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Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News

MoRCE-Net

ELT News Amina Aghris Promoting the Learner Centered Approach in the

Moroccan EFL Classroom

Teacher Learning Communities to Enhance Teachers’

Continuing Professional Development :

Exploring the experience of TLCs in Souss Massa Daraa Academy

Connecting Classrooms Project : Zagora’s Experience

Corpus Linguistics in Language Teaching

Connecting Classrooms Project:

An Important Stage in my Professional Development.

Teaching Collocations for EFL Learners:

Challenges and Practical Solutions

Character Education

A Model for Active Reflective Teaching

An Investigation of Democratic Leadership Style in

Moroccan Educational Sector:

A Case Study of Oued Sakia El-Hamra High School Staff

Teaching Reading in the 21st Century and the Integration

of ICT in EFL Moroccan Classrooms:

The Case of High School

Lahcen Tighoula

Mohamed El Maanaoui

Younes Tai

Mohamed Bakkas

Ait Taleb Abdelaziz

Jamaati Zakaria

Driouch Aziz

Mohammed Mansouri

Hassan Ait Bouzid

Sidi Mohamed Hamdani

Teachers’ Magazine, issue No 1, January 2017

Fatimaezzahra Abid


2

Moroccan Resource Centers of English Network

(MoRCE-Net) is a network whose main interests re-

volve around implementing learner-centered activities

and creating professional collaboration and

development opportunities. It is a platform for joining

efforts among teachers, educational professionals and

institutions interested in creating resource centers and

English clubs.

* Created in Agadir on December 13th, 2011.

* Organised its first national conference in 2013.

* Has regularly organised its annual conference.

* Launched the 100 Resource Centers Project across

the country.

* Published its first student magazine in 2014.

Purshased its headquarters in Agadir in 2016.

The first English Resource Centers started in the mid-

1980s in some secondary schools in a few cities

around Morocco following initiatives launched by

Moroccan and foreign teachers of English. The

ministry of National Education had sent letters ap-

pointing Moroccan teachers to serve as coordinators

of the Centers.

* Contributing to the improvement of teaching and

learning English in Morocco.

* Supporting the orientations of the Ministry of

National Education and implementing its programs

relating to teaching and learning English and con-

tributing to school life activities.

* Creating spaces for cooperation, exchanging educa-

tional resources and sharing experiences and expertise

related to the teaching and learning of English.

* Offering opportunities for life-long professional

development to teachers of English.

* Encouraging educational research and production of

pedagogical materials in the field of teaching and

learning English.

* Setting up favorable environments for students to

learn English actively and independently .

* Creating opportunities for collaboration with

partners sharing the same objectives in Morocco and

abroad.

* Newsletters

* Students’ magazine

* Teachers’ magazine

* Resource centers magazine

* Online resources

* Pedagogical documents.

* Creating resource centers and English clubs

* Organizing forums and conferences for the teaching

and learning of English

* Organizing events, competitions and contests for

learners of English

* Organizing language camps for students

* Organizing in-service trainings programs for teachers

* Organizing enhancement programs for interested

students.

* Email: [email protected]

* Website: www.morce.net

* Mailing address: P.O.Box: 385? Awifaq Bensergaou,

Agadir 80000, Morocco.

* YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/

channel/UCOx0QNAn4rt_-ymqtgLFLWQ

* Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MoRCE-

Net-186558924803726/

About MoRCE-Net

Historical Background of Resource Centers

Mission

Publications

Activities

Contacts


3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to deeply thank all the

individuals who have contributed to this

magazine either directly or indirectly and

throughout its long gestation. Special

thanks should also go to MoRCE-Net

previous board members for their

valuable assistance in the editing of the

present issue.


4

Amina Aghris

Lahcen Tighoula

Promoting the Learner Centered Approach in the

Moroccan EFL Classroom P 6

Teacher Learning Communities to Enhance Teachers’

Continuing Professional Development :

Exploring the experience of TLCs in Souss Massa Daraa

Academy P 14

Connecting Classrooms Project :

Zagora’s Experience P 23

Corpus Linguistics in Language Teaching P 29

Connecting Classrooms Project:

An Important Stage in my Professional Development P 33

Teaching Collocations for EFL Learners:

Challenges and Practical Solutions P 37

Character Education P 45

A Model for Active Reflective Teaching P 49

An Investigation of Democratic Leadership Style in P 60

Moroccan Educational Sector:

A Case Study of Oued Sakia El-Hamra High School Staff

Teaching Reading in the 21st Century and the Integration

of ICT in EFL Moroccan Classrooms: P 76

The Case of High School

Mohamed El Maanaoui

Younes Tai

Mohamed Bakkas

Ait Taleb Abdelaziz.

Jamaati, Zakaria.

Driouch, Aziz.

Mohammed Mansouri

Hassan Ait Bouzid

CONTENTS

Sidi Sidi Mohamed

Hamdani

Fatimaezzahra Abid


5

If You Can Read This, . . . !

In accordance with its vision and goals as stipulated in its mission statement and constitution, MoRCE-Net has been doing its best to help EFL educators provide quality instruction; and thus prepare our students for a fast-changing world, where both teacher and learner roles are being constantly reconsidered and redefined.

As stated in our 2016-2017 action plan, the second issue of our students’ magazine, Blooming Minds, came out this past October. Thumbs up for both the magazine committee(s) –not to forget the team that worked on the first issue- as well as for all the young creative minds from all over the country that contributed to the said product! A quick overview of both issues can attest to the high quality of our students’ creativity and open-mindedness of our young leaner community.

It goes without saying that such high-quality productions can but stem from well-qualified instruction. Reliable research has evidenced that teachers who are inclined to succeed and grow professionally tend to constantly reflect on their approaches and practices. Prominent teachers, however, go beyond mere reflection and share their expertise and insights with colleagues and other peers from the ELT corps.

MoRCE-Net teachers’ magazine has been designed precisely for those professionals. We, therefore, are all kindly invited to use this space as a platform to either formally publish our ELT-related productions or just informally think aloud or simply speak our minds!

A few years (not to say decades to frighten some souls!) ago, we were invited to a national professional development event where instructors across generations and backgrounds met and shared views and aspirations. Part of the registration procedure included a step where participants were asked to select from sets of round metal badges with different colors that had various quotations on them. One set ran out quickly. It read: “If you can read this, then thank your English teacher!”

So why not seize this precious opportunity and quickly run to, talk, phone, email, post or google English teachers that quickly come to our minds at this very moment. Tell them ‘thank you’ for not just teaching us the language words or rules, but also for guiding and inspiring us; and above all helping us become what we are now; that is, creatures that are able to put down on paper abstract notions that they confine in their brains and let strong feelings off their chests!

Happy Reading

E DIT OR IA L

Abdellatif Zoubair

Arbi Mchiche

Mohammed Hassim

Samira Idelcadi

Salaheddine Belaasal

Zakaria Jamaati

Editors


6

Amina AGHRIS

Ph.D student,

EFL Teacher, Kalaat Sraghna

Abstract

A shift of focus from the traditional approaches of language

teaching, that are based on transmitting knowledge to the

learner, to alternative approaches that enable students to become

active and responsible learners highlights the importance of

adopting a learner-centered approach that positions the learner

at the heart of the learning process. Thus, implementing learner

centeredness in language education can facilitate the promotion

of learners’ autonomy, independence and lifelong learning.

Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present a brief review

of the concept of learner centeredness, underline the importance

of implementing the approach in language education, report on

the findings of a small scale research study that was conducted in

order to investigate teachers and students’ attitudes towards the

appropriateness and the implementation of the learner-centered

approach in the Moroccan EFL classrooms, and draw practical

implications for promoting learner centeredness in the Moroccan

EFL learning contexts.


7

Introduction

Promoting learner centeredness is a

desirable educational outcome necessary for

the effectiveness of the teaching-learning

process. Unlike traditional approaches, the

learner-centered approach gives great

importance to the learner as an integral part

of the teaching-learning process. Not only

does the learner centered approach enable

students to become active learners with more

responsibility for their own learning, but it

also empowers their own choices based on

their learning needs and interests.

I. A Brief Review of the Literature

A. The Learner- centered Approach

In this approach, teachers are no more

considered as mere instructors and givers of

information but rather as facilitators of

learning. Teachers are encouraged to take

into consideration their students’ needs and

interests while devising or planning their

lessons. They are also called upon to actively

engage students in creating their own

learning. On the other hand, learners are

viewed in the learner-centered framework as

active responsible participants in learning and

producers of knowledge as well.

The rationale behind the learner-centered

approach is to help students become more

responsible for their learning. According to

Ouakrime (1991: 43) adopting learner-

centered approach is meant “to produce

“(…) independent learners, with enough AIR

in their lungs to successfully sail through their

language learning journey,” that is to help

learners develop autonomy, independence

and a sense of responsibility for their learning

(1991: 43). Dr. Meziani (1991: 23) argues that

teachers cannot “teach learners everything

they need to know,” they should be given

some opportunity for active long-life

learning. For this reason, “teachers need to

teach not only specific language skills but also

learning skills”.

B. Defining Learner-centeredness

The learner-centered approach is an

approach that positions the learner as an

equal partner in the teaching-learning process.

Cannon & Newble note that “Learner-

centeredness is both a concept and a practice

in which learners and teachers are equal parts

of learning and teaching processes” (1989: 16-

17). Moreover, learners’ needs are put at the

centre of the learning process. Based on

Weimer’s words, Matsau defines learner-

centeredness as a focus on “ students’ needs,

what and how they are learning and the

conditions that contribute to their

learning” (2007: 21). Learner-centeredness

provides learners with a sense of autonomy

and skills to process information, solve

problems, make decisions and become

responsible for their own learning. Thus, it

assumes that learners go through experiences

that foster their autonomy and develop their

responsibilities.

C. The Learner Centered Approach in English

Language Teaching

In order to help students become effective

learners, Ouakrime (1991) suggests that it is

important “that learners are made aware of

the potential usefulness of learning the target

language for their immediate needs and the

more long-term plans they may have for their


8

future lives and careers.” Being learner-

centered means students’ being able to “see

learning the language as part of their

educational experience that aims at helping

them acquire new knowledge and adopt

positive attitudes towards this

experience.” (47)

The learner-centered approach in

language teaching requires a shift to

communicative language learning. It aims to

develop a communicative and authentic

environment where language learners have

the opportunity to negotiate meanings and

develop their communicative competence.

Therefore, “we should see English as a means

of education relating closely to the

development of the learner’s cognitive

ability, rather than as simply the inculcation

of a specific series of linguistic skills” (McLean,

1980: 272).

In the same regard, Chen, J (2007) claims

that “EFL teachers should take responsibility

for teaching learners how to learn efficiently

and effectively by giving support to more

effective learning strategies.” This requires

teachers to introduce suitable strategies to

meet the needs and learning styles of learners,

and help them gain responsibility for their

learning. Once this is achieved, learners will

be able to “take an active involvement in

classroom activities, and this will undoubtedly

achieve considerable outcomes in language

learning and contributes to a pleasant

environment” (2007: 58).

D. The Learner Centered Classroom

The creation of a learner-centered

classroom depends on five main practices as

articulated by Harris & Cullen (2010): balance

of power between teachers and learners,

focus on relevant content of the subject

matter, the role of the teacher as a facilitator,

fostering responsibility for learning among

learners, and using effective assessment and

evaluation (65-66).

1.The Role of the Learner

The ultimate aim of learner-centeredness is

to make the learner responsible for his or her

learning. This is because “Learning is most

effective when the learner is the initiator of

the learning process” (McLean, 1980: 271). In

learner-centeredness, students learn primarily

because of what they bring to their classroom

experience in terms of their perceived needs,

motivations, past experiences, background

knowledge, interests and creative skills.

Learners are not blank sheets that need to be

filled with accumulated knowledge, but

rather active individuals who have to take

part in constructing knowledge. That’s why

“learners need to have some AIR in their

lungs; that is they should be autonomous,

independent and responsible

learners” (Ouakrime, 1991: 91).

2. The Role of the Teacher

Many education systems are based on the

authoritarian style of teaching and “only

when the teacher’s authority recedes can the

learner be thrown back on his own

resources.” Khalil Gibran states that “if a

teacher is indeed wise he does not bid you

enter the house of his wisdom, but rather

leads you to the threshold of your own

mind.” Here McLean infers that “teaching is

not so much a process of cramming outside

knowledge into the learner’s mind as drawing

out the knowledge that each of our students

has within him” (1980: 270-272).

In learner-centered classrooms, the teacher

organizes learning activities with meaningful

themes which are relevant to learners, helps

learners develop a sense of critical and

conceptual thinking, provides opportunities

for students to choose their own projects and

work at their own pace, provides

opportunities for collaborative learning,

varies the use of instructional strategies and

methods to match student needs, encourages

shared decision making, and more


9

importantly encourages learner autonomy and

responsibility (Meece, 2003: 114).

3. Role of Materials

In learner-centeredness there is a “clear

need for the content of language-teaching

materials to involve the learner to relate to his

needs, interests, and moral concerns” (McLean,

1980: 271). Following Krashen (1981), Kisserli

infers that materials needed for a learner-

centered syllabus must be “comprehensible

(…) appealing to learners, challenging, varied

and authentic.” He also advises that the mere

focus on classroom materials is not enough

and that learners have to find outside-

classroom materials. “This search for materials

best suited for them will increase their sense of

self-directed learning” (1991: 38-39).

E. Appropriateness of the Learner

Centered Approach in the Moroccan

EFL Classroom

The learner-centered approach is sensitive

to the notion of context. “The culture of the

learning context is as important to learning as

the content and the methods

used” (Milambiling 2001 cited in Brown,

2003: 50).Thus, consideration of learner-

centeredness in the Moroccan EFL classrooms

has to be analyzed. It is true that the

Moroccan EFL education is moving toward a

learner-centered approach, and this is evident

in the communicative approach adopted for

teaching English. The issue of learner

centeredness has been raised in the Moroccan

Association of Teachers of English (MATE)

conferences since 1988 and 1991 in which

discussions were held about having the learner

the focus of language education. Besides, the

Moroccan Resource Centres of English

Network (MoRCE-Net) has the concept of

promoting learner-centeredness among its

main objectives and activities. Yet, the

question that needs considering is to what

extent the learner-centered approach is

effective in the Moroccan EFL classrooms?

II. Objectives of the Study

This study is meant to emphasize the

importance of learner-centeredness as an

essential approach of teaching and learning

that has to be adopted in the Moroccan EFL

classrooms. The ultimate objective of this

study is to raise awareness among teacher and

student respondents about the importance of

learner centeredness for students’ educational

development. A second objective is to

investigate attitudes of teachers and students

towards the appropriateness and the

implementation of the learner-centered

approach in the Moroccan EFL classrooms.

And the third objective is to provide some

suggestions for implementing learner

centeredness in the Moroccan EFL classrooms.

III. Research Methodology

This study combines two research methods

and gives equal priority to both the

quantitative and qualitative research methods

of investigation. In order to carry out this

study two research instruments were used for

data collection, namely the questionnaire and

the interview. Besides, the population samples

targeted for this study included both teachers

and students of English. The sampling method

used was convenient sampling, it had been

chosen due to the accessibility of subjects and

their willingness to respond.

Student-respondents ranged from

undergraduates, B. A. graduates and Master

students. Students were from two universities;

Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah University,

Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences, Dhar

Mehraz, Fes, and Mohamed Fifth University,

Faculty of Letters and human Sciences, Rabat-

Agdal. High and middle school teachers, who

participated in the research, taught in different

parts of Morocco: Fez, Taza, Ouazane, Arfod,

Taounate, Missour-Outat Lhaj, Taza-Ajdir, and

Beni Mellal-Zaouit Cheikh. 50 students’

questionnaires and 13 teachers’ questionnaires

were analyzed, and interviews were

conducted with 38 students and 8 teachers.


10

IV. Results of the Study

A. Teachers’ Attitudes toward the

Learner-Centered Approach

1.Understanding of the Learner-

Centered Approach

The results obtained from both teachers’

questionnaires and interviews reveal that the

teacher respondents understand the learner-

centered approach. 100% of the respondents

stated that learner-centeredness is about the

focus on learners and learner’s responsibility,

and 84.61% related this concept to interaction

between learners and cooperative learning. The

respondents believe that the teacher’s role is a

facilitator of learning and a guide rather than

an instructor. Besides, most teachers opted for

the ability to think critically, participation,

discussion, interaction, preparation and

collaborative work as characteristics of effective

learners.

2. Students Responsibility

While about half of the respondents agreed

to place responsibility in the hands of learners

to manage their own learning, the other half

disagreed to do so claiming that learners are

not well qualified and cannot handle such a

responsibility. However, teacher respondents

know how they can make learners more

responsible and suggested problem solving

activities, critical thinking, and collaborative

work as essential activities for developing

responsibility and creativity in learners.

3.Learners’ Individual Differences

Most respondents asserted that they do not

get to know learners’ individual differences

since there are large classes and few hours of

teaching. Nevertheless, about 92% of the

respondents admitted that learners’ life

experiences can bring something new to the

learning process.

4. Methods of Correction

69.23% of the respondents use peer-

correction and 53.84% use self-correction as

methods of correcting learners’ mistakes. They

generally use teacher-correction as a last resort.

By doing so, they give a chance to learners to

correct themselves and benefit from their

friends’ knowledge.

5. Materials

As to the materials, the respondents said that

they are not sufficient, most schools lack audio

and visual materials. The only available

material is the textbook which does not

provide enough opportunities for developing

learners’ skills. Therefore, the teacher

respondents admitted that they do their best to

provide other materials which can help in

diversifying the lessons and the activities used.

6. Appropriateness of the Learner-

Centered Approach in the Moroccan EFL

Classroom

Concerning the appropriateness of the

learner-centered approach in the Moroccan EFL

classroom, about 53.85% of the teacher-

respondents believe that it is appropriate for

the Moroccan context. It is difficult and

challenging but it would yield positive results if

implemented, especially for Moroccan

university students. Those who considered it as

inappropriate believe that large classes, lack of

materials, teachers and students’ unwillingness

along with the current infrastructure of schools

hinder its implementation.

B. Students’ Attitudes toward the

Learner-Centered Approach

1.Effective Learning

Generally, learners are aware of what

constitutes effective learning. Learners admit

that their teachers engage them in the learning

process through various methods of teaching.

Almost all students asserted that their teachers

give them the opportunity to participate, and

share their opinions. According to the

respondents, teachers correcting students’

mistakes


11

in a constructive way that causes no

embarrassment. Rather, they thought such a

novel way of correcting mistakes is likely to

make students want to learn more.

2. Students’ Preparation

Students are aware of the importance of

preparation for their courses; they know

what to do beforehand and how they can

enrich the discussion by reading materials and

searching for more information on the subject

matter. Most respondents stated that they

prepare lessons that they are most interested

in.

3.Assessment

As deduced from the collected data most

students are eager about taking part in

assessment. They want to do so in order to

know both their strengths and weaknesses

and on that basis improve their performance.

4. Becoming Autonomous Learners

Concerning learner-centeredness, data

gathered suggest that learners have the

potential of being autonomous but with the

aid of teachers. Despite not being taught in a

fully teacher-centered context, learners still

show some dependence on the teacher to

help them and guide them in the learning

process. This is especially common among

undergraduates who prefer teachers to be

facilitators of learning, yet expect them to

keep their traditional role as instructors. In

general, students, especially master students,

showed willingness to adopt learner-

centeredness and abide by its principle since

they are in a level that allows for

autonomous learning.

5.Students’ Desires

Most students-respondents consider a

facilitator of learning as the best role of the

teacher. They want their teachers to take

students’ different styles and needs into

consideration. They want to have a say in

decision making concerning their methods of

learning, and they want to be helped by their

teacher to develop more intrinsic and

extrinsic motivation.

It is worth mentioning that learner-

centeredness is already implemented in some

courses. Although not all teachers use it in the

undergraduate level, quite a few use it in

master’s programs. Master students represent

the category that knows the importance of

learner-centeredness and it is the one that

encourages and approves of the

implementation of such an approach.

V . Implications for Implementation

The results obtained from this study

suggest that many measures should be taken

in order to improve the quality of Moroccan

Education and establish learner-centeredness

in the educational system.

A. Decrease Reliance on the Teacher

Learners are aware of the importance of

being effectively engaged in the learning

process, yet they rely a lot on their teachers.

So, it is suggested that this reliance decreases

if learners want to achieve high quality

performance.

B. Assume Independent Roles

Learners may consider practicing what

they think are the roles of learners, and take

their studies seriously. It is true that teachers

have an essential role in the teaching-learning

process, but students need to assume their

role as independent learners capable of

meeting the demands of their educational

system.

C. Motivate Students

Learners are not helpless in the way they

study. Most of the student-respondents have

the potential to work effectively, assume

responsibility, take part in decision making

and contribute in the improvement of


12

education in Morocco. Therefore, it is

preferable that teachers motivate their

students and give them more opportunities

for being active contributors to the learning

process.

D. Consider Students’ Needs

Teachers need to figure out solutions to

overcome the obstacles that hinder the

implementation of learner-centeredness. They

can develop interesting methods of teaching

by considering students’ different styles and

needs. They can also give students a space

for fruitful discussion and feedback. Teachers

are equally encouraged to share the

outcomes of assessment with students and

enhance their critical thinking abilities.

E. Implementing Learner Centeredness

It is the role of both learners and teachers

to promote learner-centeredness in all courses

and especially in the EFL classrooms. This is

along with the aid of decision makers to

provide more effective materials, develop the

context of learning and improve the

infrastructure of schools, and more

importantly reduce the number of students in

each class. Besides, more teaching trainings

should be provided in order to help teachers

get used to the learner-centered approach.

Conclusion

The outcome of this study confirmed that

both Moroccan teachers and students have

generally positive attitudes toward the

implementation of the learner-centered

approach with the hope to improve the

context of learning and education in general.

It is worth mentioning that the findings of

this study are by no means generalizable since

the study has been limited only to two

universities and a limited number of teachers

and students. However, it is high time the

learner-centered approach started to be

implemented in the Moroccan EFL

classrooms. Regardless of the obstacles that

may inhibit the implementation of the

approach, it would prove to be effective if

teachers and students collaborate together to

meet the demands of learner-centeredness,

try to overcome difficulties and invest effort

and time to make it a reality in the Moroccan

EFL classrooms. This is not to say a farewell

to the teacher-centered approach, but to take

from both approaches, and combine their

advantages so that education in Morocco

could witness more promising results in the

future.

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no3/p28.htm

Chen, J. (2007). How to Adopt Learner-Centered

Approach in Chinese EFL Context. The International

Journal of Language Society and Culture. 22, 57-61.

Retreived April 17, 2011 from http://

www.educ.utas.edu.au/users/tle/JOURNAL/

issues/2007/22.7.pdf

Matsau, M. A. (2007). Investigating the Learner-

Centred Approach in Language Teaching in Lesotho.

(Master Thesis). Victoria University. 1-185. Retreived

April 17, 2011 from http://wallaby.vu.edu.au/adt-

VVUT/uploads/approved/adt-

VVUT20071030.140534/public/02whole.pdf

Nonkukhetkhong, K. Baldauf, R. B Jr & Moni, K.

(2006). Learner-Centeredness in Teaching English as a

Foreign Language. Teachers’ Voices, 19 (21), 1-9.

Retreived April 17, 2011 from http://

espace.library.uq.edu.au/

eserv.phppid=UQ:8562&dsID=K_B_MThaiTESOL06.

pdf


14

Lahcen Tighoula

ELT supervisor,

Essmara

Abstract

This article summarizes a part of my research paper on the role

of teacher learning communities in enhancing teachers’

continuing professional development, conducted to obtain my

ELT supervisor credential, 2012/2014. I begin the article with a

general background to TLCs, and then provide an overview of

the experience of establishing TLCs in Souss Massa Daraa

academy. I conclude with ways of improving TLCs and

recommendations for various parties.


15

Background for TLCs:

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those

who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

Alvin Toffler, author and futurist

Teacher learning:

Central to TLCs is the concept of teacher learning. Research shows that for teachers to be

effective and cater for the job, they should themselves believe in the process of change

(Greene.M.L, 1992). In other words, teacher effectiveness is dependent on teacher beliefs and

attitudes. We cannot possibly expect to change the beliefs and practices of teachers if they

haven’t taken the decision to learn (Ibid).Two important questions that follow are:

What is the nature of teacher learning?

How can teachers learn effectively?

Dana and Yendol-Hoppey (2008) identify three types of teacher learning:

The traditional conception of teacher training tends to content itself with the first level of

knowledge (knowledge for practice). Wald and Castleberry (2000: 7) call this the “training

food chain”: the institution decides on the content of the training and hires an expert, the

teacher implements it in class and then students are tested to see how much they absorb. Such a

model hasn’t proven to assist teachers in meeting the increasingly challenging nature of today’s

complex classes. (Wald and Castleberry, 2000: 8).

The current trend is that in order to achieve effective professional development, all the three

types of teacher knowledge need to be developed (Dana and Yendol-Hoppey, 2008). In other

words, teachers at times need to be updated with skills and knowledge (first level), but should

be allowed to test out what they learn and consider the reality of their classes (second level).

Most importantly, opportunities should be created for them to collaborate and engage in action

research (third level).

One framework that has recently been advocated for effective teacher learning is the

establishment of teacher learning communities:

knowledge for practice knowledge in practice knowledge of practice

In-service days, “sit-and-get

workshops: teachers learn a new

pedagogy by an outside expert

and are expected to implement it

in their classroom (which is not

always easy). The expertise of

the teachers is generally not rec-

ognized or shared.

Knowledge gained as a result of

testing out the knowledge for

practice. Teachers learn from

reflecting on their practices and

experiences, from collaboration

with colleagues, peer-coaching

and mentoring.

Gained by systematic inquiry into

one’s practices and knowledge, as

well as those of others. By collabora-

tively problematizing teaching and

learning, teachers broaden their

knowledge of their classes and ana-

lyze the wider context to identify fac-

tors that inhibit learning (eg. Socio-

cultural or political factors).


16

“Professional learning communities serve to connect and network groups of

professionals to do just what their name entails – learn from practice. They meet on

a regular basis and their time together is often structured by the use of protocols to

ensure focused, deliberate conversation and dialogue by teachers about student work

and student learning.”

Dana and Yendol-Hoppey (2008)

“Ongoing teams that meet on a regular basis, preferably several times a week, for the

purposes of learning, joint lesson planning, and problem solving”

NSDC, 2009b: 01, cited in Hunzicker, (2010: 07)

From the above quotes, we deduce three main roles of TLCs:

They facilitate structured professional networking;

They enable mutual learning among teachers;

They generate focused conversation about learning and instruction.

In the literature produced in North America and Canada, a TLC is also called a professional

learning community (PLC) (see Hargreaves et al, 2010; Hunzicker, 2010; Tarnoczi, 2006;

Wald and Castleberry, 2000). The only difference is that a professional learning community

is a general term meaning a community of professionals learning collaboratively. A TLC, as

the term suggests, is restricted to teachers. In this article, TLCs and PLCs will be used

interchangeably.

TLC-related concepts:

The available literature relates the origins of teacher learning communities to four main

concepts: enquiry, reflection, collaborative professional development, and the school as a

social system.

Inquiry: as early as 1929, John Dewy argued that “educational practices provide the data,

the subject matter, which form the problems of inquiry.” Dewy called for a

democratic approach towards educational research, by arguing that educational

practitioners and all the educational community have to address the common

challenges.

Reflection: We can say that a teacher is reflective when s/he analyses his/her own actions

and their effects on the others, and therefore move gradually from novice to expert

(Thomas and Montgomery, 1998).

Collaborative professional development: defined by Johnston as “any sustained and

systematic investigation into teaching and learning in which a teacher voluntarily

collaborates with others involved in the teaching process, and in which professional

development is a prime purpose”.

The school as a social learning system: learning comes out of an interaction between what

an individual knows and what the community has established as common knowledge

(Vickers, 1987; Wenger, 2000). For example, when a teacher joins a school, s/he

brings some experience, but also has to learn from the knowledge base of the school

community: how they deal with problems, approach students, or manage resources.

This way, the school becomes a social system where learning is an interactive

engagement that fosters belonging.


17

Therefore, any community of professionals which embraces and fosters the above

concepts can be called a learning community.

The diverse approaches to TLCs in three delegations of SMD academy:

To explore the experiences of establishing TLCs in Souss Massa Daraa region, I

interviewed three supervisors in Agadir, Taroudant, and Tiznit. They generally hold

common beliefs about TLCs and, at the same time, quite different views about their

implementation.

The supervisor in Agadir, Mr Abdellatif Zoubair, adopts TLCs as the main framework for

teacher professional development. All pedagogical meetings are organized in the form

of a TLC. All teachers of English are considered members of a TLC. In my interview

with the supervisor, he stated that, throughout his 25 years experience in educational

supervision, he has realized that the most effective tool to real professional

development is engagement in a reflective and collaborative practice. His evaluation

of supervision showed that the training sessions led by the supervisor are generally

ineffective. In his view, recommending a certain teaching strategy, demonstrating it

does not mean that teachers will automatically implement it. This means that

transforming teaching practices must necessarily go through changing attitudes and

convictions; and this cannot be done without an active engagement of teachers in

their own professional development.

The TLC meetings in this delegation are run in a democratic and participatory manner,

which is a positive aspect. Also, there is a good level of professionalism as far as

organization is concerned. The venue is appropriate and comfortable for holding TLC

meetings. Timing is handled very well, and attendance is normal. Also, teachers

exchange ideas, reflect on their practices and discuss practical teaching techniques.

The ELT supervisor in Tiznit, Mr Tayeb Idihya, opted for a different approach. He did not

adopt TLCs as the main framework for professional development. He considers that it

must be voluntary and completely autonomous. That’s why he didn’t use to attend

the TLC meetings regularly. He left it to the TLC members to decide on the venue and

time of holding the meetings. TLC leaders give brief accounts of their work to other

teachers during pedagogical meetings.

The ELT supervisor in Taroudant, Mr Mohammed Hassim, has recently adopted a

modified version of the TLC model in his supervisory area. Rather than turn all

pedagogical meetings into TLC meetings, he made membership in learning

communities optional, but strongly recommended it and provided all the support for

TLCs. For him, a TLC is a team that has a specific project and follows an action plan to

complete it. He set up the project teams on a voluntary basis and provided a set of

projects based on the needs of teachers. For example, one team has been working on

testing and assessment, which, for the supervisor, is a real problem in the area. Each

team is composed of less than ten teachers, and a coordinator manages

communication and makes sure the agenda is being followed and the end product is

presented on time. The product in the case of the testing and assessment team is a

booklet that contains tests, quizzes for all levels, and which respect the standards and


18

and criteria. The team coordinator presents an update report in each pedagogical

meeting. When all teams finish their work, usually at the end of the academic year,

the teams present the end products to the other colleagues.

What we have here are three approaches to the implementation of TLCs: 1- a systematic

adoption of the model as the main official professional development framework, in

the case of Agadir delegation; 2- limited experimentation of the model as a marginal

self-development framework for teachers in the case of Tiznit, and; 3- a pragmatic

adaptation of the model to serve the supervisor’s educational project in his area, the

case of Taroudant.

Agadir delegation is relatively easier to manage, in comparison with Taroudant and Tiznit

delegations, which are geographically scattered. The supervisor has managed to find a

very suitable venue for TLC meetings, which is a spacious training center in the city

centre. Also, the supervisor believes in the central role of reflective practice and thinks

the TLC members can help each other cope with the technical aspects of classroom

teaching. This encourages and motivates teachers to take the lead and assume

responsibility for their own CPD. These factors actually facilitate holding TLCs and

provide a favorable atmosphere for collegial work. Most importantly, the TLC

members have a shared vision about what constitutes effective teaching.

The supervisor in Tiznit delegation holds very positive attitude towards TLCs and their

importance in enhancing professional practice and nurturing educational leadership.

His style is based on providing moral support for TLCs but granting them autonomy

from the official work of the supervisor. This way, TLCs work outside the pedagogical

meetings and are not necessarily in line with the supervisor’s agenda and project.

The approach of the supervisor in Taroudant draws from an evaluation of his previous

experience of implementing TLCs in Zagora, which is relatively smaller and less vast

than Taroudant. The objective of the supervisor has been to keep the spirit of TLCs as

teams of teachers who work collaboratively to achieve common goals, and ensure

that they serve the supervisory project, which is based on evaluation of teachers’

needs. Thus, TLCs work in parallel with the supervisor within a non-directive

participatory leadership style. In this approach, although membership in a TLC is not

mandatory, the supervisor adopts a motivational approach by constantly giving the

floor to team leaders to update the other teachers during the pedagogical meetings

about the progress of the TLC. The sense of achievement which is reflected in the

project-based TLC work, the supervisor hopes, would encourage more and more

teachers to join the teams later. The approach here is relevant, motivational and

pragmatic.

Teachers’ perspectives explored:

To have an overall evaluation of the TLCs experience in SMD academy, a questionnaire

was sent to Agadir TLC members (81 teachers) and a sample of TLC participants was

interviewed. I held semi-structured conversations with the following teachers: Mr

Abeljalil Elhariri, Mr Hamid Elouardi, Mrs Widad Tazi Chibi, Mr Salaheddine Belaassal,

and Mrs Soumaya Amgoune. These teachers hold very positive attitudes about TLCs


19

and are aware of their role in enhancing teacher collaborative professional development

and promoting reflective practice. The interviews revealed a few elements that need

improvement, especially the need for more peer-observation, more analysis of

learning artifacts, and more care for the needs of middle school teachers.

How to Improve TLCs:

In their evaluation of building a learning community for pre-service and in-service

teachers, Watson and Steele (2006) concluded that while learning communities have

benefits, they face a major problem: rigid attitudes of some teachers who hold views

that are not consistent with the objectives of a community. They concluded that

building a successful learning community needs time.

Tarnoczi (2006) warns TLC leaders against a mechanical view of teacher education, by

embracing “unifying rituals” and standardizing the teaching practice in a way that

excludes individual differences. Wood and Whitford (2010) also contend that

professional learning communities should avoid turning teachers into technicians and,

on the contrary, should promote teachers as professionals who develop knowledge

and share it. In order to improve TLCs, they suggest some changes. Teachers’ work

should be more open to critique and easily monitored. Also, they have noticed that

TLCs need to train teachers to grasp the goals and priorities of the educational system,

so that they can respond to the changing student needs. Most importantly, learning

communities need to cultivate a culture of accountability for student results. In order

to do this, TLC members should collect student data and continuously scrutinize it so

that they can deal with learners’ difficulties and needs.

A more useful proposition for improving professional learning communities is Easton’s

(2009) recommendation to use protocols in a more systematic manner. These are

guidelines for professional conversation, based on norms that the PLC members agree

upon in order to make communication effective. Easton elaborated on four types of

protocols:

protocols for examining student work:

protocols for examining professional practice:

Protocols for addressing issues and problems:

Protocols for effective discussions:

Dana and Yendol-Hoppey (2008: 45-47) argue that it is essential for TLCs to study

student data, since the aim is to improve learning. They think that TLC leaders can do

this by “insisting that student data is a regular artifact of the regular group meetings.

Data includes, but is not limited to, standardized test data, formative assessment,

summative assessment, authentic assessment, performance-based assessment, student

work, and attitude/surveys.” They insist that teachers should be encouraged to bring

both good and bad data, and share it with colleagues for scrutiny. This, they suggest,


20

can be done in the work of a workshop.

From a leadership perspective, Fullan (2008) called for extending professional learning

communities to the whole school staff, by using the capacity of the members of these

communities to build others’ capacities. In other words, they should not contend

themselves only with what happens in meeting rooms, but involve the members of

the school community in embracing the shared vision and working together to

implement it. Such “collective leadership” (Fullan, 2003), has been confirmed by

research. For example, in a study of 90 schools in 45 districts, Leithwood and Mascall

(2008) found a significant proportion of variation between collective leadership and

student performance. A similar study done by Printy (2008) confirmed the same

results. This tells us that TLCs, as frameworks for collaboration, can be improved by

strengthening shared leadership and extending this mechanism to the whole school

community.

Practical Implications and recommendations:

Implications for Teachers

Joining a teacher learning community has many invaluable benefits. Teachers who are

members of TLCs build trust within the group and share their successful practices as

well as their problems and grievances with the current school system. Members also

develop a sense of camaraderie that leads to more socialization. TLC members also

develop effective leadership. By taking turns to lead TLC sessions and facilitate

dialogue, teachers gradually improve inter-personal communication skills and learn

how to solve problems in a collegial manner. This increases self-confidence and helps

teacher leaders to qualify for further leadership tasks beyond TLCs. Teachers should

seize the opportunity of being a TLC member to bring their teaching problems to the

table and get help from colleagues. They should open to criticism. An important

recommendation for teachers is to focus on student learning while planning for TLC

meetings. This can be done using multiple techniques. First, teachers working in the

same school should carry out peer-observation in order to identify, explore and

analyze their teaching practices and identify strengths and weaknesses. Peer-

observation should be done within an action research scheme, so that theory is

brought at the service of practice. Second, teachers should keep a teaching journal or a

professional portfolio to document and reflect on their action research projects and

peer-observation activities. Setting up a resource centre is also important as a platform

to provide learning opportunities for students and also for teachers in the same school

to build a learning community. The resource centre can have the double function of

supporting learning and holding meetings of the school-based TLC.

Implications for supervisors:

Supervisors can benefit from establishing TLCs by having their teachers develop levels of

trust in sharing their practice and enhancing their teaching practice to improve the

students' learning. Supervisors may not be ideal facilitators or TLC leaders themselves,

as their presence may limit open discussions. By sharing the leadership in TLCs,

supervisors can delegate more work to senior teachers who may coach other teachers


21

in TLCs and in the schools. Eventually, teachers may become more self-directed in their

professional learning. For novice supervisors or those who are new to their

supervisory areas, it is not advisable to start TLCs right away. They should take some

time to know the teachers very well and evaluate the context to determine whether

or not a TLC has the necessary conditions to succeed. As for the supervisors who

know teachers well and have a positive evaluation of the context, setting up a TLC is

highly recommended for the benefits already stated. Starting with a pilot group is

helpful to ensure the first experience is successful and motivating for other teachers.

The pilot group should be made of volunteers who are highly motivated.

In parallel with teacher learning communities, it is recommended that supervisors help

teachers and schools set up resource centers, as they focus mainly on student learning

and help incorporate formative assessment and learner-centered activities as tools for

improving instruction. When resource centers are well-established, they can become

the backbone of TLCs, as spaces for teacher collaboration that focuses on improving

learning.

Another recommendation for supervisors is providing incentives for TLC members in the

form of end-of-year certificates of participation, mentioning TLC members and

leadres’ contribution in their official appraisal reports.

Implications for Schools:

Schools may be positively influenced by the improvement in both teaching and learning.

Students may benefit from the various teaching techniques learned by the teachers and

from the fact that teachers work together for their benefit. Especially when TLCs

adopt a project-based approach which focuses directly on learning and produces

concrete outcomes, students could benefit from improved teaching materials, and

innovative learning contexts, such as English clubs, resource centers and ICT platforms.

Schools, therefore, should support TLCs when they are established, by providing

logistical and administrative help. They should also facilitate setting up school-based

TLCs when teachers decide to create them.

Implications for ministry training program unit:

A 21st century motto for education is that the quality of an educational system depends

on the quality of its teachers. Up to now, unlike in other countries such as the UK, we

do not have an official program for continuing professional development in Morocco.

The ministry relies on providing in-service training which usually has a top-down

nature. The content of the ministry’s in-service training programs is always pre-set, and

the teachers’ needs are not carefully considered. The supervisors are supposed to help

teachers develop professionally, but there aren’t clear mechanisms to do so, and the

resources are not provided for teachers to pursue lifelong learning under an

accountability system. It is high time we started empowering teachers and supervisors

by working on a national framework for continuing professional development.

Teacher learning communities might be adopted in this regard.


22

REFERENCES:

Dana, N.F. and Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2008).The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Professional Development,

Corwin Press, California.

Dewy, J. (1929).The Sources of a Science of Education. New York: Horace Liveright.

Darling-Hammond, L., & Richardson, N. (2009). Teacher learning: What matters? Educational Leadership.

Dufour, R. and Eaker, R. (1998) Professional Learning Communities at Work: Best Practices for Enhancing

Student Achievement, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Alexandria, VA.

Fullan, M. (2008), What’s Worth Fighting for in the Principalship, Second edition, Teacher’s College Press,

New York and London

Greene.M.L, (1992) Teacher supervision as professional development: Does it work? Journal of curriculum

and supervision, Winter 1992, Vol 7, No 2, 131-148

Hargreaves, A.Lieberman, A. Fullan, M. and Hopkins, D (2010).Second International Handbook of

Educational Change, part 1, Springer, London and New York.

Hawley, W. and Valli, L. (1999).The Essentials of Effective Professional Development: a New Consensue, In

Darling-Hammond, L. and Sykes, G. Teaching as the Learning Profession. Handbook of Policy and

Practice.In Fleming, J. and Kleinhenz, E (2007).Towards a Moving School, Australian Council for

Educational Research, Victoria.

Hunzicker, J. (2010). Characteristics of effective professional development: A checklist. Online

Submission.Retrieved from ERIC database.

Johnson, E.K (2006). The Sociocultural Turn and its Challenges for Second Language Teacher Education,

TESOL Quarterly, 40(1), 235-257.

Johnston, B. (2009). Collaborative Teacher Development, in Burns, A. and Richards, J. (2009). The

Cambridge Guide to Second Language Teacher Education, Cambridge Uiversity Press, New York

Johnson, E.K (2009). Trends in Second Language Teacher Education. In Burns, A. and Richards, J. (2009).

The Cambridge Guide to Second Language Teacher Education, Cambridge Uiversity Press, New York

Leithwood, K. and Mascall, B. Collective leadership effects on Student Achievement. Educational

Administration Quarterly, 44 (4), 529 – 561.

McLaughlin, L.W. and Talbert, J.E (2006). Building School-based Teacher Learning Communities, Teachers’

college press, Columbia University, New York and London

National Staff Development Council (2009) NSDC Standards: Learning.

Printy, S.M. (2008).Leadership for Teacher Learning: a community of Practice Perspective. Educational

Administration Quarterly, 44 (2), 187 – 226.

Skerrett, A. (2010). “There’s going to be community. There’s going to be knowledge”: Designs for learning

in a standardized age. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26.

Tarnoczi, J. (2006). Critical Reflections on Professional Learning Communities in Alberta, ElectronicJournal

of Sociology (2006), http://www.sociology.org/content/2006/tier2/tarnoczi.html

Vickers, G. (2010). Insights into appreciation and learning systems.Chapter 2 in Blackmore, C.

(2010).Social learning systems and communities of practice.Springer.The Open University. UK


23

Mohamed Elmaanaoui

ELT supervisor trainee

0. Introduction

In recent years, like other Moroccan high schools, students at Sidi

Ahmed Bennacer High School in Zagora have benefited from

effective projects and programs. These include YES program,

Techgirls program, Access and Connecting Classroom Project

(CCP).

This article provides an overview of the CCP work carried out

over the period of one year with groups of students in Sidi

Ahmed Bennacer High School ( SABHS).It first introduces the

rationale of CCP.Then it reports on some of the International

School Award (ISA) activities conducted in SABHS. Finally, it

shows the impact of ISA activities on teachers, students, and the

local community.


24

1. Rationale

CCP is a British Council global programme in so many countries. In Morocco,

the first initiave was carried out during the school years 2009-2012. Jointly

with the Moroccan Ministry for Education and the British Council, North

Yorkshire Local Authority launched this programme to match the needs of

Moroccan primary and high schools.This project started in two Regional

Academies for Education and Training: Gharb Chrarda Beni Hssen and Souss

Massa Draa (SMD). There were twelve clusters of schools in SMD Regional

Academy which created partnerships with clusters of schools in the UK.CCP in

SMD was effectively supervised by two main cluster coordinators :

Mr.Mohammed Hassim and Mr. Abdellatif Zoubair.

The programme has three major components. These embrace professional

development for internationalising education, collaborative curriculum

projects and International School Award (ISA).

At the end of the programme, CCP clusters in SMD managed to submit their

portfolios of evidence to the British Council in Rabat. Portfolios encompassed

at least seven main activities and two or three supplementary activities; all of

them had an international dimension. As a result of their systematic and

regular work, eight CCP clusters in SMD won ISA. Among these clusters of

schools is Sidi Ahmed Bennacer High School in Zagora.

2. ISA main activities

2 .1. Career Fair Event

The students are constantly working toward their Baccalaureate exams in

order to pursue a higher education, but rarely have any of them visited a

university campus or interviewed someone who works in the field they

eventually wish to enter. The Career Fair provided them with the opportunity

to interact with successful professionals and current university students, most

of whom had already attended a similar event at Sidi Ahmed Bennacer High

School. Along with United States Peace Corps Volunteers, these alumni

conducted presentations and workshops over the course of two days, sharing

their expertise, personal and educational experiences, tips for success, and

recommendations for the future generation. The four hundred students in

attendance built resumé-writing skills, practiced interviewing, and learned


25

professional etiquette for the workplace. These practical skills will be of vital

importance to the students as they pursue further education and careers after

graduating from high school

2.2. American Football

The purpose of this activity was for the pupils to become exposed to a sport

from another country. This activity provided pupils with the opportunity to

learn an American sport and interact with a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer who

facilitated the 3 -day training sessions. Additionally, physical health and exercise

were promoted to both genders of pupils as they played the sport together. At

the end of the activity, there was a high interest level of 10 pupils, which

resulted in continual practices after school. Also, in partnership with the U.S.

Embassy and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, 7 pupils (4 females and 3

males) participated in a 10-day American Flag-Football Camp that took place

in Tigrigra, Morocco. Youth from Bouarfa, Goul-mima, Errachidia, Tinjdad,

Erfoud, Azrou, and Tigrigra participated in the camp. Participants had the

privilege of learning from 10 U.S. Peace Corps volunteers. The focus of the

camp was to increase the knowledge and technical skills required of the sport

as well as promote the game with the hope that youth would be inspired to

form their own American Flag- Football teams in their hometowns. At the end

of the camp, the pupils expressed the desire to start their own Flag-Football.

2.3. Together for Humanity

Part of being a global citizen means having the skills and training necessary to

help others. In this activity, students learned how to act knowledgeably in

emergency situations in order to potentially save themselves and others. After

an initial safety lesson, pupils researched how to behave in life-threatening

situations on their own and then put their knowledge to the test. In a practical

demonstration, students replicated real-life emergencies, such as finding

someone unconscious, injured, drowning, or electrocuted, and showed their

peers the techniques necessary to save the victim's life. Under the supervision

of staff members, students broke into pairs to practice what they had learned.

The two hundred students who participated in this event gained the practical

knowledge and confidence to act capably in an emergency and potentially

save someone's life.


26

2.4. International Sun Day

The sun plays an important part in the lives of Zagora's citizens. Located in the

Sahara Desert, Zagora experiences the brutality of the sun's heat, particularly

during the summer, but can also benefit from scientific research focused on

harnessing the sun's power for positive application. Students learned about the

solar system, and then small groups researched and presented on a particular

aspect of solar energy.

Students had the opportunity to visit the Electricity Plant for the Zagora

Province. After the pupils’ presentations with the staff, the plant's director

taught them about electricity and solar energy, stressing the importance of

renewable and alternative energy. He treated the students to a practical

demonstration of solar energy, showing them a solar panel that caused an

attached bulb to light and mobile phone to recharge. In this manner, students

were able to experience the effectiveness of solar power firsthand in their own

community.

2.5. Earth Day

Earth Day is an international day of environmental awareness. Most

importantly, participating students were taught about environmental issues that

directly impact them locally and how they can make a difference. They learned

the "3 Rs" - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle- and how to imple-ment these

techniques in their everyday lives.

Members of the United States Peace Corps and the local society Association des

Arts Plastiques Zagora taught the youth how to recycle rubbish into art,

painted murals at the Women's Center, and facilitated skits that emphasized the

importance of environmental conservation.

In addition, a group of students from Bedale High School working in

conjunction with Sidi Ahmed Bennacer High School investigated the use and

storage of water in the United Kingdom and compared it to how water is

stored in Morocco. Students documented how much water they use and how

to reduce waste. This type of awareness is vital, as it can be implemented on a

personal level with potential for a large impact.


27

3. Impact of ISA activities

ISA activities have certainly had a long- lasting, deepened and broadened

impact on countless promising students in Zagora, particularly at Sidi Ahmed

Bennacer High school.Also, teachers involved in these activities have learned a

lot from the project. The administrators and the community have positively

been affected by the outstanding outcomes of the project.

3.1 Teachers

ISA award is valid for three years (2012-2015). Thus, teachers involved in ISA

activities have become highly motivated to work with international partners

on various projects. To illustrate, teachers of science won an international

award thanks to an effective tree planting day. Teachers of physics continue to

carry out activities with partner schools internationally. To put it simply, as a

result of this project, teachers are :

identitying areas for professional development

benchmarking their teaching practices with partner school, Bedale High School

in the UK

demonstrating their dedication and commitment to make projects successful.

thinking of the sustainability of CCP

3.2 Students

CCP students in Zagora have really benefited from this outstanding project.

There were 14 ISA activities which were done during the school year 2011-

2012. These provided learners with adequate life and knowledge skills.They

lived out their dreams and explored their potential. Zagora Festival of

Students’Talents organised on June 2nd , 2011, was an enjoyable experience for

CCP students in that the event gave them a sense of achievement and sustained

their motivation. Local CCP show and Regional show, organised in Zagora and

Agadir in April, 2012, were also great opportunities for CCP students to

develop their linguistic skills and display their talents. Academically, students

passed natinoal exams successfully and their English marks were really high.


28

3.3 The community

CCP activities were not confined to the walls of the school. So many activities

were organised at Dar attaqafa ( the house of culture).Over 400 people

attended events such as Zagora Festival of Students’Talents and Career Fair

Event. The outcome of success of these events was phenomenal. Days after the

events, when we encountered local people, they were excited and expressed

their desire to send their kids to take part in such activities.

Conclusion

In this paper, I have given an overview of the work done within Connecting

Classrooms Project in a remote area called Zagora. I have also shown its impact

on teachers, students and the whole community.

It will be interesting to conduct research on how extraordinary programmes

such as CCP have a deep impact on learners from underprivileged background

and impoverished areas.


29

Younes Tai

Ph.D student

Since the 1960s, electronic corpora have come to prominence as

a resource used by linguists. While their use remains a source of

debate and controversy to this day, their contribution to

linguistics in general, and English linguistics in particular, as well as

to language teaching, is now widely acknowledged. Corpus tools

have not only strengthened the position of descriptive linguistics,

but have also enhanced theoretically oriented linguistic research.

This contribution has been felt most strongly in English linguistics,

as it was pioneering work undertaken on English language

corpora, such as the Brown corpus (Francis and Kuãera 1964),

which set the agenda for much of the work that has been

undertaken using corpora since then. In this article I will examine

the nature of corpus linguistics, review the general contribution

of corpora to linguistic theory and then explore in more depth

the contribution of corpora in the study of language change and

the teaching of English as a foreign language.


30

Before the existence of corpora, linguistic description relied very much on

native-speaker intuition and introspection. Native-speakers normally describe

what they know about language, or what they perceive language to be, rather

than how language is used. Examining specific instances of language use gives

insights into how language works which would never have been obtained by

simply introspecting about the language system. Such insights result in our

construing the linguistic system in a different way. So far, corpus-based studies

have focused on four main types of description and analysis: lexical

collocation by examining the frequency and context of occurrence of linguistic

items, syntactic patterning based on co-occurrence of grammatical word-class

tags, genre analysis based on the co-occurrence of groups of linguistic items and

processes and discourse structure and cohesion in spoken and written English.

The findings of the studies, particularly word-based studies, have important

implications for second or foreign language teaching.

In EFL and ESL situations, learners do not have the same amount of exposure

to the target language as they do in L1 situations. Therefore, it is safe to

presume that in most cases they are unlikely to acquire the language efficiently

without systematic guidance on linguistic forms. By focusing on words which

have a high frequency of occurrence and by concentrating on the usual rather

than the exceptional, teachers can help learners acquire the language more

efficiently, especially at elementary and intermediate levels. The findings of

corpus analysis can be used as a basis for selecting and sequencing linguistic

content, as well as for determining relative emphases. A number of studies

have observed discrepancies between corpus findings and the selection of and

emphasis given to linguistic content in ESL and EFL textbooks and curriculum.

As early as the sixties, George (1963, cited in Kennedy 1998: 283) studied a

corpus of English that was based on written texts and found that the highest

frequency of occurrence of the simple present is not to indicate habitual

actions, such as "I go to school by bus every day" (5.5%), but rather the actual

present, such as "I agree with you" (57.7%) or neutral time, such as "My name

is Mary" (33.5%). His findings converge with a more recent grammar of

English compiled by Mindt (2000) based on corpora totaling 240 million

words of spoken and written English. Mindt found that the three prototypes

which make up the majority of all cases of the present forms of verbs are the


31

extended present, the actual present and the timeless present. This is contrary

to the emphasis given to the habitual present in most ESL and EFL textbooks as

the major function of the simple present.

Holmes (1988) compared a corpus analysis and a textbook analysis of epistemic

modality and found that, like most textbooks, important epistemic uses of

modal verbs are under-taught and that lexical verbs expressing modality, such

as appear, believe, doubt, and suppose, nouns such as possibility, tendency, and

likelihood, and adverbials, such as perhaps, of course, and probably, tend to be

given little pedagogical attention. Ljung (1991) compared the EFL textbooks at

upper secondary level in Sweden with the Cobuild corpus and found that 20%

of the most frequent one thousand words in the learners' texts did not occur in

the most frequent one thousand words in Cobuild. Biber, Conrad and Reppen

(1994) examined the structural options for postnominal modification and the

attention given to these options in popular ESL and EFL textbooks. They found

that typically more pedagogical attention was paid to finite and non-finite

relative clauses than prepositional phrases as noun modifiers, in contrast with

their analysis of the Lancaster Oslo/Bergen (LOB) corpus, which shows

prepositional phrases as noun modifiers occurring far more frequently than

relative clauses. Kennedy (1998) observes that similar incompatibility can be

found in the pedagogical focus on grammatical quantifiers such

as all and every in many textbooks to indicate the concept of totality when in

both written and spoken corpora totality is much more commonly lexically

marked, such as entirely, completely, whole, throughout.

Globally, the contributions that corpus linguistics is making to the teaching of

languages include the following:

New reference materials that give information about patterns in language use

and describe how native speakers make choices between seemingly

synonymous words and structures.

Classroom materials that reflect how people actually use the language and give

students practice with features rarely covered in textbooks.


32

Computer-based analysis activities for ESL classes that have students act as

language researchers.

investigations of varieties of English as a Lingua Franca, discovering what

language features are consistent and which vary among speakers;

Testing applications, making sure that language used in tests reflects the

situation that it is testing (for example, does the TOEFL test cover language that

is used at universities in the US?)

In brief, studies of applications of corpus linguistics to second/foreign language

teaching and learning have emphasized the importance of adopting a data-

driven approach to language learning so that learners go through a process of

self-discovery. The discussion in this article attempts to show that it might be

equally important for teachers to go through this process of self-discovery and

to experience formulating generalizations about linguistic patterns that they

have observed so that they try to grasp the grammar as much as linguistic

researchers do.

References:

Conrad, S. (2005). Corpus linguistics and L2 teaching. In E, Hinkel (Ed.),

Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (pp. 393-409).

Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Eribaum Associates.

H. Douglas Brown (2007) Principles of language learning and Teaching, Fifth

Edition. San Francisco State University .


33

Mohamed Bakkas

EFL supervisor trainee

Teaching is known to be a complex and tiring activity. The more

one teaches, the more experienced one becomes. Yet, the needier

one is likely to feel towards professional development, as well.

Thus, in-service training is of crucial importance. Attending

different meetings and workshops is necessary for one’s progress.

MATE has been a leader in providing its members with rich

opportunities for improving their teaching practices. This is best

summarized in a saying that has it: “The most important thing

about teaching is that you never stop learning.” Within the

umbrella of the new educational reform especially the crucial

role of projects in the success of the teaching process, CCP has

offered me the support to go on learning and learning.


34

Connecting classroom project has offered me so many chances of training,

exchange and sharing experiences with colleagues from different corners of our

region. This report is organized in such a way as to include three main parts.

The first one deals with the effect of the workshops I attended. The second is

concerned with the influence of CCP on my school and teaching. The last one

focuses on the impact of my visit to Rosset school on my teaching, students

and school.

To start with, the workshops I was present at in Agadir were of paramount

importance. Firstly, they allowed me to be in touch and learn from different

leaders in the field of teaching /learning. Secondly, they were a chance to meet

colleagues from various delegations of the region.Thus, a crucial opportunity to

share and exchange experiences. Third, the topics chosen during the trainings

were also significant. Assessment for learning was one of the most important

ones. Fourth, project work has helped us collaborate to achieve the same ends.

I do admit that at the beginning, the CCP was ambiguous as the picture was

unclear. Yet, after the continuous meetings the picture became brighter and

brighter. It has to be admitted that we have learnt a lot from S. Cowton.

However, I must admit that the extra time we, CCP trainees, spent together as

teachers after the workshops and sometimes till after midnight did help us a lot

decipher, demystify and master the requirements of the project. We used to

teach each other techniques and ways to do the same thing in faster and more

productive ways. One day, I still remember, we asked our colleague Mr.

Asabban to spend some time with us after the workshop in order to tutor us in

some ICT skills that we needed badly for our projects. He taught us how to

upload, download or change the size of a picture. His work was very fruitful.

Furthermore, I would like to stress that our cooperation tremendously helped

us overcome the hard problem we faced when dealing with FRONTER, the

platform we used for sharing projects among the schools. Besides, CCP

introduced me to project based learning methodology and its various benefits ;

and of course, project work has become an integral part of my teaching

practices ever since. We have also learned new techniques in assessing our

teaching and learning to cater for different learners in our classrooms. In a

nutshell, the workshops and training sessions have helped me both personally

and professionally.


35

Second, CCP has definitely affected my teaching positively. It has allowed

me to implement assessment for learning (AFL) in my classroom. It has made

me responsible for working with my students in projects that are carried out,

negotiated, finalized and ultimately shared among the students. It has

permitted me to develop my teaching techniques and vary testing means. My

students were given a chance to engage in authentic and meaningful

communication with native speakers via emails or postcards. And that is an

example of a realistic and meaningful learning experience that is highly sought

after in a foreign language classroom. This project has made my school learn

from the experience and success of other schools. It has also made me work

with other active clubs at our school. The coordinators were so kind to help us

with some statistics and their work to be shared with the English partners. The

purpose, of course, is to develop learning and enhance its quality.

Finally, and most importantly, the Rosset visit had been a dream which

came true. I was so surprised to see how simple the English system was. The

school was clean, neat and well-organized. The staff was very friendly and

helpful. The number of students, the equipments and displays on walls were

very great and amazing. They were educational and informative as well. Of

course, the continuous teaching system was so tiring and hard to me. To leave

home at 7:00 and come back at 18:00 was exhausting but rewarding. I had the

opportunity to meet different gifted teachers teaching different subjects and

learning from each one of them. Of course, I will never forget the experience

of teaching various subjects for the first time in my life. Cases in point are:

Moroccan geography, music, couscous and drugs. My contact with my partner

started with postcard exchange and agreed to focus on new ideas. Moreover, I

have learnt that our country is very rich in terms of human capital. It only

needs some brush up to grow up. The light timetables and well-designed

programmes, dedication, availability of equipments as well as teacher assistants

make their jobs light and easy. The following points summarize what I have

learnt from the Rosset trip:

It is needless to say that any partnership has its main impact on both the

partners. As a Moroccan participant, my students and I have learned the

following:


36

*Learning more ICT skills,

*Communicative writing,

*More cultural understanding,

*Autonomous learning,

*Study skills,

*Developing critical thinking,

*Catering for multiple intelligence needs,

*Offering a global dimension to education,

*Knowing oneself better,

*Comparing and contrasting different values and views,

*Striking a balance between learning and teaching,

*Professional development: benefiting from various interesting workshops, …

In sum, the CCP experience has been enriching, successful, amazing and

fruitful. I would like to thank the project coordinators in our region the deeply

respected supervisors Mr. Zoubair and Mr. Hassim. My gratefulness should go

to my colleagues at Souss Mass Draa clusters as well.


37

Ait Taleb, Abdelaziz. EFL teacher

Jamaati, Zakaria. EFL teacher

Driouch, Aziz. EFL teacher

1. Introduction:

Last year, shortly before students started their preparation for the

National Baccalaureate Exam (Grade 12), one of the students

approached one of us asking him a question that puzzled us

deeply. The student bursting with frustration and confusion,

asked: “Teacher! How am I going to study collocations for my

exam? Are they vocabulary or grammar and do they have any

rules?” This student’s question has been the starting point of a

deep reflection regarding the way we .teach collocations.

Actually, throughout our teaching experience, we have noticed

the extent to which collocations are challenging both to teach

and learn in an EFL context. This paper is the product of our

deep reflections and ongoing conversations as we sought

practical solutions for that provocative question.


38

The importance of teaching lexical chunks in general and collocation in

particular, has been highlighted by Lewis (1998). In his Lexical

Approach, he places more focus on teaching vocabulary chunks rather

than individual words. Lewis states that one major principle of the

lexical approach is that “language consists of grammaticalized lexis, not

lexicalized grammar” (Lewis, 1998, cited in Farokh, 2012, p.69). He

argues that the more exposure students have to vocabulary chunks

(collocations, fixed and semi-fixed expressions and idioms), the easier

they retain and retrieve these chunks. This, therefore, improves

students’ fluency in both speaking and writing.

As has been implied before, the focus of this article will be mainly on

teaching collocations. For this purpose, we would limit our definition of

collocations to Thornbury’s (2007). According to him, two words are

considered collocates when they often occur together, so that the

occurrence of one of them triggers a strong prediction of the existence

of the other. The association between the two words is not fixed as that

of compounds or multi-word units. That is, collocations can be

described as phrases, which are more restricted than free combinations

(e.g.: very cold) and less restricted than idioms (e.g.: get the cold

shoulder).

However, as our student’s question brought out, vocabulary chunks are

considered a problem area in the teaching and learning of foreign

languages. This article sets out to highlight these four points: First, the

importance of learning collocations by EFL learners. Second, the main

types of collocations. Third, the challenges EFL learners face in learning

collocations; and finally some practical solutions will be suggested to

improve students’ collocational competence.

2. The importance of learning collocations

Although some researchers believe that the arbitrary and

unpredictability nature of collocations make it difficult for non-native

speakers to cope with them, there is strong evidence that collocation

knowledge has a crucial role in developing EFL learners’ proficiency.

First, vocabulary items usually occur in relation with other words in the


39

text. As a result, it is difficult and even impossible to teach the possible

partners that each individual word may take.

Second, students may find it challenging to form individual words into

phrases instead of breaking down whole chunks into their basic

components. Third; it is argued that developing students’ collocational

competence will enhance both their receptive and productive skills. In

this regard, Carter & McCarthy (1988, p. 75) state that “collocations

teach students expectations about which sorts of language can follow

from what has preceded. Students will not have to go about

reconstructing the language each time they want to say something but

instead can use these collocations as pre-packaged building blocks

In brief, there are three most common arguments for the usefulness of

teaching collocations to EFL learners (Farrokh, 2012, p. 65):

a- Language Knowledge Requires Collocational Knowledge: Students

need to develop their collocational knowledge because it is the basis of

learning, knowledge and use.

b- Efficient Language Acquisition Requires Collocational Knowledge:

Learners tend to acquire the language more effectively if it is learned in

‘chunks’ instead of discrete items.

c- Fluent Language Use Requires Collocational Knowledge: It is proved

that speakers show a high degree of fluency when they are involved in

describing familiar experiences or activities using familiar phrases.

3. Types of Collocations:

Referring to the student’s question of whether collocations are classified

as grammar or lexis, it has been argued that they occur into both

categories. Benson et al. (1986a) have determined collocations based

on their functional domain: They are lexical collocations and

grammatical collocations. Based on this we advance that teaching

collocations to EFL learners is much more effective when they are

taught at an initial stage as lexical chunks, in a way that develops

students’ communicative competence. At a later stage, the teacher can


40

then teach the learners the grammatical combinations that are used in

order to form collocations. However, it may be very difficult to teach

collocations if the teacher does not have a solid knowledge of their

different grammatical classifications. In this regard, Hausmann, (1985

Cited in Orenha-Ottaiano 2012, pp. 241-251) suggested a taxonomy that

categorizes collocations. They categorize collocations into four

classifications:

A. Verb-like – with five basic forms:

A.1. Verb (collocate) + Noun (basis): make a mistake / have fun, pay

attention.

A.2. Noun (basis) + Verb (collocate): note taking / problem solving,

etc.

A.3. Verb (collocate) + Preposition + Noun (basis): dispose of shares

A.4. Verb (collocate) + Adverbial Particle + Noun (basis): set up a

business

A.5. Verb (collocate) + Adjective (basis): grow strong

B. Name-like – with two basic forms:

B.1. Noun (basis) + Noun collocate: communication technology /

Generation gap / international organizations.

C.1. Adjective (collocate) + Noun (basis): sustainable development, civic

education, etc.

B.2. Noun (collocate) + Preposition + Noun (basis): Sense of humor

C. Adjective-like – with one form:

D. Adverb-like – with three basic forms:

D.1. Adverb (collocate) + Adjective (basis): fully eligible

D.2. Verb basis + Adverb collocate: drop dramatically.

D.3. Adverb collocates + Verb basis: fully paid; duly appointed


41

4. Some challenges EFL students face in learning collocations:

4.1 Interference of L1:

Generally, the idea of collocations may not be new to EFL learners as

they might exist in their L1. As an example, for Moroccan students, they

learn collocations since an early stage of the primary school in Arabic

classes as part of the grammar lessons. In Arabic grammar, a collocation

maybe a noun phrase, which consists of the collocate (al-khabar) and the

basis (mobtda). In many cases, having learned collocations in L1 may

facilitate the learning of similar L2 collocations. However, this might also

lead to an interference, which makes collocations very difficult to

assimilate.

It is believed that students learning EFL tend to make mistakes in

collocations because of the differences between English and their mother

tongue (Fatos, 2011). Likewise, we notice that our students do sometimes

commit such mistakes as:

“fulfil homework” rather than “do homework”

“take a decision” rather than “make a decision”

“revise for the test” rather than “study / review for the test’

4.2. Overgeneralization:

We have noticed that collocational patterns can occur as a result of

overgeneralizations. For instance, many learners collocate certain

adjectives that are exclusively used to describe one gender. A striking

example is the use of the adjective “beautiful” to describe both men and

women; whereas its conventional use is restricted only to women.

Hence, some learners produce sentences like: “a beautiful man” rather

than “a handsome man”.

The challenges discussed above raise the question about the ways

through which collocations are presented in an EFL classroom. In

teaching collocations, learners need to be given contexts in which they

notice the various word combinations. This would allow students to

appreciate their learning of collocations and help them retain them more


42

easily when necessary. In addition, teachers are advised to raise

students’ awareness and clarify the arbitrary nature of collocations, i.e.

there is no rule that explains why the “make a decision” collocation

sounds right, whereas the “do a decision” combination is weird.

The following are some practical examples that can be used to raise

students’ awareness to collocations and practice them in meaningful

contexts:

5.1. Teaching collocations through songs:

Because songs reflect language at its best authentic use, they provide a

rich source of collocations. In this regard, students can listen to the songs

and underline a certain type of collocations used in the lyrics.

5.2. Text-based collocations:

To balance the spoken language of songs, we view authentic texts as an

endless source of collocations. Students can elicit from the text words

that collocate with each other. Alternatively, the teacher can assign them

a matching exercise based on collocations used in the text.

5.3 Teaching collocations through games:

No one denies the positive effects of learning through games. Therefore,

collocations can be easily understood, internalized and practiced through

different games such as the Bingo game, matching games and guessing or

miming games.

5.4. Creating personal collocation dictionaries

We can ask students to make personal dictionaries of collocations, where

they write down the collocations they have covered with contextualized

examples and share as the classroom collocation wall. This would help

them have a cognitive depth of learned collocations, enrich their

vocabulary repertoire and foster their autonomous learning.

5.5. Integrating collocations with other skills:

As a follow up activity of a vocabulary class, the teacher asks his / her

students to write an imaginative story in which they incorporate


43

meaningfully the maximum of collocations they have learned in class.

5.6. Inter-lingual awareness activity:

The teacher provides students with different collocations in context and

asks them to come up with their corresponding ones in their L1. Later,

the teacher provides the accurate translation in order for them to be

aware that translating from L1 to L2 may lead to negative transfer. This

will help learners develop their noticing skill towards inter-lingual

differences.

5.7. Collocational grid: Channell (1981 Cited in Faroukh, 2012, p. 120)

As an effective practice activity of collocations, the teacher may provide

students with different collocates in a grid. Student need to combine the

appropriate collocates by ticking the right square of the grid. This

reinforces students’ collocational competence. Using visual grids are

more welcoming in responding to various students’ learning preferences

and styles.

6. Conclusion

The ideas discussed and developed throughout this article have been

the fruit of three different teaching and learning experiences of the

authors. We have noticed that our learners appreciate learning

collocations. However, they find it very challenging to assimilate and

incorporate them in their actual communication. Similarly, even EFL

teachers (e.g. Moroccan teachers) may face difficulties with collocations

and fail to use the proper and correct ones that are related to what

they need to teach. At this point, we believe that research may fruitfully

investigate special ways to teach collocations for EFL learners as distinct

from ESL and L1 learners. This is actually a suggested question for

further research.


44

References

Bahns, J. (1993). Lexical Collocations: A Contrastive View. ELT Journal, 56-63.

Benson, M., & Benson, E. (1986).Lexicographic description of English. Philadelphia: J.

Benjamins Pub.

Carter, R., & McCarthy, M. (1988).Vocabulary and language teaching. London: Longman.

Farrokh, P. (2012). Raising Awareness of Collocation in ESL/EFL Classrooms.Journal of Studies in

Education, 55-74

Fatos, UgurE. (2011). Why and How to Teach Collocations?.Humanising Language Teaching

13 (6).Accessed January 25, 2014.http://www.hltmag.co.uk/dec11/idea.htm#C3

Orenha-Ottaiano, A. (2012). English collocations extracted from a corpus of university learners

and its contribution to a language teaching pedagogy. ActaScientiarum.Language and Culture. 34

(2): 241-251. Accessed January 26, 2014.Doi: 10.4025/actascilangcult.v34i2.17130.

Sinclair, J. (1991). Corpus, concordance and collocation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Thornbury, S.(2007). How to teach vocabulary. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.


45

MOHAMED MANSOURI

EFL supervisor trainee

Every human being has his own conception of education

depending on the one he or she received, and depending also on

his or her own qualities and aspirations. Yet, when young people

fail to display ethical or moral conduct, schools are certainly

blamed. Many people, nonetheless, tend to dismiss that

education is a by-product of the school on the one hand, and

society and culture on the other.

Morocco is no exception. The Moroccan educational system is

one which is much debated upon. Some criticize the curriculum,

others blame the methods used. Parents advocate deep reforms,

but their opinions vary about what is to be expected from school

education. According to parents, education is the great equalizer

that should provide all children with the same opportunities.

Students, in the same sense, consider education as a means to get

on in life and to have better salaries. I share the parents and the

students’ perception, but I view education from a wider scope:

cultural, societal, and parental. Therefore, the formal education

the young have in schools remains incomplete if a link of the

educational agents is missing.


46

This article presents the missing link that could genuinely affect the

quality of education our children have. It is high time character

education began in Morocco. So what is character education? And what

type(s) of character education would have short and long term effects

on Moroccan society?

Character education is as old as Socrates. With the turn of the twentieth

century, character education made its transitional leap from a practice

to a science. It was the United States of America that buckled on

implementing the early character education programs in schools. Since

then, scientists have been defining character education according to the

goals of the programs launched. In the case of Morocco, a country with

promising human development projects, the best definition to character

education is the one that perceives the character doing the right thing

despite outside pressure to the contrary (Barlow, Jordan and Hendrix:

2003,P.564). Character education is the set of formal (school), and

informal (culture, society, parents) acquisition of ethics, values and

morals that would strengthen the individual’s standing on one’s ground

in order to make the ‘morally’ right decision even when it is difficult.

So far, the formal acquisition of character education does not exist in

the educational system except for some sporadic traces in educational

syllabi of private schools. The major shortcoming of these syllabi,

however, is that they are imported from France, Morocco’s ex-military

colonizer and present neo-colonizer. As a matter of fact, there is an

urgent need for customized character education programs in Moroccan

schools and cities. The major goal of the programs would be to counter

the Tsunami of this global culture negating Moroccan identity traits and

distorting the socio-moral values. I believe that schools should design

their own character education programs and educators should take part

in that process. They are the tools of implementation and success. Many

effective character education programs either recommend staff

development or offer it as an option. If staff do not know how to

implement it, they will likely implement it ineffectively.


47

When it comes to the type of character education that would have

short as well as long term effects, I am a proponent of mixing “simple

moral education” and “simple character education”. Simple moral

education is also referred to as moral development. It increases the

students’ sensitivity to issues and kindles their problem-solving

competency. The teacher guides the discussion of a problem that

students should first identify then provide options to solve it. However,

each student should defend his choice.

Let’s take the example of road accidents in Morocco. The issue still

prevails though “responsible authorities” bloat their alleged “triumph”

with a kit of logistical measures ranging from rebuilding old roads or

widening them to adopting stricter penalizing laws. Undoubtedly, I do

not deny the fact that these measures could save lives. Yet, the human

factor in this war-like issue is forcibly the weakest link. Driving requires

ethical and moral competency of judgment as much as it requires the

technical mastery of maintaining control of the driving wheel,

pedals….etc. Teachers should illustrate the difference between the

ethical driver and the “egocentric” driver. An ethical driver is whoever

obeys posted speed limits even in the absence of a highway patrol

officer. That individual drives within posted speed limits and he or she

respects the lives and property of others. The egocentric driver, on the

other hand, sees things solely in terms of getting from one point to

another as quickly as possible and ignores the fact that to do so impacts

on the safety of others negatively. He or she obeys speed limits only

when a highway patrol officer is present in order to avoid a speeding

ticket (Martinson, D: 2003, 16). Is it logical then to have a police officer

watch over every driver? And if this is the case of citizens behavior in

other forms of “ethics of everyday”, then society will inevitably be

composed of individuals operating at a pre-conventional level of moral

reasoning where one does “the right” because of fear of being punished

if one does wrong (Jaska and Pritchard 1994, 95).

The simple moral education has already been applied in many

American schools and managed to instill a kind of moral judgment in

students. Yet, mixing it with the simple character education type will


48

give a moral muscle to the student character. Simple character

education is compared to an indoctrination of values and morals. It

explicitly uses habits, rituals, strict disciplines…etc to instill character

traits. Thomas Lickona (1998, P.78), a prominent theoretician of the

simple character education movement, said “bottom line is

behavior…… Virtues are not mere thoughts but have to develop by

performing virtuous actions. Acting on this principle, character

educators seek to help students to perform kind, courteous, and self-

disciplined acts repeatedly – until it becomes relatively easy for them to

do so and relatively unnatural for them to do the opposite”. For

example in Morocco, why don’t we have a certain amount of required

public service, a sort of volunteering to serve society, as a requirement

before students graduate?

Finally, “We reap what we sow. When we have children, we sow

more than biological seeds. We also plant the seeds of moral

development…. The best way to teach values is for (adults to) exhibit

them… who can blame children for refusing to imitate us if we pretend

to virtue when we have it not?” (Weiner 1995, 19A)

Bibliography

Barlow, C.B., Jordan, M.,& Hendrix, W.H. 2003. Character assessment: an examination of

leadership levels. Journal of Business and Psychology, 17 (4)

Jaska, J. A and M.S. Pritchard. 1994. Communication ethics: Methods of Analysis. Belmont, Calif:

Wadsworth

Martinson, D.L. 2003. High School Students and Character Education: It All starts at Wendy’s. The

Clearing House, Vol. 77 (Sept-Oct) , No1. Taylor and Francis, Ltd

Weiner, S. 1995. The ABC’s of Character. Miami Herald, 16 March, 19A


49

Hassan Ait Bouzid

Ph.D student,

EFL Teacher, Ait Melloul

Abstract

This paper underscores the need of English language teachers, in their

quality of reflective practitioners, to engage in active reflective teaching. It

draws the attention of ELT practitioners in Morocco to the viability of

investing teachers’ reflective skills in promoting their professional

development and the quality of their teaching practices as well. The study

explores ways in which Moroccan English language teachers can boost

their reflective practice through suggesting a model that helps teachers

transcend the current passive reflective practice and become active

reflective practitioners. The model entices teachers to engage actively in a

collaborative endeavor that calls for creating special focused platforms for

discussing and sharing experiences that would work to solve specific

problems identified in the classroom. Eventually, the study concludes with

advocating a lesson planning design that facilitates the incorporation of

the suggested reflective practice model. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of

the suggested model is yet to be tested on practical grounds to measure

the extent to which teachers are ready to integrate it in their teaching

practices.

Key words: reflective practitioners, EFL, ECRIF, model


50

Introduction

Reflection is a defining trait for human being and an existential practice

for teachers; English language teachers are not an exception. It is even

more of a requirement for English language teachers in the Moroccan

context not only because they introduce learners to a plethora of

linguistic and cultural knowledges, behaviors and skills which

necessitates careful selection, presentation and monitoring, but also

because teachers themselves are faced with a variety of teaching

methods, techniques and strategies which are to a great extent puzzling

and mesmerizingly perplex. Therefore, it is a professional prerequisite

for Moroccan English language teachers to be able to appropriately and

effectively use reflection as a practice that fosters both their students’

learning and their own professional development.

This paper aims to explore ways in which Moroccan English language

teachers can boost their reflective practice and use it to improve the

teaching and learning processes. It is informed by the theoretical

framework of the Standards-Based Approach (American Council on the

Teaching of Foreign Languages [ACTFL], 1995) which defines the

teaching and learning of English as a foreign language in Moroccan

public high schools (Ministry of National Education [MNE], 2007). It is

built on the assumption that ELT practitioners need to be aware of the

importance of a paradigm shift revolutionizing their own conception of

their role as reflective practitioners. It therefore argues for going

beyond current passive reflective processes to a more systematic and

productive active practice of reflection.

The present study is framed within the theoretical foundations of the

Standards-Based Approach (ACTFL, 1995; MNE, 2007). The approach

underscores the indisputable role of teachers as reflective practitioners

in shaping and improving not only the teaching and learning processes,

but also the life-long learning skills of the learners. This theoretical

framework reckons that teaching foreign languages necessitates

herculean efforts due to its multi-disciplinary nature. In fact, the

hardship of the teaching of English as a foreign language lies in that it


51

combines teaching not only language skills, but also cultural and life

skills that belong to a totally different target community about which

students may know very little. Good reflective practitioners allow

learners to discover and learn foreign languages, cultures, behaviors and

skills in ways that do not impair but instead improve their

understanding of their own languages and cultures. Essential skills and

procedures that have the potential of improving teachers’ quality as

reflective practitioners are extremely solicited.

The value of reflection

Reflective practice is valuable for the benefits it bestows on teachers’

professional development. It requires teachers to question their own

practices through encouraging them to adopt a reflective attitude

towards their classroom behaviors, choices, activities and attitudes. It

also invites them to be innovative since they will be constantly

searching for alternative practices that would supplement or replace the

ones they find ineffective. Researchers (Bubb, 2005; Gun, 2015;

Williams, 2007) agree that effective teaching and learning requires

teachers to move beyond impressionistic assessments of their own

practices to a more systematic method of reflection that enables them

to acquire useful, accurate, systematic, and contextual insights into

the overall nature of their teaching. In fact, reflective teaching can

improve the quality of learning outcome and foster professional

development through encouraging teachers to continuously improve

their teaching methods, techniques and materials in accordance with

what they discover during the process of reflective teaching. In

addition, reflecting on one’s practices promotes lifelong learning since

teachers will always engage in constructive self-criticism as long as they

are aspiring for perfection and development.

Improving the quality of teachers’ classroom practices necessitates a

change in how reflection is generally conducted. One of the everyday

tasks of Moroccan high school English language teachers is to devote a

great deal of their time to form a general idea about what to teach and

how to teach it. This task has been such a requirement of the teaching


52

profession that it has become a mechanical routine devoid of its

meaningfulness. As teachers grow experienced, they develop a set of

intuitive strategies that enable them to decide on the quality of their

teaching practices even superficially. According to Scales (2008), this

decision-making process has become such an ‘unconscious competence’

that these teachers hardly question the theoretical principles that once

governed their use of such strategies. Thus, a discrepancy arises between

the teacher’s actual practices and their own beliefs as they take it for

granted that their intuitive practices are congruent with the theories

they once believed in (Williams & Burden, 1997). Accordingly, teachers

are accused of getting used to an ineffective approach to their

professional practices that relies more on intuition than on factual

knowledge. This method of reflective practice is deemed passive since

teachers do not have clear specific objectives to guide the evaluation

process which is in itself discontinuous. Also, research maintains that the

traditional process of evaluating teachers’ classroom practices is so

teacher-centered that it does not take into consideration to evaluate

whether the intended practices serve the needs and interests of the

learner or whether they improve the quality of learning outcomes.

What is more is that none of the findings of this reflective process is

actually recorded for further use; in fact, the whole process takes place

in the mind of the teachers and all the findings are doomed to oblivion

once the lesson ends.

From Passive to Active reflection

A radical shift from passive to active reflection is required. First,

reflection needs to be conducted systematically within an environment

which entices teachers to reflect collaboratively upon their practices

within their own classrooms. This reflective, collaborative effort should

be directed toward enhancing the quality of the teacher’s instruction

and the learners’ learning outcomes. Second, the whole process of

evaluating one’s own practices should be driven by that body of theory

related to the plethora of methods and approaches of English language

teaching (Argyris & Schön, 1978). Equally important, the whole process

of reflection should be recorded for future use. Seemingly, an active


53

reflective practice is capable of promoting teachers’ professional

development in that it allows teachers to identify and discuss problems,

suggest solutions, exchange experiences and learn from each other’s

successes and failures, which will undoubtedly bring about some

positive change to their teaching practices.

Obviously, being an active reflective practitioner does not call for

special skills. It is within the reach of every teacher provided that they

have an up-to-date knowledge of methods and approaches of English

language teaching. Also, they should be able to relate the theory of

language teaching and learning to their actual classroom practices to

guarantee sound theoretical foundations of their practices. In addition,

the participants should be willing to work collaboratively with other

members of their learning community and ready to share their

experiences with them and learn from them. Moreover, they should be

ready to change their old ineffective practices with new ones that they

deem more effective based on a regular collection of evidence that

supports the effectiveness of their teaching practices. Overall, the

success of one’s participation is measured not only by the amount of

professional growth they have accumulated, but also by the impact of

their feedback on other members of the learning community (Bubb,

2005).

The reflective practice model explained

Admittedly, a reflective practice model links theory to action so as to

improve both teachers’ practices and students’ learning outcomes. The

model that is suggested in this paper relies heavily on the principles of

reflective teaching advocated by Schön (1983). According to the latter,

contrary to what is often believed, the process of reflection in

professional contexts does not start while planning for action; it should

actually start in the classroom with performing the action, i.e. while

teaching. Accordingly, 'reflection in action' is the first stage of effective

professional reflection where the reflective practitioner monitors the

activity being performed while it is taking place. At this stage, teachers

should be able to think on their feet while they are teaching and collect


54

evidence of good and bad learning experiences. When the teaching

activity is complete, teachers should find time where to reflect on the

recent activity. At this second stage of 'reflection on action', Schön

(1983) suggests that reflective practitioners, in our case teachers, should

go back to the recorded data or collected evidence, identify successful

and unsuccessful teaching practices, look for reasons behind the failure

of some experiences and search for solutions in the body of theory

related to the subject matter. 'Reflection on action' allows the teachers

to think about possible practices that could have made their past

experiences more successful and decide on how to incorporate these

strategies in their future teaching experiences. The futuristic projection

of present and past findings is best exemplified in the third and last

stage of this model which is that of 'reflection for action'. At this last

stage, teachers who work as reflective practitioners use the findings of

the previous two stages to plan future lessons, anticipate possible

problems that may face them and preconceive preventive strategies of

how to avoid or solve them.

This model will to a great extent improve the outcomes of the teaching

learning process. To start with, teachers will be able to use active

systematic reflection to identify those problems that truly impair

students’ learning. In addition, they will look for solutions and design

alternative practices relying on theory related to methods and

approaches of English language teaching. Furthermore, they will rely on

collecting concrete evidence that proves the success or failure of any

teaching-learning experience. Also, there will always be need for using

the new findings in planning future lessons and deciding how to

overcome any unexpected problem that may otherwise lower the

quality of learning outcomes. Of equal importance is the idea that this

model adopts an iterative, circular process in which reflection never

stops (Gun, 2015).


55

Figure 1: Schön’s model of reflective practice (1983)

Nevertheless, the model suggested by Schön (1983) is still incomplete.

According to Williams (2007), reflection is only productive and

effective when it is a collaborative endeavor because individual

reflective practices remain limited in scope and effect. In effect,

Williams (2007) suggests that professional reflective practice is better

conducted in collaborative environments where different professionals

meet and reflect collaboratively upon problematic issues which they

identified in their classroom practices and that are related to a

predetermined specific topic. It is crucial that the discussions focus on a

specific pedagogical area like assessment, classroom management or

teaching a specific skill; tackling issues belonging to different areas may

cause the discussion and treatment of the problems to be merely

superficial and ineffective. Williams (2007) considers Teacher Learning

Communities (TLCs) and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to

be the most effective platforms that could enhance the productivity of

such reflective practice as they provide opportunities for teachers and

professionals to enrich their experiences through sharing their successes

and failures and to exchange formative feedback that has the potential

of gearing the quality of their teaching experiences. The whole process

of reflection in a TLC or PLC can be summarized thusly:

1. Reflection in action: collect

evidence in class

3. Reflection for action: use findings while planning for

future classes

2. Reflection on action: study

evidence in light of theory after

class


56

Figure 2: Process of reflection in TLC / PLC

One last ingredient is needed to finalize this model: recording findings.

The main difference between passive reflective practice and active

reflective practice is that the findings of the active process can be

recorded, published and shared with a wider community of teachers. It

is observed that teachers throughout Moroccan ELT classrooms suffer

approximately from the same problems; therefore, recording,

publishing and sharing the findings of each TLC or PLC can be very

helpful to other teachers who did not take part in the process and it can

also inspire them to join future TLC or create their own learning

communities. The findings, including effective practices, successful

experiences and helpful teaching materials and activities, can all be

compiled on CDs, DVDs and booklets as well as published online

through social media and special websites. One of the benefits of

sharing the findings is that they could be tested by a wider community

of teachers in different contexts and their effectiveness can be tested

authentically against various teaching-learning styles and environments.

Identify problems

Look for expla-nation in the

theory

Share with TLC & get feedback

Design new practices based

on feedback

Test new practices


57

Incorporating the model in your lesson plan

Apparently, the best lesson plan design that allows teachers to

incorporate this reflective practice model is ECRIF, suggested by

Kurzweil and Scholl (2005). ECRIF is a five-stage lesson planning design

that provides teachers with the opportunity to become effective

reflective practitioners on a daily basis. Stages of ECRIF are illustrated in

the figure below:

Figure 3: Stages of ECRIF (Kurzweil and Scholl, 2005).

It has been pointed out by the designers of this framework that these

stages are not consecutive; rather, they are arbitrary. Teachers can freely

move from stage to stage irrespective of their order as they can test

what scheme better suits not their teaching styles but their students’

learning styles. Therefore, the ECRIF framework does not aim to

describe teachers’ behaviors in as much as it helps them learn about

what their students are thinking and doing. In this fashion, ECRIF gives

teachers more opportunities where to discover new challenges and

problems which could not be discovered using traditional frameworks

such as PPP. It allows teacher to identify problems that are related to

Encounter

Clarify

Remember

Internalize

Fluently use


58

new language input (Encounter), find meaning and use of new item

(Clarify), memorize and associate it with previously learned items

(Remember & Internalize) and finally demonstrate that they can use it

communicatively in different contexts (Fluently use). Instead of

identifying problems that are encountered only in three stages

(Presentation, Practice and Production), teachers can now identify more

problems and classify them more precisely and accurately.

Conclusion

This paper drew our attention to the necessity of moving beyond

passive reflective teaching that affects negatively ELT teachers’ daily

classroom practices. In so doing, it has unearthed the urgent need for a

model that best suits the characteristics of the Moroccan classroom

contexts. The discussion was informed by the theoretical framework of

the Standards-Based Approach in light of the ministerial guidelines for

teaching English as a foreign language in Morocco. The suggested

model, it was argued, has the required potential for gearing both

teachers’ professional development and the quality of their teaching

practices as it is reflective, systematic, theory-driven, collaborative,

iterative and recorded. Eventually, it was demonstrated that ECRIF is

the most suitable framework that facilitates teachers’ role as reflective

practitioners. However, it is highly recommended that the model here

suggested should be tested and evaluated so as to decide on its viability

and applicability in the Moroccan context. Also, a study should be

conducted to investigate the extent to which teachers’ attitudes are in

favor of the suggested model.


59

References

Argyris, C. & Schön, D. (1978). Organizational learning: A theory of action perspective. Reading,

Mass: Addison-Wesley.

Bubb, S. (2005). Helping teachers develop. London: Paul Chapman Publishing

Gun, B. (2015). The reflective teaching and learning programme. In S. Borg (ed.), Professional

development for English language teachers: Perspectives from Higher Education in Turkey (pp. 65-

76). Ankara: British Council

Kurzweil, J. & Scholl, M. (2007). Understanding teaching through learning. New York: McGraw

Hill.

Scales, P. (2008). Teaching in the lifelong learning sector. New York: Open University Press

Schön, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Temple Smith

William, D. (2007). Changing Classroom Practices. Educational Leadership,65(4), 36-42.

Williams, M. & Burden R.L. (1997). Psychology for language teachers: A social constructive

approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.


60

Sidi Sidi Mohamed HAMDANI

Ph.D student,

EFL teacher, Essmara

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the practice of democratic

leadership style in Oued Sakia El-Hamra high school as an example of

Moroccan educational institution. The choice of this case is not meant to

end debates persisting for ages by simply claiming that democratic

leadership remains the only style that fits all educational institutions and

all other styles are a waste of time. Otherwise, it is an effort to determine

to what extent this style is convincingly approved by the school staff to

be the best appropriate for the educational institution under study. The

study intends to judge how and if any challenges of democratic leadership

are recognized by the school management team and educational

personnel involved in the investigation. This study also reconsiders the

pros of democratic leadership as a desirable leadership style to numerous

contemporary educational institutions.

Keywords: Leadership; Education; Democracy; Morocco


61

1. Introduction

1.1. Definition and Overview of Leadership

Burns (1978) argue that although the term leadership is well-recognized

in the literature, no universally accepted definition for the word has

appeared. Leadership should encompass shared objectives while the

competence of leaders should be determined by the extent through

which they can make change. Rost (1991) defines leadership as a

relationship based on influence among leaders and members of groups

who expect genuine changes that reflect their shared objectives. Fiedler

(1967) points out that leadership, in whatever situation, requires the

availability of a number of elements including the authority of the

leader, the type of the mission, and the relationship between the leader

and other members of the group. Kevin Barge (1994) describes three

distinct styles of leadership, the autocratic leadership style, the laissez-

faire leadership style and the democratic leadership style.

The autocratic leadership style refers to the style of leadership in which

the leader takes decisions and retains power. Large groups often need a

domineering leader to adjust the inconsistencies of the group. Under an

autocratic leader, decisions are taken immediately and thus solutions are

reached hurriedly (Williams 1983). The exclusivity of the autocratic

leadership style lies in its ability to make not many errors and help

greater deal of the mission done compared to other approaches in

which groups devote much time to exhaustive discussions. However,

although this style is effective in reaching goals through time-saving

tactics, members of autocratic team may express their resentment about

the way they are authoritatively led by their leader who is extremely

directive and doesn’t tolerate contribution from team members

(Martin, 2006)


62

1. Introduction

1.1. Definition and Overview of Leadership

Burns (1978) argue that although the term leadership is well-recognized

in the literature, no universally accepted definition for the word has

appeared. Leadership should encompass shared objectives while the

competence of leaders should be determined by the extent through

which they can make change. Rost (1991) defines leadership as a

relationship based on influence among leaders and members of groups

who expect genuine changes that reflect their shared objectives. Fiedler

(1967) points out that leadership, in whatever situation, requires the

availability of a number of elements including the authority of the

leader, the type of the mission, and the relationship between the leader

and other members of the group. Kevin Barge (1994) describes three

distinct styles of leadership, the autocratic leadership style, the laissez-

faire leadership style and the democratic leadership style.

The autocratic leadership style refers to the style of leadership in which

the leader takes decisions and retains power. Large groups often need a

domineering leader to adjust the inconsistencies of the group. Under an

autocratic leader, decisions are taken immediately and thus solutions are

reached hurriedly (Williams 1983). The exclusivity of the autocratic

leadership style lies in its ability to make not many errors and help

greater deal of the mission done compared to other approaches in

which groups devote much time to exhaustive discussions. However,

although this style is effective in reaching goals through time-saving

tactics, members of autocratic team may express their resentment about

the way they are authoritatively led by their leader who is extremely

directive and doesn’t tolerate contribution from team members

(Martin, 2006)


63

The laissez-faire leadership style is where freedom of choice is fully

given for the workers then members don’t need guidance to make their

decisions. In this way, leaders don’t contribute to decision making and

often let other members of the team decide and take decisions among

themselves (Wood, 2008). However, Absence of guidance may lead to

poor results regarding decisions taken by the non-guided group. In the

laissez-faire leadership style, only highly qualified groups with adequate

training may succeed in their missions without help from leaders.

The democratic leadership style adopts cooperative approach in which

all members of the one team collaborate and take decision together

through discussions and sharing ideas which ensure that all members of

the group would abide by the outcomes of their decisions. Compared

to the autocratic leadership style, the democratic leadership style

devote too much time to decision making and members of the group

are highly motived and creative which is not the way with autocratic

group where members are fully dependent on the leader (Hamilton,

2010).

The relationship between leadership and education has been of focus of

many works in modern literature. Scholars have emphasized the

significant role of leadership in reinforcing improvement and change in

educational institutions (Fullan, 2001). Woods (2005) focuses on the

significance of leadership and education and the necessity to infuse a

democratic spirit in schooling (p.20). Newmann and Wehlage (1995)

highlight the importance of shared leadership in promoting learning

and organisational competences.


64

One of the main studies that served as pioneer in the field of leadership

style researches was accomplished by the University of Iowa by Kurt

Lewin and some of his fellows. Lussier and Achua (2010) emphasises the

importance of Kurt Lewin’s study about the leadership style which is no

longer an authoritarian but rather democratic. Goleman (2000)argues

that Lewin’s studies are accurate and still holds true in educational

settings today.

1.2. Research question:

Inspired by Kurt Lewin’s study about the leadership style, this study

aims to determine where possible Lewin’s ideas about democratic

leadership style are applicable to the case of Oued Sakia El-Hamra high

school and particularly whether members of its educational staff and

management team are democratically oriented. The importance of this

study lies in its endeavour to understand the natural relationship among

groups consisting of leaders and subordinates. Stressing the practises of

democratic leadership style in of Oued Sakia El-Hamra high school as an

example of Moroccan high school emanates from the results of the

primary interviews in this research which indicate that the majority of

the interviewed workers inOuedSakia El-Hamra high school express

their preference either directly or indirectly for a democratic leadership

style. The main research question that drives this study is: How is

democratic leadership style understood and practised by Oued Sakia El-

Hamra high school staff?

2. Methodology

The research has sought to address a group of school staff. Out of 60

workers, including both the teaching staff and management team, 40

people were selected to take part in this study. Data collection was


65

completed through questionnaire and interviews. These methods aren’t

seen as so much different but rather complementary (Smith, 2006).The

choice of the methods is based on a careful review of earlier theoretical

and empirical work conducted on the same issue. Phillips & Schmidt

(2012) employed aquestionnaire as a primary date collection method

to boost response rate which can be reduced considerably if all question

are asked at once in face-to-face contacts (p.88). However, this doesn’t

devalue the significance of interviews as an indispensable method of

data collection. Interviews can secure data which can’t be obtained

through written responses or observations (Kvale, 1996). The main

aspects of similarity between the questionnaire and the interviews is

comparatively evident in interviews where differences lay in the fact

that the investigation is achieved through face-to-face interaction rather

than through mails (Sharma, 2006). Compared to a questionnaire, the

major benefit of interview method is its extensive flexibility that

researcher can inquire more detailed questions which help interviewees

give precise answers and avoid error arisen from confusing questions

(Bailey, 2008). However, a structured questionnaire with open-ended

questions can be appropriate for serving the same objective. It may be

helpful to permit free and thoughtfully selected responses from the

interviewees (Kothari, 2004). In this study, mixed methods are

deliberately adopted to offer the investigator a great deal of flexibility

while addressing the questions (Hall, 2008). Questionnaires and

interviews are utilized to meet this objective.

2.1. Data Collection

This sphere of research is relatively qualitative. It sets the stage for the

use of qualitative instruments to reach into the practices of leadership in

educational institutions. Well organized and planned qualitative

approach help the conduct of an in-depth investigation of the

leadership practices that affect school development (Darroch 1992). A

qualitative approach involves a number of instruments to collect data.


66

These include direct observation, participant observation, open-ended

questionnaire, in-depth interviews, recorded documents, case studies

and journals (Lal Das 2008). Qualitative inquiry allows themes to arise

from particular observations and discussions. (Denzin& Lincoln (2000)

points out that the researcher uses qualitative tools to describe practices

and phenomena which is not well understood (Denise & Beck 2013). In

this study, a qualitative research is conducted to explain the outcomes

resulting from a survey investigating the phenomenon of leadership and

its practises among the personnel of Oued Sakia El-Hamra high school.

This study focuses on questionnaire and interviews as primary source

for gathering information. Participants are selected for the convenience

of the research as well as their willingness to contribute to the

investigation (Black 2008). The survey is addressed to 5 members of

management team including the headmaster, dean of Studies, two

deans of students, and bursar in addition to 35 workers from the

teaching staff. The respondents are inquired either through a

questionnaire sent to them via emails or through paper and pencil

interview (PAPI), questionnaires or verbal face-to-face interviews in case

more clarification is needed from the participants. During interviews,

the investigator allows respondents to extensively describe their

personal experiences and views. In this way, the researcher ensures that

all relevant issues are dealt with in detail (Patton 2002)

2.2. Setting

Oued Sakia El-Hamra high school is one of the popular operating

educational institutions in Es-smara city. It is a public school with 52

staff including both management team and educational personnel with

an estimated 728 students. Like any Moroccan high school, Oued Sakia

El-Hamra administration is based on the structure of the educational

system in Morocco which is hierarchical. Head leaders are appointed

officials and basic educational policies and decisions are taken by central

government. However, local school administrations are allowed


67

a number of powers and authorities to help their staff engage in local

decision-making and autonomous initiatives. High school

administrators are the leaders of the high school. The headmaster is the

most high-ranking worker of the high school. He is responsible for daily

supervision and management as well as respect of laws and regulations

of the school. Dean of Studies is committed to the application and

management of all parts of the academic programme, including the

administration of the teaching staff and their performance. Deans of

students are administrators who are in charge of student discipline.

Bursar is responsible for managing the financial affairs of the school. In

addition to the main management team, another administrative

support group is available to provide assistance for the main school

board in different tasks. The school also consists of educators who are

involved in providing instruction.

The setting for this research consists of a survey conducted among

numbers of workers in both management and non-management

positions chosen to serve the goals of this study. Respondents include

the headmaster, dean of Studies, two deans of students, Bursar and

other 35 educators. The workers are given a similar set of questions to

reply either through a questionnaire or face-to-face interviews. Their

responses are used to finalize the outcomes of this study. While the

choice of setting serves to determine the relationship between leaders

and other staff considering an example of Moroccan public high school

in general, it also helps understand if democratic leadership style is best

fit for Oued Sakia El-Hamra high school as a case study.

3. Findings

The following part of the research covers the results inferred from the

investigation of leadership style conducted among both management

team and the teaching staff working in Oued Sakia El-Hamra high


68

school. The primary purpose of this research is to conclude whether

democratic style is generally approved by its staff to be best appropriate

for the educational institution under study. In the earlier stages of

research, the investigation has sought to determine the prevailing

leadership style favoured by the working staff in the school among

other common styles including autocratic and laissez-faire. Based on a

number of in-depth interviews and structured questions, the results of

this research indicate that democratic style is the most common used in

Oued Sakia El-Hamra high school as well as the most preferred by

almost the majority (32) of its staff. The following table presents the

ratio of preference of staff for leadership style resulting from

investigation.

Table 1.1: Ratio of preference for Democratic Leadership Style in

OuedSakia El-Hamra high school

The interviewed workers are also asked to provide reasons behind their

preference for Democratic Leadership Style in Oued Sakia El-Hamra

high school. The interviewers cite some justifications that have led their

choice of democratic pattern as an effective style of leadership could be

chosen to fulfil their objectives. In this context, the investigation

resulting from the interviews describes certain key aspects of leader

conduct believed to standardize effective leadership. These include:

Democratic leaders show great willingness to listen to others and

sympathetically care about their concerns

Democratic leaders need to preserve trust and integrity as a basis for

good governance

Question?

Strongly disagree

Disagree Not sure Agree Strongly agree

Do you think the leadership style in Oued Sakia El-Hamra high school

is Democratic?

0

4

6

22

8

Do you think the leadership style adopted in Oued Sakia El-Hamra

high school is the best fit?

2

5

5

19

9


69

The interviewed workers are also asked to provide reasons behind their

preference for Democratic Leadership Style in Oued Sakia El-Hamra

high school. The interviewers cite some justifications that have led their

choice of democratic pattern as an effective style of leadership could be

chosen to fulfil their objectives. In this context, the investigation

resulting from the interviews describes certain key aspects of leader

conduct believed to standardize effective leadership. These include:

Democratic leaders show great willingness to listen to others and

sympathetically care about their concerns

Democratic leaders need to preserve trust and integrity as a basis for

good governance

Effective leadership involves effective group participation

Great leader should be charismatic, inspiring and influential as well as

knowledgeable

The major aspects of effective leadership derived from the outcomes of

the interviews are, thus, roughly coherent with those originating from

the literature study. No single aspect is heavily focused by all

interviewees as the only feature that characterise effective democratic

leadership style. However, some attributes are repeatedly highlighted

by all interviewers as indispensible features that the workers think it

should be associated with an influential leader. This was that a leader

should build a positive rapport with other members of the team as well

as develop collaborative relationship based on trust and respect as a

norm.

Almost Two thirds of respondents (N28) shared consensus on the

democratic nature of leadership in Oued Sakia El-Hamra high school

which is associated with democratic involvement of school staff in

making decisions.


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The findings also disclose a harmonious relationship between all

members of the staffOued Sakia El-Hamra high school and almost total

agreement that democratic leadership style fit best their institutional

education through which they can reach their shared objectives. In an

interview with the headmaster of Oued Sakia El-Hamra high school, he

explains that

Leaders need to choose the style which they think it suits best their final

goals. In our school, we preferred to adopt a democratic approach

where decisions are taken by all members of both management team

and the teaching staff. Rather than taking decision by yourself, you

collaborate with everyone to help make correct decisions based on a

consensus.

However, 7 respondents express their dissatisfaction with the

democratic leadership style which they consider as ineffective due the

following reasons:

At times, democratic leadership style necessitates huge efforts to build a

consensus regarding decisions making.

In democratic leadership, it sometimes takes too much time to come to

final decisions

Democratic style is employed by leaders to manipulate (us) and exploit

(our) innovative ideas without appreciation or empirical reward.

In general, since some members express different views about how

effective leadership should be, it seems that it is not easy to form a

unique view regarding the best attributes of effective leader and

leadership. However, opinions expressed about appropriate attributes

often stress the necessity for creating an encouraging environment that


71

serves the final goals of the group. The majority of Oued Sakia El-

Hamra high school workers think this can be facilitated through a

democratic style which suggests that the core of democracy is based on

how people govern themselves as opposed to how people are

governed by others (Williams, 1963). This result urges the researcher to

conduct a further inquiry about the benefits gained from the

implementation of this style in the school. The research has revealed a

number of important findings about the gains that can be brought from

using democratic style in the school. These findings can be summarised

in the words of the dean of studies in OuedSakia El-Hamra high school:

As we all work together for the benefit of our school, democratic

leadership is strongly needed to serve this purpose. I have found that all

the staff members in our school respond positivity to this approach

through which the final decision is shared among all the staff and they

are all responsible about its outcome. Doubtless, Productivity is always

obtained through collective decision making.Democratic leadership

style can help frontline workers get feedback from other members of

the group and collaborate in recommending innovative ideas.

In view of this, democratic style which emphasises teamwork seems to

be a need to the school in the sense that democratic leadership is

required in ensuring benefits in terms of considerable managerial and

academic outcomes (Woods 2005). Schools which are filled with a

democratic soul often have strong relationships among their personnel

and, therefore, build a productive atmosphere in the school. The latter

idea is shared by almost most respondents whostress the importance of

adopting democratic leadership style in Oued Sakia El-Hamra high

school and agree that this style is best appropriate to serve the welfare

of their school.


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Conclusion

The survey provides an insight into the perception that democratic

leadership is the best way to describe the approach which OuedSakia El-

Hamra high school adopts. This expectation of labelling OuedSakia El-

Hamra high school as a democratic leadership style school is supported

by mean of practices, and collaborative relationship between its

workers. The interrelationship and ease of communication between

leaders and the other members of the staff must have an impact on the

school. The outcomes indicate that respondents hold positive

expectations about democratic leadership and their readiness to abide

by an insightful democratic leadership style in OuedSakia El-Hamra high

school. Respondents also acknowledge the need for constant

democratic leadership to enhance the goals of the team. They also

express their preference for particular attributes of democratic

leadership style that should be adopted by leaders and facilitated by

other members of the staff. On top of these attributes rests participation

which can be considered as the essence of democracy (Luthar, 1996).

This demonstrates the workers’ awareness of the style they want to

follow. Grant and Singh (2009) argue that if an approved practice of

shared leadership was collectively approved, the mechanisms of

hierarchy would be abandoned and collaborative manner of leadership

would persist. In this regard, as each educational institution has its own

unique style of leadership, transparent and shared leadership practices

should be encouraged (De Villiers, E., & Pretorius, S.G. 2011). Carl E. H.

(2007) argues that deep understanding of the needs of school brings

about the enhancement of instructional outputs. Certainly, the group’s

awareness of theirneeds has helped the staff ofOuedSakia El-Hamra

high school develop their own perception of leadership needed in their

school by emphasising the democratic leadership style as primary

choice.


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In short, one can conclude that democratic leadership style remains the

style favoured best by the staff of OuedSakia El-Hamra high school. The

workers seem to be greatly satisfied that democratic leadership style is

the best fit for their school. This conviction complies with a number of

leadership theorists who believe in the effectiveness of democratic

leadership style. Lewin (2009) has favoured democratic leadership style

as largely more effective than autocratic leadership style in the sense

that in democratic leadership, team members perform well even in the

absence of a leader (Daft, 2000).

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76

Fatimaezzahra Abid

Ph.D student

EFL teacher, Mohammedia

Abstract

Teaching reading in Moroccan EFL classrooms, all along with the other

skills, is no easy task when compared to teaching a foreign language to

teens. The latter is approached from different facets: psychological,

human and even social leading to an abundance of approaches and

theories that have devised meticulous research to the learning and the

teaching processes. Research in the field, whether in the teaching

profession or in the teaching of EFL in particular, stress the core trinity

that no learning takes place without the teacher, the learner, and the

learning environment. Yet, with the introduction of “Communication and

Information Technologies” (ICT) in the classroom, the teaching practices

undergo critical changes that promise the alignment of teaching a foreign

language with the prompt changes of technologies and worldwide

economies. Hence, adopting the communicative approach in EFL

Moroccan classrooms shifts focus to a learner-centered approach that is

supposed to generate a learner who can communicate fluently and

effectively in diverse situations not to mention a multicultural learner well

aware of the diversity of world cultures and histories. Shrinking the


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role to a mere mediator and the learner’s to an intercultural speaker seems

to be a very promising objective that is clearly highlighted in the Moroccan

English guidelines; yet, “though the teaching method in the textbook is

called the communicative approach, they use what they call the ‘eclectic

approach’ which is a mixture of different approaches”(El Mortaji 15).

Learners of foreign languages, English in this case, is thought for specific

purposes so that it could be used in appropriate cultural situations. In this

regard, teachers are cultural mediators who are expected to provide the

learners with the necessary critical skills to transcend language proficiency

to cultural proficiency since “learners need to learn about the social and

cultural conventions of language use as well as the structures and

vocabulary”(Pitt 9) and also get the learners to achieve full awareness of

universal values such as respect for other identities and cultures, tolerance,

and acceptance of differences. Using literature is one of the delicate means

that would transmit such values to learners of foreign languages through

reading; extensive reading could be assigned in class and outside class as

extra curricula activity given time constraints to cover the outlined syllabus

(five units per term). The teaching of English in Moroccan high schools is

highly depending on the traditional ways of teaching; this could be due to

the lack of ICT resources and the necessary equipments, and the teachers’

lack of expertise in the field that would facilitate their missions in getting

learners motivated to learn a language totally different from theirs. The

paper will highlight the significance of introducing learners to literature in

the EFL extensive reading classrooms and the vital role it plays in

motivating learners to read intensively and extensively inside and

eventually outside the classroom. It will shed light as well on the role of

ICT and the great benefits of its use in the classroom for both teachers and

learners as it facilitates the teacher’s task in providing extra material for

learners to get them to read and listen to literary works and get them to

enjoy learning the authentic language and get keenly engaged with the

activities related to the reading tasks.

Key Words: EFL Classroom, Literature, ICT (computer/internet), Extensive

Reading, Audio-literature.


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Introduction

Though reading is one of the basic skills that ensure the mastery of the

other ones, speaking, writing, grammar and vocabulary, it is a challenging

task for both teachers and learners. The complexity of teaching this skill lies

in motivating learners to be fully engaged with the reading activities and

even get them keen on consulting post classroom reading materials. There

is no doubt that reading activities touch upon the linguistic and the

cognitive proficiency of the learners. They are supposed to get the gist of

the reading text and react to its ideas through some comprehension,

vocabulary and writing assignments to attain the main objectives of the

assigned readings. Yet, learners are mostly reluctant to reading as much as

they are unwilling to reflect on what they have read. They are rarely

exposed to reading for the sake of enjoyment whether within a family

milieu or at school. They are supposed to focus on the reading texts in the

textbooks that are mostly of little interest to them though it provides a

very educating content that supplies material and ensures the

implementation of the four skills to be conducted in the EFL classrooms;

hence, “the reading material needs to be well within the learners’ level of

proficiency”(Nation 3) and should be convenient to the syllabus content

given time constrainrs as learners are primarily prepared for the national

exam.

Despite the fact that learners are exposed to manifold of texts during

the common core and first Year Baccalaureate classes, the majority of high

school learners can hardly read a text and do the related activities on their

own when it comes to the day of the exam especially for Art’s streams

compared to science students who usually excel at languages; an issue that

may seem unaccountable given that they share the same syllabus and equal

opportunities to learn the language except that they show no interest in

the subject matter.

This paper will stress the significance of incorporating literature in the

classroom through ICT tools which may stimulate learners’ motivation to

learn new information in a contextualized language and vocabulary

inaccessible to the majority of learners despite the abundance of materials


79

on the net. It will showcase how to implement literary texts in the

classroom and eventually push students to consult extra readings on their

own. Moreover, it will demonstrate how using ICT could boost learners’

motivation for extensive readings. Sharing insights and ground experience

in language teaching practices on daily encounter with unmotivated

students would be a stimulus for teachers continuous professional

development.

The Teaching of reading in Moroccan ELT Classrooms

The Moroccan textbooks devise equal division of the four skills, given that

each course: language, communication, reading and writing are equally

tackled within a content based approach that ensures contextualized

learning situations for learners. They are even exposed to courses which

focus on phonetic and spelling. They are expected at all these stages to be

able to perceive and effectively produce accurate usage of the language

and the vocabulary studied and communicate their feedback effectively on

the learned materials in written activities “considering all the cognitive

tasks required to go from connecting symbols to sounds, sounds to words,

words to meaning, meaning to memory, and memory to thoughtful

information processing”(Willis 2). Hence, understanding the text is highly

stressed to attain the main objectives of reading in class.

Getting learners, who may never have any thoughts about bedtime stories

or English reading backgrounds or even being read to aloud, motivated for

reading is the real challenge in teaching EFL to teens who easily get

frustrated when they perceive reading as being beyond their academic

abilities. Researches in the field stress that it is highly recommended to

teach reading for pleasure and prioritize it in syllabus design. Adopting a

communicative approach in EFL in Morocco that highlights the teaching of

culture through language does rather unveil the fact that the syllabus is

preoccupied with the national exams since “schools tend to be organized

around extrinsic motivation systems: grades, rewards, and praise—so many

students tend to focus on the external reward”(Scanlon and Anderson 60).

Yet, it should provide learners with life-long skills to rather enjoy reading

and “extends beyond that—for students to learn not only the mechanics of

reading and reading comprehension, but also to develop a love of

reading”(Willis 4).


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Indeed, the most advisable techniques that are to be adopted in the

classroom is guided readings; learners are exposed to reading the assigned

texts silently prior to a pre-reading activity that is meant to check the

learners’ background knowledge about the text through the skimming and

scanning of some vocabulary, the accompanying pictures or the title.

Learners are then to be assessed based not on how they process the

information given in those readings and reflect upon them critically, but

rather on their ability to answer the accompanying activities. Teachers do

struggle to get their students engaged in that guessing part and during all

the stages that are supposed to be conducted in teaching reading, pre-

reading, while-reading and post-reading activities, since “to be successful at

reading comprehension, students need to actively process what they read.

That processing skill requires that students have automatic reading skills

and fluency, necessary vocabulary, and text-appropriate background

knowledge”(Willis 128).

Yet, learners are mostly bored, sleepy and unmotivated when it comes to

reading given that learners are expected to communicate their knowledge

of the topic while they lack the needed vocabulary and language

proficiency to express their ideas on the assigned readings which is only

possible “when students build vocabulary mastery, they can more

effectively communicate their ideas, knowledge, and voice”(Willis 80).

Intensive readings do prepare learners to meet the national exams’

expectations, but they do control their knowledge and limit it to certain

skills related to exams, but never broaden their scope and stimulate the

urge for further extensive readings. Time-constrained activities are related

to these intensive assigned readings as comprehension questions, drawing

inferences from the text and then producing a précis or following the text

as a prompt to write about a personal experience.

Hence, reading is deprived of its primary goal: pleasure; thus, learners are

trained on using reading as a task to pass the exam following usual

procedures and forms that no longer motivate them to read those texts or

to seek further readings, especially that the Baccalaureate English exams are

mostly designed to be within the learners’ reach; hence, they are a lot

easier than those assigned in the curriculum or they do not measure up to

all that effort spent on grammar and writing courses. Thus, although


81

students spend four years learning English, one year in middle school and

three years in high school, only few manage to interact with the teacher in

class and even get average grades on the English national exam. The

situation is even depressing for teachers in the classroom as the majority of

students loses hope in learning the language, especially when it comes to

reading. Indeed, this would rather encourage the use of extensive readings

inside the class given that the majority of students are from rural, poor and

literate backgrounds that do not facilitate their learning. Indeed, “When

learners are not enthusiastic readers, it helps initially to make extensive

reading part of the programme during class time, with the teacher ensuring

that the reading is done. When learners become hooked on reading, it can

then be set as an out-of-class activity (Nation 57).

The internet provides an abundance of materials that could be used in the

classroom and that definitely aligns with the content of the curriculum,

providing that extensive readings are time-consuming. Graded readings are

one example that is highly recommended for that aim; they provide stories

within the reach of all levels: beginners, elementary, pre-intermediate,

intermediate and advanced. Learners are introduced to a simple language,

graded vocabulary and contextualized grammatical rules that learners are

to be familiar with moving from one level to the other. But, these readings

are to be considered with regard to contextual, the geographical as well as

the cultural variables where the teaching process takes place.

Reading & ICT: Tools to Promote Learner’s Motivation for Reading

There is no doubt that learners have at their fingertips an abundance

of technological tools that could facilitate their learning and even bestow

life-skills that could qualify them for the job market. But, given the

Moroccan context and the state of the public schools, the use of these

tools is limited to a minority of schools ‘in big cities’. Yet, the English EFL

community strives to teach the language mostly relying on one’s own

resources (personal computer or mobile phones). Teachers endeavour to

use ICT tools effectively in their classes keeping in mind that “English

always comes first and technology of any kind, from the old overhead

projector or spirit duplicator to the latest digital device or Web 2.0


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application, must serve the teaching of the subject”(Rank, Millum, and

Warren 2). Moreover, the aim is to motivate students to learn the

language and keep the teaching practices updated so as to keep up with

the high pace of the world’s development into a digital world where

learners constitute the majority of its digital citizens. Indeed,

Teachers, especially those who teach second languages, had become aware

of the need not only to inform on other “cultures and civilisations”, but to

educate in students the capacity to ‘decentre’ oneself from one’s culture

and to deal with ethnic, social and cultural differences. (Byram, Gribkova,

and Starkey p 25)

Multimedia resources, computer, internet and videos constitute the range

of ICT devices that could be used in the classroom to improve learners’

performance in using the language accurately and effectively as well as to

enhance their communicative skills. Using these tools is significantly

valuable for teachers and learners as well as the learning environment that

is supposed to sustain learners’ continuous development. Indeed, using ICT

encourages students to engage vigorously in the learning process and

explore new skills with the teacher as a mediator who facilitates its use and

presents the learning materials in an entertaining way. Hence, “instruction

with motivated learners can actually be joyful and exciting, especially for

the instructor”(Wlodkowski 6) who will be more enthusiastic to guide his

students for a better learning with the most up-to-date teaching

approaches and strategies that would be of great benefit to his learners

and empower his/her students through material that stimulates thought

rather than mere understanding of the material introduced. Furthermore,

the teacher is there to assess students’ language and communicative abilities

rather than waiting for a summative assessment that gives a limited idea

about learners’ written proficiency.

One of the advantages of using ICT in EFL classrooms is breaking up with

the traditional ways of teaching English that are mostly predictable by

students and giving up the blackboard while “computers are increasingly a

part of everyday life ... and many schools have computers and many

students have access to computers at home (Robertson 32); yet, the


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blackboard still constitutes one of the pillar resources indispensable for

teachers in Moroccan public schools that lacks well equipped classrooms to

teach languages. Providing students with audio visual aids and introducing

them to the authentic language would motivate the teacher to reduce her/

his talking time and give them more chances to reflect on the presented

material. It will also lessen the teacher’s persistent urge to provide all the

information needed and even state one’s own opinions when learners

can’t process the presented material and have “no room for students to

form their own opinions or to come up with something fresh (or

something which is fresh to them) (Rank, Millum, and Warren 10).

As for students, they would prove much more interest and involvement

when being introduced to materials through ICT given that the use of the

computer accentuates the fluidity of language. It enables experiment and

constant readjustment. Not only can the position and form of individual

words be altered, a writer can also radically change the visual impact of

the text by selecting different fonts, sizes, and layouts. (Rank, Millum, and

Warren 2)

Indeed, using ICT could guarantee to some extent learners’ full

engagement in the learning process and interaction with their peers

through the activities providing a combination of written, communicative

and spoken information the teacher would frequently tackle each

separately. Moreover, the content is to be revealed gradually to learners,

unlike using the textbook, which may raise learners’ curiosity towards the

targeted material. To that end, “when learners are motivated during the

learning process, things go more smoothly, communication flows, anxiety

decreases, and creativity and learning are more apparent” (Wlodkowski

6). Indeed, the material targeted is more attractive to learners as it engages

all learning styles: visual, auditory and kinaesthetic; it also provides them

with the option of getting instant responses on the associated tasks.

The Integration of Literature in EFL Classrooms

To make the case of using literature in the EFL classrooms more practical,

the following part will tackle the implementation of literature through ICT

resources. There are many Educating sites dedicated to language that are


84

accessible on the net which provide notable teaching resources and

materials that could be invested in the classroom. Hence, a case study is to

be discussed to maintain the objectives of this research paper in sharing a

language learning experience and a temporary break up with the pace of

everyday routines, but with lasting outcomes for the learners.

It is noteworthy to introduce the teaching context before conducting a

detailed study about the use of short stories in the EFL classrooms, hence,

justifying the choice of one site over the other. The following link: http://

www.rong-chang.com provides short stories that suit the learners’ low

level and the curriculum as well. They are very short and they are fully

interactive that the teacher needs not to turn his/her back to explain some

difficult vocabulary or write down essential notes using the blackboard.

Procedure:

The following represents the variety of short stories chosen because

they are essentially related to the textbook themes such as food, health,

entertainment; they also represent contextualised grammatical rules as it

introduces short stories to review tenses as simple present or past tense.

Furthermore, these short stories range from stories for beginners,

intermediate and advanced that enable the teacher to pick out the ones


85

Navigating through this page demonstrates how it targets EFL with diverse

levels. These short stories are basically topic-based given the adopted

content approach. They are also very interactive as the four skills are

integrated assuring the learners’ full engagement in the learning process.

They are interactive in a way that enables the learner to have access to

different options such as to replay the story, check his/her answers on the

spot and check on-line dictionaries for meaning and more importantly get

an authentic language learning experience at his/her own disposal.

The short story that is taken as a case study is represented below and it is

related to “shopping”: http://www.rong-chang.com/mini-novels/m/mini-

novel002.htm. Learners can read the story following the recording as well

as the visual image of the vocabulary with pronunciation. Then, learners

check their comprehension of the story going through while doing the

comprehension activities related to it. All kinds of questions are included

to stimulate learners’ critical thinking and full engagement.


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Learners can even test their comprehension of the story through an

exercise where words are deleted; they can even be given a hint to

allocate more effort for the accomplishment of this activity

As it is earlier mentioned, learning vocabulary is introduced in a way that

is interactive


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Learners can have access to online dictionaries for definitions or extra

information about the words targeted as it is manifested in the following

picture

Word puzzles are indeed very entertaining tasks that learners can have

access to and try to figure them out working as teams.

Moreover, students listening skills are to be tested going through exercises

that requires the learners to write down what they hear.


88

This example showcases how students would learn independently the

language in an authentic context that involves the four skills. Students do

read simultaneously and listen to what they‘re reading; and they are

exposed to activities to which they can have immediate feedback, full

interaction and discussion with other peers while the teacher could only

monitor the discussion and assess informally to what extent his/her

students are fully engaged in the discussions.

Conclusion

Motivation for reading is indispensable for lifelong learning; the latter

should transcend the classroom’ walls. Assigned classroom readings have to

work on the learner’s willingness to make use of all the learnt skills

acquired in the classroom and make use of them even outside class.

Reading would be the sole skill that bestow learners with the critical and

independent learning experiences after school life for “reading is thinking

and understanding and getting at the meaning behind a text”(Serravallo

43). Hence, stimulating the learners’ critical engagement in reading unveils

the complexity of teaching that skill providing the learners’ motivation and


89

one’s learning abilities, social background as well as the classroom/school

environment especially in EFL/ESL contexts.

Introducing literature in the classroom would be the initial step to

encourage learners to consult extra readings, particularly when these

readings are presented through ICT. From a personal experience,

I’mstunned at how my students express their admiration for the material

presented as they continuously ask about the next same course. Even

avarage might be better average students get motivated by demonstrating

more interest in the reading material as I noticethem asking their peers.

Motivated students replace those same students who keep moving their

eyes around the classroom or looking for other unmotivated students to

play and talk with during the reading and the while-reading stages or even

keep silent till they’re relieved when the bell rings announcing the end of

the course.

Indeed, it’s mandatory to list the limitations of using such literary

material in the classroom as I have already tackled its impressive outcomes

on learners. Implementing such ICT material in class would necessitate the

need for well equipped classrooms, internet connection, multimedia

resources as overhead projector, graded stories for learners to consult in

their free time and a room that embraces technology and equipped with

technological tools. In the meantime, the various reading materials

available online accompanied with tasks that involves: listening, speaking

and writing calls for an urgent implementation of literary texts in the

syllabus given the significant outcomes in learning contextualized grammar

and vocabulary.

In conclusion, using Literature in EFL classrooms with the support of ICT

opens the door to questioning assessment. The use of such material would

constitute very effective assessment tools that would rather reflect actual

learning achievements for this material is short and can be used in the

classroom to test students’ linguistic, communicative and written abilities. It

would be a fair evaluation of all learners given that all learning styles are

successively included in such material. Only, that this requires well

equipped teachers and classrooms for the benefit of ELT in Moroccan

classrooms and an urgent call for the implementation of computer

technologies in the teaching and learning processes.


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Works Cited

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