Enhancing Teaching Quality in a Teacher Training Institution: Two case studies - Hayat Messekher, Ph.D Miloud Sofiane Benali , RAQ. Ecole Normale ...

Enhancing Teaching Quality in a Teacher
Training Institution: Two case studies
                                 Hayat Messekher, Ph.D
                            Miloud Sofiane Benali , RAQ.
          Ecole Normale Superieure de Bouzareah, Algiers

Outline

 Introduction to our teaching context

 Quality Assurance at ENS Bouzareah - Background

 What does quality mean to us?

 Theoretical orientations

 Case Study 1: Sofiane’s Teaching Practices

 Case Study 2: Hayat’s Teaching Philosophy & Practices

 Conclusion

ENSB

Introduction on our teaching context
 We teach in a teacher training institution: Ecole Normale Supérieure
  of Bouzaréah (ENSB).
 We have 5 departments.

 We train teachers of primary, middle and secondary schools in Arabic
  and French.
 Teachers of middle and secondary schools in English, history &
  geography.
 And teachers of secondary schools in Philosophy.

 The number of faculty varies across departments.

 We face huge challenges in the Department of English*

Introduction on our teaching context
 ENS Bouzareah comes under the auspices of the Ministry of Higher
   Education and Scientific Research.

 Admission at ENSs is quite competitive (a high GPA at the Baccalaureate
   exam and an interview/ entrancetest – oral and written).

 The students we train are contracted by the Ministry of National Education
   upon their admission to the school.

 Hence, employability is ensured upon graduation.

 However, most of our teaching/training is theory-based.

 Yet, self-assessment and peer-review are critical and vital for us as teacher-
   trainers.

Quality Assurance at ENS Bouzareah
 We set up a Quality Assurance Cell at the school in May 2014.

 We started by assessing different aspects of the departments
  (administration, teaching, etc.).

 We started by evaluating the various aspects of services
  (administration, education , infrastructure , programs, etc. ); while
  leaving the possibility to suggestions open. We relied on
  recommendations of internal actors to establish an action plan for
  the short, medium and long term.

Quality Assurance at ENS Bouzareah
 We also set up commissions to look at our program in 2009-2010: A
   major overhaul was imposed at the internal operation in the
   educational department at the level ( following the reform of school
   curricula ).

 However, our work in what might be called ‘Quality’ doesn’t certainly
   date back to 2014 nor to 2009.

 Our work in relation to ‘Quality’ is inherent and ongoing in our
   teaching practices well before.

 In this presentation, we share two personal experiences with QA that
   are not necessarily institutional. They are rather idiosyncratic.

What quality means to us?

 Quality for us means ‘Continuous Improvement in our teaching
   practice:

 To ensure quality of learning of our students.

 To meet our students expectations as future teachers.

 To meet the expectations of the Ministry of National Education (try to
   meet the curricula- that may change, the teaching approach used,
   textbooks used, etc.).

Theoretical Orientations

 Paule Freire’s humanizing pedagogy that values students’ funds of
   knowledge.

 Bruner’s pedagogy of mutuality.

 Lave and Wenger’s Community of Practice and notion of participation
   to enable students to develop their agency.

 Mutuality is crucial to relationship building and connecting with
   others which in turn is vital to our students’ future job as teachers.

Sofiane’s case Study 1:
 S’intéresser au volet pédagogique dans la dynamique de la
   performance qualité est un exercice trés complexe.

 Le travail effectué par la cellule assurance qualité a déjà sensibilisé :
   l’administration, les différents acteurs de l’organisme, les enseignants
   et les étudiants.

 L’ENS est un organisme qui prépare des étudiants à un métier qu’ils
   connaissent, certes, mais à travers l’autre côté du miroir.

 Au début de l’année, je commence par sensibiliser les élèves à :
   qu’est-ce qu’un bon enseignant et un mauvais enseignant.

 Le but et d’aider les étudiants à visualiser, à se projeter, et à se
   positionner.

Sofiane’s case Study 1/Cont.

   Se former               Se former                       Se former

   Acquérir                Acquérir                        Acquérir
  Des savoirs           Des savoir-faire                Des savoir-être

Encyclopédiques     Les pratiques de classes               À travers :
 Pédagogiques     La mise en œuvre des savoirs       Les stages pratiques
  Didactiques             Le métiers :           Le travail avec les inspecteurs
  Langagiers           des textes officiels
                               au
                          évaluations

Module enseigné :
    La sémiologie (science des signes)
   L’enseignement du module est conçu comme un outil de préparation à la future vie professionnelle où tout
    converge vers la formation de l’enseignant:

   Au début – l’engagement

       La Projection vers le profil de l’enseignant que l’étudiant va devenir (sur 10 ans)

       Le Positionnement à travers l’identification du bon enseignant et du mauvais

       Le Tutorat - par mail :

            Revenir sur les notions du cours (définitions, applications, polycopiés, exemples)

            Revernir sur ma propre méthode d’enseignement dans le but de se mettre d’accord sur l’approche à

             adopter

            Revenir sur ce les facteurs externes qui empêchent l’étudiant à être plus performant

       La veille tutoriale concerne : la graduation, la post-graduation, le métier, la recherche

       Le conditionnement : révision générale des préacquis pour un même départ

Module enseigné :
    La sémiolgie (science des signes)

   Pendant l’année – le travail réfléchi

       Le savoir acquis doit être réfléchi, discuté, réinvesti et mobilisé à travers des compétences acquises

       Les compétences acquises doivent être mobilisées pour la construction d’un projet personnel en
        rapport avec : le cours, la société et le métier de l’enseignant que l’étudiant va devenir

       L’approche appliqué par l’enseignant de sémiologie reprend la dynamique actionnelle de la
        pédagogie du projet et de l’approche par les compétences.

       Le thème du projet est choisi par l’étudiant, ce qui lui permet de les savoirs acquis dans sa propre
        culture régionale et sociale

       Le transfert des savoirs hors École Normale Supérieure permettra à l’étudiant, devenu enseignant,
        de diversifier ses supports de cours et de ne plus rester esclave du manuel et du fichier officiel

       → ne plus transmettre des savoir mais discuter des compétences.

Module enseigné :
   La sémiologie (science des signes)

 A la fin de l’année – synthèse et professionnalisation :

    Revenir sur les pratiques de l’enseignant avec les étudiants

    Synthèse et réinvestissement des savoirs acquis dans le futur métier

    Ouverture vers les autres modules pour un travail en

      interdisciplinarité

Module enseigné :
   La sémiolgie (science des signes)

 Objectifs atteints :

      Dispenser des savoirs

      Expliquer à quoi cela va servir pour le futur enseignant

      Expérimenter des compétences

      Transférer des compétences

      Ne plus enseigner la pédagogie du projet par la traditionnelle

      Former de futurs enseignants, de futurs chercheurs et des « réfléchisseurs »

      Assurer une forme permanente de tutorat

      Re-penser le métier de l’enseignant à l’université

Case Study 2: Hayat’s Teaching Philosophy & Practices

   Challenges we face:

   Lack of resources, growing number of students.

   To be successful, we need to ensure an effective teaching & learning.

   Solutions adopted to this end:

   In addition to the usual teaching practices:

   We build-in/add-on various opportunities to support students’ learning.

   Eg. Encouraging students/former students to attend British Council
     AELTPN workshops/ International ELT Conference, to join the US
     Embassy Information Resource Centre and related activities offered
     and report back on them/ do a presentation, etc.

 Improving students’ learning environment:
   Students’ English Club (whose members I mentored at its inception),
   Book reading club (English Language Fellow – US Embassy program),
   Debating Club (British Council & Anna Lindh Foundation program),
   Micro-teaching workshops (that a colleague, Mrs. Atmani, mentors),
   Implementing new ideas.

 Timely assessment to assess the quality and pertinence of teaching:

      Use of students’ mid-year and end-year course evaluation which:
      Help inform about students’ satisfaction*
      And in turn help re-design courses,
      Using, when possible, a participatory approach to course design,
      Reflections on the teaching practicum to have reality check on the
       ground.

Students of ENSB English Debate Club reached the semi-
   finals of Algerian National Debating Competition
                17-19 March 2016 in Oran

 Stimulating students’ engagement:

 Former students’ thinking of creating English/Students’ clubs at their
   future institutions/schools.

 Students participating in local CSOs activities ( FOREM in the south of
   the country), and other organizations.

Conclusion
 Quality means continuous improvement

 We grant ourselves opportunities to try new things. At times, we fail. We need to accept
    failure as a learning experience.

 The work our students do reflects/is inspired largely by the work they will be doing in the
    future and that we, as trainers, also do.

 The extra-curricular activities students engage in foster: leadership, communication
    skills, time-management, taking initiatives, solving problems, networking.

 Change in teaching content and procedures sends the message that the focus is learning
    and not teaching.

 Likewise, the aim of course evaluations is to inform/refocus teaching to ensure learning
    (how effective my teaching has been).

 Although we don’t have a students’ alumni associations, we keep the conversation and
    the engagement on going with our former students (as guest speakers, mentees, etc.).

Questions & comments ?

 Hayat Messekher       Miloud Sofiane Benali

hmessekher@yahoo.com   benali.miloud.sofiane@gmail.com