The class I’m teaching is entitled “Academic English for the Graduate Diploma in Primary Education.” Students in the program already have degrees and are looking for opportunities in the Qatari school system. The goal here is to have most if not all schools using English as a language of instruction within the next decade. English is commonly spoken here particularly in Doha. The population of Qatar is around 900,000 (and growing rapidly), but only about 200,000 are actually Qatari. The language of commerce, education and construction is English, because it’s the most common. Nearly everyone in the University speaks at least conversational English.
My goal for the class is to make my students fluent in the language of teachers. They are highly motivated and very enjoyable to work with. Late yesterday I was informed that I needed to give a blood sample and get a chest xray this morning in order to complete my extended visa. Since this happened after class after class yesterday, I asked a colleague here to go into class this morning and let my students know I wouldn’t be there. Something unexpected happened (this is SOOO common here) and she could not meet with them. When I returned to the University, my students were in the media lab working on their assignments. I’m sure this wouldn’t be how it would work at Appalachian.
We’ve spent the first two weeks reading a lot of children’s books. Since they will be primary teachers, I feel like they need to be able to read with fluency and expression. It is also a great way to work on pronunciation and vocabulary. Kathy has been a great help. I’ll fill in more on the class in the next post.