Dr Nazmi Al-Masri
- Honorary Fellow, Co-Investigator CUSP N+ (School of Education)
Biography
Nazmi Al-Masri currently holds the status of Honorary Fellow in the School of Education, the University of Glasgow until 2029 where he has been a Co-Investigator at several international research projects with Glasgow university, including Culture for Sustainable & Inclusive Peace (CUSP), Researching Multilingually at the Borders of Language: the Body, Law & the State and Welcoming Languages: Including a Refugee Language in Scottish Education.
He has also been a PI and Co-I on 20+ British and EU-funded research, capacity building and mobility projects in full partnership with several British and European universities. Among the outcomes of this academic collaboration was numerous joint publications of research articles in international journals and an edited book and several book sections.
Nazmi holds a PhD in Language Education and Curriculum Development from, the University of Manchester, UK, since Feb 1994. His doctoral research assessed the previously existing English language curriculum in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. He obtained his MA in Applied Linguistics from the University of Salford, UK. His master research investigated teaching culture in EFL in the Gaza Strip. He obtained his BA from the Faculty of Arts majoring in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), Birzeit University, West Bank, Palestine.
Nazmi is Professor of Languages and Curriculum Studies and based in the Faculty of Arts at the Islamic University of Gaza (IUG), Palestine. Since he started teaching at IUG in 1994, he uses humanised, reflective, inclusive, participatory and critical pedagogies in teaching English language, language in intercultural communication, and in teacher training and education.
Over these 30-years of higher education teaching experience, Nazmi also served in several senior academic and administrative positions: Vice President for External Affairs (2015 -2017)- mainly in charge of developing IUG international academic collaboration and partnerships. Before this position Nazmi was the Dean of the Community Service & Continuing Education (2013 – 2015), Assistant to Vice President for External Affairs 2009 – 2013, Dean of Libraries Affairs (2005 – 2007), Chairman, E-Learning and Resources Development Center (2003 – 2005), Assistant to Vice-President for Academic Affairs (1999 – 2003), Head of English Language Department (1995- 1997).
Nazmi has conducted many short and long term education consultancies for international non-governmental and governmental organisations and UN agencies located in Gaza such as British Council, AMIDEAST, UNDP, UNRWA, UNICEF, World Bank, Welfare Association, Al-Qattan Centre for Educational Research & Development, Quality Improvement Fund (Palestinian Ministry of Education), Al-Rahma Association for Relief and Development, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), Al Fakhoora Dynamic Futures.
Research interests
Nazmi’s main research interests widened over 30 years of teaching, providing education consultancies and international academic collaboration. My focus varies to include technology in language education in context of conflict and emergencies, inclusive education for learners with disability, education for refugees in context of protracted crises, multilingualism and intercultural communication, curriculum development and evaluation, and above all education for cross-border and online employability for sustainable development and wellbeing of conflict and poverty-stricken contexts.
Nazmi is also interested in multilingualism and language teacher education mainly teaching English and Arabic as foreign languages and development of context-based foreign language learning materials.
Methodologically, I mainly use qualitative approaches, participatory methodologies and comparative studies in multilingual, multi-cultural and multimodal communities including language teachers, policy makers, people with disability and academics particularly in collaboration with researchers in Palestine, UK and Finland.
Grants
I have worked as a PI and CO-I on these research, capacity building and mobility grant projects in partnership and collaboration with numrous British and European universities and 50+ institutions in Palestine, the Middle East, Africa and USA:
- PI: #DisabledVoicesfromGaza – narrative methodologies with media and information literacy (MIL) to empower university students with disabilities in Palestine. In collaboration with the British-based Action on Armed Violence(AOAV) and the University of Birmingham. 2022 – 2023.
- CO-I: De-institutionalisation under Siege: A network for deinstitutionalisation of persons with disabilities in the Middle East. In collaboration with the University of Birmingham. 2023 – 2024.
- CO-I: A Capability Approach Analysis of the Islamic University of Gaza's Response to the Siege as a Disaster: A Model Response for Future Directions for Education in the Context of Crises. Institute of Education - Faculty of Education and Society - University College London. 2022- 2023.
- CO-I: Welcoming Languages: Including a refugee language in Scottish education. In collaboration with PI - Dr Giovanna Fassetta, University of Glasgow, 2022.
- CO-I: CUSP - Culture for Sustainable & Inclusive Peace. In collaboration with PI - Prof Alison Phipps, Glasgow University, 2020 – 2023.
- CO-I: Disability Under Siege Network+. In collaboration with PI - Professor Dina Kiwan Birmingham University, UK. 2020 – 2024.
- CO-I: Developing the Teacher Education in Pedagogy for Early Childhood Education & Early Elementary School in Palestine & Norway. In collaboration with the University of Southeast Norway. 2019 – 2023.
- CO-I: eTraining FinPal - Online Training of Trainers: Initiative to Develop Pedagogical Practices in Palestinian Higher Education. In collaboration with Higher Education in Transition (HET) research group led by Dr Vesa Korhonen, Faculty of Education and Culture, Tampere University, Finland. 2017 – 2020.
- CO-I: BIPHEC - Building an intercultural pedagogy for higher education in conditions of conflict and protracted crises: Languages, identity, culture. In collaboration with PI - Professor Prue Holmes, Durham University. 2019.
- CO-I: REACH - Reinforcing Access to Cross Border Employment at Palestinian Higher Education Institutions – PHEIs, ERASMUS+ Capacity Building, 2019-2023.
- CO-I: Accelerating the impact of the Online Arabic from Palestine language course, University of Glasgow. 2018 – 2019.
- CO-I: Development and Promotion of an Online Palestinian Arabic Course (OPAC), University of Glasgow. 2017 -2018.
- CO-I: ESRC Impact Accelerator Account project working with Syrian refugees in Jordan: Supporting and developing teachers in challenging contexts. In collaboration with PI - Dr Gary Motteram, University of Manchester. 2017 -2018.
- CO-I: Educational Empowerment of Deaf Students (Edu Deaf) – (Preparatory funding APPEAR, Austrian Development Cooperation, oead) with Verena Krausneker, the University of Vienna, Austria. Oct 2016- Jan 2017.
- CO-I: Idioms of Distress, Resilience and Well-Being: Enhancing understanding about mental health in multilingual contexts. University of Glasgow, Nov 2016 – July 2017.
- CO-I: English for Academic Study Telecollaboration (EAST). In collaboration with the University of Glasgow. 2015 – 2016.
- CO-I: Researching Multilingually at the Borders of Language: the Body, Law & the State, with PI - Prof Alison Phipps, Glasgow University, 2014 – 2017.
- PI- Improving access of deaf and hearing-impaired students to higher education in Gaza Strip. Grant Sponsor: Qatar-based Al Fakhoora, a Programme of Education, 2015 – 2016.
- CO-I: PHOENIX - Intercultural Exchange for Internationalization. Erasmus Mundus Action 2. In collaboration with the University of Almería, Spain. 2013 – 2017.
- CO-I: HERMES - Development of a Higher Education and Research Area between Europe and the Middle East. Erasmus Mundus Action 2. In collaboration with Aix-Marseille University, Téthys, France. 2013 – 2017.
- CO-I: STEP - Strengthening Universities-Enterprise linkages in Palestine – EU-funded Tempus IV project. 2012–2015.
- CO-I: Improving the Quality of Primary Education in Palestinian Schools. NORHED Seed Fund Grant, Norway, 2013.
- CO-I: Evaluation of teacher education programmes at Faculties of Education at three Palestinian universities in Gaza. Funded by Quality Improvement Fund (Ministry of Education) and the World Bank. 2011.
Supervision
Completed supervisions and co-supervisions, mostly master dissertations covering my research interests as an applied linguist, teacher educator and technology in language and language and culture.
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Asma A. El Tanani: Teaching grammar communicatively for sixth graders in Gaza Strip: a suggested framework.
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Aya Kh. El Mashharawi: Collocation Errors Made by English and Journalism Majors at the Islamic University of Gaza.
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Basema A. Abu Saleem: Impact of Extensive Reading on EFL Writing Quality of English Major Students in the Islamic University of Gaza.
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Diana Y. Abu Khaled: Investigating English Reading Difficulties Facing Palestinian Deaf Secondary School Learners in Gaza.
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Fatma H. Issa: The Effect of Using Wikis on Improving Palestinian 9th Graders' English Writing Skills and their Attitudes towards Writing.
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Heba Hamouda: Digital Story: Action Research to Enhance Palestinian Refugee School Children’s English Reading Micro-skills.
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Hosni M. Sobeh: Evaluating English Writing Assessment in the 10th Grade at Gaza Schools with Regards to the Contemporary Trends.
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Imadeddin M. Almadhoun: Using Artificially Intelligent Conversational Agents (Chatbots) in Developing English Oral Competencies of Palestinian Sixth-graders.
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Iyad I. Abu Ghazalah: The Effect of Using a Comprehensive Approach for Teaching High Frequency Words on Developing the Writing Skill of Seventh Graders in Gaza.
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Manar M. Al-Houbi: Resistance and Resilience of Palestinian Women in 3000 Nights Film: A Social Semiotic Approach.
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Naima Mosa Ali: A competency-Based Training Program to Improve the Teaching Performance of Palestinian Novice English Language Teachers at UNRWA Schools.
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Naima Mosa Ali: An Evaluation of the Reading Texts and Exercises in SB & WB of English for Palestine.
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Safa'a J. Abu Rahma: Translating Idioms of Distress, Resilience and Wellbeing in the Cultural Context of the Gaza Strip.
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Safaih Y. El Masri: Effectiveness of a Suggested Program Based on the Socratic Method in Improving Speaking and Creative Thinking Skills of Tenth Graders.
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Shams M. El-Wuhaidi: Evaluating the Inservice Training Programme Provided for UNRWA English Teachers in Gaza Governorates in Regards to Contemporary Trends.
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Wafaa I. Qishta: An Evaluation of the Communicative Competence of Palestinian Fourth Level English Major Students at Gaza Universities.
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Yaser S. Alsattari: Analysing Palestinian Idioms of Distress, Resilience and Wellbeing in Context of the 2014 War against Gaza.
Note: Once the ongoing war on Gaza ends and IUG destroyed buildings and IT facilities are reconstructed, these dissertations will be hyperlinked to IUG library.
Teaching
Here are some of the recent courses I have recently taught for graduate and undergraduate Palestinian students:
- Oral Intercultural Communication Skills
- Technology for English Language Teachers
- Curriculum Evaluation and Development
- International Grant Project Proposal: Writing and Management
- Academic and Critical Reading Skills
- Critical Pedagogy of Language Teaching
Additional information
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A member of the Palestinian National Team formed in 1999 by the Ministry of Education that developed the first English language curriculum and textbooks used currently in all Palestinian schools: English for Palestine Series – Grade 1-12, published by Macmillan, UK.
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Initiated and co-developed the first Palestinian university deaf education programme in Palestine, at the Islamic University of Gaza in 2015 – 2016. Donor: Qatar-based Al Fakhoora, a Programme of Education.