Teaching Students from Saudi Arabia and Qatar | TeachingEnglish | British Council

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Teaching Students from Saudi Arabia and Qatar

Submitted by GrahamM on 8 February, 2009 - 18:30

My wife and I will be teaching General English, basic spoken and communication skills, to a group of male professionals from Saudi Arabia and Qatar who are currently studying here in the UK. Their English abilities range from elementary to intermediate and this English support class is to help them with their other studies.

Given that teaching students from Saudi and Qatar will be a new experience for us, does anyone have any advice, hints or tips that may be helpful?

Thanks in advance.

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ibrahim101168

Teaching Saudi students

Submitted on 12 February, 2009 - 09:44

I have taught some Saudi students in Australia. The one thing is that they rely too much on teachers to do most of the work. Depending on their level of English, this can be a big challenge for the teacher. Having a dictionary is a must to help them look up words and not ask teachers. They have teacher-centered classes in their countries and the way we teach English is different. They will take some time to adjust. Use web sites that have listening and activities like cdlponline.org and marshalladulteducation.org. They will have every thing you need. All the best and email me if you need more on that. Ibrahim Mohamed, Melbourne, Australia.

bendriss

student culture

Submitted on 17 February, 2009 - 14:53

Hi,

I think that it's already nice that you have a clear idea of the level of your students and their needs. Since this is the first time you teach people from these countries, I think you should do some reading on their culture. At least you should have an idea of how different is their culture, taboos, etc. These things you should take into consideration when preparing your lessons and while in the classroom. Cultrual misunderstanding and shock do hinder learning.

I think that teachers from England who work in the Gulf region would have more to say on these matters.

Good luck.

Brahim ID BEN DRISS

EFL teacher,

Safi, Morocco.

Niranga Abeyakoon

Have a good understanding about the students

Submitted on 14 March, 2009 - 17:48

Niranga Abeyakoon

Hi,

I teach IELTS in a ladies college in Abu Dhabi. And this is a complete change for me as well. Here are some tips for you to think about. I hope they will be of some help.

1. Get to know about the learner problems. The book "Learners English: a teacher's guide to interference and other problems by Michael Swan and Bernard Smith- Cambridge University press" is a must for teachers who teach foreign learners. This will help you to get an idea about the usage of English language by the learners and problems related to them.

2. Learn about their culture and religion. This is really important part of their life and try to show that you respect their values as well.

3. Don't direct your annoyance to that particular learner who has come late or use the cell phone. As it will create an unnecesary problem/s in the class.

4. These students like to chat alot and waste thier time without focusing on the lesson. So be firm when you need to.

5. Talk with them to get to know how they learnt English in their country and what they expect from you and make some suggestions as well. They are really direct and forward in that.

6. Most of them love tests and competitiveness, so include one or two to motivate them.

7. They may want you to correct every mistake that they make when they talk, so act appropriately.

People from the Gulf area are really nice. If you know how to respect them and associate with them, you will really like teaching them.

Good Luck!

Niranga

sohailmamoon

The Direct Method

Submitted on 19 March, 2009 - 22:41

I have worked for Berlitz as well as Inlingua in Pakistan. I taught several students from the Middle East, namely Saudi Arabia, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Qatar. I always used the target language during the Language training sessions, the trainees were expected to communicate in English even those who had never heard or spoken a word of English in their lives.

This method has proven itself to me time and time again to be extremely successful. It requires a lot of planning, and control over the contents of each session though. If you need any help on the direct method you should be able to find it on the net.