A one-day workshop on an innovative approach to teaching English Language was held in Sokoto, organized by a Language Research Team from Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS). The event aimed to train select secondary school English teachers from Sokoto State on the Form-Based Language Instruction (FBLI) method.
Dr. Muhammad Sajo, the Principal Researcher and Coordinator of the training program, explained that the workshop was designed to enhance the teaching and learning of English as a second language in Nigeria.
He highlighted that FBLI, a method already tested in developed countries, emphasizes the integration of the four basic language skills—Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing—while prioritizing form over the traditional “error analysis” method.
“The FBLI method has shown significant improvements in English language delivery and student performance in examinations in other countries. Testing its efficacy in Nigeria is critical to advancing English language education,” Dr. Sajo noted.
Due to limited resources, the pilot workshop targeted teachers from 11 secondary schools in Sokoto South, Sokoto North, Wamakko, and Kware local government areas.
At the end of the training, participants called on the Sokoto State Government to expand the initiative to include all secondary school English teachers across the state. They emphasized the potential of the FBLI method to revolutionize English language education.
Dr. Sajo commended the Sokoto State Teachers Service Board, the State Ministry of Science and Technology, and the principals of FGC and Federal Science College, Sokoto, for their collaboration in ensuring teachers’ participation in the workshop.
The workshop, held at the city campus of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, was facilitated by Dr. Sajo alongside co-researcher Mal. Isah Muhammad Galadima of the Linguistics Department, as well as two PhD candidates from the Department of English and Literary Studies, Abdul’azeez Lawal and Abdullahi D. Umar.
