Examining social political contexts in teacher preparation in Palestine

Abstract

This study explores teaching English as a foreign language in the West Bank, Palestine. It investigates the perspectives of a group of faculty, preservice, and in-service teachers about teaching and learning English in the primary grades under the overarching harsh realities of political conflict and instability. The study demonstrates the importance of addressing socio-political contexts to make teaching meaningful and to set pedagogical strategies that correspond to the context of the students in teacher preparation programs. Participants interviewed responded to open-ended questions about teaching English as a foreign language and discussed major issues and challenges they face.

Keywords:

• social and political contexts in teacher preparation
• education in Palestine
• education under occupation
• teaching English as a foreign language

Notes

1. The term Palestine refers to the territories of the West Bank (West of the Jordan river), Gaza, and East Jerusalem.

2. See BZU website at http://www.birzeit.edu/about_bzu/p/2542

3. Students were approached by one of the faculty (who is not part of the study) and asked if they like to participate in the research.

4. Palestinians in Jerusalem carry an Israeli special Identification card. Today, most of Palestinian Schools in East Jerusalem are under the jurisdiction of the Israeli Ministry of Education.

5. One should note that private schools in Palestine, especially those run by Christian missionaries are considered more prestigious and have higher levels of educational standards.

6. In March of this year, the Jerusalem municipality sent a letter to private schools in East Jerusalem that receive financial allocations from the Israeli authorities. The letter stated that at the start of the 2011–12 academic year, the schools would be obliged to purchase and only use textbooks prepared by the Jerusalem Education Administration (JEA), a joint body of the municipality and the Israeli Ministry of Education. http://electronicintifada.net. Retrieved on August 27, 2012.