Teachers have a powerful role in motivating the learners in their classrooms, the 2012 Qatar Tesol Conference, which got underway yesterday at College of the North Atlantic–Qatar, was told. Dr Neil Anderson, professor of Linguistics and English Language at Brigham Young University, Provo (Utah), the first plenary speaker of the two-day event, was giving a presentation on ‘The Teacher’s Role in Learner Motivation.’He gave a number of ideas on how to integrate ‘motivational moments’ into the classroom.Teachers should specifically aim in the lesson plan where they are going to use the motivational moment.Students ought to be shown that teachers care about their progress and believe in their efforts to learn and their capacity to complete tasks.“Monitor student accomplishments and progress and take time to celebrate any victory,” Dr Anderson said, citing the experiences of teachers from different parts of the world.The plenary was followed by a session conducted by QatarDebate, which imparted ideas and practical tips for incorporating debate into classrooms.The conference with the theme ‘Learner Motivation, Involvement and Autonomy,’ has its second plenary today morning.Dr Hayo Reinders, head of Learner Development, Middlesex University, London and editor of Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, will speak on how mobile phones can become learning tools in the classroom.
In the presentation titled ‘ILUVLRNG! The Role of Mobile Phones in Language Learning and Teaching,’ the speaker will show that language learning takes place mainly outside the classroom and that the role of teachers is primarily one of preparing and supporting learners in their informal learning. One way to do this is to make use of one of the most ubiquitous devices in and outside the classroom, the mobile phone.“Mobile technologies hold great potential for supporting learning and teaching and in this presentation I will highlight some of the ways in which situated, distributed and autonomous learning can be facilitated through them,” Dr Reinders explained.He will also report on recent research into the benefits of mobile learning, and share some practical ideas for using mobile phones in the language classroom. Dr Reinders will also look at some of their potential drawbacks and limitations.The conference, being attended by a large number of teachers of English and non-native speakers of the language, also has a number of other presentations and workshops.Founded in 2001 as the Qatar Teachers of English Network, it evolved in 2005 into Qatar Tesol, an affiliate of Tesol (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), the international organisation for ELT professionals based in the US. The purpose of Qatar Tesol is to establish a network of teachers, supervisors and researchers who are committed to improving teaching in English as a foreign or second language in Qatar and the Gulf region.The aim of Qatar Tesol is to help EFL/ELT professionals share their expertise and further the efforts to develop English language education in Qatar.