Beyond The Abstracts: Blending Boundaries

Description

In this Beyond The Abstracts conversation I speak with Zainab Teraif. Zainab is a doctoral candidate at the University of St Andrews, enrolled in the DProf TESOL programme, and an English Instructor at Bahrain Polytechnic since 2021. She has been working in the teaching sector for over 10 years, as a teaching assistant for the most part. She is CELTA certified, and completed an MATESOL at the University of Birmingham, which demonstrates her interest in the field of ELT and teacher training. Her research interest, however, lies in the reciprocal relationship between theory and practice, where insights from research inform educational practice and practical experiences enrich theoretical understanding. Hence, because of this interest, Zainab tends to explore trends in ELT (e.g., Blended Learning, Integration of Generative AI). Moreover, she regularly links her findings to the theory of Adult Learning (Andragogy) because of her context in higher education.

In this engaging conversation, Zainab shares her transition from an educational practitioner to a researcher, and her innovative teaching practices at Bahrain Polytechnic. Zainab discusses the integration of blended learning within her English foundation program, emphasising the practical challenges and reflections associated with implementing asynchronous and synchronous learning. To that end, we discuss issues raised in her 2024 paper, Time to blend learning? A reflective practice on blended learning in an English Foundation Programme at Bahrain Polytechnic. Zainab also discusses her personal journey and the lessons learned from her experiences, which include adapting to the needs of a diverse student body and promoting learner autonomy through educational technology. This conversation offers valuable insights into the blending of teaching and research, the role of reflection in education, and the evolution of learning environments to foster student independence and engagement - and will be essential watching for anyone with an interest in these issues.

 

Learn more about Zainab Teraif’s work here:

• Teraif, Z. (2024). Time to blend learning? A reflective practice on blended learning in an English Foundation Programme at Bahrain Polytechnic. InForm, 23, 37–39. https://static.reading.ac.uk/content/PDFs/files/Inform/InForm-Issue23.pdf