Slide #1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arabic Standards between Authenticity and Modernization

 

By

 

Professor Yasir Suleiman

 

 

University of Edinburgh

 

 

United Kingdom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slide # 2

 

 

Dilemma of Arabic language

 

Current situation: Diglossia

 

·       Curriculum & Textbook

·       Exhaustive analysis of topics in lecture –based format

·       Complicated and pre scribed text books that are mostly complicated in structure

·       Archaic examples that do not relate to the students’ lives and interests

·       Limited range of text types

·       Limited scope of analysis skills

·       Teacher – centered methods of teaching

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slide # 3

 

 

Grammar & Morphology

·       Teaching grammar in a non- functional way

·       Critical Thinking

 

·       Separation between teaching Arabic language and developing higher order skills  and critical thinking ( problem-solving, distinguishing between facts and opinion, hypothesis and different types of evidence)

·       Form has a priority over meaning (as we will see in composition)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slide # 4

 

·       Double Standard in dealing with Arabic: Showing pride in it cultural  heritage and shunning it in daily life usage

 

 

 

Slide # 5

 

How classical grammarians dealt with this situation

 

·       Al-Jahiz ( A well-known Arabic writer and thinker  (896) warned that teaching grammar to children should be limited to the easy rules that promotes accuracy. Beyond that is a waste of time …)

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Slide # 6

 

Ibn Mada Al-Qurtubi (1196) Rebutting Grammarians

 

- Canceling illa (causation) of thawani and thawalith 

 

 

Modern Grammarians

 

-Ibrahim Mustafa” Reviving Grammar

 

Dr. Shawqi Dayf

-Renewal of grammar

Simplifying grammar

Simplifying educational grammar to

 

 

 

Slide # 7

 

Curriculum Standards of the State of Qatar: Arabic Language

                            

                             Arabic for Life

 

 

-Give priority to using Arabic in functional and modern contexts with emphasis on our cultural heritage in reading, writing, listening and speaking.

- Using a range of test types: expository, narrative, instructional, descriptive,  and argumentative.

- Emphasizing higher order thinking skill, critical thinking, with particular focus on persuasion.

 

- Focusing on body language in listening and speaking and considering this skill in writing and reading.

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Slide # 8

 

Emphasis on classical  examples of poetry and prose and introducing the short stories, plays,  and novels in the standards  to improve students’ reading, critical and analysis skills.

 

- Emphasis on introducing non-complicated grammatical examples.

- Focus on semiotic reading of texts drawing from modern critical discourse theory and linking this with Arabic classical literature (intertextuality for example).

- Linking   writing to reading

 

 

Slide # 9

 

  Developing Arabic curriculum standards for the State of Qatar

 

 

 

- Scanning all textbooks used in teaching Arabic in Qatar

 

- MOE

-Al-Bayan Complex

- Private schools

Scanning textbooks used in teaching Arabic in some Arab countries: Jordan, Oman, and Egypt.

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Slide # 10

 

Looking at some attempts in Qatar and some other Gulf countries (Bahrain and Kuwait) with regard to developing basic Arabic competencies for early grades .

 

- Looking at the National Document for Arabic Language in UAE (June 2002)

 

- Looking at the National Educational Standards in Egypt.

 

 

 

 

Slide # 11

 

 

Reading/ Language Arts Framework for California Public Schools

 

Massachusetts English language Arts Curriculum Framework

 

English in the New Zealand Curriculum

The National Literacy Strategy (England)

AERO Standards 9American English Reaches Out)

Framework and Specifications for PIRLS Assessment ( progress in International Reading Literacy, 2001)

 

 

 

 

Slide # 12

 

Curriculum Standards of the State of Qatar: Arabic Language

                       

 

Features and Characteristics

 

- The Arabic curriculum standards are not a scheme of work nor are they a school curriculum.

 

-  The Arabic curriculum standards enable teachers to be selective in using different resources

 

- Arabic curriculum standards call for an integrated approach in teaching knowledge and skills.

 

 

 

 

Slide # 13

 

- Since  Arabic language curriculum standards view language as a means of communications, it allows a much boarder and compressive perspective towards texts which makes them superior to textbooks used in most Arab countries in addition to using different types of texts: modern and classical, which reflects the philosophy behind the standards (Language for Life).

 

Slide # 14

 

Arabic curriculum standards give teacher more freedom than usual to contribute to the students’ learning which will help him/her to grow and improve their potential.

 

- Arabic language curriculum standards give priority to students by recognizing and developing his abilities.

 

- Arabic language curriculum standards focus on Standard Arabic but recognizes the benefit of relating dialects to the Standard, to help students to master the Standard variety in a more natural and coherent way to overcome  the diglossic situation.

 

 

 

Slide # 15

 

                                     Conclusion

 

- A journey of a thousand miles begin with a single step.

 

 

- Qatar started this journey and made significant and pioneering strides in the cause of Arabic.

 

- The path which Qatar has taken should be nurtured and encouraged by all those who care about Arabic- the language of the Noble Quran.