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Doha
The Community College of Qatar (CCQ) has organised the first annual English Language Center (ELC) Symposium under the theme ‘Bridging the Divide between Secondary and Postsecondary Education in Teaching English and Academic Skills’.
In its inaugural edition, the symposium featured contributions by educators, researchers, policymakers and stakeholders who combined their expertise to examine the causes of disconnect for students going for higher education. The discussions aimed at identifying the ways to develop a seamless transition between school and college or university, and ultimately graduating high school students who are fully equipped to embark on the next chapter of their academic journey.
Dr Khalid al Abdulqader, vice-president of CCQ, underscored the importance of the symposium’s theme, saying, “One of the often-overlooked ways to improve the outcome of education in Qatar is to inspire educators and stakeholders in the secondary and tertiary stages to step out of their silos and work together to enhance students’ learning experience with a deeper understanding of the continuative aspect of their journey. The first edition of the English Language Center Symposium at CCQ is bringing this crucial issue to the surface of our consciousness as educators, and we can only imagine the possibilities we can realise when all stakeholders in this vital sector work together toward this common goal.”
Chair of the English Language Center at CCQ Dr Michael King commented:“It has been refreshing to see participants from various elements of the educational sector in Qatar come together and discuss this theme, which is so relevant for the lives of all our students. Views shared by both presenters and delegates have aided us all in understanding the possibilities as well as the challenges we all face in realising a smooth transition between school and the higher education sector.”
The event kicked off with a plenary session titled ‘Building a Coherent System for English Language Education’, where Professor of English at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) Dr Dudley Reynolds shed a spotlight on significant disjunctions that lead to academic struggle, and how adopting a system perspective of language education can help cushion students’ transition to tertiary education.
Ensuing breakout sessions collaboratively addressed several important subthemes, such as preparing students for Project-Based Learning (PBL) by Qatar University’s (QU) College of Education Professor Dr Xiangyun Du, and college and career readiness by Early Childhood Program Coordinator at CCQ, Dr Merfat Fayez.
English Lecturer in the Foundation Program at QU Dr Okon Effiong also examined the factors that impact successful transition from secondary to tertiary institutions in his breakout session.
The ELC Symposium was organised by CCQ’s English Language Center with the goal of helping faculty in providing the best education possible by exploring opportunities to analyse the current state of education affairs in Qatar through discussions, panels and seminars.
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24/03/2019
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