The March 2008 Forum

The March 2008 English Teachers' Forum was graciously hosted by Kortag English Language & Training Center. Various problems that face Libyan English teachers were discussed and possible solutions and ideas were shared.
Six questions were posed for open discussion:

1. The Libyan English teachers are not familiar enough with the Course Book which they are supposed to tutor. Do you agree? What are possible solutions?

2. Teacher take the responsibility for meaning-understanding. There is little opportunity for students to develop the skills of understanding words or structures in context. Do you agree? What are possible solutions?

3. Students repeat words in isolation without evidence that they have understood the meaning. Do you agree? What are possible solutions?

4. All the classroom language pratice shows that although students are 'on task' they have few opportunities to demonstrate independent learning. Do you agree? What are possible solutions?

5. Procedures for receptive skills (listening, reading) do NOT orient the students to the subject matter before they are expected to read or listen to it. Responses are expected before students fully understand the texts. Do you agree? What are possible solutions?

6. Procedures for productive skills (writing, speaking) are very teacher-controlled which results in little opportunity in class for students to produce language of their own and they are in some cases insufficiently prepared to produce this language in follow-up or homework tasks. Do you agree? What are possible solutions?
Special thanks to Hamed Hritani for producing the material along with a powerpoint and to Laila Arif for helping to present the material for discussion.