Language Matters Series with Dr. Azza Ahmad

In this era of standards and accountability, the criteria for effective teaching has constituted a serious educational question. If educators and researchers are to under- stand the various dimensions of teacher effectiveness, it would seem felicitous to take students’ viewpoints into consideration. This presentation is based on the findings of a research study designed to explore the language learning experiences of college stu- dents. The study represented an attempt to provide language learners a voice in express- ing their perceptions of their language teach- ers through reflecting upon their language learning experiences in relation to their moti- vation. Two major findings will be discussed in this presentation:

• What did language learners consider to be the most important characteristics that a language teacher should have?

• What are their perceptions of the nature of their best language learning experiences?

Theories from educational psychology were incorporated to help in interpreting the data. The results of this study helped develop an educational model that encompasses learners’ perceptions of an effective language teacher.

 

Download the presentation here.