Essential Question:
How does the method of instruction influence student engagement in the classroom?
Assumptions:
Supporting Questions:
Resources:
Initial Stage of Research: Comparisons between Phoenix Union, Central High School and a number of Moroccan High Schools both public and private.
How does the method of instruction influence student engagement in the classroom?
How does the method of instruction influence student engagement in the classroom?
Before I answer the question about student engagement in the classroom I’m going to comment about the Moroccan educational system and my observations. The Moroccan public educational system is compulsory through age 15 and is free. Many students especially in rural areas or girls fail to attend or drop out before they get to the secondary school level the dropout rate is 21%.
Morocco’s city of Fes is home to al-Karaouine the oldest and continuously run university in the world founded in 859. It was founded with an associated school or madrasa which became one of the leading spiritual and education centers of the historic Muslim world. The education system has four levels: first pre-school, then kindergarten and Koranic schools, then primary schools and then secondary schools. They have both private and public schools. Public schools are paid by the government and private schools are not. There are four education cycles: original, pre-school and primary, lower secondary and secondary. The secondary schools have three tracks they are:
Primary school education is compulsory and consists of grades 1 through 6 and students are 6 to 12 years old. The middle school education takes three years to complete and students receive a certificate or diploma at completion. Less than 60% of students are either able to or wish to complete this phase of education. In poorer more rural areas students are needed to work or help at home to help supplement the family income. Students are in secondary education from ages 15 to 18, in grades 10 through12. Students would complete a certificate or diploma after passing all exams. Some students choose to go into a technical track as opposed to the secondary education. In the technical track students learn a vocation where student will have the skills to go right into the work force. The last step of education is the tertiary education where students go and study at the university. There are 14 universities in Morocco. The most prestigious is the Mohammed V University in Rabat where students study law, liberal arts, medicine, and sciences.
I approached my travel to Morocco with an open mind and a lot of curiosity on the methodologies used to teach in Morocco. I was curious on how much student engagement, technology, critical thinking, creativity and hands on learning were being used in the classrooms. I was fortunate to be able to observe classrooms from primary school education to the adult English courses at the university level. I was amazed at the curiosity the students had and how polite they were to adults. In both private and public schools the students would stand when special guests or someone of authority entered the room. They would remain standing until told to sit. When the Moroccan cohort, the group of teachers from Teachers for Global Classrooms sponsored by IREX entered rooms to visit, instruction was halted briefly as introductions were made. Students were typically just working independently on whatever task the teacher had given them. During these visits it was difficult to make instructional observations but it appeared to be teacher direct instruction.
I was fortunate to have a great TGC host Abdellatif El Moncef he taught at Abderrahman Dakhil High School in Ain Aouda, Morocco about 30 miles south of Rabat, Morocco. Abderrahman Dakhil High School is a rural school with the challenges of a rural school in Morocco. The class schedule is set up differently from Central High School in Phoenix Arizona. Abderrahaman Dakhil HS students come to school for morning sessions for about three hours then go home for a couple of hours, come back for another three hours of instruction. Sometimes students don’t go home until around 6 PM. Teachers often teach morning or afternoon depending on the day and when their class attends. Where Central High School students start at 8 AM and stay until 3 PM. An interesting observation I made was if the students are late for school they are locked off campus and have to wait until the first class is over and it is passing time for the second class, then they are allowed on campus to go to their next class. No disturbing class by walking in late. Abdellatif is an English teacher and I observed him teaching English to his secondary students. Abdellatif used a variety of teaching techniques. He had his students thinking critically and creatively, he used technology with a Smart Board and I didn’t see technology in the school in any other classrooms. I was fortunate to observe a science and a math class both were taught in Arabic. The lessons were taught with teacher direct instruction. The student involvement was a student going up to the board and working out a problem while everyone else worked on other problems or sat and watched. I was excited to learn a trigonometry trick using my hand to remember the trig ratios from the unit circle. Classroom discipline was not a problem in the core classes. The teachers I observed had excellent classroom management. Besides the high school observations I was able to join Abdellatif when he went to the college to teach his English class to business people. This course was taught very hands on and I was able to join the class and talk about Arizona, Phoenix and Central High School. The students were very interested in the culture in Phoenix, Arizona.
The students in Rabat and Ain Aouda were very much like the students at Central High School in Phoenix, AZ. They wore similar clothing, liked to play video games, they used Facebook, used their phones under the table when they didn’t think anyone was watching, and were familiar with popular American music. When questioned about school and their education students had great respect for their teachers and commented on how hard their teachers worked and they were getting an excellent education. I also had the opportunity to speak with a couple of American students on a year of foreign exchange in Rabat, Morocco. I was very interested in the comparisons of the education they got in America compared to Morocco. In the American schools the two students attended prior to their exchange they were instructed to use inquire based methodologies and work in small groups where in the high school in Rabat the teachers were more into their students memorizing the information. The instruction was more rote memorization. In my opinion the education in Morocco is decades behind where the United States is at now.
Public teachers in Morocco are appointed to the schools they teach at by the Ministry of Education often the schools are far from their homes. The school placement is typically by seniority. Teachers do not get to choose where they teach and often don’t get their teaching assignments until right before the school year starts. This leaves little time to prepare lessons and activities before school starts. The Ministry of Education is responsible for standards, curriculum, appointments and teachers are responsible for teaching and learning. Student from more affluent families go to private schools where the family must pay for education these students tend to score better on the examinations and are able to get into the better universities. Speaking with people around Morocco on the train or teachers themselves they all mentioned that they send their children to private school for a better education. Some of these people that I spoke with went to public schools in Morocco but would not send their children to public schools. This was very interesting to me.
One interesting thing I learned from my trip to Morocco is that Moroccans are multilingual and tend to code switch between languages when speaking and it is considered the norm. Code switching requires no real effort on the speaker it comes very natural to them. They speak Arabic, French, English and a little Spanish. Because of the code switching Moroccans can understand all dialects of the Arabic language. The majority of the population is functionally multilingual and can effortlessly switch from one language to another they switch between:
Now to answer the question: How does the method of instruction influence student engagement in the classroom?
From my observations when teachers are teaching with direct instruction there is little student to student engagement. I did observe that in the Moroccan educational system students are engaged in their learning it is more of individual engagement or rote memorization of facts where students work independently. From my observations especially in mathematics, my content area, the students in Morocco both in Rabat and Ain Aouda are a year ahead in math then the students I teach at Central High School. For example geometry is a 10th grade math class of a student on track at Central High School but in Morocco a student in 10th grade would be in second year algebra/trigonometry. Everyone in the same track and taught the same there was no differentiated instruction. A student’s education was up to the student to learn and keep up or they failed the examinations. Students must pass examinations to move up to the next grade. No social promotion in Morocco. The students either sink or swim.
In conclusion the more direct instruction in the classroom the less student engagement and active participation occurs whereas the less direct instruction the more inquiry and more active participation and student engagement occur. This is true in both the United States and Morocco.
How does the method of instruction influence student engagement in the classroom?
Assumptions:
- Students in Morocco have less student to student engagement than in American schools.
- Students in Morocco are taught using lectures as the main method of instruction.
- American schools are most progressive in the world.
Supporting Questions:
- How do students in Moroccan schools view their education?
- How would an outsider view Moroccan education?
- Is Moroccan education more student centered or teacher centered?
- What were the visible differences in the educational system in Morocco compared to Central High School?
Resources:
Initial Stage of Research: Comparisons between Phoenix Union, Central High School and a number of Moroccan High Schools both public and private.
- Interviews/discussions with students, teachers, presenters, administrators, and government officials.
- Department of education standards, mission statement, goals, etc.
- School curriculum, course offerings, design, scheduling, etc.
- College and workforce entrance expectations
How does the method of instruction influence student engagement in the classroom?
How does the method of instruction influence student engagement in the classroom?
Before I answer the question about student engagement in the classroom I’m going to comment about the Moroccan educational system and my observations. The Moroccan public educational system is compulsory through age 15 and is free. Many students especially in rural areas or girls fail to attend or drop out before they get to the secondary school level the dropout rate is 21%.
Morocco’s city of Fes is home to al-Karaouine the oldest and continuously run university in the world founded in 859. It was founded with an associated school or madrasa which became one of the leading spiritual and education centers of the historic Muslim world. The education system has four levels: first pre-school, then kindergarten and Koranic schools, then primary schools and then secondary schools. They have both private and public schools. Public schools are paid by the government and private schools are not. There are four education cycles: original, pre-school and primary, lower secondary and secondary. The secondary schools have three tracks they are:
- The modern track, which is the continuation of the French system which would involve going to the colleges and universities. Students in this track either go in to the humanities or math and science track.
- The original track which focuses on Koranic teachings (religion or bible).
- The technical track to have a skill for the work place a vocation.
Primary school education is compulsory and consists of grades 1 through 6 and students are 6 to 12 years old. The middle school education takes three years to complete and students receive a certificate or diploma at completion. Less than 60% of students are either able to or wish to complete this phase of education. In poorer more rural areas students are needed to work or help at home to help supplement the family income. Students are in secondary education from ages 15 to 18, in grades 10 through12. Students would complete a certificate or diploma after passing all exams. Some students choose to go into a technical track as opposed to the secondary education. In the technical track students learn a vocation where student will have the skills to go right into the work force. The last step of education is the tertiary education where students go and study at the university. There are 14 universities in Morocco. The most prestigious is the Mohammed V University in Rabat where students study law, liberal arts, medicine, and sciences.
I approached my travel to Morocco with an open mind and a lot of curiosity on the methodologies used to teach in Morocco. I was curious on how much student engagement, technology, critical thinking, creativity and hands on learning were being used in the classrooms. I was fortunate to be able to observe classrooms from primary school education to the adult English courses at the university level. I was amazed at the curiosity the students had and how polite they were to adults. In both private and public schools the students would stand when special guests or someone of authority entered the room. They would remain standing until told to sit. When the Moroccan cohort, the group of teachers from Teachers for Global Classrooms sponsored by IREX entered rooms to visit, instruction was halted briefly as introductions were made. Students were typically just working independently on whatever task the teacher had given them. During these visits it was difficult to make instructional observations but it appeared to be teacher direct instruction.
I was fortunate to have a great TGC host Abdellatif El Moncef he taught at Abderrahman Dakhil High School in Ain Aouda, Morocco about 30 miles south of Rabat, Morocco. Abderrahman Dakhil High School is a rural school with the challenges of a rural school in Morocco. The class schedule is set up differently from Central High School in Phoenix Arizona. Abderrahaman Dakhil HS students come to school for morning sessions for about three hours then go home for a couple of hours, come back for another three hours of instruction. Sometimes students don’t go home until around 6 PM. Teachers often teach morning or afternoon depending on the day and when their class attends. Where Central High School students start at 8 AM and stay until 3 PM. An interesting observation I made was if the students are late for school they are locked off campus and have to wait until the first class is over and it is passing time for the second class, then they are allowed on campus to go to their next class. No disturbing class by walking in late. Abdellatif is an English teacher and I observed him teaching English to his secondary students. Abdellatif used a variety of teaching techniques. He had his students thinking critically and creatively, he used technology with a Smart Board and I didn’t see technology in the school in any other classrooms. I was fortunate to observe a science and a math class both were taught in Arabic. The lessons were taught with teacher direct instruction. The student involvement was a student going up to the board and working out a problem while everyone else worked on other problems or sat and watched. I was excited to learn a trigonometry trick using my hand to remember the trig ratios from the unit circle. Classroom discipline was not a problem in the core classes. The teachers I observed had excellent classroom management. Besides the high school observations I was able to join Abdellatif when he went to the college to teach his English class to business people. This course was taught very hands on and I was able to join the class and talk about Arizona, Phoenix and Central High School. The students were very interested in the culture in Phoenix, Arizona.
The students in Rabat and Ain Aouda were very much like the students at Central High School in Phoenix, AZ. They wore similar clothing, liked to play video games, they used Facebook, used their phones under the table when they didn’t think anyone was watching, and were familiar with popular American music. When questioned about school and their education students had great respect for their teachers and commented on how hard their teachers worked and they were getting an excellent education. I also had the opportunity to speak with a couple of American students on a year of foreign exchange in Rabat, Morocco. I was very interested in the comparisons of the education they got in America compared to Morocco. In the American schools the two students attended prior to their exchange they were instructed to use inquire based methodologies and work in small groups where in the high school in Rabat the teachers were more into their students memorizing the information. The instruction was more rote memorization. In my opinion the education in Morocco is decades behind where the United States is at now.
Public teachers in Morocco are appointed to the schools they teach at by the Ministry of Education often the schools are far from their homes. The school placement is typically by seniority. Teachers do not get to choose where they teach and often don’t get their teaching assignments until right before the school year starts. This leaves little time to prepare lessons and activities before school starts. The Ministry of Education is responsible for standards, curriculum, appointments and teachers are responsible for teaching and learning. Student from more affluent families go to private schools where the family must pay for education these students tend to score better on the examinations and are able to get into the better universities. Speaking with people around Morocco on the train or teachers themselves they all mentioned that they send their children to private school for a better education. Some of these people that I spoke with went to public schools in Morocco but would not send their children to public schools. This was very interesting to me.
One interesting thing I learned from my trip to Morocco is that Moroccans are multilingual and tend to code switch between languages when speaking and it is considered the norm. Code switching requires no real effort on the speaker it comes very natural to them. They speak Arabic, French, English and a little Spanish. Because of the code switching Moroccans can understand all dialects of the Arabic language. The majority of the population is functionally multilingual and can effortlessly switch from one language to another they switch between:
- Standard Arabic (Fusha) the official language used by media and teachers.
- Moroccan Arabic (Derija) the vernacular or everyday language
- Tamazight the mother tongue the language of the early inhabitants
- French the language of the elite.
- English taught in many high schools
- Spanish taught as an elective in many high schools.
Now to answer the question: How does the method of instruction influence student engagement in the classroom?
From my observations when teachers are teaching with direct instruction there is little student to student engagement. I did observe that in the Moroccan educational system students are engaged in their learning it is more of individual engagement or rote memorization of facts where students work independently. From my observations especially in mathematics, my content area, the students in Morocco both in Rabat and Ain Aouda are a year ahead in math then the students I teach at Central High School. For example geometry is a 10th grade math class of a student on track at Central High School but in Morocco a student in 10th grade would be in second year algebra/trigonometry. Everyone in the same track and taught the same there was no differentiated instruction. A student’s education was up to the student to learn and keep up or they failed the examinations. Students must pass examinations to move up to the next grade. No social promotion in Morocco. The students either sink or swim.
In conclusion the more direct instruction in the classroom the less student engagement and active participation occurs whereas the less direct instruction the more inquiry and more active participation and student engagement occur. This is true in both the United States and Morocco.
Disclaimer:
This is not an official U.S. Department of State website. The views and information presented are the grantee's own an do not represent the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program , IREX, or the U.S. Department of State.
Similarly, the views and information are my own and do not represent Central High School, Phoenix Union High School District, or the State of Arizona.
This is not an official U.S. Department of State website. The views and information presented are the grantee's own an do not represent the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program , IREX, or the U.S. Department of State.
Similarly, the views and information are my own and do not represent Central High School, Phoenix Union High School District, or the State of Arizona.