Moatasim SalahDubai, UAE
A new teacher again. After many years.
Becoming a new teacher again, after many years.
- Now
- English teacher, Dubai
- Experience
- Teaching since the 1990s
- Studied
- Learning theories and child development theories, with Suraasa
- Tried
- Working stations, for the first time
Moatasim has taught English in Dubai since the 1990s, and the ambition he started with, to be a new teacher every day, had become hard to keep. Workstations from PgCTL made his lessons active again, and learning theory changed how he reaches students and how he writes feedback.
Working stations, for the first time.
When Moatasim Salah lists what has changed in his teaching, he starts with the working station. After all his years in the classroom, he had never run one. “That thing is new to me as well, because I’ve not tried that before, to be honest,” he says. “Working stations has made my classes more active, more engaging. My students are working with a lot of fun, a lot of activities and a lot of action.” He adds: “I as well as my students are enjoying it a lot.”
After teaching for many years, it was difficult for me to be a new teacher every day, but with Suraasa that has become possible again.
More than being friendly.
He has long had a motto about students: “I always said before you teach me, reach me.” He used to think social rapport with students was a matter of manner. “Before I thought it’s all about being friendly, being supportive, having some jokes from time to time,” he says. Studying learning theories and child development theories gave him “many ideas about how to keep a good social rapport with the students”.
“I was trying hard to reach my students,” he says. “Now with the learning theories and trial and error theories in mind, I have been able more to reach my students.” He talks about making sure no student is left behind, and about helping them “physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually”.
More creative feedback.
The third change is in his feedback. Feedback used to mean, he says, “find some comments from here or there, or sharing comments with my co-teachers”. Now he describes himself as “more creative in my comments and my feedback”, whether it is going to the management, to parents, to students, or to his head of department and co-teachers. It starts from reflection on his own teaching and on his students’ learning, and he now keeps evidence of the feedback.
