On Sunday, 18 November 2018, the University Preparatory Program (UPP) at Dar Al Uloom University conducted a workshop aimed at Continuous Professional Development of the English Department. Dr. Akbar Ali, The Head of the English Department, delivered the workshop ‘Teaching English: a communicative approach’

The workshop focused on how teachers can help students overcome their inhibitions and actively participate in speaking activities in and outside the classroom. The presenter put forward the idea that the objective of enabling students speak fluently in English can be achieved by choosing interesting and culturally suitable topics. He highlighted the importance of using grouping strategies effectively, pre-teaching the vocabulary and the grammar students need to speak, brainstorming enough topic related ideas, modelling speaking tasks to help students feel comfortable, and finally, motivating them to communicate in English in different contexts. The participants actively participated in the workshop by working in groups and sharing their excellent teaching skills.