Gwadar on the Chess Board of History: An Overview

Until recently, Gwadar has always been mentioned as a small insignificant fishing town. Very little was known about its history and potential to the outside world. However, at the turn of the 21st century Gwadar became the focus of attention globally. The development of a deep seaport with China’s assistance and prospects of connecting China and Central Asia through Pakistan to the North Arabian Sea has brought this small, insignificant fishing town to international recognition. But history reveals that this region has always played a vital role since primeval times due to its geostrategic and geographical location. From Alexander’s retreat to Pakistan’s reclaiming Gwadar, it has always reminded its significance at different times in diverse manners. This paper aims to bring into light the historical journey of Gwadar, which usually remained unknown or were either considered trivial by historians. Gwadar became an important chapter in the Belt and Road initiative proposed by the Chinese president. It will link China, South Asia, Middle East, Central Asia, Africa and Europe through a network of land and sea routes and ports will contribute significantly to the progress and prosperity of Gwadar in Pakistan, China and the entire region.

Exploring English Language Teachers Classroom Assessment Practices of Class Viii in Larkano, Sindh

Formative assessment is important in education improvement as it provides instant opportunities to reflect and improve teaching and learning process. There is a dearth of literature on formative classroom assessment practices in Pakistan, and particularly in Sindh. Therefore, this research study explored teachers' classroom assessment practices in English language class VIII. The study was focused to explore the relationship of English language learning and formative assessment in class VIII. In this study qualitative cases study design was adopted in order to explore the phenomenon in the context of Larkano, Sindh. In order to respond the research question the semi-structured interviews, classroom observation and focused group discussion were used as data collection tools. The analysis of the data was carried out using qualitative data analysis approach (Yin, 2009). The participants of the study were the two English teachers (primary participants) and twelve students (secondary participants): six students from each participant teachers' class. The findings revealed that there are many factors that contribute towards assessment practices in classroom such as personal and professional perceptions, experiences and beliefs of teachers, classroom assessment resources, physical structure of the school building, and the textbooks. The teachers adopt subject-based approach to teach English rather than skilled based approach due to contextual constraints and limitations. The study suggests that English teachers professional development courses in formative assessment may be arranged for English language teachers in order to enhance their personal and professional skills.