Computers can be a pain

        I sat down today to do some long-delayed computer work.  What I discovered is that computers are not always that helpful. I am still in Saudi Arabia.  I do not have conventional internet.  The Saudis limit access to the internet to some degree.  I generally connect through a hotspot on a phone that is controlled by Saudi Telecom.  I use a VPN, but their are still issues going to some sites and using the internet in general.  I was trying to make some changes to our website, lotuslearningcenter.org, when I was informed I needed to update the software I use to manage the site site.  I then found myself unable to access the proper site to update the software.  I am not sure what content could be there that would result in it being blocked, but it was and is most assuredly blocked.  The frustration comes from computers supposedly making things easier, when in fact, they seem to be increasingly more difficult, and usually for the simplest of reasons.  I guess it can wait until I return to the U.S. and try again then.

Cultural Understanding

        I have now been in Riyadh for about two full months.  I wanted to take the opportunity to speak to the issue of culture.  About a year ago, I was able to teach an undergraduate course on culture and diversity in the classroom.  It was an introduction to culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students.  I used to say "dealing" with CLD students, but I realized that the word "dealing" kind of has a negative connotation.  It implies that they are a problem that has to be dealt with in the classroom.  Instead I want to think of them as bringing a positive influence to the classroom.  I believe that each student is unique and I truly feel that every student deserves a voice in the classroom.  I think it is important that each student develop a sense of ownership in their educational journey. 

        For this post, I want to speak more towards working in a CLD environment versus teaching in one.  I want to address the topic of working with international colleagues.  I am not sure if I addressed this in a prior post.  It does present a different aspect of teaching that I have been a bit remiss in discussing.  This is not the first occasion that I have had to work with international instructors, but generally they have been in the minority in an office.  In my present situation, the reverse is true.  If my numbers are correct there are 19 instructors at the institute and only two of us are heritage English speakers.  The remaining 17 fall into one of two categories; civilian Saudi instructors or Pakistani military instructors.  The Saudis have all been to school in the U.S. and have worked some length of time in an English teaching environment.  The Pakistanis are "trained" instructors and English is one of the official languages of their country. 

        The numbers do present a unique challenge.  Other than myself and my one American co-worker, the entire office is Muslim; as is the entire student population.  I have worked with and taught Muslims before, but again only in small numbers.  The new issue is that they are Muslims living in one of the strictest Islamic countries in the world.  Additionally, I am here at the behest of the Saudi government and I am paid by this same government.  The issues arise when Islam and Arabic culture conflict with my 50+ years of Americanism, or when their mission to validate Islam to me makes me uncomfortable to the point that I excuse myself and take a walk.  This is usually the behavior of the Saudis.  The Pakistanis seem less enthusiastic about said mission.  I realize that I am making light of this to some degree, but it is a real issue.  How do we discuss a night out at the local sports bar or rave about an new BBQ joint when pork and beer are off-limits.  And, when their speaking about Islam becomes a bit unbearable, unlike working in the U.S., my only true recourse is to quit.  There is no employee right to formally complain to a supervisor or to human resources.  The supervisor is just as likely to be on the same mission.  Overall this has not been a major issue and I am comfortable in the fact that I feel I could speak frankly to most of them and they would respect my feelings.  I just don't want to "cry wolf", so to speak.  Additionally, some of their behavior comes from a position of general concern and desire to learn and to interact with a heritage English speaker.  They just always seem to parse it around Islam.  Overall, I am happy to be here and I feel this will be a huge benefit to my knowledge as an educator.

        I say all of this to just point out that the notion of mutual respect is the single most important characteristic of an educator.  I respect my colleagues and I strive daily to earn their respect in turn.  I think the interchange, even at its most dogmatic, provides for learning.  As always, I am forever a student.

The Instructor Text

I provided some basic information about the American Language Course (ALC) instructor text in an earlier post. I had some time to take a couple pictures that illustrate some of what I was writing about.
Some of the pictures are a bit poor, but I hope they are clear enough to give an idea of their contents. I used the instructor text for book eight.  Each book is very similar and with regard to some of the content, is exactly the same.  This instructor-based material is contained in the preface of each book.
At the bottom of this post I will include a picture of an actual lesson page to show the differences.

This is the basic information page for each book.  It provides the basic topics that are covered within each ALC unit (each book in the ALC provides for a complete unit of instruction).  All units in the first 30 books of the ALC are based around this five lesson outline; obviously the material covered varies from book to book.  One can see the intent and scope of each unit.  As an instructor, this page provides enough information to begin preparation for the class.  Each unit is complete "as is", but this information allows one to prepare supplemental material and prompts for discussion.

There is a multitude of instructor information provided by the text.  Above is a sample of this material.  These pages talk about managing the classroom to include how best to arrange the seating for specific exercises. 

The pages in the student text are mirrored in the instructor text to include matching page numbers.  The two photos above show the student text as well providing some explanation of the marginal text which is used to guide the instruction.  These two pages are still part of the preface of the instruct text 

This is typical lesson page shows the marginal material but without the explanatory notes.  Once one becomes familiar with the use of the marginal material it becomes very useful.

I hope this provides a good overview of what I am working with.  I will try to include more pictures in a later post.

My Workplace

        I was able to get a couple pictures of my workplace and wanted to share them.  I am working at the Saudi Arabian Military Language Institute in Riyadh.  Currently there are classes in Hebrew, Farsi, Arabic, French, and English.  The facility is fine overall.  I would compare it to a typical language facility; classrooms, and labs for listening.  The biggest shock was the lack of internet and supporting technology.  I am told the internet is coming soon and I have seen a state of the art lab facility, yet it sits empty waiting to be connected to the web.  I am looking forward to the near future when the lab will be operational.

A weird angle of the front of our school building.  Yes, that is a gun turret to the right of the picture.

The new lab that unfortunately is not fully operational.

A couple pictures of the main lab we currently use.

Finally, our school mosque. 

My Colleagues - (short)

        I have been in Riyadh about a month now.  I have already been asked to extend my stay.  I am not sure what to think about the idea.  I am certainly willing to give it some consideration though.  So far, I have enjoyed the students and staff tremendously.  We teach with several instructors from Pakistan, and I have found them to be very engaging and interested in the “American” version of English.  I made a comment to one of them that they had a very different style of speaking in English, apart from accent.  Obviously, they use a more British version of the language.  What struck me most was that they made some syntax errors which I found strange.  The one that comes to mind most is that the gentleman said he “belonged” the city of Karachi.  I was a bit puzzled.  I figured out that he meant he was from Karachi.  I don’t think it affected the conversation much.  However, it was noticeable.  I asked him about it and he said that it was a common way to express the sentence.  I am sure I will continue to learn from the Pakistani teachers as well as from my Arab colleagues

Testing Saudi Style

       I am going to call this one “Testing Saudi Style”.  Today we were to give a test known as the English Comprehension Level (ECL).  This a standardized assessment to determine the eligibility of Saudi military personnel to attend follow-on training in America.  Where they will go and the type of training determines their necessary ECL score.  In broad strokes, training that requires more communication; medical, flight, liaison, etc. requires a higher score than other types.  The score is simply a raw score of number of correct answers out of 100.  The test has a 66 question listening section and a 34 question reading section.  Obviously, higher scores are better. 

        When we arrived at the testing center we had a list of 35 students to test.  The answer sheets are pre-filled and we are only allowed to bring a few extras to cover for mistakes.  We were greeted with over 60 students.  Immediately fingers began to be pointed, and as one may guess they were pointed at my colleague and me.  We told the first few students who asked, that if they were not on the list we could not test them.  This led to us being asked if we had the correct list or did we make a mistake.  Then someone with slightly higher rank asked the same questions again.  This pattern continued for about another four or five individuals until we came to the highest ranking student, a major.  He finally got the head of the institute involved and as “negotiations” began the language used went from English to Arabic.  Anyone who has taught internationally knows that this is the normal tactic to use when we, the poor American instructors, are to be talked about and/or blamed.  I mean, it is the reality and one learns to just roll with it and wait until they are done. 

        We finally got somewhat organized and into our lab rooms.  However, for the next 10 to 15 minutes there was a steady stream of students entering and feigning ignorance of the fact they were not on the list.  This is why the answer sheets are pre-filled.  We finally began our 0900 exam at around 0929.  And, we are now going to accommodate all of the other students with a specially organized testing session tomorrow.  

        After the test, I was slowly walking around the room collecting answer sheets, when I noticed a group of three students who had moved away from the desks and were openly reviewing their answers together.  I freaked out a bit, but held my composure.  When I asked them about it, they responded that it was normal and that they saw nothing wrong in what they were doing.  

        Welcome to the Kingdom!

The American Language Course

        Before I take off on some long rant about the American Language Course (ALC), I have to honestly say that I have never used this course material before.  I have used many products from the Defense Language Institute (DLI), just not this specific one.  Over the next couple weeks, as I prepare to teach, I will get a chance to go through all the materials and will write a bit more as I become more familiar. 

        I am including a link to a web site/pdf that will explain the ALC in greater detail than I will here.  I hope to sort of talk through some of the specific items that I like or dislike about the material versus writing some exhaustive monologue on the ALC in general. 

http://www.dlielc.edu/prod/Catalog.pdf - The ALC is mainly described in pages 1 -23.  The other part of the site discusses other materials and courses provided by DLI.  Also, one will find a decided emphasis on military vocabulary and familiarization in some of the additional, specific-purpose modules as this course is designed to teach military personnel.  They are primarily supplemental materials, and overall the basic ALC is more generic in its presentation.

        The general structure of the course consists of six levels.  Levels One through Five each have six course books; level Six has four.  The books are designed to correspond to an assessment range which is derived from a student’s placement score.  Fittingly, the assessment tool is the American Language Course Placement Test (ALCPT).  The test scores students in listening and reading skills using a raw score of X correct out of 100 questions.  I will discuss the ALCPT a bit more in another post.  Basically the score is compared to a simple chart which indicates a range for placement into each of the six levels.  For example, a score between 50 and 60 would indicate a student should be placed into Level Three.  The levels are also given titles reflecting their relative degree of skill; Level Three being “Intermediate”.  Obviously there are debates about what the titles mean, but DLI tries to follow the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) definitions and level descriptors.  Below is a link to their web site.

http://govtilr.org/

        Again, this is a government entity and one may or may not agree with their products

Regardless, each level of the ALC is backed up with materials in abundance.  The books in Levels One to Five introduce four new lessons each and have numerous activities, a review lesson and even pre-made flash cards in Levels One and Two.  The instructor materials include ideas for class management, recommendations for teaching practices, and tips and strategies to aid in your instruction.  Level Six becomes more thematic and the books in this level have eight new lessons instead of the four.  There are also two review lessons in each text at this level.  The instructor text becomes more comprehensive as well and includes areas discussing assessment specific to the lessons.  All the levels are supported by audio materials which serve to amplify and reinforce the classroom instruction.  Of course, there are homework activities and several quizzes throughout to aid in ongoing formal or informal assessment as students progress through the course. 

        I encourage everyone to take a look at the DLI catalog web site/pdf for more information.  In the meantime, I will delve a bit more into the specific texts and report back.