Bana Mamlouk

Graduated from Newcastle University (UK) in 2007, I went back home, Syria, and started looking for a job. I did my MA in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) after doing my BA in English Literature at Northumbria University (UK). I started my current job in 2007 as a young learners and adult learners teacher at AL-Kalimeh Language Institute, Aleppo, Syria. Then in 2008, I was offered a full time position, thus, I become a main teacher in considerably short time. Then step by step, the manager started to give me more responsibilities and I became a supervisor assistant helping with students placement tests. In 2009, I became the main supervisor of the institute responsible for young learners section, adult learners section as well as English for specific purposes section (TOEFL, SAT, IELTS). So, besides being responsible for initiating and facilitating classroom discussions and leading successful high level classes, I am responsible for recruiting new teachers and allocating teachers in suitable classes as well as interviewing and determining new students levels. I am also expected to plan, evaluate and revise curricula and methods of instruction to keep them up to date and suitable for our students needs. Finally, I am asked to attend classes on a monthly basis and run workshops and presentations to the staff and make sure they are on the right track in accordance with the institutes goals.

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SKILLS AUDIT TEMPLATE

SKILL Organisation management and

TYPICAL DESCRIPTORS time Prioritising, dealing with paperwork; interruptions; planning your day.

SKILL LEVEL Low High 1 2 3 4 5

SPECIFIC COMMENTS Sometimes I overload myself with paperwork but I always try to meet deadlines even if I have to go under pressure. I believe I have to deal better with interruption as I easily get distracted and switched off. I dont like to have free time but I need a better organization of my time to fit in work and social life in a balanced way. In terms of maintaining supervision and setting timetables, I sometimes tend to delay schedules and lack motivation to stick to them. I have a problem taking decisions on my own; I tend to seek the advice of others most times. That goes to even the smallest decisions in my life. I need to train myself to make my own decisions and not to be afraid of failure and I guess that happens when I have the enough confidence and experience to do so.

Decision making problem solving

and Ability to make decisions; selecting 1 suitable solutions; analysis of appropriateness.

Planning

Leading teams; consulting team 1 members; task allocation; objective setting.

I tend to consult my team more than lead them; I reckon I need to know how to be a director sometimes especially when leading a team toward achieving an objective. But I can set clear objectives and consider the opinion of every member thoughtfully. I can allocate tasks for suitable people and set goals to be achieved and I am willing to cooperate with Others and advise them whenever I can. I try to make

Delegation

Matching tasks to staff; providing 1 guidance and advice; maintaining staff motivation and focus.

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sure that everyones voice is heard and important which makes the staff more motivated to participate.

Motivation

Applying motivational techniques; 1 understanding individual motives; making tasks challenging; encouraging creativity; providing team support; engendering trust and openness.

5 I am a creative person and I love to help others be creative and motivated because I believe, starting from myself, when we are motivated we can produce much more. I always try to thank my team for the effort they have done on their task. However, lately, it seems that our team is less motivated than before due to several reasons and in need for new motivational techniques that encourage them to be more creative and willing to be more challenged.

Coaching

Providing guidance; listening skills; 1 ability to draw out information; reinforcing behaviour using feedback; negotiating; planning goals and objectives.

5 In terms of listening skills I think I am a good listener and willing to give constructive feedback, but I think I lack the experience in this field and I need to work on how to make myself more heard to others. For example, I attend a class for a teacher, I have to see him for a feedback and try to give a precise one but I dont feel I sound assertive enough to make him/her change or work on the weak points he/she has.

Target setting

Understanding and communicating 1 organisational objectives; use of SMART objectives to achieve targets.

I dont have a problem understanding or communicating goals. My problem might be timemanagement and being able to follow up that everyone is on track. For instance, after giving feedback, I should go into classes again and find if teachers have followed those feedbacks and

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changed in their ways of teaching to match the target. Partially this affects the results of the follow up and so to know if the target set was measurable and attainable. Interpersonal skills Relating to others; building rapport and 1 positive relationships; being sensitive to peoples needs; using influencing and persuasive skills to help others improve performance or overcome problems; listening effectively and providing feedback; being assertive; use of body language. Structure and format of letters, memos, e-mails, reports 1 2 3 4 5 I think I am too soft or I overdo this because I am too sensitive not to annoy anyone. So, I have positive relationships with the staff and they come and ask for help because they know I will help. But I have a problem in assertiveness and stressing points that they need to work on. I may sound too lenient, thus, the matter seems unimportant. This is my major weakness in fact. However, everyone likes talking to me about any problem they are facing at work and they trust that I might have some suggestions for it. I learned them through my studies and used them a lot at university, but they are not used as much in my work context. We mainly just use memos to keep notes, to be a sort of reminder, for feedback, and to distribute certain information. Yes it is my job to orally communicate with all teachers. I think I need to improve my skills in oral communication so I would have my own way to communicate effectively and deliver or stress the points I want to focus on especially in one to one interviews and presentations. Sometimes I dont like to face others or prefer written messages instead of face to face communication.

Written communications

Oral communications

Structure and format: techniques for 1 effective presentations; using the telephone; meetings.

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OTHERS SPECIFIC YOUR ROLE

TO

Commitment and reliability

Being Initiative and responsible: if you 1 are able to take the lead and be committed to what you do (Reliable to be trusted for students future).

I love my job and I love to do it as perfect as I can. I can be responsible for what I am doing and my manager can trust me to give all what I have. I rarely cancel on any scheduled meetings or workshops. However, sometimes I find it hard to be initiative and tend to wait others to take the role. My experience in management is still limited and new so I would like to enhance it with both academic and practical experience. As far as I am concerned with the field of business, I believe it is important to strengthen it with academic knowledge.

Academic skills

Certain academic background in 1 management, leadership, finance and marketing. Being updated to the most effective skills needed in the field of business (in order to be a successful supervisor). The desire to always seek development 1 and be updated in the field of your career (especially new teaching methods), Joining training courses or ceasing the available chances of participating in useful courses.

5 Although I have a busy schedule and it is difficult to fit in workshops or training courses, but I am so willing to have the chance to join anything that I would feel it is useful for me. That is why I chose to do MBA. However, due to various circumstances, there are a limited number of opportunities for development in my country in general and at my work in specific.

Self development skills

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What are you What internal trying to weakness is achieve? standing in your way? Leadership My hesitation skills: problem and uncertainty solving and of my own decision decisions, thus, making skills seeking others opinions before mine.

What external Who/where can When am I How will threat is worrying I go for help? going to ask review me? for help? progress My young age A monitor and its colleague who association with works with me lack of and will be experience observing me, according to the and giving me societys constant mentality feedback especially concerning my performance in leading training workshops for Already asked the monitor for feedbacks on the first workshop that I did on Sunday, the 11th of December. Workshops should be running every

I will be having a written feedback from the monitor. The participant teachers will fill questionnaires to check if the workshops I conducted

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teachers.

four months.

Interpersonal skills

Fear of failure And lack of assertiveness while interacting with the staff.

Teachers A coach who is believes that doing a PhD in experience and counselling and age is what is willing to counts rather discuss and than other guide me to be qualities. more confident and assertive using various methods (like play therapy and Silva method).

Communicat e with the coach on a monthly basis, starting from January, (through written emails or Skype voice calls) and keep a diary of the exercises done (Pedlar et al, 2006) and note suggestions in a diary.

Development

Lack of certain More

Distributing

Checklists

were effective in solving certain problems the teachers face in classes. Tangible evidences kept in a record of progress (Cottrell, 2003) from the discussions that will take place with the coach. Reflect on it to check if there is a change in behaviour like having the confidence to experiment more or be more initiative or assertive throughout different experiences. Review will be

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of oral techniques communication experience skills deliver highlight messages effectively

or experienced/olde to r teachers or uneasily accept criticism and dont like changes

checklists to teachers as a communication tool (Pedlar et al, 2006) to check what the most effective way of constructive feedback that suits them. This helps me to be more confident when interacting with them and helps me to generate suitable ideas in the matter of communication and decide on the most suitable. The coordinator responsible at work that will help in setting an observation timetable, So I

should be distributed to teachers at the beginning of the season and that would be between the end of February and the beginning of April.

through keeping a personal journal (Pedlar et al, 2006) of how my actions and reactions are changing or improving when giving regular one to one feedbacks. Moreover, I will keep the feedbacks of progress from my coach.

Target setting

Unable to keep the motivation and continue to maintain the quality of work that matches certain goals in

The manager is not motivated, thus not motivating, to set or keep targets. Syrias current political situation

Timetable should be ready in March. Observations should take place on

Improvement will be reviewed by whether schedule is met or not. Plus reviewed

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certain time.

that is not will have to encouraging for stick to certain setting new schedule, targets. especially for newly recruited teachers. In order to maintain the basic target of the centre. Teachers unwilling to share or be creative (to go out of their comfort zone). Lack of competence and motivation due to the current political and social situation. Seek the managers approval and encouragement for the idea of a new project to enhance creativity in classes, especially those for young learners. The project is to ask each teacher to make one creative project in his class and invite other teachers to

regular basis between the end of March and mid of April.

Motivation

Feeling the threat of sharing and trust. Need constant encouragement.

Approval will be asked for in the mid of March and then project will be explained and ideas will be brainstormed. By the second week of April, in the last session of the course, projects should be carried out.

files and written feedback for observed teachers should show whether the goal set was measurable, attained and maintained or not. A meeting to discuss Teachers ideas after the project and its effect on the motivation of both learners and teachers themselves and suggest ways to make it work better for the future.

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watch and share the experience and participate.

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References:

Cottrell, S (2003). Skills for Success: The Personal Development Planning Handbook. Palgrave Study Guides, Macmillan. M. Pedlar, J.G. Burgoyne and T.A Boydell (2006). Mangers Guide to Self Development. Fifth Edition. Maidenhead, McGraw-Hill. Bibliography: Alan Chapman (2002) Personal business strengths profile [online] http://www.businessballs.com/personalprofileindicator.pdf [Accessed: 10 December 2011] Cottrell, S (1999). The Study Skills Handbook. Second Edition. Palgrave, Macmillan. Gardner, H. (2008). 5 Minds for the Future. Harvard Business Press. Skills4Study (2011) Priorities and opportunities for Personal Development [online] http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/pdp/priorities/index.asp [Accessed: 12 December 2011] The Silva Method (2009-2011). Silva Life System, Mindvalley [online]

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www.SilvaLifeSystem.com/products [Accessed: 20 December 2011] University of Cambridge (2011) Personal Development Planning. Human Resources Division [online] http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/hr/cppd/career/planning/#now [Accessed: 14 December 2011]

University of Hull (2007). Reflective Learning. Study Advice [online] www.hull.ac.uk/studyadvice [Accesses: 18 December 2011] University of Leeds Kolb Learning Cycle Tutorial - Static Version [online] http://www.ldu.leeds.ac.uk/ldu/sddu_multimedia/kolb/static_version.php [Accessed: 2 December 2011]

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