iatefl 2016 - Birmingham

This is one conference that brought back my energy as a teacher of English language. The wealth of ideas presented from so many speakers and presenters from around the world was a very enriching experience. I sure plan to visit coming iatefl conferences. It was an opportunity to meet in person the very light-hearted linguist David Crystal, who gave a rich plenary about how the English language has ever been changing and he provided examples from the language of the queen when she first ascended the throne and her language now to show how it has become less commanding and less authoritative.
Aside from that, Crystal with his also light-hearted wife,

David and Hillary Crystal performing modern Shakespeare

Hilary Crystal, lead a few events to celebrate Shakespeare. Iatefl 2016 coincided with the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare's death and that is why Shakespeare was present all throughout the conference especially in the evening entertaining sessions. 

River Avon

Stratford-upon-Avon

Shakespeare's Birthplace

Jan Blake telling her stories of life

Among the plenary speakers who I enjoyed was Jan Blake. I had presented her to my Advanced Speaking class to give them a model of how to tell a story. I think knowing that Blake would be in the conference was an incentive for me to attend it. She definitely held her audience and trasported them into places they would not think of they could go to. Her stories of life, love and man were very genuine and full of wisdom and ethics.

Amal, Jan Blake and Rasha
It is obvious that I am not good at taking selfies :(

Pete Sharma, Coauthor of 400 Ideas for Interactive Whiteboard one of the many books I bought

And of course I couldn't but buy a whole bunch of books from the conference exhibition most of which I still have not had the chance to check out.

Being with great company was the best part of the conference and gave a special dimension to my stay in Birmingham.

Rasha Halat (to my right) and Noha Borhot (to my left)

And just as good was meeting people who I haven't for quiet a long time.  

A special person I had met in 2010 in an ELT conference, Sanaa Abudl Hadi

Another special PCELT trainer I met in a PCELT course in Beirut 2014, Samah Sabbagh. I hadn't seen her since because she moved to Algeria. 

Together We Can

My opening message for Al Mada yearbook - Summer 2016

Our mission at Rawafid School is the success of everyone. Success and achievement of our students are a priority. That is why many programs were embedded in the school agenda to help students extend their knowledge and skills to new levels. Intervention programs for students struggling with reading and mathematics helped them recover whatever skills they were lacking. Student life at Rawafid is highly planned for through ongoing projects at the levels of the subject, grade and/or learning cycle. Real life activities also contribute a great deal to the student life at school. Student Elections, Compassion Campaign and Young School Principal were among the school-wide projects that help create life-like experiences at school and encourage student participation where they learn life skills and become productive and successful citizens applying leadership skills learned at school.

“You can never understand one language until you understand at least two.” To promote the use of Arabic and English as languages of communication, two separate weeks were dedicated for them where students participated in various activities that enhance language skills and communication in real life situations.

The agenda of our school activities included many competitions and contests that aimed at integrating what is learned in class in an exciting and engaging manner where the whole school took part. Such activities help to bring students from different classes, teachers of all subjects and administrators together to strengthen the bonds of the school community and boost up the overall morale.

Improving school life not only focuses on student achievement but also on professional development. To ensure better academic results, teaches have to be up to date on the new trends in education. The on-going professional development program has been sustained for the third year in a row and it has included six education modules. In this program, best practices are always shared among teachers and administrators and are backed up by theories in the literature on education.  In this on-going professional program, each teacher is a learner who continues to grow and is an educator who contributes to the whole school assisting his/her peer educator and students. This all is what makes Rawafid a community of learners, and that is how “together we can”.

June 2016