My Networks

              

                      As an Arabic language educator, I am surrounded by many friends and colleagues who teach Arabic too. We always support each other, share ideas about teaching methods, and share resources. In addition to my local network, I am very pleased that I am a member of ACTFL since 2012, which was recommended by STARTALK educators while I was attending their powerful course. What is ACTFL?

                The American council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is an organization that works on improving and expanding the teaching and learning of all languages at all levels of education. More than 12,500 members who are language educators and administrators from schools, universities, government, and industry share one common goal: to inspire, educate, and prepare today's students for tomorrow's world. ACTFL was established in 1967, and since then, it has become as a symbol of invention, quality, and fidelity for meeting the evolving needs of language educators and learners.

- What are the benefits of being a member of ACTFL?

1- Free subscriptions including:

· The Language Educator—published four times a year. This magazine highlights proven classroom techniques, new technology, innovative products, and much more.

· Foreign Language Annals—published quarterly and featuring original work focused on the latest practices, methods, and research.

2- Discounts on ACTFL annual convention and world languages expo, webinars for professionals, and oral proficiency interview assessment workshops. 

3- Discounts on ACTFL products such as books, e-books, language career-focused DVDs, and brochures.

4- Career resources such as ACFTL job central and ACTFL mentoring program.

5- Access to members-only news and information, ACTFL special interest groups and other online community e-groups, and receiving free students’ information kits.

- Who can be an ACTFL member?

Anyone who is a foreign language educator or a foreign language current student can be a member of ACTFL. The fees are varied depending on the category of the member; the range from $29 to $79 per year.

- Can anyone join a more specific group for the language they teach?

ACTFL has many Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to provide continuous networking and information sharing on a specific topic or area of interest to a subset of ACTFL’s overall membership. The Arabic network is one of them which I was able to join for just an extra $5 per year.

For more information about services provided by ACTFL, please visit www.ACTFL.org.

Meeting with My Mentor

      Dr. Tom Kolsky is my mentor. He was my daughter's History of the Modern Middle East Professor at Montgomery County Community College, Pennsylvania. Over the years, Dr. Kolsky and I became friends, and eventually he became my mentor. He is passionate about learning the Arabic language and I was his instructor at MCCC. We often talk about the Middle East and share our ideas about politics and other current affairs in the region. Dr. Kolsky is a very cultured and open-minded individual who has always been interested in my teaching career and has always encouraged me to pursue my passions.

     

       Dr. Kolsky met with me and my family for dinner and our interview began after dessert was served. I said to him, “Let’s talk about the Business Arabic course I am concerned about.” We discussed the proposal of the course and how to market it to the various levels of the University administration. He suggested that I consolidate the proposal and begin to think about how to promote the idea of the course throughout the University. The key idea is basically to convince the administration that my idea is sound and durable, and he thought that this was a productive and excellent brainstorming session. 

Major National Proffessional Organizations

  

        Regarding To Join and Build Networks, the second chapter of "Thrive", by Meenoo Rami, Meenoo recommended some major national organizations that would be beneficial for teachers to join.

       I would also like to recommend a great organization for foreign language teachers, which is called The American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). You can visit www.actfl.org to learn more about the opportunities ACTFL can give you as a foreign language educator.  

       

         

Second Week of ED 676

Turn to Mentors

                Reading the first chapter of Thrive 5 Ways to (Re) Invigorate Your Teaching by Meenoo Rami, made me think about how lucky I am for being surrounded by wise mentors who help me succeed in my field. As an Arabic language educator at two universities, I have chairmen, coordinators, and colleagues who are always willing to observe, collaborate, encourage, and share ideas when they are solicited and needed. We all as educators play the roles of mentors and mentees to each other.

                Dr. Omran is one of the most helpful mentors I have ever had. We have both been working at the same institute for four years, but we met just for a few times in the annual meetings. One day I e-mailed Dr. Omran to share with him my ideas about expanding the Arabic language courses at the university.Since then, he has been a tremendous help in preparing the proposal of the course and always praising and encouraging me during this new project.

Give and Take

             Reading the first chapter of Give and Take and listening to Adam Grant’s conversation with Aimee Groth led me to visit Google to do some research about him and his book. I found some very interesting quotes he mentioned in his book, which I believe will be very helpful for anyone who wants to be successful. Some of the quotes are:

 

1- “Being a giver is not good for a 100-yard dash, but it’s valuable in a marathon.”

― Adam Grant, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

2-"The more I help out, the more successful I become. But I measure success in what it has done for the people around me. That is the real accolade.”
― Adam Grant, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

3-“If we create networks with the sole intention of getting something, we won’t succeed. We can’t pursue the benefits of networks; the benefits ensue from investments in meaningful activities and relationships.”
― Adam Grant, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

4-“Highly successful people have three things in common: motivation, ability, and opportunity.”
― Adam Grant, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

 5-“This is what I find most magnetic about successful givers: they get to the top without cutting others down, finding ways of expanding the pie that benefit themselves and the people around them. Whereas success is zero-sum in a group of takers, in groups of givers, it may be true that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”

― Adam Grant, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

 6-“Many people who hold giver values in life choose matching as their primary reciprocity style at work, seeking an even balance of give and take.”

― Adam Grant, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

7-“You never know where somebody’s going to end up. It’s not just about building your reputation; it really is about being there for other people.”
― Adam M. Grant, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

8-“If you insist on a quid pro quo every time you help others, you will have a much narrower network.”
― Adam M. Grant, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

9-“Whereas success is zero-sum in a group of takers, in groups of givers, it may be true that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”

― Adam M. Grant, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success

10-“But there’s something distinctive that happens when givers succeed: it spreads and cascades.”
― Adam M. Grant, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success