CAPA Instructor Ahmad Jomaa Spreading the Joys of Conversational English

To see even more of the top-flight teaching and learning at the American University of Kurdistan (AUK), Content Writer Michael Collins visited the class of Ahmad Jomaa on February 13. Mr. Jomaa is an instructor for the Center for Academic and Professional Advancement (CAPA), and he works with some of the students whose English command is presently more limited. Through Mr. Jomaa’s engaging instruction and their own hard work, though, these students are fast improving their English –  both social and academic. Sometimes, CAPA students are aiming, ASAP, for formal entry into the English-medium undergraduate program at AUK; however, the class Mr. Collins observed, “Elementary Conversation,” included many students beyond usual undergraduate age, looking to get a better handle on English for general sociability and employability. It is a testament to the range of programming of CAPA that they simultaneously prepare students for the professional-level rigors of CAPAx presentations and the more foundational (and fun) uses of English for individual growth through interpersonal exchange.

The “Elementary Conversation” course is a 10-week one nearing its end, and it is amazing to see how far along some students have come in just 2 months; at entry, their knowledge of English was limited to a smattering of rudiments. The February 13 session had a clearly defined topic: using the past simple to narrate stories and talk about past events. Mr. Jomaa at once broke the ice and took an inventory of the existing level of comfort with the target grammar by asking students what they DID over the unexpected “long weekend.” He next showed a succession of slides of historical figures, about whom the students as a whole demonstrated an impressive degree of knowledge despite language limitations. There was evident preplanning to accommodate various personality types and learning styles, for instance in a kinesthetic and competitive activity. Students threw a ball around and challenged others to give the proper past tense forms for verbs of their choice; wrong answers resulted in eliminations until only one person remained. The best learning, research shows, takes place through the activation of “higher-order thinking skills,” and Mr. Jomaa called upon one such skill, creativity, on top of higher-order social skills, in putting students into groups of four and having them generate coherent stories.

“Q & A” was the theme of the second half of the class, allowing for the authentic practice that reveals personality and stimulates growth. First, students got preset questions on strips of paper that they asked random classmates, forcing extemporaneous answers. Next, they split up into two teams for another friendly competition, this time incorporating creativity instead of catching. Each team generated 5 historical questions for the other to answer, with a point scored for each instance of stumping the opposition. One team won fairly comfortably, but there was neither gloating nor moping. Progress and positivity, on the other hand, were everywhere to be seen. Whether the students in “Elementary Conversation” keep working toward enrollment in AUK’s undergraduate program or are merely seeking maximum employment and entertainment in modern society, they are doing themselves and CAPA proud.