Bringing Research into Your Classroom | Amira Salama

Bringing Research into Your Classroom | Amira Salama

Author: TESOL Pop February 11, 2025 Duration: 15:26

Amira Salama shares insights on practitioner research and how everyday classroom experiences can contribute to meaningful research. She challenges traditional notions of research and highlights how teachers are already engaging in research without realising it.


Watch with closed captions.


TALKING POINTS

1. Research doesn’t have to be complex—any teacher reflecting on and improving their practice is engaging in research.

2. Sharing findings with colleagues, at conferences, or within schools is just as valuable as publishing in journals.

3. Teachers can use simple methods like student feedback, classroom observations, and collaborative discussions to gather insights.

4. Research helps educators take control of challenges like AI integration and curriculum development.

5. Contextualised, bottom-up approaches to teaching and research are more effective than applying generic ‘best practices.’



ABOUT

Amira Salama is the Chair of the TESOL International Research Professional Council (2024-2025) and the Past President of Africa ELTA. She has an MA TESOL from the American University in Cairo with a research focus on teacher leadership and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in inclusive education. Amira is the winner of the TESOL Outstanding Advocate Honor Award in 2024. She has given a number of plenary and featured talks at local and international conferences and developed teacher training programs in Egypt and Africa with a focus on association leadership in low-resource contexts, classroom research, and women leadership.



REFERENCES

TESOL Research Report

Africa ELTA (Mentoring programmes)



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CREDITS

Producer Laura Wilkes

Editor Haven Tsang

Thanks to our lovely guest, Amira Salama

Production by Communicating for Impact


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Ever feel like the best teaching ideas come from a quick chat in the staffroom, but your schedule never allows for it? TESOL Pop captures that spark. Designed for the busy English language teacher, this mini podcast delivers compact, meaningful conversations with TESOL, TEFL, and ESL educators globally. Each episode is a focused interview, kept under fifteen minutes, packed with practical ideas and personal insights that can genuinely shift your approach in the classroom. You’ll hear stories about career pivots, reflections on what actually works with students, and clever uses of technology, all shared in a casual, accessible tone. It’s the audio equivalent of a refreshing coffee break with a colleague who gets it. The podcast understands that profound professional development doesn’t always require a lengthy seminar; sometimes, a single, well-timed insight is enough to reinvigorate your teaching. By tuning in, you join a global conversation that feels both personal and immediately useful, making it easy to integrate new perspectives into your daily routine without overwhelming your calendar.
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