The Department of Languages and Translation at BZU organized a workshop on “Reflective Practices in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)” at Ankars Suites in Ramallah on 23 April, 2012. Funded by Jerusalem Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd., the workshop targeted teaching staff at the Department. The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Anwar Abdel Razeq from the BZU Department of Curriculum and Instruction; Mr. Andrew Foster, British Council English Project Manager; and Mr. Edward Russel, also from the British Council.

 

 

 

 

 

           The activities of the workshop began with a morning session on “Current Approaches to Student Writing,” facilitated by Dr. Abdel Razeq. In his presentation, the facilitator discussed the challenges that face BZU students in terms of their writing skills. He concluded the session by highlighting approaches to teaching writing skills at the university level.

 

           The second session on “Addressing Student Needs in Basic English Language Courses” was facilitated by Mr. Andrew Foster from the British Council. Foster listened to teachers’ concerns over finding clear mechanisms for identifying learners’ needs.  

 

The last session was on “Tampering with Texts: Making Reading More Engaging, Motivating and Challenging,” facilitated by Mr. Russel. He presented a practice in which the participants elicited ideas on making reading texts more engaging and motivating. He also presented some ideas that teachers could use to make texts more captivating and challenging.

 

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