Australian Journal of Teacher Educa

Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Vol 40, 3, March 2015 116
Preparing Palestinian Reflective English Language Teachers through
Classroom Based Action Research
Majida “Mohammed Yousef” Dajani
Al-Quds Open University
Al-Eman Schools
Palestine-Jerusalem
Abstract: This study aimed to describe the implementation of individual
action research projects among some forty English language teachers
distributed in thirty Palestinian schools in Ramallah and Qabatya
districts-Palestine. It aimed to analyze the outcomes of the teachers’
action research as part of a broader participatory action research
project that is intended to increase the capacity among teachers in
Palestine as part of the LTD program. The data revealed that in spite of
the difficulties that Palestinian teachers face, action research was a
powerful, inquiry and exploratory tool that impacted teachers’ classroom
practices and professional development. Furthermore, the
implementation of reflection on a one year professional development
program revealed a number of positive changes on the part of teachers’
collaboration and cooperation. Teachers have realised that cooperation
and collaboration are the healthiest part where a nourishing context for
learning could be created through a respectful, supportive and fruitful
dialogue. It is recommended that the results of this research capture the
attention of the administrators and policy makers in Palestine to adopt
the strategy of action research and reflection in all educational sectors.
Key Words
Action research, reflection, teacher professional development, learning communities, collegial
cooperation and collaboration
Introduction
Enhancing the quality of teachers in the Occupied Territories of Palestine is an essential
task, yet one fraught with difficulties. Teachers in Palestine are faced with a range of problems:
they are often inadequately trained; they are relatively underpaid, but most of all, they and their
students, work in the exceptionally difficult circumstances of occupation, which creates a range
of almost unique constraints. This paper reports on a participatory action research project that
was specifically designed to enhance the quality of teachers in Palestine, in this case, teachers of
English. Action research was chosen for a number of reasons, in part to develop among the
Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Vol 40, 3, March 2015 117
teachers more reflective professional practice, and partly because of the flexibility within the
process, which was appropriate for the task within the context. Action research has been well
documented and widely credited, particularly in western countries, as a compelling means of
teacher development (Burns, 2009; Kemmis & McTaggart, 1988; Nunan, 1992; Perrett, 2003;
Richards & Ho, 1998; Stenhouse, 1975; Stringer, 2013); the research reported here assesses its
value in very different and trying circumstances. The author was the principal researcher, cocoordinating
the individual action research projects conducted by 40 teachers, as part of a larger
participatory action research project under the auspices of the Leadership and Teacher
Development Program funded by AMIDEAST.
Background
Since its establishment in 1994, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education
(MoEHE) in Palestine has been charged with the enormous duty of setting up an appropriate
educational system for the Palestinian people. Fourteen years later, a reform plan addressing the
perceived shortfalls in the educational system was launched in 2008. The Ministry of Education
(MoE) set twelve main pillars for educational development and improvement (EDSP, 2008) and
the program reported in this paper specifically addresses the Palestinian reform and development
plan (2008-2012), which considered the development and implementation of policies and
programs focusing on the quality of education at all levels, either in pre-service or in-service
teacher training programs.
Developing teaching skills remains a major concern in Palestine. Teachers are not
adequately trained in teaching as a whole, nor are they trained or supported to teach the
Palestinian curriculum. Formal licensing into the teaching profession was only introduced in
2013-2014. Further, Palestinian teachers face problems related to low salaries, lack of
administrative and supervisory support, strict regulations and traditional assessment measure,
poor work conditions, overwhelming workloads, lack of resources and facilities, lack of
incentives, poor social status, overcrowded classrooms, and many others. Contributing to these
problems is fragmentation within the educational system that has led to duplications and
impaired efficiency (Khaldi & Wahbeh, 2002; Kouhail, 2004).
Above all these, which may not be dissimilar the problems for teaches in many
developing countries, are the constraints and difficulties arising from the Israeli occupation and
living in a war-torn area. Repeated violations by Israeli settlers and soldiers force large numbers
of teachers and students to cross military checkpoints and electronic gates daily, while being
exposed to humiliation, or prevention; thus many students and teachers arrive late to schools or
sometimes are not able to attend at all. Furthermore, there is also the need to provide health and
counseling services in order to mitigate the negative effects of the occupation polices, which
have led to inordinately high dropout rates. Effects on students include psychological, social and
disciplinary problems, lack of concentration and increased distractions in addition to reduced
memory (Khaldi & Wahbeh, 2002; Kouhail, 2004; Wahbi (2000). The lack of protection and
safety for both the teachers and the students are of great concern to the MoE (EDSP 2014-19).
Believing that teachers are the most important factor in developing and enhancing
students’ performances, and believing that Palestinian teachers need support in their professional
development to advance students’ physical, intellectual, spiritual, social and emotional
wellbeing, it was essential to make use of any opportunities to address persisting challenges and
Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Vol 40, 3, March 2015 118
to enhance efforts to improve education. The Leadership and Teacher Development program
(LTD) established to do this provided the opportunity for an action research project with two
purposes; to be the basis of teacher development itself, and, to explore the extent to which the
program developed teacher qualities in such a torrid area.
The Leadership and Teacher Development Program (LTD)
LTD is a program developed by the America-Mideast Educational and Training Services
(AMIDEAST) and MoE to improve the classroom practices of Palestinian teachers' from 5th
grade to 10th grade. The LTD program effectively started in the fall of 2012 and will continue
until the spring of 2016. LTD is a comprehensive education reform initiative focused on
improving the quality of school education through an evidence-based approach to leadership and
teacher development. The National Institute for Education and Training (NIET), a Palestinian
institute for developing educational sector all around Palestine, also takes the lead in providing
teacher certification through a year-long in-service teacher professional development program
resulting in a Professional Diploma in Education (AMIDEAST and NIET 2012). The goal is to
certify approximately 2,500 teachers from grades 5 to10 in five disciplines: Arabic, science,
mathematics, English language and technology education. This paper reports on the program
employed to develop English language teachers. English is considered a vital area for student
learning; it is seen as a ‘window to the world’ for Palestinians so that they can learn more
information and knowledge to enable them to face the globalization era.
The professional development program was designed to provide opportunities for teacher
educators to transform practice from a content-based, memorization and test-driven education
model to more learner-centered dynamic pedagogies; doing this would involve reflective
learning circles, action research, peer observation, diary writing and portfolio assessment. One
overall aim in these activities was to stimulate professional reflection, as part of a capacity
building approach (AMIDEAST, 2014).
Developing English language teachers aimed to go beyond simply providing techniques,
methods and strategies. For teachers to develop their professional practice, they should be able to
question, experiment, reflect upon, and improve their own teaching instruction (Curry, 2006;
Schmuck, 2006). They should be able to cooperate and dialogue with their colleagues to adopt,
adapt, and expand their teaching techniques, methods and strategies. Through dialoguing,
teachers could find solutions to some of the challenges they face in their English language
classrooms. Teachers themselves are rich resources of knowledge regarding their own
classrooms and, as a result, change can be implemented better by practicing teachers who will
study the results of the change and its impact on improving their practices and students’ learning
(Tinker-Sachs, 2002; Wallace, 1998). Richards and Farrell (2005) report that collegial,
cooperative forms of professional development help teachers to interact, share skills,
experiences, and develop solutions to common or shared problems.
Research Problem
There were two levels of problem that drove the research described here. At the higher
level were the broad problems of improving educational resources, particularly teachers, and
Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Vol 40, 3, March 2015 119
opportunities for students throughout Palestine, as identified in the leadership development
program (LDP). The second level of problems lies in the individual contexts and practice of each
of the participating teachers. These came together in a ‘nested’ participatory action resea

ผลลัพธ์ (ไทย) 1:

สมุดออสเตรเลียการศึกษาครูVol 40, 3, 2015 มีนาคม 116การเตรียมครูภาษาอังกฤษปาเลสไตน์สะท้อนผ่านวิจัยเชิงปฏิบัติการจากห้องเรียนMajida "ยูซุฟบิน Mohammed" Dajaniมหาวิทยาลัยอัลหน่วยคูดส์โรงเรียนอัลอีมานเยรูซาเล็มปาเลสไตน์บทคัดย่อ: การศึกษานี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่ออธิบายการใช้งานของแต่ละบุคคลการดำเนินการโครงการวิจัยระหว่างครูภาษาอังกฤษบางสี่สิบกระจายในโรงเรียน 30 ปาเลสไตน์ Ramallah และ Qabatyaเขตปาเลสไตน์ มันมีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อวิเคราะห์ผลลัพธ์ของคุรุการดำเนินการวิจัยเป็นส่วนหนึ่งของการวิจัยปฏิบัติการแบบมีส่วนร่วมกว้างขึ้นโครงการที่มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อเพิ่มกำลังการผลิตระหว่างครูในปาเลสไตน์เป็นส่วนหนึ่งของโปรแกรม LTD เปิดเผยข้อมูลที่ทั้ง ๆ ที่ปัญหาที่เผชิญครูปาเลสไตน์ การดำเนินการวิจัยเป็นการมีประสิทธิภาพ สอบถามและเครื่องมือเชิงบุกเบิกที่ผลกระทบต่อห้องเรียนของครูแนวทางปฏิบัติและพัฒนาอาชีพ นอกจากนี้ การปฏิบัติสะท้อนศึกษาปีหนึ่งโปรแกรมเปิดเผยตัวเลขการเปลี่ยนแปลงในเชิงบวกในส่วนของครูความร่วมมือและความร่วมมือ ครูได้เองก็ให้ความร่วมมือยังคิดและร่วมเป็นส่วนหนึ่งหนีจากบริบทบำรุงสำหรับเรียนรู้สามารถสร้าง โดยเคารพ สนับสนุน และประสบต่างแดน ขอแนะนำว่า ผลลัพธ์ของงานวิจัยจับความสนใจของผู้ดูแลระบบและผู้กำหนดนโยบายในปาเลสไตน์เพื่อนำมาใช้the strategy of action research and reflection in all educational sectors.Key WordsAction research, reflection, teacher professional development, learning communities, collegialcooperation and collaborationIntroductionEnhancing the quality of teachers in the Occupied Territories of Palestine is an essentialtask, yet one fraught with difficulties. Teachers in Palestine are faced with a range of problems:they are often inadequately trained; they are relatively underpaid, but most of all, they and theirstudents, work in the exceptionally difficult circumstances of occupation, which creates a rangeof almost unique constraints. This paper reports on a participatory action research project thatwas specifically designed to enhance the quality of teachers in Palestine, in this case, teachers ofEnglish. Action research was chosen for a number of reasons, in part to develop among theAustralian Journal of Teacher EducationVol 40, 3, March 2015 117teachers more reflective professional practice, and partly because of the flexibility within theprocess, which was appropriate for the task within the context. Action research has been welldocumented and widely credited, particularly in western countries, as a compelling means ofteacher development (Burns, 2009; Kemmis & McTaggart, 1988; Nunan, 1992; Perrett, 2003;Richards & Ho, 1998; Stenhouse, 1975; Stringer, 2013); the research reported here assesses itsvalue in very different and trying circumstances. The author was the principal researcher, cocoordinatingthe individual action research projects conducted by 40 teachers, as part of a largerparticipatory action research project under the auspices of the Leadership and TeacherDevelopment Program funded by AMIDEAST.BackgroundSince its establishment in 1994, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education(MoEHE) in Palestine has been charged with the enormous duty of setting up an appropriateeducational system for the Palestinian people. Fourteen years later, a reform plan addressing theperceived shortfalls in the educational system was launched in 2008. The Ministry of Education(MoE) set twelve main pillars for educational development and improvement (EDSP, 2008) andthe program reported in this paper specifically addresses the Palestinian reform and developmentplan (2008-2012), which considered the development and implementation of policies andprograms focusing on the quality of education at all levels, either in pre-service or in-serviceteacher training programs.Developing teaching skills remains a major concern in Palestine. Teachers are notadequately trained in teaching as a whole, nor are they trained or supported to teach thePalestinian curriculum. Formal licensing into the teaching profession was only introduced in2013-2014. Further, Palestinian teachers face problems related to low salaries, lack ofadministrative and supervisory support, strict regulations and traditional assessment measure,
poor work conditions, overwhelming workloads, lack of resources and facilities, lack of
incentives, poor social status, overcrowded classrooms, and many others. Contributing to these
problems is fragmentation within the educational system that has led to duplications and
impaired efficiency (Khaldi & Wahbeh, 2002; Kouhail, 2004).
Above all these, which may not be dissimilar the problems for teaches in many
developing countries, are the constraints and difficulties arising from the Israeli occupation and
living in a war-torn area. Repeated violations by Israeli settlers and soldiers force large numbers
of teachers and students to cross military checkpoints and electronic gates daily, while being
exposed to humiliation, or prevention; thus many students and teachers arrive late to schools or
sometimes are not able to attend at all. Furthermore, there is also the need to provide health and
counseling services in order to mitigate the negative effects of the occupation polices, which
have led to inordinately high dropout rates. Effects on students include psychological, social and
disciplinary problems, lack of concentration and increased distractions in addition to reduced
memory (Khaldi & Wahbeh, 2002; Kouhail, 2004; Wahbi (2000). The lack of protection and
safety for both the teachers and the students are of great concern to the MoE (EDSP 2014-19).
Believing that teachers are the most important factor in developing and enhancing
students’ performances, and believing that Palestinian teachers need support in their professional
development to advance students’ physical, intellectual, spiritual, social and emotional
wellbeing, it was essential to make use of any opportunities to address persisting challenges and
Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Vol 40, 3, March 2015 118
to enhance efforts to improve education. The Leadership and Teacher Development program
(LTD) established to do this provided the opportunity for an action research project with two
purposes; to be the basis of teacher development itself, and, to explore the extent to which the
program developed teacher qualities in such a torrid area.
The Leadership and Teacher Development Program (LTD)
LTD is a program developed by the America-Mideast Educational and Training Services
(AMIDEAST) and MoE to improve the classroom practices of Palestinian teachers' from 5th
grade to 10th grade. The LTD program effectively started in the fall of 2012 and will continue
until the spring of 2016. LTD is a comprehensive education reform initiative focused on
improving the quality of school education through an evidence-based approach to leadership and
teacher development. The National Institute for Education and Training (NIET), a Palestinian
institute for developing educational sector all around Palestine, also takes the lead in providing
teacher certification through a year-long in-service teacher professional development program
resulting in a Professional Diploma in Education (AMIDEAST and NIET 2012). The goal is to
certify approximately 2,500 teachers from grades 5 to10 in five disciplines: Arabic, science,
mathematics, English language and technology education. This paper reports on the program
employed to develop English language teachers. English is considered a vital area for student
learning; it is seen as a ‘window to the world’ for Palestinians so that they can learn more
information and knowledge to enable them to face the globalization era.
The professional development program was designed to provide opportunities for teacher
educators to transform practice from a content-based, memorization and test-driven education
model to more learner-centered dynamic pedagogies; doing this would involve reflective
learning circles, action research, peer observation, diary writing and portfolio assessment. One
overall aim in these activities was to stimulate professional reflection, as part of a capacity
building approach (AMIDEAST, 2014).
Developing English language teachers aimed to go beyond simply providing techniques,
methods and strategies. For teachers to develop their professional practice, they should be able to
question, experiment, reflect upon, and improve their own teaching instruction (Curry, 2006;
Schmuck, 2006). They should be able to cooperate and dialogue with their colleagues to adopt,
adapt, and expand their teaching techniques, methods and strategies. Through dialoguing,
teachers could find solutions to some of the challenges they face in their English language
classrooms. Teachers themselves are rich resources of knowledge regarding their own
classrooms and, as a result, change can be implemented better by practicing teachers who will
study the results of the change and its impact on improving their practices and students’ learning
(Tinker-Sachs, 2002; Wallace, 1998). Richards and Farrell (2005) report that collegial,
cooperative forms of professional development help teachers to interact, share skills,
experiences, and develop solutions to common or shared problems.
Research Problem
There were two levels of problem that drove the research described here. At the higher
level were the broad problems of improving educational resources, particularly teachers, and
Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Vol 40, 3, March 2015 119
opportunities for students throughout Palestine, as identified in the leadership development
program (LDP). The second level of problems lies in the individual contexts and practice of each
of the participating teachers. These came together in a ‘nested’ participatory action resea

ผลลัพธ์ (ไทย) 3:

นิตยสารของออสเตรเลียครู
เล่มที่ 40 , 3 มีนาคม 2015 116
เตรียมปาเลสไตน์สะท้อนครูภาษาอังกฤษวิจัยปฏิบัติการ

จากห้องเรียนผ่าน majida " โมฮัมหมัด ยูเซฟ อัล Quds มหาวิทยาลัยเปิด " dajani

ล โรงเรียน eman
ปาเลสไตน์เยรูซาเล็ม
บทคัดย่อ การศึกษาครั้งนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่ออธิบายโครงการวิจัยปฏิบัติการ
ในบางบุคคล ครูภาษาอังกฤษ
สี่สิบกระจายในสามสิบปาเลสไตน์และโรงเรียนใน Ramallah qabatya
เขตปาเลสไตน์ มันมีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อวิเคราะห์ผลของครู
ปฏิบัติการวิจัยเป็นส่วนหนึ่งของกว้างการวิจัยปฏิบัติการ
โครงการที่มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อเพิ่มศักยภาพของครูใน
ปาเลสไตน์เป็นส่วนหนึ่งของการจำกัดโปรแกรม ข้อมูล เปิดเผยว่า แม้ปัญหาที่ครู
ปาเลสไตน์หน้าการวิจัยปฏิบัติการเป็นเครื่องมือสำรวจสอบถาม
ที่มีประสิทธิภาพและผลกระทบของครูที่ห้องเรียน
การปฏิบัติและการพัฒนาวิชาชีพ นอกจากนี้ การดำเนินงานของการสะท้อนบน

หนึ่งปีพัฒนาโปรแกรมเปิดเผยตัวเลขของการเปลี่ยนแปลงในเชิงบวกในส่วนของครู
ความร่วมมือและความร่วมมือ ครูได้ตระหนักว่า ความร่วมมือ
และความร่วมมือที่เป็นส่วนหนึ่งที่ให้บริบทสำหรับค้น
การเรียนรู้อาจจะสร้างขึ้นโดยเคารพ เกื้อกูล และ fruitful
บทสนทนา ขอแนะนําว่า ผลของการวิจัยนี้จับ
ความสนใจของผู้บริหาร และนโยบายในปาเลสไตน์อุปการะ
กลยุทธ์วิจัยปฏิบัติการในภาคการศึกษา .

คำสำคัญการวิจัยเชิงปฏิบัติการสะท้อนให้เห็นถึงการพัฒนาวิชาชีพครู , ชุมชนการเรียนรู้ , ความร่วมมือภายในและความร่วมมือ


แนะนำการเพิ่มคุณภาพของครูในการยึดครองดินแดนปาเลสไตน์เป็นงานสําคัญ
อีกหนึ่งเต็มไปด้วยความยากลําบาก ครูในปาเลสไตน์เผชิญกับช่วงของปัญหา :
พวกเขามักจะไม่เพียงพอที่จะฝึก พวกเขาจะค่อนข้างได้เงินน้อย แต่ส่วนมากของทั้งหมด