ELT Conference, October 20, 2011

Opportunities and Challenges of Teaching English

at the Tertiary Level"
Thursday 20th October, 2011 10:00am 5:00pm
Auditorium, Campus-A
University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB)
House : 56, Road : 4/A (Satmasjid Road)
Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1209
Tel: 9661255,9661301,9665686,9675919
Fax:+880 2 9670931
web:www.ulab.edu.bd

Conference Programme

Time

Type

Title

Speaker(s)

10.00 am

Welcome Speech

Golam Sarwar Chowdhury

Professor
DEH,ULAB

10.15 am

Speech by Vice
Chancellor, ULAB

Professor Imran Rahman

Acting Vice Chancellor, ULAB

10.30 am

Speech by the Head

Prof Mohit Ul Alam Head, DEH,ULAB

10.45 am

Tea Break

First Session

Time

Type

11.00 am

Plenary

11.30 am

Paper

12.00 pm

Paper/presentation

Title
Plenary speech
Teaching without Lecturing: alternative teaching
methods at the tertiary level

12.30 pm

Paper/presentation

1.00 pm

Paper/presentation

1.30 pm

Paper/presentation

2.00 pm

Lunch break

One Size No Longer Fits All : Exploring

Alternatives to General English Language
Courses Taught in Private Universities in
Bangladesh
Dealing with Gender-Influenced Problems in
ELT Classrooms:
Challenges for Teachers in the Tertiary Level
Adapting EFL course book to suit our students at
tertiary level in Bangladesh: Purposes and
opportunities
The Difficulties of Teaching English Writing
Courses

Speaker(s)
Judith Hudson
A.M.M. Hamidur Rahman
ATM Sajedul Huq

Faheem Hasan Shahed

Md. Shayeekh-Us-Saleheen

Mousume Flora

Second Session

Time

Type

Title

Speaker(s)

2.45 pm

Paper/presentation

3.15 pm

Paper/presentation

3.45 pm

Paper/presentation

4.15 pm

Paper/presentation

4.45 pm

Paper/presentation

5.15 pm

Paper/presentation

Using Short Stories to Incorporate Critical

Thinking into English Language Classes

Tahsina Yasmin

Reaping what we sow: rethinking English

language teaching and learning in private
universities in Bangladesh
ICT for Language Teaching in Higher
Education: Challenges and Possibilities

Mithila Mahfuz

Literature in ELT: Classroom Based Research

Tahmina Anwar

English Language Teaching at Tertiary Level: A

Bangladesh Perspective

Dr. Muhammed Shahriar Haque &

Mahmuda Akhter

Nadia Rahman
Abdulla Al Mamun

Conference Abstracts
Teaching without Lecturing: alternative teaching methods at the tertiary level
A.M.M. Hamidur Rahman
Professor
Institute of modern Languages, University of Dhaka
Lecturing is the most commonly used teaching method at the tertiary level in Bangladesh. But if our goal is to stimulate the
interest of learners, develop analytical abilities, and encourage learning by doing task-based and problem-solving activities
need to be used to promote active learning. Students need to work in pairs, groups and individually to develop such faculties.
Teachers need to act as co-participants and organizer of tasks and activities in a learner-centred classroom. The presentation will
be made through workshop type activities.
One Size No Longer Fits All: Exploring Alternatives to General English Language Courses
Taught in Private Universities in Bangladesh
ATM Sajedul Huq
Asst. Professor, Dept. Of English & Humanities
University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh
With the growth of the ICT industry and the Governments vision to create a Digital Bangladesh, with new Multinational
companies, television channels, and advertising firms coming out every day, students future prospects are increasingly
becoming contingent not only upon academic success but also upon their level of English proficiency.
However, though the demand is there, very few of the graduates produced every year are actually able to apply the General
English language skills they are currently being taught to their chosen disciplines and beyond. Obviously, this ever widening
gap, between what is required in their professions and their respective disciplines and what is taught, is a situation that can no
longer be ignored.
Therefore, this paper will focus on the perceptions of private university students towards General English language courses, and
examine whether introducing CBI and/or ESP courses would be more effective in meeting the needs of all concerned.

Abdulla Al Mamun
Lecturer
University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh

Dealing with Gender-Influenced Problems in ELT Classrooms: Challenges for Teachers in the Tertiary Level

Faheem Hasan Shahed, Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Head of the Department of English
American International University-Bangladesh

This study is based on a qualitative study among students of Dhaka citys different tertiary institutions to investigate and
analyze how gender-barriers work in the ELT classrooms regarding the English language, course materials (textbooks, lecture
sheets, power point slides) and processes (learning styles and strategies, and teacher-learner and learner-learner interaction). The
study, therefore, intends to throw light on issues like: how far our students motivation, aptitudes and skills are affected
according to their gender differences, how the gender of the students influence our students acquisition, classroom feedback
and grades, how and to what extent our students react to the gender-sensitive materials used in the classrooms, and how far our
teachers are sincerely concerned about this gender-role and subsequently, conscious in neutralizing the situation. Based on the
findings, the study would eventually suggest pragmatic recommendations to create a student-friendly English language
classroom environment that would be devoid of the gender-influenced inadequacies and problems.

Adapting EFL course book to suit our students at tertiary level in Bangladesh: Purposes and opportunities
Md. Shayeekh-Us-Saleheen
Asst. Professor, Dept. Of English & Humanities
University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh
Choosing a course book for a particular group of students involve adapting the material against the context in which it is going
to be used because despite the range and variety of published course books on the market, it is difficult to find an ideal match
between learner needs, course requirements and course book contents. These adapted materials can be considered as resources
in achieving goals and objectives that have already been set in the learner's needs. The purpose of adapting a new course book
is to strengthen weaker areas o f c o u r s e b o o k s by adjusting or by substituting material from other books. This paper
presents EFL teachers' perceptions about the purposes of adapting ELT course books at tertiary level in Bangladesh. In addition,
it focuses on teachers opportunities and experiences of adapting ELT course books.
The Difficulties of Teaching English Writing Courses
Mousume Flora
Lecturer, Dept. Of English
North south University
This paper addresses the challenges teachers face as they teach English composition courses to undergraduate students. It
primarily takes into account the learning difficulties faced by freshman students of private universities, specifically of North
South University. In this regard, the paper examines the course curricula, methods of teaching and assessment criteria of English
writing courses at the intermediate level, and analyzes the underlying weaknesses. After analyzing the problems, it provides a
solution to improve the quality of teaching English composition courses at the tertiary level.
Reaping what we sow: rethinking English language teaching and learning in private universities in Bangladesh
Mithila Mahfuz
Lecturer, Dept. Of English
Independent University, Bangladesh
Based on a study done by the presenter on Bangladeshi private university English teachers and learners that confirmed that most
students of these universities were not as competent in English as expected, this presentation aims to reveal the discrepancies
and contradictions in English language teaching and learning that are eventually causing frustration among all parties alike
teachers, guardians, students and employers. It dialectically maps the current status of English language teaching and learning in
private universities in the country to account for the growing disillusionment of all parties, establishing that English language
teaching and learning is not isolated from but in fact dependent on the historical, social, political, cultural conditions of the
country and of the world, issues which remain outside the considerations of the government, university authorities, language
teachers/experts and employers. Finally, the presentation recommends techniques and outlooks to turn the situation around.

ICT for Language Teaching in Higher Education: Challenges and Possibilities

Dr. Muhammed Shahriar Haque & Mahmuda Akhter
Department of English, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, East West University
The last decade of higher education in Bangladesh seems to be characterized by the growing interest in ICT. This is quite
apparent in private universities where there appears to be a drive to digitize libraries, faculty and student portals, the
administrative systems, and so on, which seem to go in line with the Governments objective of achieving a digital Bangladesh.
Though the concept of digitizing the entire country might appear to be ambitious, teaching the English language skills through
ICT particularly in private universities could be a realization that is achievable in the immediate future. However, the process of
implementing ICT is often hindered by a number of factors, among which lack of awareness regarding ICT and language
teaching, and dearth of tech-savvy English language teachers seem to be major obstacles. This paper aims to identify some
challenges as well as explain the potentials of employing ICT for English language teaching at the tertiary level in Bangladesh,
especially in private universities.

English Language Teaching at Tertiary Level: A Bangladesh Perspective

Nadia Rahman
Senior Lecturer, Dept. Of English & Humanities,
University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh
With the change of time, the approach and method of learning and teaching English language have gone through certain
changes. The number of institutions has also increased to meet the demand of growing number of students. But both inside and
outside of academic circles, English is very often unfavorable to the students studying technical courses in terms of its value and
usage. Although English is mandatory in primary and secondary level, it is not so in the tertiary level. This paper tries to provide
an overview of the current status of English language teaching at tertiary level in Bangladesh, the value and role of this
language in the general education system, and tentative proposals of what can be done to improve English language teaching at
tertiary level.
Using Short Stories to Incorporate Critical Thinking into English Language Classes
Tahsina Yasmin
Assistant Professor, Dept. of English
Stamford University Bangladesh
In todays world, where it is imperative that students not only have improved logic and argumentation but also critical thinking
skills, we need to get away from the simple information gathering and reproducing techniques when teaching reading. This
paper aims at sharing some ideas about using short stories to prepare reading exercises and evaluating students learning in
language courses at the tertiary level so that the students are channeled through a critical thinking process. The paper will
narrate certain examples which will demonstrate how short stories can test students ability to organize knowledge, express
opinions, and show originality.

Literature in ELT: Classroom Based Research

Tahmina Anwar
Lecturer, Department of English and Humanities University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh
This presentation will discuss the findings of a classroom based research, which tried to gain the strengths of using literature as
the core material for designing various types of classroom activities to cater the needs of various types of learners in the
intermediate level. Therefore, the presentation focuses on the importance of using stories emphasizing on the character traits not
only for developing the language skills of language learners but also for widening ones knowledge, increasing the cognitive
skills and for becoming socially responsible through examining a trait and its impact
Learner Problems at the Tertiary Level in Bangladesh
Abdullah AL Mamun
Lecturer, Department of English and Humanities University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh

My presentation is based on my experience of teaching English language to a mixed group of learners, ranging from AI to A2
levels, at ULAB. I will discuss how learners respond in the class and the ways in which I deal with them in order to make the
lessons effective. Students learning English at the tertiary level in Bangladesh still face quite a number of difficulties in adapting
to any of the communicative approaches now successfully implemented in the UK and USA, and other English speaking
countries. My presentation will therefore relate to student problems and how these could be resolved.
Plenary speaker:
Judith Hudson MA (Appl.Ling TESOL) is a University of Cambridge CELTA Tutor & Assessor based in Australia. In 1976 she
began her English Language Teaching career in Zurich, teaching English and tutoring English language teachers thus starting an
ongoing process of personal development nurtured by a strong determination to learn from every situation in ELT. She has been
involved in Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for many years and is also facilitating an educational program for
teachers at a large English medium school in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has a special interest in helping teachers develop into the
best teachers they can be & in promoting more Pronunciation & the use of Cuisenaire Rods in the classroom.