A language teacher faces constantly diverse class-room situations; he tries to adopt appropriate theory of learning, approach, technology, and tools and aids to create understanding in context. In doing so, he draws upon his experience and peer-experience to resolve problems and issues through the process of reflection. He takes help of research results, and does research work, sources specialist literature or undergoes need-based trainingnot once but repeatedly to develop competence to cope with class-room situations and remove social or psychological barriers, more particularly in the case of second or foreign language teaching. In reflective practice, the teacher summons all his faculties, experiences and appropriate theory to practise in the classroom. A language-teacher observes his students' reactions and reflects on the results after responding to such learning behaviour of the students. Following the reflection, the teacher decides to adapt or modify the theory chosen earlier. A classroom is like a laboratory where a teacher relates teaching theory to teaching practice and observes the students' responses. This paper is an attempt to give focus to the importance of reflective teaching in general with special reference to Language Teacher Education Programmes in Yemen and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as check the teachers' awareness of reflective teaching. 50 teachers of English from both the countries were surveyed and interviewed for the purpose.
Arabic and English belong to two different linguistic families: resultantly, some Arabic speaking learners of English in both SL and FL situations have a major obstacle to overcome to be intelligible to other users, especially in the international context. Of the various skills one needs to acquire to become 'proficient' in a language Pronunciation is perhaps the one most relevant to real time usage. However, this is ironically also an area of training that is relegated to the 'not so important' category in the EFL classroom in Saudi Arabia as a result of which learner aspirations are not fulfilled in learning English. The current study empirically evaluates the present pronunciation proficiency of Saudi learners at Qassim University, KSA and checks the outcomes of a pronunciation intervention programme. Its aim is to document the specific linguistic elements of difference using empirical means. It further aims to suggest methods to bring the Arab learners' pronunciation closer to an optimum level of universal communication as well as arrive at generalizations to enable policy changes commensurate with learner aspirations.
The expanding digital era, emerging geopolitical dynamics, and the birth of the new ‘normal’ that the world has witnessed in the recent times have made the urgency of revamping the academic arena obvious to all. These developments have also made it essential for teachers to be technologically and pedagogically ready to cater to individual needs by being adaptive. This calls for identification of gaps between current pedagogical practices and best practices for the new age classrooms based on the premise that certain competencies in the teachers are essential to ensure the achievement of projected learning objectives in the paradigm of the online learning process. The study uses Ally’s (2019) Competency Profile for the Digital Teacher (CPDT) to determine the level of competency of the English Language Instructors at the ELI, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia in the online teaching-learning and assessment process. The study is quantitative in nature using a questionnaire with thirty-five items factoring to nine major themes for online teaching and eight assessment strategies (Best, 2020) that are seen by experts as competencies that teachers will need by the year 2030. The participants are 67 EFL teachers affiliated to the English language Institute, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. An exhaustive 35 item questionnaire with a section each devoted to teachers’ general, digital, and assessment competency. Results indicate that EFL teachers at the ELI, Jazan University are competent, digital literate and use online assessment at high levels. The study found only one significant difference attributed to teachers' use of technology across gender. The study recommends EFL teachers at the ELI, the university to cope with the new and emerging needs of the digital learners.
Studies tell us that human beings lived in groups, and each group developed its own mores, customs, conventions and dialect for interaction; languages evolved out of dialects and as need to communicate among members more effectively. Pronunciation was peculiar to each dialect. Centuries later, need was felt to communicate across many groups. This was the time when someone learnt different languages and dialects, and functioned as intermediary for communicating ideas, seeking cooperation and sharing experiences. In the modern world, therefore, no one can deny that translation is as important in human communication as the language itself. There has been genuine desire from the ancient time and it continues until now to integrate human communities into human society with the aim of leading peaceful and satisfied life, devoid of any strife and opposition, based purely on humane consideration and human values. So, we find that there have been debates about translation methods as language is vehicle for sharing and exchanging ideas, feelings and emotions; in fact, language is clothing of thought and ideas and creating understanding. Techniques for translation varied with individuals: Some preferred literal translation while others grasped the intrinsic meaning in a text and presented the same in another language. Whatever the method, one has to keep in mind that behind a language there is millennia of cultural ethos as well as a fine weave of political, economic, and social practices. This study sheds light on the problems of Translation Courses at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia at the level of both execution and perception and puts forth some suggestions and recommendations that would certainly come in handy for all concerned.
The EFL scenario in Saudi Arabia has been a matter of concern for academicians, learners, institutions and policy makers alike. The reason is simple: It is the single most zealously funded field of study in the state. Further, it is also an area of modern education that causes much discontent amongst the teaching-learning community who do not arrive at desired outcomes. The roots lie in our classrooms. This study is another attempt to highlight the shortcomings of the Saudi EFL classroom with the larger objective of student welfare through positive recommendations.
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