2018 best teacher in Palestine discusses her methodology, philosophy in Faculty of Education lecture

Zeina Sanori, who was chosen “best teacher in Palestine” in 2018 by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, gave a presentation on her approach to teaching in a lecture organized by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the Faculty of Education at Birzeit University on Thursday, April 11, 2019. 

In the lecture, attended by professors, students, and pedagogical experts, Sanori − a secondary-school English language teacher − discussed her philosophy of motivating students to help them overcome their fear of learning a foreign language. She uses a variety of methods that build students’ personalities and encourage them to pursue learning outside the classroom. 

“I consider teaching a holistic process that engages the values, morals, and personalities of students,” said Sanori who graduated with an English language degree from Birzeit University and earned a master’s degree in applied linguistics from An-Najah National University. 

Sanori stressed the need to deal with students as individuals with different mentalities, inclinations, and abilities, adding that the best method is to present materials in ways that engage the different types of intelligence exhibited by students. 

“I try to create lesson plans that draw the attention of students who exhibit naturalist, musical, logical-mathematical, existential, interpersonal, bodily-kinesthetic, linguistic, and spatial intelligence,” Sanori explained, noting that teachers can test their students for different types of intelligence and prepare their lessons accordingly. 

Sanori utilizes several presentation styles in her lessons, each designed to capture and maintain the attention and interest of students, such as introducing topics through stories, plays, or interactive games.