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aliasrachel
Joined: 04 Aug 2014
Posts: 44
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 Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 7:47 am Post subject: What do students want? |
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Hello All,
I have been teaching for a long time (over 15 years) and feel I am fairly good at my job. I've worked in different countries and have generally received positive feedback on my teaching.
This past year, however, I received the lowest evaluations of my career and a warning from my supervisor that I need to 'adapt better to the needs of my students'. I had thought I was doing fine with them but now it seems I am not. I am not overly strict but not lenient either, I know my subject very well, and have worked hard to help students both inside and outside of the classroom.
Arab students are a mystery to me. What exactly do they want from a teacher? |
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I-forgot
Joined: 28 Jun 2015
Posts: 153
Location: Riyadh
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| Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 7:49 am Post subject: |
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| An 'A'. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 8:11 am Post subject: |
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| aliasrachel wrote: |
This past year, however, I received the lowest evaluations of my career and a warning from my supervisor that I need to 'adapt better to the needs of my students'. I had thought I was doing fine with them but now it seems I am not. I am not overly strict but not lenient either, I know my subject very well, and have worked hard to help students both inside and outside of the classroom.
Arab students are a mystery to me. What exactly do they want from a teacher? |
Ditto the previous comment; the grade matters. 
It may be that your teaching style doesn't jive with what the students expect or are used to compared to the other teachers. Since none of us have ever seen you teach, I suggest asking a few of your peers --- those with strong evaluations --- if you can sit in on their classes for about 20-30 minutes as an informal observation to pick up teaching ideas. You can invite them to do the same with your classes, except you'll want their feedback.
Lastly, check out Dornyei and Czizer's following 10 Commandments for Motivating Language Learners, which were a useful guide for me regardless of the English language domain I taught: 1. Set a personal example with your own behavior.
2. Create a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere in the classroom.
3. Present the tasks properly.
4. Develop a good relationship with the learners.
5. Increase the learner’s linguistic self-confidence.
6. Make the language classes interesting.
7. Promote learner autonomy.
8. Personalize the learning process.
9. Increase the learners’ goal-orientedness.
10. Familiarize learners with the target language culture.
Source: http://www.zoltandornyei.co.uk/uploads/1998-dornyei-csizer-ltr.pdf
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Amerrycan Muslim
Joined: 01 Jul 2014
Posts: 51
Location: KSA
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| Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 11:21 am Post subject: Re: What do students want? |
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| aliasrachel wrote: |
| Arab students are a mystery to me. What exactly do they want from a teacher? |
Arab students aren't a monolith that can be grouped together as such. Maybe that is a part of the problem you're having?
What I've found is that by showing that I care for them and their education while also not letting them get away with a lot of shenanigans earns respect from most of them. It also tends to marginalize the students who don't really want to be there. I also get the alpha(s) on my side and that tends to settle things quickly.
I have an excellent HOD who I can send the first troublemaker to and know that he understands there is a purpose to that student being chucked. He will talk to them privately and then bring them back to the class while I feign indignation but eventually let them in with a last chance warning.
I think the majority of them want a teacher who they feel is their private friend. As a group, keep them guessing in terms of your life and opinions but leak out little details as needed to specific students to keep that friendliness happening. |
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aliasrachel
Joined: 04 Aug 2014
Posts: 44
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| Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 12:31 pm Post subject: |
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I do care about the students and make this very clear to them. As for lumping them together, I certainly don't do this; why I mean by a mystery is why so many want to act like children and expect me to be their mother. That's NOT going to happen -- I do not mother students. Care about, support, yes; parent/nanny, absolutely not. I'm also not interested in being their friend; friendly, yes, but not their buddy. I don't yell at students and I constantly check in with them about what their needs are. What else is there to do? When I do mention issues to my supervisor and colleagues, they brush my concerns aside.
Thankfully, this is my last year in the KSA. I will work to make this year successful but at the same time will breathe a sigh of relief when it's time to go. It'll be wonderful to retrain and teach basic skills to adults instead. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 1:04 pm Post subject: |
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With male students in KSA it is important that you have a personal relationship and show them that you like them as people. I assume that the female student in KSA is similar.
Showing the students that you have a sense of humour can help. You can also play the game of teacher and student against the outside world especially against College Admin ! |
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Dr X
Joined: 04 Jul 2016
Posts: 84
Location: Everywhere
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| Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 8:49 pm Post subject: Re: What do students want? |
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| aliasrachel wrote: |
| Arab students are a mystery to me. What exactly do they want from a teacher? |
I guess you are teaching female Saudi students?
Did you ask your students for a feedback about your style of teaching?
Did you get any feedback from your supervisor why you scored low in the evaluation of your teaching? How are you going to improve if you do not get constructive feedback from your students? |
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plumpy nut
Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652
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| Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 3:09 am Post subject: |
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A complete lack of challenge in the class.
An A without doing the work.
To be allowed to show up at the end of the class and counted present. |
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I-forgot
Joined: 28 Jun 2015
Posts: 153
Location: Riyadh
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| Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 7:14 am Post subject: |
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I was only being partly flippant when I first posted that they want an 'A'.
Others have given their views as well. I think it is good that you are reflecting on your own style of teaching and I think you should continue to do that with your students.
However, you have said these are the lowest evaluations of your career. If you cannot find a reason for this in your teaching style, consider paying less attention to your formal evaluations and more attention to in class feedback from your students.
In my entire career, I have had precisely three useful and constructive evaluations. The rest of the time, it has been a tick box exercise.
I don't know where you work or who you work for but if your working environment is anything like mine, the observations are probably being done by some idiot without specialised training or common sense.
Rely on direct feedback from your students. Given them a real student centered experience. Consider your supervisor's feedback carefully but do not let it carry more weight than your own opinion.
From your opening post, it sounds as if you have enough self awareness to be able to do this. |
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Spelunker
Joined: 03 Nov 2013
Posts: 392
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| Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 8:02 am Post subject: re: all too common.... |
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| This past year, however, I received the lowest evaluations of my career and a warning from my supervisor that I need to 'adapt better to the needs of my students'. |
All too common in the Gulf, IMHO. The HOD will listen to the students and put their needs above those of the teachers. The foreign teachers who brownnose the HOD will come out better off, especially if attractive and female. A teacher who I considered really fit the mould of a qualified teacher, and could easily teach in the UK and was qualified to do so, was fired after complaints about his writing class, and I think was let go at the end of the year, unable to return to the same job....with years of experience in Saudi under his belt, before Oman. It can depend on your HOD, students, if they deem you experienced enough or not experienced enough, or if they didn't sleep well last night, found a scorpion in the shower in the morning, you get the drill............  |
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aliasrachel
Joined: 04 Aug 2014
Posts: 44
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| Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 9:00 am Post subject: Re: What do students want? |
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| Dr X wrote: |
I guess you are teaching female Saudi students?
Did you ask your students for a feedback about your style of teaching?
Did you get any feedback from your supervisor why you scored low in the evaluation of your teaching? How are you going to improve if you do not get constructive feedback from your students? |
Yes, female students, though not all Saudi. Some are from Syria, Palestine, and Sudan. My supervisors gave me zero feedback/suggestions other than "adapt to this demographic", whatever the *beep* that means. As mentioned above I am nobody's mother or nanny.
I like the idea of checking in with students and asking for feedback. Previously, I have relied on observing them in the classroom and seeing what works/doesn't. Maybe asking is a better option. Or doing an anonymous survey if they are not comfortable with this.
I do like the students very much as people and I'm not sorry I came to the Middle East, but if I'm being honest, I don't want to teach this population again. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 9:24 am Post subject: |
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| aliasrachel wrote: |
| I like the idea of checking in with students and asking for feedback. Previously, I have relied on observing them in the classroom and seeing what works/doesn't. Maybe asking is a better option. Or doing an anonymous survey if they are not comfortable with this. |
Don't rely solely on observation. I've always asked students of that age and older for their feedback starting day one of each class. You not only get info on their individual likes/dislikes (and yes, even their suggestions) to personalize their learning --- they feel that you care enough about them to ask. It also gets them more involved in their learning. |
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Dr X
Joined: 04 Jul 2016
Posts: 84
Location: Everywhere
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| Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 12:37 pm Post subject: Re: What do students want? |
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| aliasrachel wrote: |
I like the idea of checking in with students and asking for feedback. Previously, I have relied on observing them in the classroom and seeing what works/doesn't. Maybe asking is a better option. Or doing an anonymous survey if they are not comfortable with this.
I do like the students very much as people and I'm not sorry I came to the Middle East, but if I'm being honest, I don't want to teach this population again. |
I think the style of teaching in an Arab environment is completely different from a Western environment, and this is where you need feedback how to handle students in an Arab culture environment:
1. Teachers should learn about Arab/Saudi culture, and communicate with students about non-academic problems (culture awareness).
2. Set clear class rules without affecting the 'personal' relationship between the two parties.
2. Arab students tend to prefer collectivism environment which is opposed to individualism style as in the USA or UK.
3. Expect Arab students to value group harmony, cohesion, and culture of 'face saving'.
4. Arabs students are more adapt to unstructured learning situations. |
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hash
Joined: 17 Dec 2014
Posts: 456
Location: Wadi Jinn
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| Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 2:47 pm Post subject: Re: What do students want? |
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| Dr X wrote: |
I think the style of teaching in an Arab environment is completely different from a Western environment, and this is where you need feedback how to handle students in an Arab culture environment:
1. Teachers should learn about Arab/Saudi culture, and communicate with students about non-academic problems (culture awareness).
2. Set clear class rules without affecting the 'personal' relationship between the two parties.
2. Arab students tend to prefer collectivism environment which is opposed to individualism style as in the USA or UK.
3. Expect Arab students to value group harmony, cohesion, and culture of 'face saving'.
4. Arabs students are more adapt to unstructured learning situations. |
Some very good points. #4 doesn't make sense, though. You must mean something like:
......students adapt more easily to........
I would actually add (and I practice) a number 5:
5- If you are able to, use Arabic in class extensively. At the lower levels, this brings an instant rapport with students that usually takes months for a non-Arabic speaking teacher to attain (if ever). At the higher levels: some "advanced" ideas can only be fully grasped by the student by explaining it to him in his native language.
One of the most preposterous axioms in the foreign language teaching field is "never use the native language of students" in class. I always have and I always will. There is no legitimate research that shows that use of the so-called L1 in class by the teacher is detrimental to student progress in L2. Please don't quote me any....for every one you show me, I can show you 10 in opposition.
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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| I agree. Strange thing is the absurd "No Arabic" rule is usually put forward most strongly by Saudis and other locals. I found the best way to get students on my side was to show my basic understanding of Arabic. A couple of simple jokes worked wonders. An ability to show that I understood basic curses - and could respond in kind - could be helpful with some of the coarser groups of ruffians. |
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