Books by Maamar Missoum
Course Objectives: The overall objective of this course is to help students develop some key rese... more Course Objectives: The overall objective of this course is to help students develop some key research skills for academic, professional and life purposes.
Studies in English Language Education in Algeria Local Realities, Challenges and Dilemmas , 2021
Finding jobs is probably the most important issue university graduates worry about. Even when eco... more Finding jobs is probably the most important issue university graduates worry about. Even when economy is booming, many graduates fail to find a job related to their university training. Besides, economic globalisation has imposed on graduates both local and global competition for jobs. In Algeria, in return for considerable financial investment, universities are expected to prepare young citizens for professional careers. The focus of this research is geared towards the agendas held by teachers for developing, in their students, some key employability requirements or professional competencies. This paper reports on a study conducted in the context of departments of English in some Algerian universities. In addition to content analysis of current syllabi, a survey questionnaire was used to tap into teachers’ attitudes and practices vis-à-vis developing students’ employability. Forty-nine (49) teachers from English departments in fifteen (15) universities completed and returned the questionnaire. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data yielded some interesting insights into the surveyed teachers’ agendas for developing graduates’ employability. Some key employability skills appear to be surprisingly low on the teachers’ agenda. These findings were tentatively turned into some suggestions, particularly addressed to teachers in Algerian English departments, in order to promote the training of graduates who can both fit in the labour market as well as have the potential to transform it. Universities can and should help their communities face the local realities especially of the socio-economic environment as well as the increasing global challenges.
EXPLORING TEACHERS’ AGENDAS FOR LEARNER AUTONOMY, 2021
Education is a means to ensure the welfare of societies. To do so, it has to train learners to be... more Education is a means to ensure the welfare of societies. To do so, it has to train learners to become citizens who contribute to the welfare of their society and their own. Developing learner autonomy enables learners with attitudes and skills to achieve this goal. Research has shown that more autonomous learners are better learners. Teachers are expected to play a critical role in this training. The present research that was conducted with seventy-one (71) teachers and two hundred and thirty (230) students from the English Department of the Blida 2 University, Algeria explores teachers’ agendas for learner autonomy so as to inform educational reforms seeking to foster autonomy. To achieve this aim, four (04) research tools were used, a questionnaire, class recordings of teachers’ lectures, teachers’ corrective feedback on students’ MA dissertations and exam papers and teachers’ course descriptions. After quantitative and qualitative data analysis, the findings reveal that developing learner autonomy is not high on the agendas of many teachers, students, educational and political leaders. Despite their widespread positive beliefs about learner autonomy, teachers’ instruction for learner autonomy seems to be a rather rare practice. The teachers seem to suffer from environmental factors especially lack of social consideration of their role and poor management of education and society at large. This situation might have discouraged teachers and learners from engaging fully in educational reforms. In the light of the insights from the present research, suggestions are offered for fostering and sustaining teachers’ capacity to develop learner autonomy (especially through training) and improving environmental readiness to support positive teachers’ agendas for learner autonomy. These suggestions may contribute to convince and enable teachers to hold developing learner autonomy high on their agenda for the sake of better-educated citizens and ultimately a Nation blessed with freedom and prosperity.
Key Words: Learner Autonomy - Teacher’s Agendas – Teaching Strategies – Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors – EFL in Higher Education
Conference Presentations by Maamar Missoum
Finding jobs is an important issue that many university graduates worry about. Even when economy ... more Finding jobs is an important issue that many university graduates worry about. Even when economy is booming, many graduates fail to find a job related to their university training for years after their graduation. In return for big financial investments, universities are expected to prepare young citizens to fit into existing jobs as well as create new ones. The aim of this paper is to explore the contribution of universities to training students in skills that could increase their employability. This paper reports on a study conducted in the context of departments of English in various Algerian universities. The focus of this research is exploring teachers’ agendas towards and their contribution to developing key employability requirements in their students. A questionnaire was used to tap into their attitudes and practices vis-à-vis developing students’ employability. It was administered to one-hundred and thirty-five teachers from English departments in twenty-eight Algerian universities. Twenty-seven teachers from fifteen universities completed the questionnaire. The analysis of the data indicates that many teachers either seem to lack awareness about employability skills or place these low on their agenda. These findings are turned into some suggestions to increase university graduates’ employability.
Key Terms: Employability Requirements - University Graduates – Life-Long Learning – Teaching strategies – Teachers’ Agendas – English Department - Algeria
Cognitivist approaches to learning languages have transformed the way educators look at the compl... more Cognitivist approaches to learning languages have transformed the way educators look at the complex journey of learning a foreign language by bringing new dimensions to this field. For years, behaviourism in psychology and structuralism in linguistics dominated views on how language, language learning and the learner should be perceived. Yet, exploration of the learner’s mental processes has unveiled a whole universe of capacities and strategies learners bring to their learning. As a case in point, this paper reports on a set of studies on strategies used by students at the University of Blida 2, Algeria. Effective learners employ strategies to perform learning tasks and achieve better attainment. The purpose of the present study was to examine EFL learners’ use of a selection of cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies. The researcher used seven research tools (analysis of the subjects’ course grades, classroom discourse analysis via direct observation of authentic lectures and analysis of class audio recordings, a test of lecture comprehension, a test of listening comprehension, analysis of the subjects’ lecture notes, two survey questionnaires for students and one for teachers and an analysis of instruction in listening and note taking in the English Department). These tools were used to triangulate the strategies the subjects use particularly in areas of academic listening and note-taking. The Findings seem to suggest that, although most of the subjects reported using efficient, many of them were using less efficient strategies. The role of teachers in fostering efficient and less efficient strategies has been examined. The data point to the possibility that teachers may be using some strategies that could foster less efficient learner strategies. Some suggestions are offered to help more students develop better cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies that will ultimately enable them to learn more efficiently.
Teaching Documents by Maamar Missoum
Introduction: Every research work requires using information from the literature about the topic.... more Introduction: Every research work requires using information from the literature about the topic. Thus, a researcher should be able to use the techniques that would enable him / her to make efficient notes of the most relevant quality information in a text; i.e. a good researcher must necessarily be a good note taker. Efficient notetaking for academic research requires the use of good strategies. Below is a suggested non-exhaustive list of note-taking strategies to try. Experiment with different strategies and see what works for you.
Learning Goals At the end of this unit, you (the student) should be able to 1. Demonstrate awaren... more Learning Goals At the end of this unit, you (the student) should be able to 1. Demonstrate awareness of the strategies you have been using for paraphrasing material from the sources you use; 2. Critically assess those strategies to maintain the efficient ones and stop using the inefficient ones; 3. Describe other strategies for efficient paraphrasing; 4. Record accurate useful information from sources using appropriate paraphrasing.
Learning Goals At the end of this unit, you (the student) should be able to 1. Demonstrate awaren... more Learning Goals At the end of this unit, you (the student) should be able to 1. Demonstrate awareness of the strategies you have been using for quoting material from the sources you use; 2. Critically assess those strategies to maintain the efficient ones and stop using the inefficient ones; 3. Describe other strategies for efficient quoting; 4. Record accurate useful information from sources using quoting appropriately.
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Books by Maamar Missoum
Key Words: Learner Autonomy - Teacher’s Agendas – Teaching Strategies – Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors – EFL in Higher Education
Conference Presentations by Maamar Missoum
Key Terms: Employability Requirements - University Graduates – Life-Long Learning – Teaching strategies – Teachers’ Agendas – English Department - Algeria
Teaching Documents by Maamar Missoum
Key Words: Learner Autonomy - Teacher’s Agendas – Teaching Strategies – Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors – EFL in Higher Education
Key Terms: Employability Requirements - University Graduates – Life-Long Learning – Teaching strategies – Teachers’ Agendas – English Department - Algeria
Pre-Requisite skills In order to succeed in this course, learners must have acquired a good ability to 1) Read texts effectively; and 2) Write essays.
Best Performers 2019-20 - Master 2 in Didactics
Congratulations!
There are students who worked hard but whose names do not appear in this list. I give them warm encouragement. Keep up the good work!
Congratulations!
We are pleased to extend this formal invitation to you to participate in the upcoming conference entitled "Fostering Effective Language Integration: Exploring English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) Practices in Algerian Higher Education." The conference aims to bring together educators, researchers, and practitioners to explore and discuss the use of English as a medium of instruction in the context of Algerian higher education.
The conference will provide a platform for participants to share insights, experiences, and best practices related to EMI, with a focus on its impact on teaching and learning, curriculum development, and student outcomes. We believe that your expertise and contributions would greatly enrich the discussions and outcomes of the event.
We invite you to consider submitting a paper, delivering a presentation, or participating in panel discussions that align with the conference theme. Your involvement will not only contribute to the advancement of knowledge in this field but also provide valuable perspectives for our diverse audience.
We encourage you to share this invitation with your colleagues who may also have valuable contributions to make.
We look forward to your participation and to the opportunity to engage with you on this important topic. Should you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you for considering this invitation, and we hope to welcome you at the conference.
Sincerely,
The Conference Organizing Committee
•The relationship between games and learning
•A review of research on the application of educational computer games in EFL
•Case studies on digital game-based learning ( methods, models, strategies)
•Games for classroom-based learning
•Use of mobile games in the classroom
•How can game-based learning effectively engage learners
•Games that can reinforce language across the four skill areas
•Designing curricular games in ESP English
•Gamification-based techniques to promote learners
•Identifying types of digital games
•Assessing engagement in game-based learning
Through this conference, we will try to analyze key challenges that teachers and learners face in classrooms and suggest a way of integrating soft and hard skills. Our aim is to bring researchers to study the existing ESP literature in terms of presence of global issues, explore the perceptions of global issues among university students, outline the correlation between professional skills and global competence, and enhance the teaching of ESP in this field. We will not only expose our work but also discuss the future of English for Specific Purposes, and suggest ways to use it effectively in their field of study for scientific purposes.
While gradual moves into the digital sphere have already been taking place over the last few years, COVID-19 crisis has dramatically accelerated this digitalization process. With the advent of digital infrastructure, Algerian schools and universities are now embracing a hybrid or a blended learning model to provide students with tailored pedagogy and a specialized online learning environment. Although blended learning has existed for decades, it has become more prominent after the pandemic. Other post-pandemic teaching-learning trends include digital task-based learning, thematic-based learning, project-based learning, and flipped classrooms to name but a few. These advanced teaching-learning trends emphasize experiential learning and have proven to be highly efficient and adaptable throughout COVID-19 pandemic. Many schools and universities across the country have adopted these innovative pedagogies after resuming offline classes due to their effectiveness in providing students with engaging and meaningful learning opportunities for the changing times. Adopting these innovative trends and technologies is required. More action should be taken to assess and improve them to pave the way for a better quality, more resilient and sustainable education.
challenges related to difficult working conditions especially a
high student-teacher ratio to require that learners assume higher
responsibility for their own learning. For reforms that emphasise
learner autonomy to succeed, both learners and teachers’ attitudes
towards autonomy need to be favourable. This research
investigated how learner autonomy is conceived by teachers and
students in some Algerian English departments. A survey
questionnaire was administered to35 teachers and 130
students. The results seem to indicate that the surveyed teachers
and students hold positive attitudes towards learner autonomy and
its effects on EFL student academic achievement. Nonetheless,
some uncertainty among teachers and learners emerged from the
data about the role of the English department and the wider
Algerian culture in developing learner autonomy. The researcher
attempts to argue that the attitudes and perceptions of
stakeholders must be taken into consideration in the preparation
and implementation of reforms in education. Some
recommendations are made to support reforms for the promotion
of EFL ‘learner autonomy’.
Keywords: Learner autonomy, teachers’ perceptions, teachers’
attitudes, learners’ perceptions, learners’ attitudes, culture,
educational culture, educational reforms, department of English,
Algeria
Exploring economical solutions to the EFL-ESP teachers’ challenge related to Syllabi
Rationale
Improving quality of ESP teaching and learning requires an appropriate syllabus that
1. Makes mission of EFL-ESP teachers more conducive to success;
2. Helps learners acquire functional English language skills for academic and professional purposes