Amman, Jordan
Mouafaq Arman
“..Teaching is the only career where respect is paid more to the service provider…”
interview
Why have you chosen this career?
Teaching is the only career where respect is paid more to the service provider rather than to the customer.
What arguments do you use to motivate someone to become a teacher?
It connects the teacher to many people from all walks of life and opens many opportunities for traveling.
Describe a personal connection experience you have had with your students that you remember for the rest of your life?
Many of my students are now my friends and they work in different industries. Two are really remarkable; a physician who got promoted really fast and a business man who has gone global.
What methodology were you taught? How effective was it?
I taught in the past grammar translation method and later on focused more on audio-lingual method. Their outcomes were relative but not satisfying.
What methodology do you use to teach? How effective is it?
Nowadays I rely more on Communicative Language Teaching CLT in addition to eclectic parts of other methods in which I observe a better outcome than before.
What is your teaching style? Why?
I prefer to have the student engaged in projects where the learner learns by doing. Einstein says knowledge comes from experience. So I prepare the situation where my students live real life situations and I focus more on fluency if it is far below the level of accuracy.
What is your learning style?
I am visual and I like to analyze figures, statements, shapes, and images.
What do you struggle with the most while teaching?
The most struggling part is to drive the student to get rid of the influence of L1 on fluency and accuracy. Moreover, it is not easy to change the behavior of the student towards learning a language.
What do your students struggle with the most while learning? Why?
Pausing a lot before producing is a problem that hinders them to complete their thoughts. Being afraid to speak with mistakes delays their learning as well.
What technology do you use in your class?
I use interactive internet-connected boards inside the classroom, and LMS to connect with students outside the classroom.
What characterizes a 21st Century Teacher in your point of view?
The teacher should be technology enthusiastic and motivating.
What is a 21st Century Student like for you?
The 21st century student is a fast-paced learner but still uncooperative. So teachers should be aware how to deal with these two cases.
How do you see Artificial Intelligence on the English teaching market? As an opportunity or as a threat?
AI is a helpful tool for teachers if utilized well in the learning process. Language and communication is still human traits where people would always like to be within groups and make connections, so the classroom and the teacher will exist for a long time to maintain such a relationship. A1 is helpful for fluency exercises in any LMS system.
