January 2012 Volume 1, Issue 1

English Messages

This is our First Issue

This is our first issue of “English Mes-

sages”, a comprehensive newsletter

which we hope will give English lan-

guage teachers in Bahrain a chance to ex-

press themselves and share their ideas

and experiences with each other.

Through “English Messages” we will tell

you about our programmes, training

courses, activities and even discuss some

common educational practices and theo-

retical topics and maybe issues that re-

quire more explanation and insight.

As well as that, we would like to shine a

spotlight this year on your achievements

within your classrooms. We would like to

cover the events and activities you organ-

ize at school, and of course, we want our

A Monthly Newsletter by the English Language Unit (Basic Education)

In this issue: • Classroom Management Tips for Teachers in Bahrain • Free Poster: Happy New Year 2012 • Teacher’s Corner… More Fun • Sample Cloze Test

students to have their say, too.

Your feedback is very important to us.

The more we learn about your needs, the

more we can take the right decisions for

the future. You are our number 1 priority

and we will do our utmost to help you im-

prove your educational practices and

build a better future for our students.

Please do not hesitate to send your com-

ments and suggestions. We hope we will

be able to communicate better and ex-

change more ideas this year. Elec-

tronic distribution makes it easy to reach

you, and we intend to publish the newslett

er once a month.

We are eager to hear your reactions.

The English Language Unit (Basic Education)

problems would emerge, and even talking

about a healthy learning process or environ-

ment would be nothing but a mere illusion.

What follows is a list of some practical and

verified tips and techniques to manage our

classrooms here in Bahrain more effec-

tively. I hope they will help.

First and foremost, love your students and

never forget that their future depends on you

this year.

Second, NEVER underestimate your stu-

dents and start looking for excuses to ex-

plain what some teachers call "their innate

weakness." Undoubtedly, you would de-

stroy them by the end of the year if you un-

derestimate them. It is a very simple truth

which some of us forget: "if you respect

them, they will definitely respect you."

Third, work hard! Never waste your time in

class! You should know that keeping them

busy is the best way to avoid and minimize

discipline problems while teaching. This is

another definition of respect. Because you

respect them, and because you care for

them, you work hard, you prepare your les-

sons well and you do your best to brush up

their skills.

Classroom Management Tips for Teachers in Bahrain

Page 2

English Messages

I have been asked so many times by

some teacher colleagues about how to

manage our classrooms effectively. We

all have read lots of articles and even

books dealing with classroom manage-

ment strategies. Of course, reading

those documents is very important, but I

do believe that our students in Bahrain

are very special and unique. Conse-

quently, I do believe that it is impossible

to build positive relationships with them

unless we go very deep into their culture

and psychology. Being the sons and

daughters of a rich Arab culture and a

long Islamic tradition which stress vir-

tue, good behavior and righteousness,

our students are highly influenced by

the moral attitude of their teachers and

the cultural traits of the small commu-

nity they live in. It is very easy to no-

tice, actually, that they are very polite

and friendly. They are always ready to

erase the board, take our bags, pick up

litter, and whenever they see us, they

always greet us heartedly. This is why, I

think dealing with Bahraini students is

not like dealing with students from other

countries and cultures. Respecting them

and building a positive moral relation-

ship with them are two prerequisites to

be considered if any teacher would like

to succeed in managing and therefore

teaching them.

One big question before we proceed!

Do you think that

your students are horrible?

Think about this question deeply! If you

really have problems with your students,

and if you do think that they are

'horrible', then I guess that you have to

re-think your teaching style and re-

consider your classroom management

techniques.

If a teacher does not worry about his

students or does not know that he or she

is responsible for their immediate and

future success, a countless number of

Immediately, you will both enjoy silence,

order and work in a relaxed atmosphere.

Sixth, change your teaching routines!

Don't stick to the same instructions and

the same activities! Vary your lesson

plans! Use games, songs, visuals, e-

learning activities, short stories, drawing

activities, jokes… Let them enjoy your

lessons.

Seventh, correct the homework and

check up their notebooks! If you follow-

up your students and make them feel that

you are a hardworking teacher, they

would make great efforts, too. Even their

parents would notice that it is going to be

a special year for their children, i.e. they

are lucky to have such an outstanding

teacher as you.

Eighth, decorate your classroom! Report

your students' efforts to the administra-

tion and ask them to reward them by or-

ganizing trips to some fantastic and popu-

lar places in Bahrain. If you help students

achieve what they enjoy, be sure that they

would love you and even tell the other

classes that they are lucky because you

are teaching them.

Fourth, motivate them! Show them that

they are improving thanks to their efforts.

Let them realize and feel that they are de-

veloping and that they can trust you this

year! Build a positive relationship with

them and do your best to make them feel

that they the best at school.

Fifth, if you notice that some students are

not listening or following you, stop any ac-

tivity you are doing and make sure that they

are all listening without, of course, insulting

them. Actually, this is what I used to do

when I was teaching at school. If some stu-

dents ignore my instructions, I very simply

do not let them ignore me. I talk to their

minds and make them realize that it is im-

possible for me to do my job and for them

to learn if we don’t respect each other.

Ninth, Be self-confident and remember

that you are teaching children aged be-

tween six and fifteen! Whatever they do,

never forget that by law they are still kids.

Just find out how to get into their hearts.

It's simple, easy and free. Besides, I am

sure you can do it!

Mr. Emad Ben Abdulla Al-Sediri

Curriculum Specialist

“Find out how to get into their hearts!”

Page 3

Volume 1, Issue 1

Kingdom of Bahrain

Ministry of Education

Directorate of Curricula

English Language Unit (Basic Education)

Sample Cloze Test Read and circle the right answer.

Taha Hussein was a famous Arab writer. He was � on 14th November, 1889 in Egypt. At the � of three, he became blind because he had �very bad eye infec-tion. At school his teachers loved � because he was an excellent student. He studied religion and Arabic literature � the Sorbonne University, France. When he returned to Egypt, he worked as a professor of Arabic literature in Cairo. He then � many novels and essays. He published his best known book El Ayyam � 1932. Finally, he � in Cairo in 1973 at the age of 84 after he marked his life with his great literary works.

� A– birth B– born C– burn � A– time B– day C– age � A– the B– a C– an � A– him B– he C– his � A– at B– on C– from � A– write B– writes C– wrote � A– in B– on C– for � A– dies B– death C– died

Why cloze tests?

Cloze tests give teachers huge oppor-

tunities to check their students’ un-

derstanding of what they are reading

and their ability to use a variety of

techniques and strategies to choose

the right form or tense. Besides, such

tests are very objective and reliable.

Writing One: You are spending your holiday with your family in Du-bai. Write a letter to your friend Ahmed Salah about your stay there.

(Do not write more than 120 words.) Paragraph 1: Opening remarks – purpose of writing

Paragraph 2: Where you are? What you are doing? Places you

visited? Things you did?

Paragraph 3: The weather? Feelings? Invite him/her to join you.

Paragraph 4: Closing remarks

More Fun… A Sample Writing Activity

Kingdom of Bahrain

Ministry of Education

Directorate of Curricula

English Language Unit (Basic Education)

curriculabh@yahoo.com

+973 17 27 86 16

+973 17 24 34 72

Editorial Team: Dr. Nawal Al-Khaja

Mr. Emad Al-Sediri

This page is for all teachers in

Bahrain. We hope you will share

some of your ideas with us this

year. We know that you have a

wealth of experiences and ad-

ventures to tell us about. It only

takes you a few clicks to reach

us. WE ARE WAITING FOR

YOUR FEEDBACK! Do not

hesitate to get in touch at any

time.

“Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.” John Cotton Dana