I joined the Diploma and learned a lot from it. I learned the methods that enhanced my self-confidence as a teacher in the Ministry of Education, and since day one I was determined to leave an impact and make a change despite the heavy burden I carry as a teacher, especially that I am a QRTA diploma graduate, I was able to come up with new ways that started to pay off.
I was able to apply all what I experienced through the diploma including the field experience I gained when I was mentored at schools.
My aim was to support my students to move from the thinking stage to construction and assessment stages, using several strategies.
The one special thing that I will not forget in the diploma is the school experience that gave me the chance to meet experienced colleagues, to whom I can always get back to even after graduating, and I would like to thank Teachers “Asmahan Jad Allah” and “Tamara Sahawneh” from King Abdullah II School for Excellence for their distinguished efforts and continuous support.
If you do not acquire the pedagogical methods when you become a teacher, you will not be able to communicate the information correctly to the students in the classroom, even if you have knowledge in your field of education. So, when I joined as a “student teacher” at Queen Rania Teacher Academy, my goal was to learn the methods that would enable me to teach English and its four skills effectively.
Today, I am a teacher at Jdita Secondary School for Boys and I apply what I learned from these methods. These methods rely on the theories of education. For example, my goal from day one was to support the student to move from the memorizing stage to the thinking and assessment stages based on Bloom's Taxonomy, and in every class, there are a set of words on the corner of the blackboard, and the student is asked to use such words to write sentences, and by this way the student uses the new word in a new sentence, which makes it easier for them to remember such words in the future.
I also follow the structural evaluation. At the end of each class, I ask the students to tell me what words they have learned on that day and we write them on a board in the classroom together, which makes the students feel that they should come up with new vocabulary in every class.
In the writing skill, I adopt a student-oriented learning system, which aims to give the students the responsibility for their education through the peer assessment system, where they correct each other's tasks under my supervision in a constructive manner.
As for the listening skill, I always focus on making the students practice the listening skill in the classroom. I have bought a speaker for the class and I play the listening exercises so that the students can learn the correct pronunciation and focus on the vocabulary, and there is a specified time for answering the listening questions every time, and the listening exercise is repeated twice. The listening skill enhances the reading skill and makes it easier for students when they hear the texts, and it encourages them to read and participate in the class.
One of the most distinguished features of the diploma that I have obtained recently is that it teaches you the importance of teachers ’standards that motivate the student to come to school and consider it as a place of learning.
My goal from day one is to make the student feel that the teacher standing in front of them is qualified; therefore, I designed a time sheet and gave it to every student in the class. It has the date, page number, and the daily tasks required by each student and what they should prepare, which makes the students feel the importance of organizing a timetable for the subject.
I have many aspirations. Under the supervision of the School Principal, Professor Mohammad Al-Zyout, I communicated with the administration of QRTA to use our school for training the diploma students during their school experience stage. Now the school has been approved to become the place for training the teachers. I also look forward to activate the role of the library and activity classes, as well as promoting English debates among the schools in the same district as a method to enhance dialogue and the culture of civilized debate. I also look forward to partner with “Madrasati” initiative through the electronic twinning program, which will effectively contribute to transferring students to the stage of creativity-based education and positive communication with their peers.
I also submitted an application to join “Access” project, which is designed to promote English language teaching in the less fortunate regions through support classes given in the evening and on holidays.
In addition, I seek to shoot and develop videos, and upload them on my website to include English language materials for all grades with a personal effort, and after that I look forward to publishing the website in another way through an application that can be downloaded on the phone, and I hope to receive support from “Edraak” platform to design the website.