intl. version magic carpet to arabia (and back!)
DESCRIPTION
Hop on my magic carpet to Arabia to learn about how to be more effective in the classroom with Saudi students.TRANSCRIPT
Or these?
Or these?Or these?
Or these?
Or these?
Do you have any students like these?1
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How About These?
Saudi ELLs: Optimizing Your
Classroom Experience
Carol Costello
University of Texas at San Antonio
Instructor Dept. of ESL Services
TESOL Workshop March 18, 2011
www.saudistudentteam.com
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Workshop Structure
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Background
In the Classroom
The BIG Picture
Classical Islamic Studies + Focus GroupsBrandeis University Waltham, MA5
Maryam, age 25
“My grandfather never saw an airplane.”6
Ahmed, age 28
“You have such a nice little house. But where are the
servants?”
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HRH Abdullah
bin Abdul Aziz
King of Saudi
Arabia
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Ethnography of Communication
The study of communication in varying
intercultural and intracultural contexts.
(Saville-Troike, Dunn)
Knowing something about your students’
culture can increase teaching effectiveness
(Tawake)9
Important Differences
Language
History / Conflicts
Religion
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Student Attitudes
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Let’s All Be Saudis!
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What’s wrong with this picture?
Mr. James Kelim, Director of ESL
Services, at Awards Presentation
11/2010
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What’s wrong with this picture?
A. The woman is allowing herself to be photographed.
B. She should be wearing an abaya.
C. Men and women should not be photographed together.
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What’s wrong with these pictures?
Saudi Women
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What’s Wrong with these Pictures?
A. If there are any men around, these women are acting immodestly.
B. The Religious Police can arrest the women.
C. A picture like this in the wrong hands can ruin the women’s reputation.
Keep in Mind: Acceptable Contact
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What Happens When Saudis Come
Here?
Communicative Methodology:
What works best in the classroom?
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A Visit to My Classroom:
Early in the semester
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Communicative Methodology?
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Mid-Semester
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Communicative Methodology Tips
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Arab Etiquette: People then Work
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A Little Arabic Helps
Marhabba = Hello
Inshallah = God willing
Al hamdu lillah = Praise be to God!
Shukran = Thank you!
Mabruk! = Congratulations!
Mumtaz = That’s excellent!
Ma ‘a lesh = Too bad! Sorry about that
Ma ‘a salaamah = Good bye
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Ask students to “do it for you”
T.E. Lawrence
“Laurence of Arabia”
“Arabs believe
in persons,
not in
institutions.”
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Build a Safe Environment for Women
28Validate the Differences
Students Want to Learn the Culture
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Use Cards to Your Advantage
Kismet = Fate
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Go Slowly at First
1st weeks
◦ Everyone chooses
own partner
3rd week
◦ Use cards to mix
women separately
from men
4th-5th weeks
◦ Use cards to mix all
of the class
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Veiled Women
Bring Veiled Women to Life!
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Male Teachers—A New Experience34
Respect for Teachers
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What’s the BIG Picture?
References
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Baki, R. (2004) Gender-segregated education in Saudi Arabia: Its impact on social norms and
the Saudi labor market. In Education Policy Analysis Archives 12 (28). Retrieved
6.6.2010 from http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v12n28/.
Cordesman, A. H. (2003) Saudi Arabia enters the twenty-first century. Westport, CT: Praeger.
Doumato, E. A. (1999) Women and work in Saudi Arabia: How flexible are Islamic margins?
In Middle East Journal 53 (4) 568-583.
Doumato, E. A. (2003) Manning the barricades: Islam according to Saudi Arabia’s school texts.
In Middle East Journal 57 (2) 230-247.
Duff, P. A. (2002). The discursive co-construction of knowledge, identity, and difference: An
ethnography of communication in the high school mainstream. In Applied Linguistics
23 (2): 289-322.
Lacey, R. (2009). Inside the kingdom. New York, NY: Viking.
Nydell, M. K. ( 2006). Understanding Arabs: A guide for modern times. Yarmouth ME: Intercultural
Press.
Saville-Troike, M. (2003) The Ethnography of Communication. Maulden, MA: Blackwell.
Seale, P. (2010) Saudi Arabia’s royal revolution. In The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs 29
(4): 30-31.
Tawake, S. K. (1991) Multi-ethnic literature in the classroom: whose standards? In World Englishes
10 (2), 335-340.
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Credit and Thanks to:
Dr. Peter Sayer of the BBL Department
Mr. James Kelim, Director of ESL Svcs. /UTSA
Faculty members of ESL Department
The many Saudi students who have spent hours in focus groups with me
The wonderful students whom I have had the honor of teaching!
Dr. Jose Vazquez for his Zen slide ideas
My husband Bill for his patience and understanding
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