MAGAZINE FINAL2

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News MoRCE-Net ELT News Teachers’ Magazine, issue No 1, January 2017Amina Aghris Promoting the Learner Centered Approach in the Moroccan EFL ClassroomLahcen Tighoula Teacher Learning Communities to Enhance Teachers’ Continuing Professional Development : Exploring the experience of TLCs in Souss Massa Daraa AcademyMohamed El Maanaoui Connecting Classrooms Project : Zagora’s ExperienceYounes Tai Corpus Linguistics in Language TeachingMohamed Bakkas Connecting Classrooms Project: : An Important Stage in my Professional Development.Ait Taleb, Abdelaziz. Teaching Collocations for EFL Learners:Jamaati, Zakaria. Challenges and Practical SolutionsDriouch, Aziz.Mohammed Mansouri Character EducationHassan Ait Bouzid A Model for Active Reflective TeachingSidi Mohamed Hamdani An Investigation of Democratic Leadership Style in Moroccan Educational Sector: A Case Study of Oued Sakia El-Hamra High School Staff

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT NewsMoroccan Resource Centers of English Network pedagogical materials in the field of teaching and(MoRCE-Net) is a network whose main interests re- learning English.volve around implementing learner-centered activities * Setting up favorable environments for students toand creating professional collaboration and learn English actively and independently .development opportunities. It is a platform for joiningefforts among teachers, educational professionals and * Creating opportunities for collaboration withinstitutions interested in creating resource centers and partners sharing the same objectives in Morocco and abroad.English clubs. About MoRCE-Net Publications* Created in Agadir on December 13th, 2011. * Newsletters * Students’ magazine* Organised its first national conference in 2013. * Teachers’ magazine * Resource centers magazine* Has regularly organised its annual conference. * Online resources * Pedagogical documents.* Launched the 100 Resource Centers Project acrossthe country. Activities* Published its first student magazine in 2014. * Creating resource centers and English clubs * Organizing forums and conferences for the teaching Purshased its headquarters in Agadir in 2016. and learning of English * Organizing events, competitions and contests for Historical Background of Resource Centers learners of EnglishThe first English Resource Centers started in the mid-1980s in some secondary schools in a few citiesaround Morocco following initiatives launched byMoroccan and foreign teachers of English. Theministry of National Education had sent letters ap-pointing Moroccan teachers to serve as coordinatorsof the Centers. Mission * Organizing language camps for students * Organizing in-service trainings programs for teachers* Contributing to the improvement of teaching and * Organizing enhancement programs for interestedlearning English in Morocco. students.* Supporting the orientations of the Ministry of ContactsNational Education and implementing its programs * Email: morcenet@gmail.comrelating to teaching and learning English and con- * Website: www.morce.nettributing to school life activities.* Creating spaces for cooperation, exchanging educa- * Mailing address: P.O.Box: 385? Awifaq Bensergaou,tional resources and sharing experiences and expertise Agadir 80000, Morocco.related to the teaching and learning of English. * YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/* Offering opportunities for life-long professional channel/UCOx0QNAn4rt_-ymqtgLFLWQdevelopment to teachers of English. * Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MoRCE-* Encouraging educational research and production of Net-186558924803726/ 2

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to deeply thank all the individuals who have contributed to this magazine either directly or indirectly and throughout its long gestation. Special thanks should also go to MoRCE-Net previous board members for their valuable assistance in the editing of the present issue. 3

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News CONTENTSAmina Aghris Promoting the Learner Centered Approach in the Moroccan EFL Classroom P6Lahcen Tighoula Teacher Learning Communities to Enhance Teachers’ Continuing Professional Development : Exploring the experience of TLCs in Souss Massa Daraa Academy P 14Mohamed El Maanaoui Connecting Classrooms Project : Zagora’s Experience P 23Younes Tai Corpus Linguistics in Language Teaching P 29Mohamed Bakkas Connecting Classrooms Project: :Ait Taleb, Abdelaziz. An Important Stage in my Professional Development. P 33Jamaati, Zakaria. Teaching Collocations for EFL Learners: P 37Driouch, Aziz. P 45Hassan Ait Bouzid Challenges and Practical Solutions Character EducationMohammed Mansouri A Model for Active Reflective Teaching P 49Sidi Mohamed Hamdani An Investigation of Democratic Leadership Style in P 60 Moroccan Educational Sector: A Case Study of Oued Sakia El-Hamra High School Staff 4

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT NewsEDITORIAL If You Can Read This, . . . ! Editors In accordance with its vision and goals as stipulated in its mission statement and constitution, MoRCE-Net has been doing its best to help EFL educators provideAbdellatif Zobair quality instruction; and thus prepare our students for a fast-changing world, whereArbi Mchiche both teacher and learner roles are being constantly reconsidered and redefined.Mohammed HassimSamira Idelcadi As stated in our 2016-2017 action plan, the second issue of our students’Salaheddine Belaasal magazine, Blooming Minds, came out this past October. Thumbs up for both theZakaria Jamaati magazine committee(s) –not to forget the team that worked on the first issue- as well as for all the young creative minds from all over the country that contributed to the said product! A quick overview of both issues can attest to the high quality of our students’ creativity and open-mindedness of our young leaner community. It goes without saying that such high-quality productions can but stem from well- qualified instruction. Reliable research has evidenced that teachers who are inclined to succeed and grow professionally tend to constantly reflect on their approaches and practices. Prominent teachers, however, go beyond mere reflection and share their expertise and insights with colleagues and other peers from the ELT corps. MoRCE-Net teachers’ magazine has been designed precisely for those professionals. We, therefore, are all kindly invited to use this space as a platform to either formally publish our ELT-related productions or just informally think aloud or simply speak our minds! A few years (not to say decades to frighten some souls!) ago, we were invited to a national professional development event where instructors across generations and backgrounds met and shared views and aspirations. Part of the registration procedure included a step where participants were asked to select from sets of round metal badges with different colors that had various quotations on them. One set ran out quickly. It read: “If you can read this, then thank your English teacher!” So why not seize this precious opportunity and quickly run to, talk, phone, email, post or google English teachers that quickly come to our minds at this very moment. Tell them ‘thank you’ for not just teaching us the language words or rules, but also for guiding and inspiring us; and above all helping us become what we are now; that is, creatures that are able to put down on paper abstract notions that they confine in their brains and let strong feelings off their chests! Happy Reading 5

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News Amina AGHRIS EFL Teacher Abstract A shift of focus from the traditional approaches of language teaching, that are based on transmitting knowledge to the learner, to alternative approaches that enable students to become active and responsible learners highlights the importance of adopting a learner-centered approach that positions the learner at the heart of the learning process. Thus, implementing learner centeredness in language education can facilitate the promotion of learners’ autonomy, independence and lifelong learning. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present a brief review of the concept of learner centeredness, underline the importance of implementing the approach in language education, report on the findings of a small scale research study that was conducted in order to investigate teachers and students’ attitudes towards the appropriateness and the implementation of the learner-centered approach in the Moroccan EFL classrooms, and draw practical implications for promoting learner centeredness in the Moroccan EFL learning contexts. 6

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News learners develop autonomy, independenceIntroduction and a sense of responsibility for their learning (1991: 43). Whereas Dr. Meziani (1991: 23)Promoting learner centeredness is a desirable argues that teachers cannot “teach learnerseducational outcome necessary for the everything they need to know,” They shouldeffectiveness of the teaching-learning process. be given some opportunity for active long-lifeUnlike traditional approaches, the learner- learning. For this reason, “teachers need tocentered approach gives great importance to teach not only specific language skills but alsothe learner as an integral part of the teaching- learning skills”learning process. Not only does the learner B. Defining Learner-centerednesscentered approach enable students tobecome active learners with more The learner-centered approach is an approachresponsibility for their own learning, but it that positions the learner as an equal partneralso empowers their own choices based on in the teaching-learning process. Cannon &their learning needs and interests . Newble note that “Learner-centeredness is both a concept and a practice in which learners and teachers are equal parts ofI. A Brief Review of the Literature learning and teaching processes” (1989: 16-A. The Learner- centered Approach 17). Moreover, learners’ needs are put at the centre of the learning process. Based onIn this approach, teachers are no more Weimer’s words, Matsau defines learner-considered as mere instructors and givers of centeredness as a focus on “ students’ needs,information but rather as facilitators of what and how they are learning and thelearning. Teachers are encouraged to take conditions that contribute to theirinto consideration their students’ needs and learning” (2007: 21). Learner-centerednessinterests while devising or planning their provides learners with a sense of autonomylessons. They are also called upon to actively and skills to process information, solveengage students in creating their own problems, make decisions and becomelearning. On the other hand, learners are responsible for their own learning. Thus, itviewed in the learner-centered framework as assumes that learners go through experiencesactive responsible participants in learning and that foster their autonomy and develop theirproducers of knowledge as well. responsibilities.The rationale behind the learner-centered C. The Learner Centered Approach in Englishapproach is to help students become more Language Teachingresponsible for their learning. According toOuakrime (1991: 43) adopting learner- In order to help students become effectivecentered approach is meant “to produce learners, Ouakrime (1991) suggests that it is“(…) independent learners, with enough AIR important “that learners are made aware ofin their lungs to successfully sail through their the potential usefulness of learning the targetlanguage learning journey,” that is to help language for their immediate needs and the more long-term plans they may have for their 7

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT Newsfuture lives and careers.” Being learner- 1.The Role of the Learnercentered means students’ being able to “seelearning the language as part of their The ultimate aim of learner-centeredness is toeducational experience that aims at helping make the learner responsible for his or herthem acquire new knowledge and adopt learning. This is because “Learning is mostpositive attitudes towards this effective when the learner is the initiator ofexperience.” (47) the learning process” (McLean, 1980: 271). In learner-centeredness, students learn primarilyThe learner-centered approach in language because of what they bring to their classroomteaching requires a shift to communicative experience in terms of their perceived needs,language learning. It aims to develop a motivations, past experiences, backgroundcommunicative and authentic environment knowledge, interests and creative skills.where language learners have the Learners are not blank sheets that need to beopportunity to negotiate meanings and filled with accumulated knowledge, butdevelop their communicative competence. rather active individuals who have to takeTherefore, “we should see English as a means part in constructing knowledge. That’s whyof education relating closely to the “learners need to have some AIR in theirdevelopment of the learner’s cognitive lungs; that is they should be autonomous,ability, rather than as simply the inculcation independent and responsibleof a specific series of linguistic skills” (McLean, learners” (Ouakrime, 1991: 91).1980: 272).In the same regard, Chen, J (2007) claims 2. The Role of the Teacherthat “EFL teachers should take responsibility Many education systems are based on thefor teaching learners how to learn efficiently authoritarian style of teaching and “onlyand effectively by giving support to more when the teacher’s authority recedes can theeffective learning strategies.” This requires learner be thrown back on his ownteachers to introduce suitable strategies to resources.” Khalil Gibran states that “if ameet the needs and learning styles of learners, teacher is indeed wise he does not bid youand help them gain responsibility for their enter the house of his wisdom, but ratherlearning. Once this is achieved, learners will leads you to the threshold of your ownbe able to “take an active involvement in mind.” Here McLean infers that “teaching isclassroom activities, and this will undoubtedly not so much a process of cramming outsideachieve considerable outcomes in language knowledge into the learner’s mind as drawinglearning and contributes to a pleasant out the knowledge that each of our students has within him” (1980: 270-272).environment” (2007: 58).The Learner Centered Classroom In learner-centered classrooms, the teacherThe creation of a learner-centered classroom organizes learning activities with meaningfuldepends on five main practices as articulated themes which are relevant to learners, helpsby Harris & Cullen (2010): balance of power learners develop a sense of critical andbetween teachers and learners, focus on conceptual thinking, provides opportunitiesrelevant content of the subject matter, the for students to choose their own projects androle of the teacher as a facilitator, fosteringresponsibility for learning among learners, work at their own pace, providesand using effective assessment and evaluation opportunities for collaborative learning,(65-66). varies the use of instructional strategies and methods to match student needs, encourages shared decision making, and more 8

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT Newsimportantly encourages learner autonomy and Objectives of the Studyresponsibility (Meece, 2003: 114). This study is meant to emphasize the3. Role of Materials importance of learner-centeredness as anIn learner-centeredness there is a “clearneed for the content of language-teaching essential approach of teaching and learning that has to be adopted in the Moroccan EFLmaterials to involve the learner to relate to his classrooms. The ultimate objective of thisneeds, interests, and moral concerns” (McLean, study is to raise awareness among teacher and1980: 271). Following Krashen (1981), Kisserli student respondents about the importance ofinfers that materials needed for a learner- learner centeredness for students’ educationalcentered syllabus must be “comprehensible development. A second objective is to(…) appealing to learners, challenging, varied investigate attitudes of teachers and studentsand authentic.” He also advises that the mere towards the appropriateness and thefocus on classroom materials is not enough implementation of the learner-centeredand that learners have to find outside- approach in the Moroccan EFL classrooms.classroom materials. “This search for materials And the third objective is to provide somebest suited for them will increase their sense of suggestions for implementing learnerself-directed learning” (1991: 38-39). centeredness in the Moroccan EFL classrooms.E. Appropriateness of the Learner III. Research MethodologyCentered Approach in the MoroccanEFL Classroom This study combined between two research methods and gives equal priority to both theThe learner-centered approach is sensitive to quantitative and qualitative research methodsthe notion of context. “The culture of the of investigation. In order to carry out thislearning context is as important to learning as study two research instruments were used forthe content and the methods data collection, namely the questionnaire andused” (Milambiling 2001 cited in Brown, the interview. Besides, the population samples2003: 50).Thus, consideration of learner- targeted for this study included both teacherscenteredness in the Moroccan EFL classrooms and students of English. The sampling methodhas to be analyzed. It is true that the used was convenient sampling, it had beenMoroccan EFL education is moving toward a chosen due to the accessibility of subjects andlearner-centered approach, and this is evident their willingness to respond.in the communicative approach adopted for Student-respondents ranged fromteaching English. The issue of learner undergraduates, B. A. graduates and Mastercenteredness has been raised in the Moroccan students. Students were from two universities;Association of Teachers of English (MATE) Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah University,conferences since 1988 and 1991 in which Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences, Dhardiscussions were held about having the learner Mehraz, Fes, and Mohamed Fifth University,the focus of language education. Besides, the Faculty of Letters and human Sciences, Rabat-Moroccan Resource Centres of English Agdal. High and middle school teachers, whoNetwork (MoRCE-Net) has the concept of participated in the research, taught in differentpromoting learner-centeredness among its parts of Morocco: Fez, Taza, Ouazane, Arfod,main objectives and activities. Yet, the Taounate, Missour-Outat Lhaj, Taza-Ajdir, andquestion that needs considering is to what Beni Mellal-Zaouit Cheikh.50 students’extent the learner-centered approach is questionnaires and 13 teachers’ questionnaireseffective in the Moroccan EFL classrooms? were analyzed, and interviews were conducted with 38 students and 8 teachers. 9

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT NewsIV. Results of the Study 69.23% of the respondents use peer-correction and 53.84% use self-correction as methods of correcting learners’ mistakes. They generallyA. Teachers’ Attitudes toward the use teacher-correction as a last resort. By doing Learner-Centered Approach so, they give a chance to learners to correct 1.Understanding of the Learner- themselves and benefit from their friends’ Centered Approach knowledge. The results obtained from both teachers’ 5. Materialsquestionnaires and interviews reveal that theteacher respondents understand the learner- As to the materials, the respondents said thatcentered approach. 100% of the respondents they are not sufficient, most schools lack audiostated that learner-centeredness is about the and visual materials. The only availablefocus on learners and learner’s responsibility, material is the textbook which does notand 84.61% related this concept to interaction provide enough opportunities for developingbetween learners and cooperative learning. The learners’ skills. Therefore, the teacherrespondents believe that the teacher’s role is a respondents admitted that they do their best tofacilitator of learning and a guide rather than provide other materials which can help inan instructor. Besides, most teachers opted for diversifying the lessons and the activities used.the ability to think critically, participation,discussion, interaction, preparation and 6. Appropriateness of the Learner-collaborative work as characteristics of effective Centered Approach in the Moroccan EFLlearners. Classroom 2. Students Responsibility Concerning the appropriateness of the learner-centered approach in the Moroccan EFL While about half of the respondents agreed classroom, about 53.85% of the teacher-to place responsibility in the hands of learners respondents believe that it is appropriate forto manage their own learning, the other half the Moroccan context. It is difficult anddisagreed to do so claiming that learners are challenging but it would yield positive results ifnot well qualified and cannot handle such a implemented, especially for Moroccanresponsibility. However, teacher respondents university students. Those who considered it asknow how they can make learners more inappropriate believe that large classes, lack ofresponsible and suggested problem solving materials, teachers and students’ unwillingnessactivities, critical thinking, and collaborative along with the current infrastructure of schoolswork as essential activities in developing hinder its implementation.responsibility and creativity in learners. B.Students’ Attitudes toward the Learner 3.Learners’ Individual Differences -Centered Approach 1.Effective Learning Most respondents asserted that they do notget to know learners’ individual differences Generally, learners are aware of whatsince there are large classes and few hours of constitutes effective learning. Learners admitteaching. Nevertheless, about 92% of the that their teachers engage them in the learningrespondents admitted that learners’ life process through various methods of teaching.experiences can bring something new to the Almost all students asserted that their teacherslearning process. give them the opportunity to participate, and share their opinions. According to the 4. Methods of Correction respondents, teachers correct students’ mistakes 10

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT Newsin a constructive way that causes no decision making concerning their methods ofembarrassment. Rather, they thought such a learning, and they want to be helped by theirnovel way of correcting mistakes is likely to teacher to develop more intrinsic andmake students want to learn more. extrinsic motivation.2. Students’ Preparation It is worth mentioning that learner- centeredness is already implemented in someStudents are aware of the importance of courses. Although not all teachers use it in thepreparation for their courses; they know undergraduate level, quite a few use it inwhat to do beforehand and how they can master’s programs. Master students representenrich the discussion by reading materials and the category that knows the importance ofsearching for more information on the subject learner-centeredness and it is the one thatmatter. Most respondents stated that they encourages and approves of theprepare lessons that they are most interested implementation of such an approach.in. V . Implications for Implementation3.Assessment The results obtained from this studyAs deduced from the collected data most suggest that many measures should be takenstudents are eager about taking part in in order to improve the quality of Moroccanassessment. They want to do so in order to Education and establish learner-centerednessknow both their strengths and weaknesses in the educational system.and on that basis improve their performance. A. Decrease Reliance on the Teacher4. Becoming Autonomous Learners Learners are aware of the importance ofConcerning learner-centeredness, data being effectively engaged in the learninggathered suggest that learners have the process, yet they rely a lot on their teachers.potential of being autonomous but with the So, it is suggested that this reliance decreasesaid of teachers. Despite not being taught in a if learners want to achieve high qualityfully teacher-centered context, learners still performance.show some dependence on the teacher tohelp them and guide them in the learning B. Assume Independent Rolesprocess. This is especially common among Learners may consider practicing what theyundergraduates who prefer teachers to be think are the roles of learners, and take theirfacilitators of learning, yet expect them to studies seriously. It is true that teachers havekeep their traditional role as instructors. In an essential role in the teaching-learninggeneral, students, especially master students, process, but students need to assume theirshowed willingness to adopt learner- role as independent learners capable ofcenteredness and abide by its principle since meeting the demands of their educationalthey are in a level that allows for system.autonomous learning.5.Students’ Desires C. Motivate StudentsMost students-respondents consider a Learners are not helpless in the way theyfacilitator of learning as the best role of the study. Most of the student-respondents haveteacher. They want their teachers to take the potential to work effectively, assumestudents’ different styles and needs into responsibility, take part in decision makingconsideration. They want to have a say in and contribute in the improvement of 11

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT Newseducation in Morocco. Therefore, it is may inhibit the implementation of thepreferable that teachers motivate their approach, it would prove to be effective ifstudents and give them more opportunities teachers and students collaborate together tofor being active contributors to the learning meet the demands of learner-centeredness,process. try to overcome difficulties and invest effort and time to make it a reality in the MoroccanD. Consider Students’ Needs EFL classrooms. This is not to say a farewellTeachers need to figure out solutions to to the teacher-centered approach, but to takeovercome the obstacles that hinder the from both approaches, and combine theirimplementation of learner-centeredness. They advantages so that education in Moroccocan develop interesting methods of teaching could witness more promising results in theby considering students’ different styles and future.needs. They can also give students a spacefor fruitful discussion and feedback. Teachersare equally encouraged to share theoutcomes of assessment with students andenhance their critical thinking abilities.E. Implementing Learner Centeredness BibliographyIt is the role of both learners and teachers topromote learner-centeredness in all coursesand especially in the EFL classrooms. This is Antón, M. (1999). The Discourse of a Learner-along with the aid of decision makers to Centered Classroom: Sociocultural Perspectives onprovide more effective materials, develop the Teacher-Learner Interaction in the Second-Languagecontext of learning and improve the Classroom. The Modern Language Journal. 83 (3), 303-318.infrastructure of schools, and moreimportantly reduce the number of students in Brown, K. L. (2003). From Teacher-Centered toeach class. Besides, more teaching trainings Learner-Centered Curriculum: Improving Learning inshould be provided in order to help teachers Diverse Classrooms. Education, 124 (1), 49-54.get used to the learner-centered approach. Brush, T & Saye, J. (2000). Implementation and Evaluation of a Student-Centered Learning Unit: A Case Study. Educational Technology Research andConclusion Development. 48 (3), 79-100. The outcome of this study confirmed that Cannon, R. & Newble, D. (1989). A Handbook forboth Moroccan teachers and students have Teachers in Universities and Colleges. (2nd ed.).generally positive attitudes toward the London: Kogan Page.implementation of the learner-centered Harris, M & Cullen, R. (2010). Leading the Learner-approach with the hope to improve the Centered Campus: An Administrator’s Framework forcontext of learning and education in general. Improving Student Learning Outcomes. San Francisco:It is worth mentioning that the findings of Jossey-Bass.this study are by no means generalizable since Hyde, M. (1991). The Learner-Centred Approach: Itsthe study has been limited only to two Appropriateness For The Moroccan Classroom. Theuniversities and a limited number of teachers English Language Teaching in the Maghreb: Focus onand students. However, it is high time the the Learner. Proceedings of the 12th MATE Annual Conference, Tetouan, 13-20learner-centered approach started to beimplemented in the Moroccan EFLclassrooms. Regardless of the obstacles that 12

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT NewsKisserli, A. (1991). Is Learner-Centredness Possible in Webliographythe Maghrebi Classroom? English Language Teaching inthe Maghreb: Focus on the Learner. Proceedings of the Altan, M. Z. & Trombly, C. Creating a Learner-12th MATE Annual Conference, Tetouan, 37-42 Centered Teacher Education Program. Retreived April 18, 2011 from http://eca.state.gov/forum/vols/vol39/McLean , A. C. (1980). Destroying the Teacher: The no3/p28.htmNeed for Learner-Centred Teaching. A ForumAnthology: Selected Articles from the English Teaching Chen, J. (2007). How to Adopt Learner-CenteredForum 1979-1983, 269-272. Approach in Chinese EFL Context. The International Journal of Language Society and Culture. 22, 57-61.Meece, J. L. (2003). Applying Learner-Centered Retreived April 17, 2011 from http://Principles to Middle School Education. Theory into www.educ.utas.edu.au/users/tle/JOURNAL/Practice. 42 (2), 109-116. issues/2007/22.7.pdfMeziani, A. (1991). Focus on the Learner: The Risk of Matsau, M. A. (2007). Investigating the Learner-Jumping on the Bandwagon Too Soon. English Centred Approach in Language Teaching in Lesotho.Language Teaching in the Maghreb: Focus on the (Master Thesis). Victoria University. 1-185. RetreivedLearner. Proceedings of the 12th MATE Annual April 17, 2011 from http://wallaby.vu.edu.au/adt-Conference, Tetouan, 21-25. VVUT/uploads/approved/adt-Miliani, M. (1991). Self-Access Learning: It Takes VVUT20071030.140534/public/02whole.pdfResourceful Learners to Be Autonomous. English Nonkukhetkhong, K. Baldauf, R. B Jr & Moni, K.Language Teaching in the Maghreb: Focus on the (2006). Learner-Centeredness in Teaching English as aLearner. Proceedings of the 12th MATE Annual Foreign Language. Teachers’ Voices, 19 (21), 1-9.Conference, Tetouan, 68-71. Retreived April 17, 2011 from http://O’Brien, J. G. (2008). The Course Syllabus: A Learning espace.library.uq.edu.au/-Centered Approach. (B. Millis, M. W. Cohen & R. eserv.phppid=UQ:8562&dsID=K_B_MThaiTESOL06.M. Diamon, Eds.). (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey- pdfBassOrill, C. H. (2001). Building Technology-Based,Learner-Centered Classrooms: The Evolution of aProfessional Development Framework. EducationalTechnology Research and Development. 49 (1), 15-34.Ouakrime, M. (1988) The Neglected Species NeedSome \"AIR\": Focus on the Learner' in MATE, ELT inMorocco: Directions for the Nineties. Proceedings ofthe 8th National MATE Conference, March 1988,Rabat. 64-68.Ouakrime, M. (1991). Teaching Learners or HelpingThem to Learn: That is the Question? English LanguageTeaching in the Maghreb: Focus on the Learner.Proceedings of the 12th MATE Annual Conference,Tetouan, 43-50.Ramsey, V. J. & Fitzgibbons, D. E. (2005). Being in theClassroom. Journal of Management Education. 29 (2),333-356.Schuh, K. L. (2003). Knowledge Construction in theLearner-Centered Classroom. Journal of EducationalPsychology, 95 (2), 426-442.Weimer, M. (2002). Learner-Centred teaching: Fivekey Changes to Practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 13

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News Lahcen Tighoula ELT supervisor, Essmara Abstract This article summarizes a part of my research paper on the role of teacher learning communities in enhancing teachers’ continuing professional development, conducted to obtain my ELT supervisor credential, 2012/2014. I begin the article with a general background to TLCs, and then provide an overview of the experience of establishing TLCs in Souss Massa Daraa academy. I conclude with ways of improving TLCs and recommendations for various parties. 14

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT NewsBackground for TLCs: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” Alvin Toffler, author and futuristTeacher learning:Central to TLCs is the concept of teacher learning. Research shows that for teachers to beeffective and cater for the job, they should themselves believe in the process of change(Greene.M.L, 1992). In other words, teacher effectiveness is dependent on teacher beliefs andattitudes. We cannot possibly expect to change the beliefs and practices of teachers if theyhaven’t taken the decision to learn (Ibid).Two important questions that follow are: What is the nature of teacher learning? How can teachers learn effectively?Dana and Yendol-Hoppey (2008) identify three types of teacher learning:knowledge for practice knowledge in practice knowledge of practiceIn-service days, “sit-and-get Knowledge gained as a result of Gained by systematic inquiry intoworkshops: teachers learn a new testing out the knowledge for one’s practices and knowledge, aspedagogy by an outside expert practice. Teachers learn from well as those of others. By collabora-and are expected to implement it reflecting on their practices and tively problematizing teaching andin their classroom (which is not experiences, from collaboration learning, teachers broaden theiralways easy). The expertise of with colleagues, peer-coaching knowledge of their classes and ana-the teachers is generally not rec- and mentoring. lyze the wider context to identify fac-ognized or shared. tors that inhibit learning (eg. Socio- cultural or political factors).The traditional conception of teacher training tends to content itself with the first level ofknowledge (knowledge for practice). Wald and Castleberry (2000: 7) call this the “trainingfood chain”: the institution decides on the content of the training and hires an expert, theteacher implements it in class and then students are tested to see how much they absorb. Such amodel hasn’t proven to assist teachers in meeting the increasingly challenging nature of today’scomplex classes. (Wald and Castleberry, 2000: 8).The current trend is that in order to achieve effective professional development, all the threetypes of teacher knowledge need to be developed (Dana and Yendol-Hoppey, 2008). In otherwords, teachers at times need to be updated with skills and knowledge (first level), but shouldbe allowed to test out what they learn and consider the reality of their classes (second level).Most importantly, opportunities should be created for them to collaborate and engage in actionresearch (third level).One framework that has recently been advocated for effective teacher learning is theestablishment of teacher learning communities: 15

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News “Professional learning communities serve to connect and network groups of professionals to do just what their name entails – learn from practice. They meet on a regular basis and their time together is often structured by the use of protocols to ensure focused, deliberate conversation and dialogue by teachers about student work and student learning.” Dana and Yendol-Hoppey (2008) “Ongoing teams that meet on a regular basis, preferably several times a week, for the purposes of learning, joint lesson planning, and problem solving” NSDC, 2009b: 01, cited in Hunzicker, (2010: 07)From the above quotes, we deduce three main roles of TLCs: They facilitate structured professional networking; They enable mutual learning among teachers; They generate focused conversation about learning and instruction.In the literature produced in North America and Canada, a TLC is also called a professionallearning community (PLC) (see Hargreaves et al, 2010; Hunzicker, 2010; Tarnoczi, 2006;Wald and Castleberry, 2000). The only difference is that a professional learning communityis a general term meaning a community of professionals learning collaboratively. A TLC, asthe term suggests, is restricted to teachers. In this article, TLCs and PLCs will be usedinterchangeably.TLC-related concepts:The available literature relates the origins of teacher learning communities to four mainconcepts: enquiry, reflection, collaborative professional development, and the school as asocial system. Inquiry: as early as 1929, John Dewy argued that “educational practices provide the data, the subject matter, which form the problems of inquiry.” Dewy called for a democratic approach towards educational research, by arguing that educational practitioners and all the educational community have to address the common challenges. Reflection: We can say that a teacher is reflective when s/he analyses his/her own actions and their effects on the others, and therefore move gradually from novice to expert (Thomas and Montgomery, 1998). Collaborative professional development: defined by Johnston as “any sustained and systematic investigation into teaching and learning in which a teacher voluntarily collaborates with others involved in the teaching process, and in which professional development is a prime purpose”. The school as a social learning system: learning comes out of an interaction between what an individual knows and what the community has established as common knowledge (Vickers, 1987; Wenger, 2000). For example, when a teacher joins a school, s/he brings some experience, but also has to learn from the knowledge base of the school community: how they deal with problems, approach students, or manage resources. This way, the school becomes a social system where learning is an interactive engagement that fosters belonging. 16

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT NewsTherefore, any community of professionals which embraces and fosters the above concepts can be called a learning community.The diverse approaches to TLCs in three delegations of SMD academy:To explore the experiences of establishing TLCs in Souss Massa Daraa region, I interviewed three supervisors in Agadir, Taroudant, and Tiznit. They generally hold common beliefs about TLCs and, at the same time, quite different views about their implementation.The supervisor in Agadir, Mr Abdellatif Zoubair, adopts TLCs as the main framework for teacher professional development. All pedagogical meetings are organized in the form of a TLC. All teachers of English are considered members of a TLC. In my interview with the supervisor, he stated that, throughout his 25 years experience in educational supervision, he has realized that the most effective tool to real professional development is engagement in a reflective and collaborative practice. His evaluation of supervision showed that the training sessions led by the supervisor are generally ineffective. In his view, recommending a certain teaching strategy, demonstrating it does not mean that teachers will automatically implement it. This means that transforming teaching practices must necessarily go through changing attitudes and convictions; and this cannot be done without an active engagement of teachers in their own professional development.The TLC meetings in this delegation are run in a democratic and participatory manner, which is a positive aspect. Also, there is a good level of professionalism as far as organization is concerned. The venue is appropriate and comfortable for holding TLC meetings. Timing is handled very well, and attendance is normal. Also, teachers exchange ideas, reflect on their practices and discuss practical teaching techniques.The ELT supervisor in Tiznit, Mr Tayeb Idihya, opted for a different approach. He did not adopt TLCs as the main framework for professional development. He considers that it must be voluntary and completely autonomous. That’s why he didn’t use to attend the TLC meetings regularly. He left it to the TLC members to decide on the venue and time of holding the meetings. TLC leaders give brief accounts of their work to other teachers during pedagogical meetings.The ELT supervisor in Taroudant, Mr Mohammed Hassim, has recently adopted a modified version of the TLC model in his supervisory area. Rather than turn all pedagogical meetings into TLC meetings, he made membership in learning communities optional, but strongly recommended it and provided all the support for TLCs. For him, a TLC is a team that has a specific project and follows an action plan to complete it. He set up the project teams on a voluntary basis and provided a set of projects based on the needs of teachers. For example, one team has been working on testing and assessment, which, for the supervisor, is a real problem in the area. Each team is composed of less than ten teachers, and a coordinator manages communication and makes sure the agenda is being followed and the end product is presented on time. The product in the case of the testing and assessment team is a booklet that contains tests, quizzes for all levels, and which respect the standards and 17

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT Newsand criteria. The team coordinator presents an update report in each pedagogical meeting. When all teams finish their work, usually at the end of the academic year, the teams present the end products to the other colleagues.What we have here are three approaches to the implementation of TLCs: 1- a systematic adoption of the model as the main official professional development framework, in the case of Agadir delegation; 2- limited experimentation of the model as a marginal self-development framework for teachers in the case of Tiznit, and; 3- a pragmatic adaptation of the model to serve the supervisor’s educational project in his area, the case of Taroudant.Agadir delegation is relatively easier to manage, in comparison with Taroudant and Tiznit delegations, which are geographically scattered. The supervisor has managed to find a very suitable venue for TLC meetings, which is a spacious training center in the city centre. Also, the supervisor believes in the central role of reflective practice and thinks the TLC members can help each other cope with the technical aspects of classroom teaching. This encourages and motivates teachers to take the lead and assume responsibility for their own CPD. These factors actually facilitate holding TLCs and provide a favorable atmosphere for collegial work. Most importantly, the TLC members have a shared vision about what constitutes effective teaching.The supervisor in Tiznit delegation holds very positive attitude towards TLCs and their importance in enhancing professional practice and nurturing educational leadership. His style is based on providing moral support for TLCs but granting them autonomy from the official work of the supervisor. This way, TLCs work outside the pedagogical meetings and are not necessarily in line with the supervisor’s agenda and project.The approach of the supervisor in Taroudant draws from an evaluation of his previous experience of implementing TLCs in Zagora, which is relatively smaller and less vast than Taroudant. The objective of the supervisor has been to keep the spirit of TLCs as teams of teachers who work collaboratively to achieve common goals, and ensure that they serve the supervisory project, which is based on evaluation of teachers’ needs. Thus, TLCs work in parallel with the supervisor within a non-directive participatory leadership style. In this approach, although membership in a TLC is not mandatory, the supervisor adopts a motivational approach by constantly giving the floor to team leaders to update the other teachers during the pedagogical meetings about the progress of the TLC. The sense of achievement which is reflected in the project-based TLC work, the supervisor hopes, would encourage more and more teachers to join the teams later. The approach here is relevant, motivational and pragmatic.Teachers’ perspectives explored:To have an overall evaluation of the TLCs experience in SMD academy, a questionnaire was sent to Agadir TLC members (81 teachers) and a sample of TLC participants was interviewed. I held semi-structured conversations with the following teachers: Mr Abeljalil Elhariri, Mr Hamid Elouardi, Mrs Widad Tazi Chibi, Mr Salaheddine Belaassal, and Mrs Soumaya Amgoune. These teachers hold very positive attitudes about TLCs 18

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT Newsand are aware of their role in enhancing teacher collaborative professional development and promoting reflective practice. The interviews revealed a few elements that need improvement, especially the need for more peer-observation, more analysis of learning artifacts, and more care for the needs of middle school teachers.How to Improve TLCs:In their evaluation of building a learning community for pre-service and in-service teachers, Watson and Steele (2006) concluded that while learning communities have benefits, they face a major problem: rigid attitudes of some teachers who hold views that are not consistent with the objectives of a community. They concluded that building a successful learning community needs time.Tarnoczi (2006) warns TLC leaders against a mechanical view of teacher education, by embracing “unifying rituals” and standardizing the teaching practice in a way that excludes individual differences. Wood and Whitford (2010) also contend that professional learning communities should avoid turning teachers into technicians and, on the contrary, should promote teachers as professionals who develop knowledge and share it. In order to improve TLCs, they suggest some changes. Teachers’ work should be more open to critique and easily monitored. Also, they have noticed that TLCs need to train teachers to grasp the goals and priorities of the educational system, so that they can respond to the changing student needs. Most importantly, learning communities need to cultivate a culture of accountability for student results. In order to do this, TLC members should collect student data and continuously scrutinize it so that they can deal with learners’ difficulties and needs.A more useful proposition for improving professional learning communities is Easton’s (2009) recommendation to use protocols in a more systematic manner. These are guidelines for professional conversation, based on norms that the PLC members agree upon in order to make communication effective. Easton elaborated on four types of protocols:protocols for examining student work:protocols for examining professional practice:Protocols for addressing issues and problems:Protocols for effective discussions:Dana and Yendol-Hoppey (2008: 45-47) argue that it is essential for TLCs to study student data, since the aim is to improve learning. They think that TLC leaders can do this by “insisting that student data is a regular artifact of the regular group meetings. Data includes, but is not limited to, standardized test data, formative assessment, summative assessment, authentic assessment, performance-based assessment, student work, and attitude/surveys.” They insist that teachers should be encouraged to bring both good and bad data, and share it with colleagues for scrutiny. This, they suggest, 19

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT Newscan be done in the work of a workshop.From a leadership perspective, Fullan (2008) called for extending professional learning communities to the whole school staff, by using the capacity of the members of these communities to build others’ capacities. In other words, they should not contend themselves only with what happens in meeting rooms, but involve the members of the school community in embracing the shared vision and working together to implement it. Such “collective leadership” (Fullan, 2003), has been confirmed by research. For example, in a study of 90 schools in 45 districts, Leithwood and Mascall (2008) found a significant proportion of variation between collective leadership and student performance. A similar study done by Printy (2008) confirmed the same results. This tells us that TLCs, as frameworks for collaboration, can be improved by strengthening shared leadership and extending this mechanism to the whole school community.Practical Implications and recommendations:Implications for TeachersJoining a teacher learning community has many invaluable benefits. Teachers who are members of TLCs build trust within the group and share their successful practices as well as their problems and grievances with the current school system. Members also develop a sense of camaraderie that leads to more socialization. TLC members also develop effective leadership. By taking turns to lead TLC sessions and facilitate dialogue, teachers gradually improve inter-personal communication skills and learn how to solve problems in a collegial manner. This increases self-confidence and helps teacher leaders to qualify for further leadership tasks beyond TLCs. Teachers should seize the opportunity of being a TLC member to bring their teaching problems to the table and get help from colleagues. They should open to criticism. An important recommendation for teachers is to focus on student learning while planning for TLC meetings. This can be done using multiple techniques. First, teachers working in the same school should carry out peer-observation in order to identify, explore and analyze their teaching practices and identify strengths and weaknesses. Peer- observation should be done within an action research scheme, so that theory is brought at the service of practice. Second, teachers should keep a teaching journal or a professional portfolio to document and reflect on their action research projects and peer-observation activities. Setting up a resource centre is also important as a platform to provide learning opportunities for students and also for teachers in the same school to build a learning community. The resource centre can have the double function of supporting learning and holding meetings of the school-based TLC.Implications for supervisors:Supervisors can benefit from establishing TLCs by having their teachers develop levels of trust in sharing their practice and enhancing their teaching practice to improve the students' learning. Supervisors may not be ideal facilitators or TLC leaders themselves, as their presence may limit open discussions. By sharing the leadership in TLCs, supervisors can delegate more work to senior teachers who may coach other teachers 20

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT Newsin TLCs and in the schools. Eventually, teachers may become more self-directed in their professional learning. For novice supervisors or those who are new to their supervisory areas, it is not advisable to start TLCs right away. They should take some time to know the teachers very well and evaluate the context to determine whether or not a TLC has the necessary conditions to succeed. As for the supervisors who know teachers well and have a positive evaluation of the context, setting up a TLC is highly recommended for the benefits already stated. Starting with a pilot group is helpful to ensure the first experience is successful and motivating for other teachers. The pilot group should be made of volunteers who are highly motivated.In parallel with teacher learning communities, it is recommended that supervisors help teachers and schools set up resource centers, as they focus mainly on student learning and help incorporate formative assessment and learner-centered activities as tools for improving instruction. When resource centers are well-established, they can become the backbone of TLCs, as spaces for teacher collaboration that focuses on improving learning.Another recommendation for supervisors is providing incentives for TLC members in the form of end-of-year certificates of participation, mentioning TLC members and leadres’ contribution in their official appraisal reports.Implications for Schools:Schools may be positively influenced by the improvement in both teaching and learning. Students may benefit from the various teaching techniques learned by the teachers and from the fact that teachers work together for their benefit. Especially when TLCs adopt a project-based approach which focuses directly on learning and produces concrete outcomes, students could benefit from improved teaching materials, and innovative learning contexts, such as English clubs, resource centers and ICT platforms. Schools, therefore, should support TLCs when they are established, by providing logistical and administrative help. They should also facilitate setting up school-based TLCs when teachers decide to create them.Implications for ministry training program unit:A 21st century motto for education is that the quality of an educational system depends on the quality of its teachers. Up to now, unlike in other countries such as the UK, we do not have an official program for continuing professional development in Morocco. The ministry relies on providing in-service training which usually has a top-down nature. The content of the ministry’s in-service training programs is always pre-set, and the teachers’ needs are not carefully considered. The supervisors are supposed to help teachers develop professionally, but there aren’t clear mechanisms to do so, and the resources are not provided for teachers to pursue lifelong learning under an accountability system. It is high time we started empowering teachers and supervisors by working on a national framework for continuing professional development. Teacher learning communities might be adopted in this regard. 21

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT NewsREFERENCES:Dana, N.F. and Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2008).The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Professional Development, Corwin Press, California.Dewy, J. (1929).The Sources of a Science of Education. New York: Horace Liveright.Darling-Hammond, L., & Richardson, N. (2009). Teacher learning: What matters? Educational Leadership.Dufour, R. and Eaker, R. (1998) Professional Learning Communities at Work: Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Alexandria, VA.Fullan, M. (2008), What’s Worth Fighting for in the Principalship, Second edition, Teacher’s College Press, New York and LondonGreene.M.L, (1992) Teacher supervision as professional development: Does it work? Journal of curriculum and supervision, Winter 1992, Vol 7, No 2, 131-148Hargreaves, A.Lieberman, A. Fullan, M. and Hopkins, D (2010).Second International Handbook of Educational Change, part 1, Springer, London and New York.Hawley, W. and Valli, L. (1999).The Essentials of Effective Professional Development: a New Consensue, In Darling-Hammond, L. and Sykes, G. Teaching as the Learning Profession. Handbook of Policy and Practice.In Fleming, J. and Kleinhenz, E (2007).Towards a Moving School, Australian Council for Educational Research, Victoria.Hunzicker, J. (2010). Characteristics of effective professional development: A checklist. Online Submission.Retrieved from ERIC database.Johnson, E.K (2006). The Sociocultural Turn and its Challenges for Second Language Teacher Education, TESOL Quarterly, 40(1), 235-257.Johnston, B. (2009). Collaborative Teacher Development, in Burns, A. and Richards, J. (2009). The Cambridge Guide to Second Language Teacher Education, Cambridge Uiversity Press, New YorkJohnson, E.K (2009). Trends in Second Language Teacher Education. In Burns, A. and Richards, J. (2009). The Cambridge Guide to Second Language Teacher Education, Cambridge Uiversity Press, New YorkLeithwood, K. and Mascall, B. Collective leadership effects on Student Achievement. Educational Administration Quarterly, 44 (4), 529 – 561.McLaughlin, L.W. and Talbert, J.E (2006). Building School-based Teacher Learning Communities, Teachers’ college press, Columbia University, New York and LondonNational Staff Development Council (2009) NSDC Standards: Learning.Printy, S.M. (2008).Leadership for Teacher Learning: a community of Practice Perspective. Educational Administration Quarterly, 44 (2), 187 – 226.Skerrett, A. (2010). “There’s going to be community. There’s going to be knowledge”: Designs for learning in a standardized age. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26.Tarnoczi, J. (2006). Critical Reflections on Professional Learning Communities in Alberta, ElectronicJournal of Sociology (2006), http://www.sociology.org/content/2006/tier2/tarnoczi.htmlVickers, G. (2010). Insights into appreciation and learning systems.Chapter 2 in Blackmore, C. (2010).Social learning systems and communities of practice.Springer.The Open University. UK 22

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News Mohamed Elmaanaoui ELT supervisor trainee 0. Introduction In recent years, like other Moroccan high schools, students at Sidi Ahmed Bennacer High School in Zagora have benefited from effective projects and programs. These include YES program, Techgirls program, Access and Connecting Classroom Project (CCP). This article provides an overview of the CCP work carried out over the period of one year with groups of students in Sidi Ahmed Bennacer High School ( SABHS).It first introduces the rationale of CCP.Then it reports on some of the International School Award (ISA) activities conducted in SABHS. Finally, it shows the impact of ISA activities on teachers, students, and the local community. 23

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News1. RationaleCCP is a British Council global programme in so many countries. In Morocco,the first initiave was carried out during the school years 2009-2012. Jointlywith the Moroccan Ministry for Education and the British Council, NorthYorkshire Local Authority launched this programme to match the needs ofMoroccan primary and high schools.This project started in two RegionalAcademies for Education and Training: Gharb Chrarda Beni Hssen and SoussMassa Draa (SMD). There were twelve clusters of schools in SMD RegionalAcademy which created partnerships with clusters of schools in the UK.CCP inSMD was effectively supervised by two main cluster coordinators :Mr.Mohammed Hassim and Mr. Abdellatif Zoubair.The programme has three major components. These embrace professionaldevelopment for internationalising education, collaborative curriculumprojects and International School Award (ISA).At the end of the programme, CCP clusters in SMD managed to submit theirportfolios of evidence to the British Council in Rabat. Portfolios encompassedat least seven main activities and two or three supplementary activities; all ofthem had an international dimension. As a result of their systematic andregular work, eight CCP clusters in SMD won ISA. Among these clusters ofschools is Sidi Ahmed Bennacer High School in Zagora.2. ISA main activities2 .1. Career Fair EventThe students are constantly working toward their Baccalaureate exams inorder to pursue a higher education, but rarely have any of them visited auniversity campus or interviewed someone who works in the field theyeventually wish to enter. The Career Fair provided them with the opportunityto interact with successful professionals and current university students, mostof whom had already attended a similar event at Sidi Ahmed Bennacer HighSchool. Along with United States Peace Corps Volunteers, these alumniconducted presentations and workshops over the course of two days, sharingtheir expertise, personal and educational experiences, tips for success, andrecommendations for the future generation. The four hundred students inattendance built resumé-writing skills, practiced interviewing, and learned 24

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT Newsprofessional etiquette for the workplace. These practical skills will be of vitalimportance to the students as they pursue further education and careers aftergraduating from high school2.2. American FootballThe purpose of this activity was for the pupils to become exposed to a sportfrom another country. This activity provided pupils with the opportunity tolearn an American sport and interact with a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer whofacilitated the 3 -day training sessions. Additionally, physical health and exercisewere promoted to both genders of pupils as they played the sport together. Atthe end of the activity, there was a high interest level of 10 pupils, whichresulted in continual practices after school. Also, in partnership with the U.S.Embassy and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, 7 pupils (4 females and 3males) participated in a 10-day American Flag-Football Camp that took placein Tigrigra, Morocco. Youth from Bouarfa, Goul-mima, Errachidia, Tinjdad,Erfoud, Azrou, and Tigrigra participated in the camp. Participants had theprivilege of learning from 10 U.S. Peace Corps volunteers. The focus of thecamp was to increase the knowledge and technical skills required of the sportas well as promote the game with the hope that youth would be inspired toform their own American Flag- Football teams in their hometowns. At the endof the camp, the pupils expressed the desire to start their own Flag-Football.2.3. Together for HumanityPart of being a global citizen means having the skills and training necessary tohelp others. In this activity, students learned how to act knowledgeably inemergency situations in order to potentially save themselves and others. Afteran initial safety lesson, pupils researched how to behave in life-threateningsituations on their own and then put their knowledge to the test. In a practicaldemonstration, students replicated real-life emergencies, such as findingsomeone unconscious, injured, drowning, or electrocuted, and showed theirpeers the techniques necessary to save the victim's life. Under the supervisionof staff members, students broke into pairs to practice what they had learned.The two hundred students who participated in this event gained the practicalknowledge and confidence to act capably in an emergency and potentiallysave someone's life. 25

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News2.4. International Sun DayThe sun plays an important part in the lives of Zagora's citizens. Located in theSahara Desert, Zagora experiences the brutality of the sun's heat, particularlyduring the summer, but can also benefit from scientific research focused onharnessing the sun's power for positive application. Students learned about thesolar system, and then small groups researched and presented on a particularaspect of solar energy.Students had the opportunity to visit the Electricity Plant for the ZagoraProvince. After the pupils’ presentations with the staff, the plant's directortaught them about electricity and solar energy, stressing the importance ofrenewable and alternative energy. He treated the students to a practicaldemonstration of solar energy, showing them a solar panel that caused anattached bulb to light and mobile phone to recharge. In this manner, studentswere able to experience the effectiveness of solar power firsthand in their owncommunity.2.5. Earth Day Earth Day is an international day of environmental awareness. Mostimportantly, participating students were taught about environmental issues thatdirectly impact them locally and how they can make a difference. They learnedthe \"3 Rs\" - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle- and how to imple-ment thesetechniques in their everyday lives.Members of the United States Peace Corps and the local society Association desArts Plastiques Zagora taught the youth how to recycle rubbish into art,painted murals at the Women's Center, and facilitated skits that emphasized theimportance of environmental conservation.In addition, a group of students from Bedale High School working inconjunction with Sidi Ahmed Bennacer High School investigated the use andstorage of water in the United Kingdom and compared it to how water isstored in Morocco. Students documented how much water they use and howto reduce waste. This type of awareness is vital, as it can be implemented on apersonal level with potential for a large impact. 26

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News3. Impact of ISA activitiesISA activities have certainly had a long- lasting, deepened and broadenedimpact on countless promising students in Zagora, particularly at Sidi AhmedBennacer High school.Also, teachers involved in these activities have learned alot from the project. The administrators and the community have positivelybeen affected by the outstanding outcomes of the project.3.1 TeachersISA award is valid for three years (2012-2015). Thus, teachers involved in ISAactivities have become highly motivated to work with international partnerson various projects. To illustrate, teachers of science won an internationalaward thanks to an effective tree planting day. Teachers of physics continue tocarry out activities with partner schools internationally. To put it simply, as aresult of this project, teachers are :identitying areas for professional developmentbenchmarking their teaching practices with partner school, Bedale High Schoolin the UKdemonstrating their dedication and commitment to make projects successful.thinking of the sustainability of CCP3.2 StudentsCCP students in Zagora have really benefited from this outstanding project.There were 14 ISA activities which were done during the school year 2011-2012. These provided learners with adequate life and knowledge skills.Theylived out their dreams and explored their potential. Zagora Festival ofStudents’Talents organised on June 2nd , 2011, was an enjoyable experience forCCP students in that the event gave them a sense of achievement and sustainedtheir motivation. Local CCP show and Regional show, organised in Zagora andAgadir in April, 2012, were also great opportunities for CCP students todevelop their linguistic skills and display their talents. Academically, studentspassed natinoal exams successfully and their English marks were really high. 27

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News3.3 The communityCCP activities were not confined to the walls of the school. So many activitieswere organised at Dar attaqafa ( the house of culture).Over 400 peopleattended events such as Zagora Festival of Students’Talents and Career FairEvent. The outcome of success of these events was phenomenal. Days after theevents, when we encountered local people, they were excited and expressedtheir desire to send their kids to take part in such activities.ConclusionIn this paper, I have given an overview of the work done within ConnectingClassrooms Project in a remote area called Zagora. I have also shown its impacton teachers, students and the whole community.It will be interesting to conduct research on how extraordinary programmessuch as CCP have a deep impact on learners from underprivileged backgroundand impoverished areas. 28

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News Younes Tai Phd student Since the 1960s, electronic corpora have come to prominence as a resource used by linguists. While their use remains a source of debate and controversy to this day, their contribution to linguistics in general, and English linguistics in particular, as well as to language teaching, is now widely acknowledged. Corpus tools have not only strengthened the position of descriptive linguistics, but have also enhanced theoretically oriented linguistic research. This contribution has been felt most strongly in English linguistics, as it was pioneering work undertaken on English language corpora, such as the Brown corpus (Francis and Kuãera 1964), which set the agenda for much of the work that has been undertaken using corpora since then. In this article I will examine the nature of corpus linguistics, review the general contribution of corpora to linguistic theory and then explore in more depth the contribution of corpora in the study of language change and the teaching of English as a foreign language. 29

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT NewsBefore the existence of corpora, linguistic description relied very much onnative-speaker intuition and introspection. Native-speakers normally describewhat they know about language, or what they perceive language to be, ratherthan how language is used. Examining specific instances of language use givesinsights into how language works which would never have been obtained bysimply introspecting about the language system. Such insights result in ourconstruing the linguistic system in a different way. So far, corpus-based studieshave focused on four main types of description and analysis: lexicalcollocation by examining the frequency and context of occurrence of linguisticitems, syntactic patterning based on co-occurrence of grammatical word-classtags, genre analysis based on the co-occurrence of groups of linguistic items andprocesses and discourse structure and cohesion in spoken and written English.The findings of the studies, particularly word-based studies, have importantimplications for second or foreign language teaching.In EFL and ESL situations, learners do not have the same amount of exposureto the target language as they do in L1 situations. Therefore, it is safe topresume that in most cases they are unlikely to acquire the language efficientlywithout systematic guidance on linguistic forms. By focusing on words whichhave a high frequency of occurrence and by concentrating on the usual ratherthan the exceptional, teachers can help learners acquire the language moreefficiently, especially at elementary and intermediate levels. The findings ofcorpus analysis can be used as a basis for selecting and sequencing linguisticcontent, as well as for determining relative emphases. A number of studieshave observed discrepancies between corpus findings and the selection of andemphasis given to linguistic content in ESL and EFL textbooks and curriculum.As early as the sixties, George (1963, cited in Kennedy 1998: 283) studied acorpus of English that was based on written texts and found that the highestfrequency of occurrence of the simple present is not to indicate habitualactions, such as \"I go to school by bus every day\" (5.5%), but rather the actualpresent, such as \"I agree with you\" (57.7%) or neutral time, such as \"My nameis Mary\" (33.5%). His findings converge with a more recent grammar ofEnglish compiled by Mindt (2000) based on corpora totaling 240 millionwords of spoken and written English. Mindt found that the three prototypeswhich make up the majority of all cases of the present forms of verbs are the 30

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT Newsextended present, the actual present and the timeless present. This is contraryto the emphasis given to the habitual present in most ESL and EFL textbooks asthe major function of the simple present.Holmes (1988) compared a corpus analysis and a textbook analysis of epistemicmodality and found that, like most textbooks, important epistemic uses ofmodal verbs are under-taught and that lexical verbs expressing modality, suchas appear, believe, doubt, and suppose, nouns such as possibility, tendency, andlikelihood, and adverbials, such as perhaps, of course, and probably, tend to begiven little pedagogical attention. Ljung (1991) compared the EFL textbooks atupper secondary level in Sweden with the Cobuild corpus and found that 20%of the most frequent one thousand words in the learners' texts did not occur inthe most frequent one thousand words in Cobuild. Biber, Conrad and Reppen(1994) examined the structural options for postnominal modification and theattention given to these options in popular ESL and EFL textbooks. They foundthat typically more pedagogical attention was paid to finite and non-finiterelative clauses than prepositional phrases as noun modifiers, in contrast withtheir analysis of the Lancaster Oslo/Bergen (LOB) corpus, which showsprepositional phrases as noun modifiers occurring far more frequently thanrelative clauses. Kennedy (1998) observes that similar incompatibility can befound in the pedagogical focus on grammatical quantifiers suchas all and every in many textbooks to indicate the concept of totality when inboth written and spoken corpora totality is much more commonly lexicallymarked, such as entirely, completely, whole, throughout.Globally, the contributions that corpus linguistics is making to the teaching oflanguages include the following:New reference materials that give information about patterns in language useand describe how native speakers make choices between seeminglysynonymous words and structures.Classroom materials that reflect how people actually use the language and givestudents practice with features rarely covered in textbooks. 31

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT NewsComputer-based analysis activities for ESL classes that have students act aslanguage researchers.investigations of varieties of English as a Lingua Franca, discovering whatlanguage features are consistent and which vary among speakers;Testing applications, making sure that language used in tests reflects thesituation that it is testing (for example, does the TOEFL test cover language thatis used at universities in the US?)In brief, studies of applications of corpus linguistics to second/foreign languageteaching and learning have emphasized the importance of adopting a data-driven approach to language learning so that learners go through a process ofself-discovery. The discussion in this article attempts to show that it might beequally important for teachers to go through this process of self-discovery andto experience formulating generalizations about linguistic patterns that theyhave observed so that they try to grasp the grammar as much as linguisticresearchers do.References:Conrad, S. (2005). Corpus linguistics and L2 teaching. In E, Hinkel (Ed.),Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (pp. 393-409).Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Eribaum Associates.H. Douglas Brown (2007) Principles of language learning and Teaching, FifthEdition. San Francisco State University . 32

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News By Mohamed Bakkas EFL Supervisor Trainee Teaching is known to be a complex and tiring activity. The more one teaches, the more experienced one becomes. Yet, the needier one is likely to feel towards professional development, as well. Thus, in-service training is of crucial importance. Attending different meetings and workshops is necessary for one’s progress. MATE has been a leader in providing its members with rich opportunities for improving their teaching practices. This is best summarized in a saying that has it: “The most important thing about teaching is that you never stop learning.” Within the umbrella of the new educational reform especially the crucial role of projects in the success of the teaching process, CCP has offered me the support to go on learning and learning. 33

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News Connecting classroom project has offered me so many chances of training,exchange and sharing experiences with colleagues from different corners of ourregion. This report is organized in such a way as to include three main parts.The first one deals with the effect of the workshops I attended. The second isconcerned with the influence of CCP on my school and teaching. The last onefocuses on the impact of my visit to Rosset school on my teaching, studentsand school. To start with, the workshops I was present at in Agadir were of paramountimportance. Firstly, they allowed me to be in touch and learn from differentleaders in the field of teaching /learning. Secondly, they were a chance to meetcolleagues from various delegations of the region.Thus, a crucial opportunity toshare and exchange experiences. Third, the topics chosen during the trainingswere also significant. Assessment for learning was one of the most importantones. Fourth, project work has helped us collaborate to achieve the same ends.I do admit that at the beginning, the CCP was ambiguous as the picture wasunclear. Yet, after the continuous meetings the picture became brighter andbrighter. It has to be admitted that we have learnt a lot from S. Cowton.However, I must admit that the extra time we, CCP trainees, spent together asteachers after the workshops and sometimes till after midnight did help us a lotdecipher, demystify and master the requirements of the project. We used toteach each other techniques and ways to do the same thing in faster and moreproductive ways. One day, I still remember, we asked our colleague Mr.Asabban to spend some time with us after the workshop in order to tutor us insome ICT skills that we needed badly for our projects. He taught us how toupload, download or change the size of a picture. His work was very fruitful.Furthermore, I would like to stress that our cooperation tremendously helpedus overcome the hard problem we faced when dealing with FRONTER, theplatform we used for sharing projects among the schools. Besides, CCPintroduced me to project based learning methodology and its various benefits ;and of course, project work has become an integral part of my teachingpractices ever since. We have also learned new techniques in assessing ourteaching and learning to cater for different learners in our classrooms. In anutshell, the workshops and training sessions have helped me both personallyand professionally. 34

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News Second, CCP has definitely affected my teaching positively. It has allowedme to implement assessment for learning (AFL) in my classroom. It has mademe responsible for working with my students in projects that are carried out,negotiated, finalized and ultimately shared among the students. It haspermitted me to develop my teaching techniques and vary testing means. Mystudents were given a chance to engage in authentic and meaningfulcommunication with native speakers via emails or postcards. And that is anexample of a realistic and meaningful learning experience that is highly soughtafter in a foreign language classroom. This project has made my school learnfrom the experience and success of other schools. It has also made me workwith other active clubs at our school. The coordinators were so kind to help uswith some statistics and their work to be shared with the English partners. Thepurpose, of course, is to develop learning and enhance its quality. Finally, and most importantly, the Rosset visit had been a dream whichcame true. I was so surprised to see how simple the English system was. Theschool was clean, neat and well-organized. The staff was very friendly andhelpful. The number of students, the equipments and displays on walls werevery great and amazing. They were educational and informative as well. Ofcourse, the continuous teaching system was so tiring and hard to me. To leavehome at 7:00 and come back at 18:00 was exhausting but rewarding. I had theopportunity to meet different gifted teachers teaching different subjects andlearning from each one of them. Of course, I will never forget the experienceof teaching various subjects for the first time in my life. Cases in point are:Moroccan geography, music, couscous and drugs. My contact with my partnerstarted with postcard exchange and agreed to focus on new ideas. Moreover, Ihave learnt that our country is very rich in terms of human capital. It onlyneeds some brush up to grow up. The light timetables and well-designedprogrammes, dedication, availability of equipments as well as teacher assistantsmake their jobs light and easy. The following points summarize what I havelearnt from the Rosset trip: It is needless to say that any partnership has its main impact on both thepartners. As a Moroccan participant, my students and I have learned thefollowing: 35

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News*Learning more ICT skills,*Communicative writing,*More cultural understanding,*Autonomous learning,*Study skills,*Developing critical thinking,*Catering for multiple intelligence needs,*Offering a global dimension to education,*Knowing oneself better,*Comparing and contrasting different values and views,*Striking a balance between learning and teaching,*Professional development: benefiting from various interesting workshops, … In sum, the CCP experience has been enriching, successful, amazing andfruitful. I would like to thank the project coordinators in our region the deeplyrespected supervisors Mr. Zoubair and Mr. Hassim. My gratefulness should goto my colleagues at Souss Mass Draa clusters as well. 36

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News Ait Taleb, Abdelaziz. EFL teacher Jamaati, Zakaria. EFL teacher Driouch, Aziz. EFL teacher 1. Introduction: Last year, shortly before students started their preparation for the National Baccalaureate Exam (Grade 12), one of the students approached one of us asking him a question that puzzled us deeply. The student bursting with frustration and confusion, asked: “Teacher! How am I going to study collocations for my exam? Are they vocabulary or grammar and do they have any rules?” This student’s question has been the starting point of a deep reflection regarding the way we .teach collocations. Actually, throughout our teaching experience, we have noticed the extent to which collocations are challenging both to teach and learn in an EFL context. This paper is the product of our deep reflections and ongoing conversations as we sought practical solutions for that provocative question. 37

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT NewsThe importance of teaching lexical chunks in general and collocation inparticular, has been highlighted by Lewis (1998). In his LexicalApproach, he places more focus on teaching vocabulary chunks ratherthan individual words. Lewis states that one major principle of thelexical approach is that “language consists of grammaticalized lexis, notlexicalized grammar” (Lewis, 1998, cited in Farokh, 2012, p.69). Heargues that the more exposure students have to vocabulary chunks(collocations, fixed and semi-fixed expressions and idioms), the easierthey retain and retrieve these chunks. This, therefore, improvesstudents’ fluency in both speaking and writing.As has been implied before, the focus of this article will be mainly onteaching collocations. For this purpose, we would limit our definition ofcollocations to Thornbury’s (2007). According to him, two words areconsidered collocates when they often occur together, so that theoccurrence of one of them triggers a strong prediction of the existenceof the other. The association between the two words is not fixed as thatof compounds or multi-word units. That is, collocations can bedescribed as phrases, which are more restricted than free combinations(e.g.: very cold) and less restricted than idioms (e.g.: get the coldshoulder).However, as our student’s question brought out, vocabulary chunks areconsidered a problem area in the teaching and learning of foreignlanguages. This article sets out to highlight these four points: First, theimportance of learning collocations by EFL learners. Second, the maintypes of collocations. Third, the challenges EFL learners face in learningcollocations; and finally some practical solutions will be suggested toimprove students’ collocational competence.2. The importance of learning collocationsAlthough some researchers believe that the arbitrary andunpredictability nature of collocations make it difficult for non-nativespeakers to cope with them, there is strong evidence that collocationknowledge has a crucial role in developing EFL learners’ proficiency.First, vocabulary items usually occur in relation with other words in the 38

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT Newstext. As a result, it is difficult and even impossible to teach the possiblepartners that each individual word may take.Second, students may find it challenging to form individual words intophrases instead of breaking down whole chunks into their basiccomponents. Third; it is argued that developing students’ collocationalcompetence will enhance both their receptive and productive skills. Inthis regard, Carter & McCarthy (1988, p. 75) state that “collocationsteach students expectations about which sorts of language can followfrom what has preceded. Students will not have to go aboutreconstructing the language each time they want to say something butinstead can use these collocations as pre-packaged building blocksIn brief, there are three most common arguments for the usefulness ofteaching collocations to EFL learners (Farrokh, 2012, p. 65):a- Language Knowledge Requires Collocational Knowledge: Studentsneed to develop their collocational knowledge because it is the basis oflearning, knowledge and use.b- Efficient Language Acquisition Requires Collocational Knowledge:Learners tend to acquire the language more effectively if it is learned in‘chunks’ instead of discrete items.c- Fluent Language Use Requires Collocational Knowledge: It is provedthat speakers show a high degree of fluency when they are involved indescribing familiar experiences or activities using familiar phrases.3. Types of Collocations:Referring to the student’s question of whether collocations are classifiedas grammar or lexis, it has been argued that they occur into bothcategories. Benson et al. (1986a) have determined collocations basedon their functional domain: They are lexical collocations andgrammatical collocations. Based on this we advance that teachingcollocations to EFL learners is much more effective when they aretaught at an initial stage as lexical chunks, in a way that developsstudents’ communicative competence. At a later stage, the teacher can 39

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT Newsthen teach the learners the grammatical combinations that are used inorder to form collocations. However, it may be very difficult to teachcollocations if the teacher does not have a solid knowledge of theirdifferent grammatical classifications. In this regard, Hausmann, (1985Cited in Orenha-Ottaiano 2012, pp. 241-251) suggested a taxonomy thatcategorizes collocations. They categorize collocations into fourclassifications:A. Verb-like – with five basic forms: A.1. Verb (collocate) + Noun (basis): make a mistake / have fun, payattention. A.2. Noun (basis) + Verb (collocate): note taking / problem solving,etc. A.3. Verb (collocate) + Preposition + Noun (basis): dispose of shares A.4. Verb (collocate) + Adverbial Particle + Noun (basis): set up abusiness A.5. Verb (collocate) + Adjective (basis): grow strongB. Name-like – with two basic forms: B.1. Noun (basis) + Noun collocate: communication technology /Generation gap / international organizations.C.1. Adjective (collocate) + Noun (basis): sustainable development, civiceducation, etc.B.2. Noun (collocate) + Preposition + Noun (basis): Sense of humorC. Adjective-like – with one form: D. Adverb-like – with three basic forms: D.1. Adverb (collocate) + Adjective (basis): fully eligible D.2. Verb basis + Adverb collocate: drop dramatically. D.3. Adverb collocates + Verb basis: fully paid; duly appointed 40

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News4. Some challenges EFL students face in learning collocations: 4.1 Interference of L1:Generally, the idea of collocations may not be new to EFL learners asthey might exist in their L1. As an example, for Moroccan students, theylearn collocations since an early stage of the primary school in Arabicclasses as part of the grammar lessons. In Arabic grammar, a collocationmaybe a noun phrase, which consists of the collocate (al-khabar) and thebasis (mobtda). In many cases, having learned collocations in L1 mayfacilitate the learning of similar L2 collocations. However, this might alsolead to an interference, which makes collocations very difficult toassimilate.It is believed that students learning EFL tend to make mistakes incollocations because of the differences between English and their mothertongue (Fatos, 2011). Likewise, we notice that our students do sometimescommit such mistakes as:“fulfil homework” rather than “do homework”“take a decision” rather than “make a decision”“revise for the test” rather than “study / review for the test’ 4.2. Overgeneralization:We have noticed that collocational patterns can occur as a result ofovergeneralizations. For instance, many learners collocate certainadjectives that are exclusively used to describe one gender. A strikingexample is the use of the adjective “beautiful” to describe both men andwomen; whereas its conventional use is restricted only to women.Hence, some learners produce sentences like: “a beautiful man” ratherthan “a handsome man”.The challenges discussed above raise the question about the waysthrough which collocations are presented in an EFL classroom. Inteaching collocations, learners need to be given contexts in which theynotice the various word combinations. This would allow students toappreciate their learning of collocations and help them retain them more 41

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT Newseasily when necessary. In addition, teachers are advised to raisestudents’ awareness and clarify the arbitrary nature of collocations, i.e.there is no rule that explains why the “make a decision” collocationsounds right, whereas the “do a decision” combination is weird.The following are some practical examples that can be used to raisestudents’ awareness to collocations and practice them in meaningfulcontexts:5.1. Teaching collocations through songs:Because songs reflect language at its best authentic use, they provide arich source of collocations. In this regard, students can listen to the songsand underline a certain type of collocations used in the lyrics.5.2. Text-based collocations:To balance the spoken language of songs, we view authentic texts as anendless source of collocations. Students can elicit from the text wordsthat collocate with each other. Alternatively, the teacher can assign thema matching exercise based on collocations used in the text.5.3 Teaching collocations through games:No one denies the positive effects of learning through games. Therefore,collocations can be easily understood, internalized and practiced throughdifferent games such as the Bingo game, matching games and guessing ormiming games.5.4. Creating personal collocation dictionariesWe can ask students to make personal dictionaries of collocations, wherethey write down the collocations they have covered with contextualizedexamples and share as the classroom collocation wall. This would helpthem have a cognitive depth of learned collocations, enrich theirvocabulary repertoire and foster their autonomous learning. 5.5. Integrating collocations with other skills:As a follow up activity of a vocabulary class, the teacher asks his / herstudents to write an imaginative story in which they incorporate 42

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT Newsmeaningfully the maximum of collocations they have learned in class.5.6. Inter-lingual awareness activity:The teacher provides students with different collocations in context andasks them to come up with their corresponding ones in their L1. Later,the teacher provides the accurate translation in order for them to beaware that translating from L1 to L2 may lead to negative transfer. Thiswill help learners develop their noticing skill towards inter-lingualdifferences.5.7. Collocational grid: Channell (1981 Cited in Faroukh, 2012, p. 120)As an effective practice activity of collocations, the teacher may providestudents with different collocates in a grid. Student need to combine theappropriate collocates by ticking the right square of the grid. Thisreinforces students’ collocational competence. Using visual grids aremore welcoming in responding to various students’ learning preferencesand styles.6. ConclusionThe ideas discussed and developed throughout this article have beenthe fruit of three different teaching and learning experiences of theauthors. We have noticed that our learners appreciate learningcollocations. However, they find it very challenging to assimilate andincorporate them in their actual communication. Similarly, even EFLteachers (e.g. Moroccan teachers) may face difficulties with collocationsand fail to use the proper and correct ones that are related to whatthey need to teach. At this point, we believe that research may fruitfullyinvestigate special ways to teach collocations for EFL learners as distinctfrom ESL and L1 learners. This is actually a suggested question forfurther research. 43

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT NewsReferencesBahns, J. (1993). Lexical Collocations: A Contrastive View. ELT Journal, 56-63.Benson, M., & Benson, E. (1986).Lexicographic description of English. Philadelphia: J.Benjamins Pub.Carter, R., & McCarthy, M. (1988).Vocabulary and language teaching. London: Longman.Farrokh, P. (2012). Raising Awareness of Collocation in ESL/EFL Classrooms.Journal of Studies inEducation, 55-74Fatos, UgurE. (2011). Why and How to Teach Collocations?.Humanising Language Teaching13 (6).Accessed January 25, 2014.http://www.hltmag.co.uk/dec11/idea.htm#C3Orenha-Ottaiano, A. (2012). English collocations extracted from a corpus of university learnersand its contribution to a language teaching pedagogy. ActaScientiarum.Language and Culture. 34(2): 241-251. Accessed January 26, 2014.Doi: 10.4025/actascilangcult.v34i2.17130.Sinclair, J. (1991). Corpus, concordance and collocation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Thornbury, S.(2007). How to teach vocabulary. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. 44

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News MOHAMED MANSOURI EFL Supervisor Trainee Every human being has his own conception of education depending on the one he or she received, and depending also on his or her own qualities and aspirations. Yet, when young people fail to display ethical or moral conduct, schools are certainly blamed. Many people, nonetheless, tend to dismiss that education is a by-product of the school on the one hand, and society and culture on the other. Morocco is no exception. The Moroccan educational system is one which is much debated upon. Some criticize the curriculum, others blame the methods used. Parents advocate deep reforms, but their opinions vary about what is to be expected from school education. According to parents, education is the great equalizer that should provide all children with the same opportunities. Students, in the same sense, consider education as a means to get on in life and to have better salaries. I share the parents and the students’ perception, but I view education from a wider scope: cultural, societal, and parental. Therefore, the formal education the young have in schools remains incomplete if a link of the educational agents is missing. 45

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT NewsThis article presents the missing link that could genuinely affect thequality of education our children have. It is high time charactereducation began in Morocco. So what is character education? And whattype(s) of character education would have short and long term effectson Moroccan society?Character education is as old as Socrates. With the turn of the twentiethcentury, character education made its transitional leap from a practiceto a science. It was the United States of America that buckled onimplementing the early character education programs in schools. Sincethen, scientists have been defining character education according to thegoals of the programs launched. In the case of Morocco, a country withpromising human development projects, the best definition to charactereducation is the one that perceives the character doing the right thingdespite outside pressure to the contrary (Barlow, Jordan and Hendrix:2003,P.564). Character education is the set of formal (school), andinformal (culture, society, parents) acquisition of ethics, values andmorals that would strengthen the individual’s standing on one’s groundin order to make the ‘morally’ right decision even when it is difficult.So far, the formal acquisition of character education does not exist inthe educational system except for some sporadic traces in educationalsyllabi of private schools. The major shortcoming of these syllabi,however, is that they are imported from France, Morocco’s ex-militarycolonizer and present neo-colonizer. As a matter of fact, there is anurgent need for customized character education programs in Moroccanschools and cities. The major goal of the programs would be to counterthe Tsunami of this global culture negating Moroccan identity traits anddistorting the socio-moral values. I believe that schools should designtheir own character education programs and educators should take partin that process. They are the tools of implementation and success. Manyeffective character education programs either recommend staffdevelopment or offer it as an option. If staff do not know how toimplement it, they will likely implement it ineffectively. 46

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT NewsWhen it comes to the type of character education that would haveshort as well as long term effects, I am a proponent of mixing “simplemoral education” and “simple character education”. Simple moraleducation is also referred to as moral development. It increases thestudents’ sensitivity to issues and kindles their problem-solvingcompetency. The teacher guides the discussion of a problem thatstudents should first identify then provide options to solve it. However,each student should defend his choice.Let’s take the example of road accidents in Morocco. The issue stillprevails though “responsible authorities” bloat their alleged “triumph”with a kit of logistical measures ranging from rebuilding old roads orwidening them to adopting stricter penalizing laws. Undoubtedly, I donot deny the fact that these measures could save lives. Yet, the humanfactor in this war-like issue is forcibly the weakest link. Driving requiresethical and moral competency of judgment as much as it requires thetechnical mastery of maintaining control of the driving wheel,pedals….etc. Teachers should illustrate the difference between theethical driver and the “egocentric” driver. An ethical driver is whoeverobeys posted speed limits even in the absence of a highway patrolofficer. That individual drives within posted speed limits and he or sherespects the lives and property of others. The egocentric driver, on theother hand, sees things solely in terms of getting from one point toanother as quickly as possible and ignores the fact that to do so impactson the safety of others negatively. He or she obeys speed limits onlywhen a highway patrol officer is present in order to avoid a speedingticket (Martinson, D: 2003, 16). Is it logical then to have a police officerwatch over every driver? And if this is the case of citizens behavior inother forms of “ethics of everyday”, then society will inevitably becomposed of individuals operating at a pre-conventional level of moralreasoning where one does “the right” because of fear of being punishedif one does wrong (Jaska and Pritchard 1994, 95).The simple moral education has already been applied in manyAmerican schools and managed to instill a kind of moral judgment instudents. Yet, mixing it with the simple character education type will 47

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT Newsgive a moral muscle to the student character. Simple charactereducation is compared to an indoctrination of values and morals. Itexplicitly uses habits, rituals, strict disciplines…etc to instill charactertraits. Thomas Lickona (1998, P.78), a prominent theoretician of thesimple character education movement, said “bottom line isbehavior…… Virtues are not mere thoughts but have to develop byperforming virtuous actions. Acting on this principle, charactereducators seek to help students to perform kind, courteous, and self-disciplined acts repeatedly – until it becomes relatively easy for them todo so and relatively unnatural for them to do the opposite”. Forexample in Morocco, why don’t we have a certain amount of requiredpublic service, a sort of volunteering to serve society, as a requirementbefore students graduate?Finally, “We reap what we sow. When we have children, we sowmore than biological seeds. We also plant the seeds of moraldevelopment…. The best way to teach values is for (adults to) exhibitthem… who can blame children for refusing to imitate us if we pretendto virtue when we have it not?” (Weiner 1995, 19A)BibliographyBarlow, C.B., Jordan, M.,& Hendrix, W.H. 2003. Character assessment: an examination ofleadership levels. Journal of Business and Psychology, 17 (4)Jaska, J. A and M.S. Pritchard. 1994. Communication ethics: Methods of Analysis. Belmont, Calif:WadsworthMartinson, D.L. 2003. High School Students and Character Education: It All starts at Wendy’s. TheClearing House, Vol. 77 (Sept-Oct) , No1. Taylor and Francis, LtdWeiner, S. 1995. The ABC’s of Character. Miami Herald, 16 March, 19A 48

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT News Hassan Ait Bouzid Phd Student, EFL Teacher, Ait Melloul Abstract This paper underscores the need of English language teachers, in their quality of reflective practitioners, to engage in active reflective teaching. It draws the attention of ELT practitioners in Morocco to the viability of investing teachers’ reflective skills in promoting their professional development and the quality of their teaching practices as well. The study explores ways in which Moroccan English language teachers can boost their reflective practice through suggesting a model that helps teachers transcend the current passive reflective practice and become active reflective practitioners. The model entices teachers to engage actively in a collaborative endeavor that calls for creating special focused platforms for discussing and sharing experiences that would work to solve specific problems identified in the classroom. Eventually, the study concludes with advocating a lesson planning design that facilitates the incorporation of the suggested reflective practice model. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of the suggested model is yet to be tested on practical grounds to measure the extent to which teachers are ready to integrate it in their teaching practices. Key words: reflective practitioners, EFL, ECRIF, model 49

Issue 1, January, 2017 MoRCE-Net ELT NewsIntroductionReflection is a defining trait for human being and an existential practicefor teachers; English language teachers are not an exception. It is evenmore of a requirement for English language teachers in the Moroccancontext not only because they introduce learners to a plethora oflinguistic and cultural knowledges, behaviors and skills whichnecessitates careful selection, presentation and monitoring, but alsobecause teachers themselves are faced with a variety of teachingmethods, techniques and strategies which are to a great extent puzzlingand mesmerizingly perplex. Therefore, it is a professional prerequisitefor Moroccan English language teachers to be able to appropriately andeffectively use reflection as a practice that fosters both their students’learning and their own professional development.This paper aims to explore ways in which Moroccan English languageteachers can boost their reflective practice and use it to improve theteaching and learning processes. It is informed by the theoreticalframework of the Standards-Based Approach (American Council on theTeaching of Foreign Languages [ACTFL], 1995) which defines theteaching and learning of English as a foreign language in Moroccanpublic high schools (Ministry of National Education [MNE], 2007). It isbuilt on the assumption that ELT practitioners need to be aware of theimportance of a paradigm shift revolutionizing their own conception oftheir role as reflective practitioners. It therefore argues for goingbeyond current passive reflective processes to a more systematic andproductive active practice of reflection.The present study is framed within the theoretical foundations of theStandards-Based Approach (ACTFL, 1995; MNE, 2007). The approachunderscores the indisputable role of teachers as reflective practitionersin shaping and improving not only the teaching and learning processes,but also the life-long learning skills of the learners. This theoreticalframework reckons that teaching foreign languages necessitatesherculean efforts due to its multi-disciplinary nature. In fact, thehardship of the teaching of English as a foreign language lies in that it 50