DR. ALI H. RADDAOUI'S CV

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

Philosophy of Education

My teaching is guided by several principles and theories that I constantly strive to put into practice, observe, analyze, and critique to improve my teaching and make sure it is never boxed in a limited, fixed, formula-type recipe.

I believe an outstanding teacher is a facilitator and coach rather than a teacher or an instructor. Instead of telling learners about things to remember and reproduce, as is often done in the transmission model, I aim to create an easy and encouraging atmosphere of interaction and communication with no place for any threat. The questions I ask are answered through negotiation rather than decree and dictation. Nor do I have to be the only source of questions or have the ultimate say on how a session will proceed. I want to think outside the box, and I always call on my students to do as much.
The kinds of activities I engage learners in consist of a wide vista where students conduct different thinking skills along Bloom’s scale, ranging from knowledge to comprehension into application and analysis, leading to synthesis and evaluation. This means learners will deploy all their skills, including identification, interpretation, manipulation, deduction, justification, and selection. This kind of training forms students capable of searching for information, adding it to their knowledge repertoire, and deconstructing and reconstructing it while making use of their critical faculties.
I believe in providing the necessary props and scaffolds so they can go beyond their current state of knowledge. In this exercise, they learn to value the results of free guided thinking and the importance of their prior knowledge and experience. When learners are thus appreciated for what they know, they tend to treat themselves and their peers as legitimate and worthy sources of knowledge. It is this knowledge that they will stir, describe, enrich, formulate, and present, so they learn to represent themselves and the world around them.
At the level of day-to-day classroom practice, teaching with enthusiasm is the key to my work. While the goal of teaching is to generate learning, this learning has to be coupled with enjoyment so that the transactions are deeply felt and that students see that I am pedagogically and emotionally committed. Thus, while seeking to help them acquire knowledge, I also strive to make it clear that I care about their learning and create the conditions for communicative learning in matters of language and otherwise as a matter of principle.
Caring about learning means starting with and building on students’ prior knowledge. This means considering that they have different acquisition levels and helping each one achieve higher levels of learning through differentiated instruction. At the level of the daily running of the class, I design activities and questions that represent a continuum of difficulty targeting everyone, starting with average-level students to the most brilliant. This means involving everyone and not leaving a single learner on the sidelines.

My most important principle is to form responsible global citizens who will gradually develop authors and creators. There will be times when they are requested to do independent work where individual contribution is given time to mature. Along with that, there will be many opportunities for them to work in pairs or groups, helping build interlinked and networked communities that feed into each other’s knowledge, images, and understandings.

PUBLISHED WORKS

Refereed Journal Articles:

Ali Raddaoui and Ola Raddaoui. The dynamics of collective intelligence: Experimenting with the lifecycle of a thought. Proceedings of the University of Kairouan’s International Conference: Flows. 2022.
Nouri J. and Raddaoui, A. 2022. La traduction spécialisée: le cas des textes juridiques français-tunisiens (français-arabe). Collection « Colloques & Essais. Institut Francophone pour la Justice et la Démocratie. Pp. 261-274.
Raddaoui, A. and Zriba, H. 2020. Interview with Professor Ali H. Raddaoui on his teaching experience in multicultural classes. International Journal of Multiculturalism, 97-106. https://doi.org/10.30546/2708-3136.2020.1.2.97.
Raddaoui, A. 2017. Language Immersion in an ICT-Rich Environment: from Theory to Practice. Asian Journal of Online Learning.
Raddaoui, A. January 2016. Traditional Asian Education and Education 2.0: How Close is the Fit?

Сетевой журнал «Научный результат». Серия «Вопросы теоретической и прикладной лингвистики». – Vol. 2, №2, 2016. Pp. 78-89.

Raddaoui, A. 2015. Arabic in the Lead-up to the Arab Spring: Fusion or diffusion. Issues on Theoretical and Applied Linguistics. Серия «Вопросы теоретической и прикладной лингвистики». Vol.1. No. 4(6), Pp. 35-46.
Raddaoui, A. 2011. Tunisian Education under the Spotlight: From the Bourguiba Generation to the Bouazizi Generation. Mediterranean Journal of Educational Studies. 2011. (Ronald Sultana (Ed). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. Pp. 111-120.
Raddaoui, A. 2004. 'Fluency: A Quantitative and Qualitative Account'. Reading Matrix. An International Online Journal. Vol. 4. No. 1. Pp. 11-25. (ISSN: 1533-242X).

Books (translation and editing)

Ramzi, T., Raddaoui, A. et al. (co-editors) (2021). L’expérience : Moteur d’Innovation Pédagogique. Volume 1. Laboratoire de Recherche Langage et Traitement Automatique (LLTA). Université de Sfax. Sfax Contact Press.
Suwaidi, K. & A. Raddaoui. 2008. If You Don't Feed the Teachers, They Eat the Students. (Author: Neila A. Connors. (Translated into Arabic). Education Bureau for the GCC countries Press, Riyadh, KSA.

Maher Abu-Al- Hillah, A. Al-Emadi, & A. Raddaoui). 2006. Self-Theories. (Author: Carol S. Dweck. Translated into Arabic. نظريات الذات Dar Al-Kitab Al-Jamiee, UAE.

Raddaoui, A. 2000. Project-by-Project Approach to Quality. (Author: Richard Capper. IPA Press. (Editor for the Arabic translation). Translated into Arabic. Academic Press, Gazza.

Raddaoui, A. 1999. Competence at Work. By Lyle M. Spencer, Jr. & Signe M. Spencer. IPA Press. (Translated into Arabic). الجدارة في العمل.

Refereed Chapters in Books:

Ali Raddaoui and Faiza Derbel. 2013. English Teaching and Local Identities in the Middle East. In the Middle East Handbook of Applied Linguistics. Refereed publication. (Coombe and Akbari, (Eds.). TESOL International.

Deymi Z. and A. Raddaoui. 2010. E-Learning Challenges in the Millennium – Tunisia. Demeray, P. (Ed.) Chapter 38. 939-959. In E-Learning Practices, Vol. II. Demiray, U, et al. 2010. Anadolu Universitesi Basimevi. 939-959.

Raddaoui, A. 2007. Teacher and Student Perceptions of Teaching Best Practice. TESOL International. In Christine Coombe and Lisa Barlow (Eds.). TESOL Arabia Press. 131-146.

Raddaoui, A. 2005. Bridging the Native Nonnative Gap in ELT. Syed, Z. (Ed). MLI Press: Abu Dhabi. 111-140.

Raddaoui, A. 2001. Is the Native Speaker of English Dead? In Coombe et al. (Eds.) Bridging the Gap between Teacher and Learner. 99-108.

Refereed Proceedings/Transactions:

Raddaoui, A. 2013. The Disruptive Potential of e-Learning in Academe & Beyond: A Futuristic Perspective. In Mélanie Ciussi and Marc Augier (Eds.) Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on E-Learning. Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited, Reading, UK. Pp. 386-92.

Raddaoui, A. 2012. Democratization of Knowledge and the Promise of Web 2.0: A Historical Perspective. In H. Belduis (Ed.) Proceedings of the 11 European Conference on e-Learning. Academic Publishing International. 435-441.

Raddaoui, A. 2004. The Ideal Speaker-Listener and Globalization'. Davidson et al. (Eds.). Proceedings of the 9th TESOL Arabia Conference: English Language Teaching and the IT Age. Vol. 8. 209-223.

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Online course completion certificate: University of Edinburgh, UK, Department of Philosophy: An Introduction to Philosophy, a Coursera course.

Certified English<>French<>Arabic Translator. Arab Professional Translators Society. Beirut, Lebanon.

Certified English Language Teacher. Teachers' Normal School, Tunis, Tunisia.

TOP SKILLS

Teaching English, Arabic, and French at all proficiency levels, participatory education, curriculum design, materials development.
Language optimization: editing and proofreading academic, scientific, technical, and literary texts.
Advanced technology toolkit: e-learning expertise; experience with LMS (Moodle, e-Companion; Canvas Instructure; Nicenet; Learnosity); Microsoft Office suite; social media (blogs, wikis, G-Drive, etc.); expertise with audio-visual editing and production: Audacity, iMovie, Camtasia Studio; online videoconferencing platforms: Elluminate, Zoom, Google Meet.
Program management: program building, administration, recruitment, training, growth, and review.
Research interests: learning theory, best practices in learning and teaching, intersection of learning and technology, translation, Arabic culture, creative writing, and Middle East and North African affairs.

HONORS AND AWARDS

Recipient of the Top Prof. Award. The Cap and Gown Chapter of Mortar Board. The University of Wyoming in Laramie, Fall 2015.
Nominee for the Promoting Intellectual Engagement Award. University of Wyoming, Laramie, Spring 2014.
Nominee for the Each Student-A Person Award. The University of Wyoming in Laramie, Spring 2012.
Recipient of the Thumbs Up Award. College of Arts and Sciences Student Council. University of Wyoming, Laramie. Spring 2011.
Winner of e-Learning prize, awarded by the Tunisian Association for the Promotion of e-Learning (APREV), Jun. 20, 2008.
Recipient of the Fulbright Fellowship, Fulbright Foundation, USIS, Washington DC, USA. July 1984-November 1988.
Winner of the Capricorn International Poetry Competition. Nottingham, UK. 1991.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

1. August 2022 – To date: Senior Research Associate and Linguistic Consultant, International Testing Services Center, headquartered in San Diego and Operating in South Korea.

Scope of position: Conducting comprehensive usability testing (CUT) projects to evaluate ITSC’s General Test of English Proficiency (G-TELP) questions for functionality, fairness, and difficulty level for; ensuring that all materials are free from errors and inconsistencies, that all contents are well-written and make sense in terms of logical development, cultural background, and the trend of the times; that vocabulary and expressions are used properly in respect to a level of difficulty suited for test takers with a college degree; and that all materials pass the standards for test creation set by the Company; participating in training and skills improvement sessions, as needed; exerting his best efforts to perform the Services enumerated above such that the results are satisfactory to the Company.

March 2022 – August 2022: Instructor for Arabic Project GO (contract), School of Political Science, Public Administration and International Studies, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.

Scope of position: This position is sponsored by a grant from the US Department of Defense. It involves designing and implementing learning assets for the online and in-person full-immersion components of this course for the University of Wyoming and other ROTC cadets from all around the US. The course will move beginning student proficiency levels to the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR), Level 1. The course also involves training as many as 10 instructors and staff hired for the in-person component, preparing students for the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), and reflecting on the course syllabus, pedagogic activities, learning outcomes, and student achievement as measured by their post-test grades.

Dec. 2019 – To date. Owner and founder of https://idiomoptima.com, a consultations and language solutions business.

Scope of position: IdiomOptima.com offers online tutoring, editing/proofreading, translation, research, and consulting services (language teaching (Arabic, English, French as a Foreign Language), education, e-learning, program management, professional development, research, and research supervision). We leave no stone unturned to help clients optimize their idiom and achieve the required level of fluency, accuracy, clarity, and communication.

August 2017 - July 2018: Arabic Content Head/Senior Researcher. Alef Education. Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Scope of position: I designed, developed, and implemented the company's core courses in Social Studies, Language, and Literature. I supervised a team of content writers and instructional designers responsible for designing and developing content aligned with the local context, culture, and academic standards. I planned, prepared, and delivered digitally based instructional activities and materials based on approved curriculum standards. I collaborated with other stakeholders on the design, development, and implementation of Alef learning platform (Learnosity).

2009-2017. Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics, Arabic Program Director, Global and Area Studies Program, the University of Wyoming, USA.

Scope of position: Teaching: I taught English language and linguistics courses; directing the Arabic as a Foreign Language Program; conducted classroom visits for junior colleagues; taught literature courses in English translation; I upgraded the Program from a one-course per term operation to a nine-course rich program, including curriculum design; test development, grading; placement examination administration, and student advising.

Research and Professional Development: I actively pursued research on language teaching and learning, language learning, and technology. I regularly attended professional development opportunities, participated in program meetings and presentations at national and international conferences, and served as editor for professional journals, external examination reader, and conference proposal reviewer.

Years (2005-2009). Associate Professor. Applied Linguistics. Department of English. University of Sfax, Tunisia.

Scope of position: Teaching: I designed curricula, implemented and reviewed graduate and undergraduate courses, taught specialism courses for the National English teacher matriculation program (linguistics, research methodology, Teaching English as a Foreign Language, teaching methodology, translation, and stylistics); and participated in English Language Teachers' Matriculation Program.

Research: I wrote and published extensively on best practices in language teaching, e-learning initiatives and supervised student research.

Service: I chaired/sat on the national tenure, promotion, and recruitment committees.; I participated in the National English teaching reform aligning the Tunisian system with the European Higher Education Area reform initiative; I coordinated the Tunisian Government's work on readying university graduates for the marketplace by upgrading their English proficiency levels. I served on a Futures Commission to prepare graduates for the job market. I participated in the design and implementation of the National English Language Immersion Village in Tunisia.

Years (1999-2005). English lecturer. English. University General Requirements Unit. United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, UAE.

Scope of position: I taught Academic English at all proficiency levels (speaking, listening, reading, and writing). I designed curricula, wrote, administered, and graded examinations. I chaired the Standards and Objectives Committee on the English Program reform (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, Vocabulary, Grammar, study skills).

Years (1996-1999). Assistant professor. English. Intensive English Program. Institute of Public Administration, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Scope of position: I taught English at all proficiency levels (speaking, listening, reading, and writing), English for vocational Purposes (English for Banking, English for Hotels, English for Business, English for Secretaries). I designed curricula, wrote, administered, and graded examinations.

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Applied Linguistics, Indiana University of Bloomington, Bloomington IN, USA. (GPA: 3.88/4).
MA. Applied Linguistics, Indiana University of Bloomington. Bloomington IN, USA. (GPA: 3.82/4).
BA. English Language, Literature and Civilization, Teachers' Normal School, Le Bardo, Tunis, Tunisia.
Cambridge English Proficiency Certificate. Brass House Center, Birmingham, Great Britain.