On April 22, 2009, Fulbright Scholar John Little delivered a three hour workshop presentation on journalism basics to 25 of Oman's FLTA Alumni. The presentation, at the personal request of the Ministry's Director General and Adviser to the Minister, taught alumni of the FLTA Program how to draft journalistic articles about their experiences in the United States. John Little's talk began with an overview of journalism concepts, then delved into journalism techniques for catching readers' attention while communicating the essential facts of the story. The Ministry requested this training session in an effort to encourage FLTA Alumni to write and publish articles upon returning from the U.S., publicizing the value of the experience for the Ministry's teachers. Several FLTA Alumni have been featured in both U.S. and Omani papers, and the Ministry hopes to increase media exposure to this program. Upon completion of the first workshop session, the Director General invited John Little to return for a follow-up session. This workshop is one of several "extracurricular" events that John Little is engaged in. He is also conducting a three-week introductory seminar on video production and editing for audiences at Oman TV and a local media company. The Diwan of Royal Court has asked him to conduct a similar session. The Fulbright FLTA Program held a Pre-departure Orientation in Muscat in the summer of 2008. In attendance at the orientation was Ambassador Gary Grappo, Omani FLTAs and FLTA Alumni. The third annual Pre-departure Orientation in Cairo was held in the summer of 2008. 120 Arabic language FLTAs attended sessions in Cairo developed to provide them with skills needed to successfully adjust to teaching and studying in a U.S. post-secondary educational institution and to inform them of their responsibilities as Fulbright grantees. FLTAs from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen gathered with ECA and IIE staff to participate in the following session topics: - Foreign Language Instruction in the U.S. in 2008
- Best Practices in Arabic Teaching
- African Language Teaching
- Professionalism in the Classroom
- Challenges to Learning Arabic
- Teaching African Languages for Outcomes
- The FLTAs as Cultural Ambassadors
- Learner-Centered Classroom
- Meeting U.S. Student Expectations/ Learner Perspective
FLTAs also contributed by sharing their best practices. Please click the links below to view session presentations:Intergrating Culture by Jehan Allam FLTA Alumnae Presentation by Yasmine Hasnaoui The Fulbright FLTA Program: Policies and Procedures |
