mbartley@pmu.edu.sa
Michael is a British national, working as an English Lecturer in the Preparatory Years department.
He has a Masters of Arts in Arabic, Middle Eastern Studies and French (2010) and a Masters of Education (2015), specializing in foreign language learning, both from the University of Cambridge. He trained as a Secondary Languages teacher, obtaining a Post-Graduate Certificate of Education from Cambridge in 2011, and obtained a CELTA, English teaching certificate, in 2012.
Michael worked for four years as a languages teacher in England before moving to KSA in 2015 where he worked for the Institute of Public Administration in Dammam for seven years teaching English as a Second Language and delivering several English training courses for workers in the government and private sectors.
Being passionate about both language learning and teaching, Michael loves the potential for interaction and creativity in the language classroom. He firmly believes that encouraging students to speak through a variety of activities, and creating an atmosphere in which students feel confident to ‘give it a go’, will rub off on all key skill areas and lead to linguistic success.
Michael hopes his English teaching will help prepare his students to make a positive impact in society as Saudi works towards Vision 2030.
Michael’s research interests include use of English in the Arab world and post-colonial countries, particularly ways in which English can be appropriated for specific purposes to empower local communities without bleaching local culture. Michael also researched feedback in ESL contexts and error correction for his Masters of Education.
