Moroccan Association ‫ا
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of Teachers of English  
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Website: www.mate.org.ma Email: matemorocco@yahoo.com

MATE 31st National Conference

Announcement and call for proposals

Theme:
"English Language Education for Social Learning:
An Evaluation of Contents and Methods"
Hotel Zaki, Meknes
April 05th through 09th, 2011

Zaki Hotel
Appt 5 immeuble 26 Rue Asni Hay Salam Salé, Morocco
Tel.: (212)661 36 30 40 E-mail: matemorocco@yahoo.com – Website: www.mate.org.ma 1
 Moroccan Association ‫ا
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ــ‬
of Teachers of English  
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Background

In the history of teaching languages, language learning has never been so tight to social issues as it is now
with competency-based education.This can be explained by an ongoing quest for pertinence and efficiency.
The social demand for education has in fact placed much pressure on the educational community in order to
incorporate social contents in language theories and programmes. The teacher has therefore been called upon
to adapt to this new situation and then restructure time, effort and energy so as to give room for more
practice of functional aspects of language. Some researchers have even considered it as a revolution against
Structural or Generative approaches to language learning. Less attention would then be paid to syntactic
structures or isolated vocabulary items. Even the skills have been reconceptualised and put to the service of
competency building. At the same time, the objectives for learning and teaching have been closely linked to
social concerns, which should definitely be explicitly stated in the curriculum outline.

What are then the implications of this tremendous change for ELT in the Moroccan school? What have
curriculum designers, teachers, and textbook writers achieved to help incorporate the social dimension in
classroom practices or the curriculum, including textbooks? To what extent has the change been managed
appropriately? Evidence from the field indicates that there is still a lot to be done in this direction.

MATE 31st national conference seeks to provide tentative answers to such questions as well as raise other
issues related to this issue. We hope the presentations would provide opportunities to discuss these issues in
depth, and the workshops and demos would suggest practical solutions that could be considered in the
classroom context.

Date

April 05th through 09th, 2011

Venue

Hotel Zaki, Boulevard Al Massira, Meknes, Morocco

Audience

English language teachers at all levels in the public and private sectors, supervisors and teacher trainers

Conference theme

• Main theme: English Language Education for Social Learning:

An evaluation of contents and methods
• sub-themes
1. Functional approaches to learning and Language in context
2. Tasks in language learning: teachers’ vs learners’ perspectives
3. Participative approaches to curriculum development: roles of students and the comunity
4. Teaching / Evaluating language skills from a social perspective
5. Teaching/ Evaluating language components (grammar, vocab) from a social perspective.
6. Teaching/ Evaluating themes and topics from a social perspective
7. Testing/assessing social knowledge and skills in a competency-based framework
8. Project work and practical connections to the community.
9. Teaching critical thinking skills and contribution to social change
10. Teachers’belief systems and quality training.
11. ICT and social media in language education: Teaching and assessment
Appt 5 immeuble 26 Rue Asni Hay Salam Salé, Morocco
Tel.: (212)661 36 30 40 E-mail: matemorocco@yahoo.com – Website: www.mate.org.ma 2
 Moroccan Association ‫ا
ـ ا

ــ‬
of Teachers of English  
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 ا‬
The conference components:

20/30-minute papers

1-hour workshops

Poster sessions

Round tables

Demos

Sharing successful experiences

Book exhibitions, social evening, etc.
Proposals and abstracts:

MATE invites presenters/workshop leaders to submit proposals for workshops and papers to:
matemorocco@yahoo.com before March 15th, 2011
Please make sure to include in your proposal all the necessary information:

Proposal Form

1. Contact information:

Name: __________________________________
Phone: __________________________________
E-mail: __________________________________
Institution: _________________________________________

2. Title of session
- Title of proposed session: _____________________________________________

3. Format(s) you will use. Please tick all that applies:

___ Plenary presentation
___ Workshop
___ Demonstration
___ Other, please describe
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. Equipment requested:
What supplies or equipment would you like us to provide?
___ Data show/Video projector
___ DVD & TV
___ Overhead Projector
___ Other, please add

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Appt 5 immeuble 26 Rue Asni Hay Salam Salé, Morocco

Tel.: (212)661 36 30 40 E-mail: matemorocco@yahoo.com – Website: www.mate.org.ma 3
 Moroccan Association ‫ا
ـ ا

ــ‬
of Teachers of English  
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Please be as specific as possible (for workshop presenters)
5. Seating arrangement
How do you want the space to be set up? We will try to accommodate to your request.
___ U-shape
___ Round table
___ Small groups
___ Other, please add
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

6. Session objectives:
Please specify the objectives of your session using the following format:
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
-
-
-
-
-

7. Session plan/outline
Please provide stages and activities of your session:
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………

8. Abstract
Please describe/summarize the session in no more than 100 words. This is the description
that will appear in the official documents if your proposal is selected, so make sure:
- to appeal to participants’ interests.
- to carefully edit and proofread your abstract.
- to spell out any acronym(s) or abbreviation(s) you use.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………

Is there any other information we should know?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………

Date:

Signature/Name:

Appt 5 immeuble 26 Rue Asni Hay Salam Salé, Morocco

Tel.: (212)661 36 30 40 E-mail: matemorocco@yahoo.com – Website: www.mate.org.ma 4
 Moroccan Association ‫ا
ـ ا

ــ‬
of Teachers of English  
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 ا‬
Participant registration dues:

For Moroccans:
Residents Non-residents
Double room: 1300 dhs each 300 Dhs (including: conference fees, conference
Single room: 1800 dhs pack and coffee breaks)

Family: Participant 1300 dhs, spouse 1300 dhs Registration can be done on-site on April 05th,
and kids 50% discount. 2011starting at 14:00.

Registration can be done on-site on April 05th, Here is the bank account information:
2011starting at 14:00. - Account: Association Marocaine des
professeurs d’anglais
FOR non-residents who register and pay dues at - Account number:
least one week before the conference, a discount 007810000446500030403968
of 100 Dh is made (doesn't apply for spouse and - Bank: Attijari Wafa Bank, Le Minaret,
kids). Rabat, Maroc
- Treasurer for more information: Mustapha
Please scan and email the transaction receipt to: Zanzoun, Tel.:0661 65 58 54
matemorocco@yahoo.com

For Non-Moroccans:
Residents Non-residents
Double room: $ 220 $ 50 (including: conference fees, conference pack
Single room: $ 270 and coffee breaks)

Registration can be done on-site on April 05th, Registration can be done on-site on April 05th,
2011 starting at 14:00. 2011starting at 14:00.
Here is the bank account information:
FOR non-residents who register and pay dues at - Account: Association Marocaine des
least one week before the conference, a discount professeurs d’anglais
of 100 Dh is made. - Account number:
007810000446500030403968
Please scan and email the transaction receipt to: - Bank: Attijari Wafa Bank, Le Minaret,
matemorocco@yahoo.com Rabat, Maroc
- Treasurer for more information: Mustapha
Zanzoun, Tel.:0661 65 58 54
NB: The membership card is not included in the mentioned fees (50 Dhs for middle and secondary school
teachers, 100 Dhs for supervisors and tertiary education teachers, and 200 Dhs for associate members).

Organizing committee:
- Lahcen TIGHOULA tighoula@yahoo.com 0667 23 07 93
- Mustapha ZANZOUN mzanzoun@yahoo.fr 0661 65 58 54
- Noureddine BENDOUQI nobendouqi@yahoo.com 0661 36 30 40

Appt 5 immeuble 26 Rue Asni Hay Salam Salé, Morocco

Tel.: (212)661 36 30 40 E-mail: matemorocco@yahoo.com – Website: www.mate.org.ma 5
 Moroccan Association ‫ا
ـ ا

ــ‬
of Teachers of English  
‫ة ا
 ا‬
About the city of Meknes:

City (population -2004- : 536,232), north-central Morocco. It was one of Morocco's four imperial cities,
founded in the 10th century by a Berber tribe. Originally a group of villages among olive groves, it became
the Moroccan capital in 1673 under Maulay Isma'il, who built palaces and mosques that earned for Meknès
the name "Versailles of Morocco." After his death, Meknes declined, and in 1911 it was occupied by the
French. It is now a commercial centre for agricultural products, fine embroidery, and carpets.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/meknes#ixzz1EDUSB5xC

For more touristic information about Meknes, please visit the following webpage:
http://www.virtourist.com/africa/morocco/meknes/index.html
For information about Meknes airport and distances to other airports, please visit this page:
http://www.prokerala.com/travel/airports/morocco/meknes-airport.html
For information about train departures, arrivals and prices, here is the website address of the ONCF:
http://www.oncf.ma/

Information about Zaki hotel:

Address: Boulevard Massira, 50000 - Méknes

Téléphone: +212535514146 / +212535514147
Fax: +212535524836
Website: http://www.hotelzaki.ma/

Appt 5 immeuble 26 Rue Asni Hay Salam Salé, Morocco

Tel.: (212)661 36 30 40 E-mail: matemorocco@yahoo.com – Website: www.mate.org.ma 6