Standards in English Language Teaching and Assessment

Featured Speaker:
Kathy Bird

Curriculum Reform

The opportunity to reform a national state school curriculum is every teacher's dream and every curriculum writer's nightmare when it happens. The complexities and responsibilities are enormous. Integration of content and performance standards (O'Malley & Pierce 1996), authentic assessment (Feuer & Fulton 1993), the development of learning strategies and study skills, learner independence, attitudes, social aspects of education within the cultural context - and the promotion of a higher level of English language proficiency presents a formidable challenge. This presentation outlines the process of curriculum reform as well as the product.

The audience will be invited to attend a Portfolio workshop following on from this presentation. This workshop will investigate the teacher's role in implementing curriculum reform through their own professional development (Wolf, 1996).

Bio

Kathy Bird has an MA in TESOL. She teaches in the English Language Center, Zayed University. She is the former English Coordinator for the Center for the Professional Development, and has worked on Teacher Appraisal and Assessment Committees. She has organized three conferences for the supervisors of teachers of English in the UAE, and is Chair of a Ministry of Education and Youth Curriculum Reform Committee.

She is President of TESOL Arabia and Chaired the International TESOL Arabia Conferences in 2001 and 2003. She was Guest Editor, with Dr Christine Coombe, of Perspectives, June 2003; and is on the 2003 Conference Proceedings Review Committee.

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Photo by Tony Quirke