WCMC-Q English Teachers Share Valuable Insights at Doha TESOL Conference
October, 2011
Dr. Rachid Bendriss demonstrates the importance of English in his
presentation at the TESOL conference
It was a historic occasion at the Qatar National Convention Centre, where the inaugural TESOL International Association’s ‘Putting Research into Practice’ conference got underway in October. The three-day conference gathered experts from around the region and across the world to focus on key areas of applied research in the field of English language teaching.
WCMC-Q faculty were represented at the conference by Assistant Professor in Pre-Med English, Alan Weber, as well as Senior Lecturer of Pre-Medical Education, Krystyna Golkowska, and Rachid Bendriss, Lecturer of English in the Pre-Medical Education.
Dr. Weber is an international journal editor and during his presentation on the Research Publication Process, he touched on the process of research publication including manuscript preparation, submission, and review; how editors and reviewers make decisions; and how to respond to reviewer reports. Dr. Weber also covered research agendas, funding opportunities, publication outlets, and career strategies.
Dr. Alan S. Weber presents his findings on the research
publication process
"English is being increasingly recognized as an international language for science, technology, and business. It is also the dominant language of the Internet because the world web originally grew out of a system of American military networked computers (ARPANET). The TESOL organization, the largest and most influential international organization for the teaching of English to other language speakers, is committed to high standards of English language teaching throughout the world; while recognizing that native languages must also be promoted, particularly in the Arabian Gulf,” Dr. Weber said.
There were over 60 presentations by speakers from 20 countries around the world, many of the pre-conference workshops addressed topics such as teaching writing, vocabulary development, reading, working with young learners, English for specific purposes, and literacy development for adolescents.
Dr. Krystyna Golkowska offers her insight on English language
teaching
Dr. Krystyna Golkowska and Dr. Rachid Bendriss gave two presentations one on Qatari students’ college readiness and another on the results of their study on the reading habits of Qatari students. “Our talks emphasize the importance of helping students become active, fluent, and strategic readers,” said Dr. Golkowska. “Reading comprehension is crucial to college success. There are many factors that contribute to making the complex process of reading even more difficult for Qatari students, such as diglossia, the dominance of oral culture or the way English is taught in schools. Consequently, both parents and teachers need to encourage extensive and active engagement with texts starting from an early age.”
The conference was organized by Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in collaboration with university partners in Qatar, including WCMC-Q. This was a major initiative by TESOL to highlight the importance of research-based teaching. Speakers from Australia, Egypt, Canada, Lebanon, the U.K., and the U.S. discussed the latest research related to English language learning and teaching for speakers of other languages.
