Third group of Algerian educators train at ELI, prepare for international conference

When she approached the podium to accept her certificate, Amina Lounes-Cherif paused to address the audience.

“What we have learned from you,” the Algerian national said, “is that we learn—not by holding our knowledge—but by sharing it.”

The third wave of Algerian educators at the completion of their teaching-training program in April

Lounes-Cherif and 12 of her colleagues, all English teachers in private language schools in Algeria, had just completed an intensive training program in methods of teaching English as a foreign language.

The five-week program in March and April was sponsored by the U.S. State Department as the third and final segment of a three-year grant designed to develop curriculum and to train teachers to teach Business English in Algeria.

“The outcomes for this project have exceeded our expectations,” said ELI director Dr. Scott Stevens.

“Through this three-year initiative, we have trained English teachers at all levels—from the university, where future English teachers are prepared, to the private sector, where Algerian business employees and government officials learn the language skills critical to attracting investment and tourism to this very promising nation.

“So committed to the project has been the University of Algiers that it is contemplating the approval of a concentration in Business English teacher training, which grew directly from this project,” he said.

Two faculty members from the University of Algiers (UA), Djamila Khaldi and Faiza Bensemmane, also spent two weeks in August at ELI writing a curriculum to train future business English teachers at UA.

The spring 2005 program at UD brought new insights to participants. In a series of workshops, ELI faculty Leslie Criston, Deb Detzel, Barbara Gillette, Joe Matterer, Scott Stevens and June Quigley, as well as Jorge Cubillos of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, shared a variety of best teaching practices, ranging from authentic assessment to reflective teaching.

“ELI teachers brought us from the theoretical to the practical,” said Maamar Missoum. “We were able to brush up on techniques that we read about in books.”

For Nawal Merrouche, who taught herself to read English when she was 10, the experience led to a new awareness of the use of scenarios in language teaching and an exposure to a variety of interactive communicative activities.

Nabila Mouterfi said she especially enjoyed observing the English through the 1960s class, taught by ELI instructor Russ Mason.

“It really inspired me to incorporate American culture in my own English classes,” she said.

One of the highlights for male participants was the opportunity to participate in a discussion on polygamy in a Women’s Studies class on campus.

“We expected [the women students] to be angry,” said Riad Braï. “But they were all friendly and curious, and we were curious about them, too.”

Several expressed surprise at how people reacted to them off campus as well.

“We were apprehensive, coming here after 9/11,” said Maamar Missoum.

“We met very nice people everywhere—New York, Washington. You just ask them [for help.] It’s amazing. I feel at ease here, at home. I am going to miss it.

” The Algerian educators returned home to help prepare an English language teaching conference at the University of Algiers in December. Joining them in organizing and presenting at the international conference on “New directions in teaching/learning English for academic and occupational purposes” were their predecessors––faculty from the University of Algiers who attended similar training at ELI in 2003 and 2004––along with ELI instructor Leslie Criston and associate director Joe Matterer, who coordinated the three-year program at ELI.

“We have been extremely impressed with all of the Algerians whom we have had the honor of hosting,” said Matterer.