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On February 28, 2021, nearly 500 attendees benefited from an insightful in-service instructor training webinar led by Dr. Sara Sevinj Huseynova. The webinar, a cooperative initiative between the Ministry of Education Directorate in the Asir region and Rijal Alma, focused on the theme, "Teaching Language Skills: Basic Ideas and Techniques for Instructing Listening and Speaking." The event garnered enthusiastic participation from local attendees and others from across the Kingdom.

The webinar was inaugurated by Dr. Abdullah Al-Melhi, Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Translation, who emphasized the importance of initiating interactions among instructors teaching similar subjects to foster their professional development. He introduced the keynote speaker, Dr. Sara Huseynova, as a renowned figure in the field.

The Vice Dean for Academic Development & Quality, Dr. Abdulrahman Almosa, shared that the event was conceived in response to a request from the local Directorate of Education. He highlighted it as an excellent opportunity for the Faculty of Languages and Translation to provide a unique instructor training experience that blends professional growth opportunities with enriching online discussions in a business-like manner.

Launching the presentation, Dr. Huseynova asserted that languages are learned through excitement, not fear of making mistakes. She delved into methods to inspire students to adopt a more enthusiastic approach toward learning English and the four fundamental language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. She underscored the need to balance these skills in practice, aligning with the latest tendencies in language instruction, a practice adopted by the English Department of the Faculty of Languages and Translation.

Dr. Huseynova also explored general approaches to skills teaching in applied linguistics, including the focal method, content-based instruction, and the task-based approach—now widely used in language instruction worldwide. She further highlighted that the core principles of teaching listening and speaking via the task-based approach remain the same, despite one being receptive and the other productive. These principles encompass communicative teaching, interactive and task-based learning, learner-centered instruction, and blended learning, as communication primarily occurs visually, vocally, and verbally.

The keynote speaker stressed the need for appropriate, culture- and gender-sensitive materials and interactive activities that encourage student engagement. She also underscored the importance of teacher-prepared lesson plans but recommended that these should always incorporate elements of the communicative approach.

Dr. Huseynova suggested teachers should expose students to authentic English usage through a mix of controlled and non-controlled techniques, along with judicious use of technology in class. She also addressed the real-life complexities and challenges of teaching oral communication, particularly in the context of online instruction. She advocated for student-centric lessons, reduced "Teacher Talk Time", and positioned the instructor as a role model to enhance student-teacher interaction.

She further delved into the topic of pre-listening activities that activate students' schematic knowledge, encourage discussion, and may include pronunciation practice, thereby aiding overall listening comprehension. Post-listening activities were also touched upon, as they can further develop all four core language skills.

Detailing modern teaching strategies for listening, creative and interactive teacher roles, student encouragement methods, and assessment techniques, she underscored the importance of providing appropriate feedback in a manner that fosters a positive student response. She pointed out that well-delivered feedback can make students' brains "smarter, even happier."

Dr. Huseynova advocated for the flipped classroom model's suitability for teaching listening and speaking, particularly during online education. Here, preliminary lower-level cognitive work is completed before the lesson, with the teacher focusing on knowledge application and practice in class. She illustrated this with a flipped Maslow's pyramid on Bloom's Taxonomy, highlighting the flipped classroom method's efficacy, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In conclusion, she underscored the need for instructors to establish effective rapport with students, share appropriate knowledge, and provide balanced praise and constructive criticism. Corrective feedback should be provided tactfully to maintain student motivation and interest in learning English.

After guiding participants through strategies for evaluating and improving their online instruction, Dr. Huseynova opened the floor for questions, leading to an additional hour of spirited professional discussion. Both Dean Al-Melhi and Vice Dean Almosa actively contributed to the ensuing conversation.

As noted by Dean Al-Melhi, the webinar had a "lighthouse effect" on participants, illuminating novel perspectives and methodologies. The event was a resounding success with its high turnout of 500 participants. The Bachelor of Arts in English program at the Faculty of Languages and Translation remains committed to participating in community collaboration projects, further cementing its role in the Community Partnership Plan at King Khalid University.