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BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL ENGLISH CENTRE

Casablanca , Morocco.

TEACHERS MANUAL

( Rules , Procedures , and General Information )

Last Revised : July 2013

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Index:

Page

1 Introduction:

2 The Rules of the Game:

General Pedagogic & Administrative Things to Make Life Easier:

Punctuality:

Postponed Or Cancelled Classes:

3 Dress Code:

Classroom Ambience:

Lesson Planning:

Using Audio Visual Material:

4 Core Programmes and Supplementary Material

5 Audio/Video Cassettes and Books:

Photocopied Materials and Library Services:

6 Multi-Media Centre (Otherwise The Library):

Computers:

7 Telephone, Fax & E-Mail:

Tests, Exams , and Evaluation Reports:

Mid-Term Tests:

8 Final Exams:

Oral Exams:

9 Teachers Evaluation:

Level Discrepancies:

10 Late Tests:

Attendance Sheets:

11 Pink Cards:

Class Activity Record:

12 Time, Day or Programme Changes:

Teaching Private Students:

13 Inter-School Communications:

Time Sheet And Pay-Day:

14 The Newsletter:

15 When Something Goes Wrong:

16 Who Does What?

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IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn

Dear Colleague

This manual is meant to be a useful tool to all trainers in the centre. It is meant to

serve as a guide in all areas including the necessary paper work. We have tried to cover

all questions that you may need answered, and hope that you will find the manual useful.

We welcome your comments and suggestions.

One of the problems encountered by BPEC Trainers is the paper work. What form

to use in different situations and where to get them are the most common questions

asked by new trainers. Where to find supplementary grid material for your lessons and

who to approach in the case of pedagogical problems or classroom incidents.

Communication has been seen as a problem and this manual is a step in trying to

rectify this. Please read it in the tone that it has been written, not a set of rules but as

a user-friendly guide to working within the centre. It is designed to make your life

better and easier, within the centre.

The overriding aim is to help you to do your job in the best and easiest way

possible. We can all encounter problems, whether it be in the classroom or with

colleagues / the administration , and our aim is to make it easier to resolve such

situations by having clearer lines of communication throughout the centre structure.

The trainers are the centre; this message came through loud and clear in one of

the centres study days. However, the centre sets itself the highest standards and if

the trainers are the centre, they must reflect them. Our aim is to help you do just that.

We hope that your work here in BPEC will be both fulfilling and enjoyable.

Enjoyable for yourself, your colleagues, the administrative staff and, of course, your

participants, without whom there would be no centre BPECs objectives are to provide

English language instruction of the highest possible quality. A professional service in a

professional environment. Our aim is that you feel pride in achieving them.

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TThhee RRuulleess ooff tthhee GGaammee

There are over one hundred trainers and Admin staff in BPEC and we have trainers

in more than ten cities throughout the country. Any organisation of this size requires

certain rules and regulations to ensure that things run smoothly and efficiently, but

above all consistently.

You have a contract, which you have signed. This is a mutual agreement between

you and BPEC , and it lays down what the centre both gives and what it expects in return.

Please read your contract thoroughly. Attached to, (and part of) the contract is the list

of your Duties and Responsibilities and it is against this that your performance will be measured over the year. . This is as much for your benefit as the centres , so please

read it equally carefully and follow them (the Duties and Responsibilities) in the course

of your work.

Follow the rules and the game is both easier and more enjoyable

GGeenneerraall PPeeddaaggooggiicc aanndd AAddmmiinniissttrraattiivvee TThhiinnggss ttoo MMaakkee LLiiffee EEaassiieerr

Punctuality:

The centre trains professional and business people, (in the main) , and it is

important to be on time for all classes whether on or off centre. Being late creates a

bad impression of the centre and belittles you in the eyes of the participant. Punctuality

is respected throughout the world; even by people who never keep appointments. If the

centre purports to teach Business and Professional English, we, the trainers need to

reflect the better aspects of that.

You should also try and ensure that you are the first one to enter the classroom (so

as to greet your participants) and the last one to leave (to ensure that the classroom is

as you found it).

Postponed or Cancelled Classes:

If, through unavoidable circumstances, a class has to be cancelled or postponed, you

MUST let Admin know before doing so, in order that every effort can be made to find a substitute trainer, and avoid the cancellation. If you cancel a class, the centre loses

money and possibly a client.

If you are stuck down with the plague or just sick, make sure that you inform BPEC

as soon as possible so that a replacement can be arranged for your classes

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Dress Code:

The hated words but, as already stated, the centre expects you to reflect the

professional image that has been established over the years. Therefore, you should

dress appropriately when teaching. Men are expected to wear a tie. Jeans, jellabas, T-

shirts and sweat-shirts should not be worn when on duty in the school.

The majority of your participants will have come straight from their place of work

and you are at a psychological disadvantage if you are underdressed. It is better to be

on the same level as your participants.

Classroom Ambience:

This applies to new and especially foreign trainers who are new to Morocco. Your

demeanour in the classroom is of vital importance, not just for the centre but for you as

a teacher. The reasons and motivation for participants learning English varies immensely

but the majority need to learn the language for one reason or another. You, as the trainer, are providing a service and therefore respect the needs of the customer. The

client is always right and most of the Business English courses deal with the subject of

customer care. It is a well known fact that participants who enjoy their classes, learn

better.

Lesson planning:

Lesson plans are important as they help to organise your lesson and allocated time to

each item properly. For all the core courses there are grids which give suggestions as to

what additional material needs to be used in the class and planning your lesson means

that this material gets used effectively. The plan should also state the aims and

objectives of the lesson to enable effective presentation. The DoSs might provide with a

lesson plan template in case you are in need of one.

Using Audio Visual material:

As a trainer, you are responsible for looking after the equipment you use, whether

on or off centre. Make sure that you check that the audio-visual units in the

classroom are in working order and correctly set up before your lesson begins. If there is a problem consult the technician.

When you are assigned a class, please familiarise yourself with the audio-visual

equipment in the classroom assigned to you before starting lessons there.

Generally, the equipment is similar (but not identical) throughout the centre, but

if there is anything with which you are unfamiliar, ask for instructions on the use

of it from the technician. Make sure that, at the end of each lesson, all audio-

visual equipment is switched off, and that the white board is cleaned.

Some of the centres CD players are kept permanently on the sites of some

companies where there are regular classes. This is in order to save you the

trouble of carrying portable CD players back and forth. However, you should

make sure that this equipment remains available to your colleagues who may be

teaching at the same establishment but at different times.

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If you are allocated a CD player for private classes, please remember that it

remains the property of BPEC, and will have to be returned in good condition at

the end of the term (or when requested). When allocated any such equipment,

ensure that you check it carefully before signing it out and record any defects.

Core Programmes and Supplementary materials:

The centre has core programmes, which you need to follow. The aim of the courses

and the grid materials is to offer consistency in the training throughout the centre. This

is pretty well mandatory for open groups but there is some good degree how of

flexibility with closed groups and company classes. Each programme has a grid with all

the supplementary material required for the course Much time and effort goes into the

preparation and updating of these grids and you should respect them, and make full and

effective use of the grids.

If you have any problems with having either too little or too much material, because

of the level of your group, consult the DoSs.

The Internet, as a resource for teaching material, is vast and more and more

trainers are using it to get original material for their classes. The advantage of using

the Internet is that you can get material, which is bang up-to-date and totally relevant

to your classs requirements. Please, share any such material you might have and make it

available to other trainers by leaving a copy for the DoSs.

The teaching materials and aids:

Other than the main textbook, the workbook and accompanying audio CDs , that are

signed out to you for the term, you should return all audio CDs, video, CD ROMs and

books as soon as possible after your class. This is for the simple reason that there are

not infinite numbers of copies and the material needs to be available, should your

colleagues need it.

It is advisable to check the quality of any CDs you are intending to use in class, well

before the class begins. Some of the CDs can be of faulty, and you may want to leave

yourself time to get them changed if this happens.

Photocopied materials and Library services:

There are times when you will want or need material to be photocopied. At certain

times of the day the copy centre is frantically busy and therefore the following must be respected by everyone:

If you require ANY photocopying (other than supplementary grid material) there

is a simple request form (available in the copy centre). Use this, it makes it easier

(in the long run) for you and the guys who do the work.

Please fill in your requests in good time to avoid last minute panic. Unless it is

extremely urgent, you should make your requests at least 24 hours before you

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need the material. The centre appreciates that this is sometimes difficult, but

with a little planning , one should be able to get the requests for material

processed on the same / following day.

If you need to copy something out of a book in the library, fill in the request form

and leave it with the library supervisor who will pass on the request to the copy

centre.

Avoid using any (labelled) University or High school material in your classes. It

should not ever be necessary, as there is plenty of other equally good material

available.

All photocopying has to be done by the copy centre staff only. No one else is

authorised to do so. This is as much for your benefit as anything else and ensures

that you never get blamed because the machine has broken down.

The library is open for use to all trainers and participants. All are expected to

respect library rules and should see the librarian for any help required. There is

also a complete list of all A.V. CDs, books and other teaching aids.

BPECs materials must not be used for purposes other than those connected with

BPECs official work.

Multi-Media Centre (otherwise the library):

The centre is open at the following times:

9:00 to 12:30 / 15:00 to 19:20 Monday to Friday

9:00 to 12:30 on Saturdays

Needless to say, you cannot take any material out of the library without the

librarians permission. This is more a reference library rather than a lending library.

There is also a lot of material in the library that cannot be taken out at all unless

there is some overriding reason for which you will get special permission. However, much

of this material may be taken out, provided you borrow it over the weekend. The reason

for this is that material needs to be available for your colleagues and there are not

multiple copies of many of the books.

If you need to return a book when the multi-media centre is closed, it can be

returned to the staff on duty (the caretaker who is always on duty can return them for

you should the resource centre be closed). However, it is better if you plan ahead and

return things when the centre is open. This way you can be sure that it gets crossed off

the list.

There are as many (or more) books that have been archived, than there are in the

library. If you are looking for something particular, which you cannot find, ask the

librarian and you will be given a copy of the archive list. A copy of the list as well as

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separate book, CD, video and CD ROM catalogues, are available for reference on any of

the computers in the library.

Computers:

Please handle the computers with care. You can reserve a particular computer

provided you give the librarian sufficient notice.

Please do not, in any circumstances, download any material or programmes from the internet (other than known files attached to your incoming e-mails) without informing the

librarian first.

Telephone, Fax & E-mail:

If you need to call a local number, you can ask the receptionist to be put you through.

Please keep your personal calls to a minimum; the lines are always very busy with business

calls.

If you need to send a fax, give it to the administration to be sent. You get charged

pro-rata if it is for personal business, and the same applies for national and international

calls.

All trainers have GSMs and if you are new to the school you are strongly

recommended to get one for your own convenience as well as that of the centre. There

are few things more frustrating than crossing Casablanca at 7:00 am for a private class

to get there and find that your participant could not attend due to being summoned by

CEO and that hed been unable to contact you. Please also make sure that the

administration (and your private participants ) have your contact number.

The Multi-Media Centre is permanently connected to the Internet and the service is

free for all teachers. E-mail is the best way of contacting you and every trainer must

have an e-mail address so that they can be contacted even when they are not around the

centrel. If you have any problems and /or do not know how to get an e-mail address

contact the administration and you will be given help and instruction, not just in how to

use e-mail effectively but also in how to use the Internet effectively.

If you use e-mail within the centre it is completely free and the most effective

means of communicating.

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Tests, Exams ,and Evaluation Reports:

Mid-Term Quizzezs:

Mid-term quizzes together with oral tests (not your own class see section on Oral

Exams) must be marked and the results recorded on the form that the administration

will give you prior to the exams.

A part of the final assessment includes the number of classes any participant has

missed; it helps (you) if you keep a running total on your attendance sheets, from one

month to the next. (See the section on attendance sheets)

You are NOT (any more) responsible for assessing the final grades for the

participants. The centres computer software does this as well as generating the

certificates. All you need to do is to record the results clearly on the form given to you.

Final Exams:

Final exam papers may be collected from the copy-centre prior to the exam and you

are strongly advised to check them carefully to ensure that there are no errors,

typographical or otherwise. Whilst every endeavour is made to thoroughly proof-read

the exams before they are printed, mistakes can (and do) happen. You can bet your life

that if you have not spotted a miss-spelt word your participants will, and this is not only

an embarrassment for you but reflects on the school.

The completed admin paperwork needs to be returned to admin within three days

after the exam.

You will be asked to contribute to writing and/or preparing written and oral exams.

This is actually part of your contract. However, the centre has developed a standard

format for the exams, which makes doing this a lot more simple. You are not expected to

re-invent the wheel but just draw on your own experience, sources and material and

if/when you are asked you will be given a template as well as any explanatory assistance

you may require.

Oral Exams:

The oral examination procedures have been completely revised but it is apparent

that some trainers are unaware of the objectives of the exams and how to administer

them. If you fall into this category, do not despair. Workshops and training sessions will

be organised. You are also encouraged to approach any member of the exam team.

The marking is done during the exam and the claim by some trainers that they need

time after the exam to fill in the score sheets is an indication that they do not really

understand the exam.

Copy centre staff will give you the oral exam file a few days before the exam. You

will find administering the exams infinitely easier if you use the time to fully familiarise

yourself with the questions. Doing this enables you to concentrate on listening to the

responses and discretely filling in the marking sheets.

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As soon as possible after the oral exam return the marking sheets to the class

trainer who needs them to fill in the scores on their assessment forms.

The new exams are easier to use if you do it correctly; even if asking eight pairs of participants exactly the same questions might appear a bit boring. The point is that the

subjectivity is taken out of the orals and any two teachers ought to come up with virtually the same results for any one participant.

For your own classes (even though you do not administer the exam) it is most

important to get the class organised, in good time, before the oral exams so that each

pair of participants know their time slot.

The pass grade is 65% The breakdown of the grades is as follows:

Written 40%

Oral 20%

Progress Quizzes (1+2) 20%

Attendance 20%

Teachers evaluation 10%

Final grade 100%

Pass Grade 65%

Pass-on-Probation Grade 60%

Teacher Evaluation:

On the exam marking sheet you will notice one column for Teachers Evaluation.

This is your chance to give each of your students up to ten marks and should be based on

the following:

Participation in class

Oral performance

Homework and written assignments

Discipline

Motivation

Level Discrepancies:

When taking on a new class, it is very important for the teacher to observe every

student carefully to ensure that he or she is in the correct class (level). Placement tests

are not infallible and having the misplacement of students due to difficulties/wrong level

can cause disruption in the class later, to the detriment of the rest of the students.

If you judge that a student is unable to cope with the level please report the fact

to relevant dept as soon as possible after the commencement of the course (preferably

within the first 6 hours of class).

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If a student shows serious weaknesses by mid term, he/she should be counselled

and prepared for either taking private lessons or repeating the course. You should make

sure the final grade is 50% or less if you have to fail a student. (The final mark can be

adjusted by the Teachers Evaluation). If the grade is between 50% and 54%, the

student may pass on probation.

Late Tests:

Students who fail to sit any of their exams (written or oral) scheduled on the day

and fail to make special arrangements with the teacher/office staff, will be asked to

repeat regardless of other considerations. In all cases, late candidates will be charged a

DH 50 late test fee, unless their absence is justified.

Attendance Sheets:

Please ensure that you maintain accurate and regular attendance records for all

classes. This information is required, not just by the school, but by all companies.

All classes whether open or closed groups, on and off centre, will have attendance

sheets which are given to you on the first day of each month. These are

perfectly straightforward but you should make sure that you fill them in before

you leave the classroom. There have been occasions when these have been filled

in retrospectively and incorrectly, causing great embarrassment to the school

when the fact is spotted by the company.

Attendance sheets must be handed in as follows:

o Open groups after each session. Closed groups and private classes every

Friday / Saturday.

One other point is that you should keep the running total of absences for each

student as their overall attendance is taken into account in the final grading; each

session is allocated 0.5 pt (100% attendance represents 10 pts).

If you notice that any student is frequently absent, please inform the relevant

admin dept. In such cases you should advise the student privately that absence

from the classes, more than 30%, will preclude them from being able to go to the

next level.

Whilst the foregoing is mandatory for all open groups, there are occasions with

company classes where you have to use your discretion and, if necessary, discuss

the problem with Admin / Company training officers /managers.

With company classes there is sometimes a cancellation just prior to the class.

Record this on the attendance sheet and inform Admin immediately. If there is

less than 24-hr notice, you should note this on the attendance sheet and record

the class on your time sheet as session taught.

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Pink Cards:

When you are assigned a Private Student, you will be given a Pink Card, with the

name, company and contact number of the student. You need to get private students to

sign at the end of every class. Failure to do this means that you cannot be paid as the school cannot charge the student. Although many teachers feel that it is somehow petty

to have to ask the student to sign at the end of each lesson, it is the sensible thing to do.

Please use the white card to keep a regular and consistent record of your lessons.

Private students can present you with problems and it is very much up to you, as a

teacher, to make arrangements with your students that are mutually convenient. As

previously stated, you need to be able to be contacted (by your students). Most private

students are extremely co-operative and will go out of their way not to inconvenience

you. In the case, when there is no credible reason or excuse from the students

cancelling, you should record the missed class on the Pink Card and you will be paid for

the missed class. However, if you find that there are repeated cancellations, just prior

to the classes, make sure you inform the Admin about it promptly.

Class Activity Record: (The White Cards).

The inside of these is no longer required to be filled in as all of this is done by

computer, however the rest, which records what you do in class is very necessary to you,

the school and, most of all any substitute teacher.

The class record serves 2 main purposes:

(i) They help keep track of class activities (exercise, homework assignments,

etc.). This is especially important when you have a number of private students

who are not following any particular course. If you do not keep a record of

what you have done, you can easily find yourself using the same material twice.

(ii) They are an essential guide for any substitute teacher in the case of the

regular teacher being absent.

Time, Day or Programme Changes:

Should you, (but more probably, your students), wish to change the time, days or

the programme being followed, you need to refer the matter to Admin. Invariably such

changes need to be taken up with the training manager of the group concerned.

The only exceptions to this are (generally) off-centre private students where you

have a much closer, more personal relationship. Here, you may arrange things to be

mutually convenient but, please, make sure that you inform the relevant dept as it is

essential that they keep track of whos where.

Teaching Private Students:

BPEC is marketed as a centre that provides flexibility. Most Private Students are

busy professionals who expect you to show a degree of flexibility. Private Students are

very important to the school, not because the school makes a lot of money out of them

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per se but because they are often the senior management in large companies and,

through them, the school gains other students and /or classes. How you treat these

students and the relationship that you establish with them is therefore of great

significance.

When you first meet a new Private Student it is essential that you assess their

requirements accurately. However, it is also essential that you assess the conditions in

which you will be teaching and make an assessment of what material will be required to

help to teach effectively.

Very few Private Students may want to follow a course but all will have very

specific reasons for wanting the lessons. The range can be vast and below are just a few

examples.

You may have a student who just wants to practice speaking English. Here, your

job is little more than keeping a conversation going and correcting the English

where you feel necessary. In this situation, the student should do most of the

talking.

You may have a student who needs the lessons to check the English that he / she

has written, these may be letters or reports and can be highly confidential, he /

she may also need help with understanding official documents (in English). In such

cases your absolute integrity is essential.

You may have a student who has to make a presentation in English. Here, you can

have the responsibility of helping script the presentation and then rehearse it with

the student.

You may have a student who needs to attend conferences or seminars, in English,

and needs intensive listening practice especially to native speakers.

In all cases, you are most unlikely to find yourself teaching in anything remotely

resembling a normal classroom and you have to be prepared to adapt your lessons to the

surroundings. There are portable cassette recorders that can be taken to Private

classes, but you are unlikely to find video facilities or whiteboards, more often than not

you will be sitting across the other side of your Private Students desk in his /her office.

Inter-School Communication:

The strongest and most general complaints throughout the school have been

directly and indirectly related to communication within it. This is a two edged sword and

the complaint can justifiably be returned with the comment that many teachers have not

read and/or acted upon memos that have been sent to them.

For the past two years, the school has been actively encouraging all teachers to get

e-mail addresses and inform the school of them. This has met with a resounding silence

and, other than those teachers who are team members and the expatriate teachers, of

the part-time teachers in Casablanca, the school has e-mail addresses for but a handful.

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This situation needs to change so that Admin can contact you more easily, cheaply and

effectively.

Time sheet and Pay-day:

If you want to get your pay on time, please, take into consideration that the

accountants have their job to do and they, too, work within their own set of rules and

restrictions. Without the paperwork properly completed, the school is unable to charge

the customers and, as with any business, correct and regular billing is essential to

maintain good cash-flow.

Please ensure that your time sheets are submitted together with the following:

All the class attendance sheets

Photocopies of all the Pink Cards duly signed by the students

These need to be submitted to the accounts department no later than the 2nd

day of the following month. Teachers who do not respect this deadline will experience a

delay in the processing of their pay.

Pay-day is the last working day of the month for full-time staff and the third day

of the following month for part-time staff if it does not fall on a Sunday.

The Newsletter (Otherwise Known as Links/Currently in Suspension):

This is the schools in-house newsletter. It is a means by which teachers

communicate. It is published once a term. It has always had five main purposes:

1. To act as a means of informing teachers about what is going on in the school and,

where necessary passing on information and instructions;

2. To act as a means by which teachers can express their views and opinions about

matters to do with the school;

3. To act as a means of exchanging ideas about pedagogic and methodological matters

and your teaching experiences in the classroom;

4. To act as a debating platform;

5. and, hopefully, to amuse and entertain its readers.

Everyone is invited to contribute to the newsletters and the success of the

publication is very much dependent on your highly appreciated contribution.

When Something Goes Wrong:

It is possible to have a class of students, or just one, with whom it is impossible to

get along. This may be because of a simple difference of opinion or just a clash of

personalities. It happens even to the greatest teachers in the world. The important

thing is to recognise it and do something about it. It is better for the student and the

class as a whole that the problem is sorted out even if it means getting a new teacher for

the class.

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If teachers have any sort of problem with their class they should report the

matter to the Academic and Admin Coordinator at the earliest possible occasion.

Assistance will be given to overcome the problem in the most practical manner and all

teachers should feel free to ask for assistance when it is needed.

The same applies to other relationships within the school, between teachers and

teachers, between teachers and Admin and between teachers and management. It is

better that, if there are any problems they are brought out into the open and solved

rather than left to fester. Most problems can be sorted out amicably.

The school wants to help all the teachers to be able to do their jobs in the best

possible environment. Your problems are the schools problems. We want to make BPEC,

not just the best English language school in Morocco but the best one to work with.

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W H O D O E S W H A T I N B P E C

Management: Name

Director Riyad Mugawer

Deputy Director Souad Berrada

Director Centre Leena Mugawer

Marketing & Communication Najib Kamil

Joint DoSs Brahim Belhad / Mohamed Essafi

Junior DoS: Abdelhak Mefah

E-learning Coordinator Fwzi Boukries

Administration:

Registration Amal Ktafou and Chadia Aouad.

Corporate Training Abdelkrim Belhoummania / Naima Bouziane /

Eddarouche Keltoum

Finance Hassan Sibbour / Brahim Bousahfa / Nobl Lasmak

Technical Support

Copy Centre Aboubakr Bzioui

Library & Multimedia Centre Abdelkarim Chafik

A / V equipment maintenance Mustafa Bouabid

Centre Drivers Hassan Boukhris / Abdelhak Sif

Page1 Introduction:IntroductionDear ColleagueThe Rules of the GameGeneral Pedagogic and Administrative Things to Make Life Easier

Late Tests:Students who fail to sit any of their exams (written or oral) scheduled on the day and fail to make special arrangements with the teacher/office staff, will be asked to repeat regardless of other considerations. In all cases, late candidates will be ...Time sheet and Pay-day:If you want to get your pay on time, please, take into consideration that the accountants have their job to do and they, too, work within their own set of rules and restrictions. Without the paperwork properly completed, the school is unable to charg...