The English Language in Tunisia

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Permalink Reply by Robert Zenhausern on November 21, 2010 at 10:26am

I direct the Enabling Support Foundation, a non profit with a mission to help persons with disabilities and education. Last year we provided free online tutoring in English for HS students in Morocco. Is there interest in this kind of support in Tunisia?

Permalink Reply by Iqbal Kobir on November 21, 2010 at 11:59am

Thanks Noor, As you are in a country where Arabic is the first language. But it is obviously true that without good command in English you can’t go ahead and cope with the rest of the world. So, I think your government took a wise decision to make the student enable in English. So, to learn English better, it is easy to let the students know the words directly in English. Don’t use anything else except English in English classroom. Make sure an English environment in the class so that the students can use only English here in the class.
Suppose,
“This is a pen”. Don’t translate it as “Haja Kalamon”
Let them to know the English words and sentences as in English. Anyway, I think, English environment and communicative approach make sure the learning better. It is my doing in the classroom. May be it is not absolutely correct. So we should exchange our views and experiences.

Iqbal
Bangladesh

Permalink Reply by Noor Hamza on November 21, 2010 at 5:26pm

The English Language is getting more and more important even here where French colonization lasted for years and the people still cling to the French language and culture. Most Tunisian English teachers are not only active and motivated but also dedicated to their mission which consists in making the students love the English language. The Education Ministry did a great job in adding an hour of English per week to the two others so now the pupils have three hours of English learning per week and what is really wonderful is that this third hour as we call it is taught by groups so we teach only 15 to 18 pupils which is excellent. This third hour is called the pupil's hour as we let the pupils get involved in the lesson as much as possible and it is kind of outside the syllabus because we deal with interactive games, short plays, songs...teach through play!

Permalink Reply by Adel BENZARROUK on November 22, 2011 at 9:21am

Perfect, but from your experience do you think that one day, these new generation will be more dedicated for English language and can communicate well they are communicating in French, I wish I can see my son speak other language then french fluently.

I think, after revolution will try to focus more in other language then French and let our generation to be open for other cultures and believe to learn something else.

Thanks for such valuable inputs.

Permalink Reply by Sandra Rojas on November 21, 2010 at 6:30pm

Hello Noor Hamza!
It's very nice to hear such a motivation for teaching this language in your country!! I congratulate you for that initiative.
I would like to ask you for some examples of activities you practice outside (song, play, etc) It will be excellent to share your activities with my students and copy your interactive games with the mine because we teach just inside the rooms :(
It sounds fantastic how your students are so motivated learning English. Here English is taught as a foreign language and we are working hart to encourage our students to learn more English. Our Ministry of Education increased the English hours too, in Summer & Winter vacations we recluit students in every region and we share the experience to learn more English, but in this oportunity we work with some native speakers, english teachers & volunteers, so our teenagers have the oportunity to practice their English in a more natural way because it is done in camps!!
Well, again I "FELICITO" for your work in your country and I hope you can share with me some of your plans or activities you do there :) (the outside ones)
A hug from Chile!

Permalink Reply by Noor Hamza on November 23, 2010 at 7:04pm

Hi Sandra, very pleased to meet you.
Here in Tunisia English is also taught as a foreign language after Arabic and French. But as expected by numerous estimations, this language can only get greater and fast-spreading popularity and our students are aware of that. They love songs in English and keep up with the latest trends. Anyway, i am glad to share with you what goes on here in Tunis and i won't hesitate to exchange material with you. English is basically taught indoors in the classroom and to make lessons more interesting we use the data show with a special CD from the British Council which gives us lots of material and organizes for the English teachers many training sessions. However, I do have a few songs and role plays which can be done outside the classroom. I do a lot of downloading via the internet to get material but i also design lessons according to the syllabus theme and the grammatical components required.
How old are your pupils? and what themes are you dealing with?

Permalink Reply by Renee Day on November 23, 2011 at 3:02am

Hi Noor,

Thank you for starting this new discussion about teaching English in Tunisia.  In American education, we teach primarily for an English speaking population, and offer foreign languages at the high school level.  Although there are recent intiatives to promote learning foreign languages through exchange programs, as an educator, I think American students would be better prepared by learning a second and third language, as your ministry has approached teaching English.  Has the Ministry of Education considered collaborating with English-speaking classrooms in other countries using instructional technology as part of the exchange process? 

Warm regards,

Renee