AUS’ Modern English Classroom event brings cutting-edge teaching practices to Sharakah English teachers

In an ever-changing landscape, it is crucial for educators to stay up-to-date on the latest teaching practices. To address this need, the recent "The Modern English Classroom: Where Theory Informs Practice" event held at American University of Sharjah (AUS) brought together over 70 English language teachers from 30 schools across the UAE to enhance their teaching skills and network with peers in their field.

Organized by the Office of Enrollment Management’s Sharakah Program, the Department of English and the Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA TESOL) Program, and led by its faculty, the event presented teachers with innovative strategies for teaching English and hands-on activities for their classrooms.

The day was marked by a series of insightful concurrent sessions, delivered by the Department of English faculty. The sessions were “Feedback for Impact: The Power of Learner Autonomy” by Dr. Neslihan Bilikozen and Dr. Ji Young Shim, “Helping Students and Teachers to Rethink Plagiarism” by Dr. Rachel Buck, “Meaningful Tasks for an Engaging Learning Experience” by Dr. Özgür Parlak, “Auto-Peer: Saving Time, Improving Grades, and Facilitating Learning” by Dr. Philip McCarthy, and a plenary session entitled “Intercultural Competence Knowledge of Teachers and the Effectiveness of Teacher Training Programs across UAE Schools” by Dr. Rachel Buck and Aisha Alowais, a graduate student in the MA TESOL program. 

“The AUS Sharakah Program is a shining example of the university's commitment to strengthening relationships between AUS and schools in the region,” said Ali Shuhaimy, Executive Director of Enrollment Management. “Its wide range of activities, including teacher training and professional development opportunities, promotes the pursuit of knowledge and the development of leadership skills among education professionals.”

"We are thrilled to offer this learning opportunity for high school English teachers to learn and network with some of the best in the field," said Professor Paul Amonte, Head of the Department of English and TESOL Coordinator. "Our aim is that teachers will walk away feeling inspired, motivated and equipped to continue making a difference in their classrooms."

Misarah Zreagat, Training Specialist​ at Emirates Schools Establishment, praised his experience. 

“As a training specialist, I found the training at AUS to be extremely informative and helpful. The workshops emphasized the importance of fostering autonomous English learners and provided valuable insights into effective marking of students' writings through software. Having been grounded on empirical and primary data, it provided evidence-based teaching and learning strategies, giving English teachers greater confidence in implementing these strategies in their classrooms,” he said.

The Sharakah Program is an AUS outreach initiative that is designed to strengthen the relationship between AUS and schools in the region. The program offers a wide range of activities, including teacher training, student competitions and professional development opportunities aimed at promoting the pursuit of knowledge and the development of leadership skills among education professionals. For more information, please visit www.aus.edu/sharakah.

To prepare individuals for teaching English to non-native speakers, the College of Arts and Sciences at AUS offers a Master of Arts in TESOL. This program is specially crafted to cater to the needs of English as a second language teachers working in multicultural environments. It equips students with professional training and foundational knowledge in second language acquisition, teaching methods, language testing and the use of technology in language-teaching classrooms. Further details about the program can be found at www.aus.edu/cas/matesol.