Nehal Sadek, Educational Testing Services*, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

Nehal Sadek

Please tell us about yourself. Where did you study and where do you work?

Currently I’m an assessment specialist at ETS, based in Princeton, New Jersey. I work on developing test items for the TOEFL IBT (the reading and the writing sections). I hold a PhD from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in TESOL and composition. I finished that in 2011. I also hold an MA in TEFL from the American University of Cairo, Egypt, where I’m originally from. I have another MA in applied linguistics from Cairo University. My thesis focused on the impact of self-assessment on L2 writing. As you might have guessed, that’s my area of interest—assessment! But I’ve also worked in different IEP contexts for 13 years; I have taught in the Intensive English Program at American University of Cairo, Columbia University, and IUP.

How did you become interested in TESOL?

I consider myself a second language learner, although I was brought up in England with my family. My father was pursuing his MA and PhD in England while we were young. We lived there for 6 years then moved back to Egypt. I’ve been passionate about teaching since I was a little girl. I love English, being brought up in England, and was able to combine both my passion for teaching with my love for English. It seemed natural to be interested in TESOL and how language acquisition takes place. I am particularly interested in assessment because I have to say in many cases it’s neglected in second language teaching and it’s not given its importance.

What are your current interests in the field?

I’m really interested in developing critical thinking in L2 assessments. I think that critical thinking and learner autonomy have taken up some space in education, but in general I don’t think critical thinking has yet entered the field of second language teaching, let alone second language assessment. My current research interests involve improving critical thinking for ESL learners; in fact, given the current circumstances in the Middle East with the revolutions and the Arab Spring, I think it’s about time that critical thinking is strongly introduced in education and in ESL teaching in the Middle East. With all the events taking place now that require analysis and problem-solving and critical thinking abilities, I think it’s the right time to introduce these very important skills in all English language teaching contexts. These events are a very good catalyst for us ESL teachers to improve these skills. Students should be encouraged to question matters rather than simply take things for granted and memorize. We should help students become problem solvers in a world that is promising a lot of change to come.

What are some pressing issues in your context?

That’s exactly it. We are trying to reflect the current theories of second language learning in our tests so that, again, they do not mirror old theories where memorization was the focus. We want to introduce more advanced thinking skills, one of which would be synthesis and analysis, and we want to make sure that our tests mirror those thinking abilities. A second area of interest so far is introducing formative assessments within a standardized context and how we can do that. The third area of interest is technology and how we can make use of technology in our tests and make sure we are up to date with what’s going on in the field.

What is the most rewarding aspect of teaching ESL/EFL?

Students! I have students who I taught about 12 years ago who are now on their own. When they contact me, they say, “I remember when you did this” or “What you told me has helped me in my work.” I think that’s the most rewarding thing that any teacher could feel. It’s the impact we leave on our students, either indirectly or directly.

Is there a teaching tip you’d like to share with us?

Yes, it’s very much in line with what I mentioned about learner autonomy and critical thinking. It’s a model called “the student as a researcher model” in L2 learning and implemented by Riggenbach in 1999. Instead of teaching a lesson, let’s stay grammar, what I used to do with my students at the American University of Cairo was assign the grammar lessons to groups of students. They would pick whatever they were interested in and go outside to collect data, watch videos, interview native speakers, and they try to infer the rule from the data. They would elicit that info by themselves so it was very helpful. It’s a form of task-based learning because it puts them in groups. Then students would come into class and teach their colleagues their findings and analysis. And it is a very helpful teaching strategy because first, grammar is boring, and second, this task helps students compare prescriptive and descriptive grammar; in other words, it helps students compare what grammar books say about a target structure to how it is actually used in real life situations. And again, that’s in line with my preference for critical thinking in language learning and learner autonomy.

I have to say it wasn’t easy implementing such a model. In the beginning, students resisted because they weren’t used to group work in that context and they were also used to grammar being taught explicitly by the teacher. But because this was a semester-long project, step by step they became immersed in the activity and by the end, they were very happy with it. They could analyze the data. It was a very planned task and I didn’t explain everything at once. I explained the objectives of the task at the beginning and we did it week by week. I’d say, “This week I’d like you to use this sheet to analyze the data,” so by the end it was a whole portfolio of the project of the data, reflection, analysis, and comparison between grammar structures taught and how it was actually used in real life. So it was very broken down to bits and pieces and that’s why I think it was very successful.

Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?

I’m a wife and a mother of two daughters, a 3-year-old and 4-month-old, so you can imagine how busy the house is. My 3-year-old is also a language learner because she is starting to learn both English and Arabic, so I’m trying to implement SLA theories on her (laugh). I like spending time with my family and reading about the news worldwide.

*The opinions expressed in this interview reflect those of the author, not of ETS.

Mohamed El-Zamil, Ajman University of Science and Technology, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates

Mohammed El-Zamil

Thank you for taking the time to talk with us. Please tell us about yourself. Where did you study and where do you work?

I started in Egypt. After getting my high school diploma, I studied English language and literature and got a job as a teaching assistant at an Egyptian university for some time. Then I went to Saudi Arabia and worked as an EFL instructor at a university there for 8 years. I came back to Egypt and I did my master’s in TEFL at the American University in Cairo, but before then, I had traveled to the United Kingdom, to Sheffield University, where I stayed for about 8 weeks on a scholarship from the British Council. While doing my MA, I also taught part-time at different universities in Cairo. Currently, I’m a coordinator of the English language unit and an ESL lecturer at Ajman University of Science and Technology, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. I’ve been here since 2004. I’m teaching IELTS prep classes in addition to other courses. I’m a member of TESOL International, TESOL Arabia, IATEFL, CALICO, CATESOL, NILETESOL, and Cambridge English Teacher.

How did you become interested in TESOL?

I developed an interest in learning about English language and literature, and then years ago, I became enthusiastic about imparting the language I picked up to students. I wanted to help them learn the language.

What are your current interests?

Now I’m interested in using more technology in my classes. With every new app I learn, I try to adapt it for my class. I deal with technology as an add-on to face-to-face teaching. It's useful and time-saving. My students love it when we go for online activities in class or when I give them Moodle assignments.

What are some interesting developments in your intensive English program?

We are preparing students for the paper-based TOEFL exam as well as the academic IELTS exam. They are required to score 500 on TOEFL or band 5 on IELTS. At the beginning, it was a challenge for students because most of them came from government schools where language was taught in a very traditional way. They were not exposed to authentic English or given the chance to practice the language. We teach them 15 hours per week for 16 weeks. Things have dramatically changed and the results have improved a lot. Another positive development is an increase in collaboration among teachers. I’m also noticing more use of technology in classes, which before was very limited or rare. Now you find most teachers using iPads, laptops, or iPhones in class. Finally, students used to be reluctant to read extensively and were just interested in reading the assigned textbooks; however, I’ve noticed that they are starting to develop an interest in reading.

What is your personal philosophy of teaching?

Teaching is not only a profession, but it’s a passion. A teacher is a means to facilitate learning for students. Why do we teach? We teach to facilitate learning, to provide students with a robust input and positive feedback, and to share our knowledge and experience with them. It’s like a partnership. Students now also have more resources to learn from. It’s not only the teacher. They can Google any topic and read it. That’s why the 21st century teacher has to be knowledgeable, close to students, and well prepared. Things have changed, maybe because of technology or the nature of our modern life. Everything has changed.

What is the most rewarding part of teaching EFL?

The most rewarding part is seeing my students improve. I feel happy when my students become able to communicate their ideas in English. It's also rewarding to see them learn on their own.

Would you like to mention anything else?

I would like to stress the importance of professional development (PD) for educators. I'm a huge fan of PD. I like to participate and present at conferences or PD events inside or outside the UAE. I find it helpful to network with other ELT professionals worldwide.

Thank you Nehal and Mohamed for sharing your thoughts with us! We look forward to bringing you more IEPIS member stories in the future. Please contact Ilka Kostka, IEPIS secretary and newsletter contributor, to be interviewed for our next newsletter.