:
Solution Tree.
The idea of shared values and collective learning is difficult DuFour, R. & Eaker, R. (1998). Professional learning
to implement, though we continue to believe it is worth the communities at work: Best practices for enhancing
effort. Sometimes, finding consensus regarding a shared student achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for
vision seems nearly impossible because teachers are Supervision and Curriculum Development.
accustomed to highlighting differences and individuality. DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & DuFour, R., (Eds.). (2005). On
Insisting on consensus means asking people to give of common ground: the power of professional learning
themselves and to make compromises with one another. In communities. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
some cases, creating a shared vision may seem too much of a Elbousty, Y., and Bratt, K. (2009). Establishing a
compromise or capitulation. Professional Learning Community in a High School
Setting. NERA Conference Proceedings 2009. Paper 17.
If the PLC is established successfully, the school culture http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/nera_2009/17
becomes grounded in collaboration, whereby both knowledge Freidus, H. & Grose, C. (1998). Implementing curriculum
and power are equally shared and distributed among the change: Lessons from the field. Paper presented at the
members of the learning community (Bratt & Elbousty, annual meeting of the American Educational Research
2010). In this milieu, teachers work together continuously to Association. ERIC document reproduction service
assess student strategies, assist each other in developing number ED422606.
methods to improve student achievement, discuss issues Hord, S. (1977). Professional learning communities: What
openly, create a supportive environment conducive to are they and why are they important? Issues about
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DuFour, Eaker, & DuFour, 2005; Hord, 1997, 2009; Toole & http://www.sedl.org/pubs/catalog/items/cha35.html
Louis, 2002). We argue that establishing a successful Hord, S. (1997). Learning together: Leading together.
learning community improves student achievement, ensuring Changing schools through PLCs. New York: Teachers
the success of the learning community. When we ask how we College Press.
can best encourage students to learn, we can depend on the Hord, S. M., & Hirsh, S. A. (Feb., 2009). The principal’s role
community of teachers to seek an answer collectively, thus in supporting learning communities. Educational
enhancing and encouraging its commitment to collaboration. Leadership 66(5), 22-23.
Kruse, S., Louis, K. S., & Bryk, A. (1994). Building
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