About eighty teachers of English gathered in Rabat for the 3rd middle school conference. During three days, we had the chance to attend presentations and workshops and meet interesting people. During the plenary sessions, we really enjoyed presentations by Noureddine Boundouqi, Jann Huizenga and others on varied topics that included: communicative tasks and activities, the Moroccan educational reform and the theory of multiple intelligences. In her talk/workshop on multiple intelligences, Jann stressed the importance of catering for different learning styles. All students are intelligent; However, it's up to us teachers to devise activities that meet the intelligence(s) of each student.The workshops that were conducted by teachers, teacher trainers, and inspectors were interesting. I personally picked up lots of new ideas while attending them. I particularly liked the workshop on drama that was conducted by Mr. Paul Harvey from the British Council in Rabat. I came to realise how important it is to use drama activities in the English classroom. It is a funny way to teach intonation and stress. It does also help in fighting stage fright and giving more confidence to shy students. However, only teachers who dare 'look stupid' can introduce drama in their classrooms.
One of the workshops was conducted by my colleague Ghizlane Razak who is a teacher in Jemaa Shaim, or Friday Shaim as she calls it. Ghizlane is an active teacher who is doing a lot to bring about some change especially to the way we conceive of our classrooms as a learning environment. Her workshop at the conference was on 'knowing Myself as a learner'. The participants were asked to choose adjectives that best describe them as teachers, then they were engaged in reflective activities so that each teacher could come to know what charaterises them most. I particularly liked her use of flashcards with different colours which I think would make learning as enjoyable for the students as the workshop was for the participants.
During the conference I met many interesting colleagues from different parts of Morocco as well as from abroad. I had a conversation with some of them and exchanged our emails and phone numbers. My participation in this conference has taught me a lot on how important is collaborative and community work. MATE is a good example. Working within an association is a very good way of professional development. The prevailing atmosphere during the conference was an encouraging one. We could feel that everyone was doing his best to contribute to the success of the conference. They were working as in a bee hive. I have learnt some thing very important from that work; the feeling of belonging to a learning community enhances the motivation of the person and thus increases his learning outcomes.
Convinced of the role that group work can play in our classrooms as well as among us teachers, I got in touch with my colleagues Mr rachid Asdrem, from Collège Afarabi, and Ghizlane Razak who were attending the conference. We decided that it was high time we set up a MATE local branch here in Safi. We discussed the matter with Mr Mohammed Hammani, MATE's President, and MR Larbi Bounsir, an inspector from Eljadida and a member of MATE national board. This latter introduced us to Mr Lahecen Tighoula who is the president of MATE local branch in Guelmim and a member of Mate national board. Mr Toghoula is a nice person and a very active teacher. Mr Bounsir suggested that Mr Tighoula gave us a briefing on the procedures of setting up a MATE local branch. His advice and the successful story of his local branch in Guelmim were eluminating and inspiring. However, Mr Lahcen Tighoula stressed that to set up and maintain a local branch we need an enduring engagement on the part of the teachers of English in our area. According to him, the first step is to mobilize the teachers and inform them on the idea. This blog is meant to do so. I have also created a wiki where we can communicate, share ideas and material and work hard to establish a solid community that would culminate one day in the setting up of a MATE local branch in Safi.
By: Brahim ID BEN DRISS
brahim_idbendriss@yahoo.com
Collège Fatima Fihria, Safi.
