Job Discussion Forums

[hassnen]

I've been reading with great interest the stories/facts (whatever they are) about Sohar. It got me thinking about how 2 years ago the "same same teacher" was being said about Nizwa University when ELS where running the foundation course.

Having been in Oman for a few years now, I have come to the conclusion that most of the courses offered by higher educational establishments (foundation courses that is) are above the heads of the Omani students. However, one thing which is disturbing is why, having recognized this, the courses haven't been adapted so that the Omani student can have a chance at getting ahead? My thoughts on this are that the MOHE has to show that they are getting the best, but is, what I read now and what I have read previously (forum), really the best for the needs of a typical Omani student?

Most of the HE colleges and universities (public or private) in Oman are, as far as I know, controlled by the MOHE. The idea, I think, is to allow these foreign companies to run their foundation courses and for the establishment to learn from the mistakes, where applicable. As we all know, this doesn't always happen and at the end of the day, it's the students that suffer and the teachers who end up having a nervous break-down (so to speak) as they are in the firing line. There ar epeople that do want to change the situation in these HE colleges or universities but their hands are tied too.

My major concern about how a HE facility is run is not the course as much, as this a good teacher can adapt material to suit his/her class, but the "W*s*a" situation or "Special Permission" as I call it. This surely leads to the students believing that if they have SP then all is well as they won't fail. I think that this situation more than any other is probably the main cause for most students in HE not doing well with English. Some might call it lazyness, lack of interest, etc. (add your own here).

As for the the back bitting that occurs in the workplace, well I think we have all experienced this whether in Oman or Japan.

That's my two bob on the situation.

[Archangel]

The situation has become so bad now that an urgent informal meeting was called by several teachers to discuss the need for "greater transparency" within the administration and HOD. This meeting, as far as I know, was outside official procedures.

[eha]

Archangel wrote: "This meeting, as far as I know, was outside official procedures".

The answer to that used to be (not necessarily in Oman): "Aisle or window seat?"

[omanized]

Ha ! No kidding, not a lot of union-type groups around here !

I think the real problem stems from the foundation these students have before they come to 'foundation' programs at the tertiary level.

Many a fine academic has pondered what can be done in these college programs and I have been involved in several incarnations of them. The question is, how can you build a student's academic skills in 8 months from scratch? I would challenge anyone anywhere to do the same in any country / language given the same 'raw material' that teachers / administrators are given here in the GCC.

And so we fight the good fight, do our level best to ignite that elusive 'spark' of progress in the 5% of students who are able and/or willing to "do the needful" ( my favorite local expression btw - sounds like a dance craze from the 60's )

I think if you have to point fingers, and usually people feel they must, then you have to focus on the root of the problem - school and the culture of learning - only 2-3 generations old ! So, as they say...slowly slowly....

omzd

[eha]

Hassnen wrote: "As for the the backbiting that occurs in the workplace, well I think we have all experienced this whether in Oman or Japan'.

When will people start to focus on 'professionalism' rather than location? Who says it doesn't occur everywhere? That's a cop-out; no matter where it occurs, it causes a viciously undermining work environment. For God's sake, don't we have enough to contend with, what with impossible targets, desperate students caught up in a statistics war; no back-up, academic and technical problems up to here; without trying to work it off by attacking each other?
Incidentally, this 'backbiting': in some places these days, they call it 'harassment', 'bullying', 'mobbing'. It's taken seriously in most Western universities now, because at last, it's beginning to be understood how much damage it does to the development of a 'professional work-ethic'. And if you don't have that in an institution of higher education--- what DO you have?

[stoth1972]

[Geronimo]

There ought to be more informal liaison between College English teachers and the English teachers based in the local schools. There are opportunities for informal exchanges already, of course... "English Days" at the Colleges..."Open Days" and "English Days" at the local schools...Symposiums...We should exploit these opportunities more fully and more often.

Trainee Omani English teachers have been benefitting from short microteaching sessions with the Foundation Program and Year One students at Sohar College this semester. Consequently, they have been provided with an opportunity - at first hand - to assess the strengths and weaknesses and the level of motivation of the current cohorts of High School graduates.

If, in the years to come, these future school-based English teachers maintain contact with their former College English Departments, a mutually beneficial link will be established. An informal 'Evaluation Cycle' could be established. Trainee English teachers would benefit during their standard Work Placement semesters in the local schools, too.

Furthermore, College-based teacher trainers working on the trainee Omani English Teacher Program have the opportunity to exploit the output provided by our current Foundation Year students to inform our selections of teacher training materials. For example, we can take note of the absence of 'Conditional' structures from the Foundation Year students' output; and then act to ensure that the new Omani English teachers of 2010 are fully conversant with 'Conditionals'. In this way an ascending spiral effect can be created.