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Teaching the Teacher to Teach:Spotlight on ADWC Faculty MemberFiodhna Hyland“What do student teachersneed to know about teachingEnglish in order to teach thesubject effectively to languagelearners in UAE Schools?” Thisis the question that shapes theteaching method of ADWC facultymember Fiodhna Hyland, and it isthe essence of a thoughtful andconsidered approach to academicresearch which has won herthe Sheikh Nahayan DoctoralDissertation Fellowship.The Fellowship, which issponsored by His ExcellencySheikh Nahayan Mabarak AlNahayan, Minister of HigherEducation and Scientific Researchand Chancellor of the HigherColleges of Technology, supportsdoctoral dissertation research inthe field of applied linguistics andEnglish language education in theArab world. The Fellowship wasawarded through The InternationalResearch Foundation (TIRF),a non-profit organization thatpromotes research in Englishlanguage learning and teachingacross the world. This is the firstyear that H.E. Sheikh Nahayanhas sponsored the Fellowshipin association with TIRF and hegenerously agreed to sponsorthree fellowships in the amount of25,000 USD each. Competitionwas extremelystrong as it wasopen to anyonearound the worldwho met thespecific criteriaand adhered tothe unusuallystrict guidelinesfor submission.Fiodhna’s proposalfor doctoralresearch wasone of severalthousands fromcompetitors across the globe.Thus, for her to win one ofthe three fellowships was anextraordinary achievement.“I never thought I’d win aworldwide competition,” saidFiodhna, “but my research isdirectly related to one of HisExcellency’s priorities whichis to redirect and improve theeducational system in this country.In order to achieve this goal,we need to create high-levelteachers. We are instructinga new generation of Emiratistudents who are pioneers andwho want to make a difference intheir country.”Ms. Hyland is pursuing herPh.D. in Teacher Education atthe University of Leicester inthe United Kingdom and willspend the next year working onher research and completingher dissertation on “PreparingStudent Teachers to be Teachersof EFL Reading: Effectivenessof Curriculum Development andInstructional Delivery of a RevisedTeacher Education MethodologyCourse.”“As a facilitator, I try to encourageand provide for the needs ofindividual students, buildingwhere possible on existingknowledge, values and beliefsthat inform their knowledge aboutteaching and shape what theydo in classrooms,” she said.She considers this approach an“apprenticeship of observation”and believes it has significantinfluence on the teachingpractices of student teachers.Although she is an advocate forchange in teaching practices, shedoes not agree with throwing outeverything currently used in theteaching and learning process.“I want to use certain aspectsof what’s there and combinethem with new elements toproduce teachers of the futurewho take past learning practicesand combine them with currentbest practices to create newexperiences in the classroom.”Ms. Hyland intends to continueworking with students whileshe completes her research.“The ideas that my students arecoming up with are amazing,” shesaid. “They are learning that it’stheir job to improve the educationsystem in their country. I wantto provide student teacherswith opportunities to developand achieve their full potentialas future teachers of English.I am constantly aiming to be amodel of best practicefor developing studentteachers’ educationalthinking and thereforethe type of teacherthey become. It is achallenging task, butone I am passionateabout.”Ms. Hyland’s passionhas led her to arewarding careerand garnered her anexceptional reward.31