QFI Podcast: All Things Arabic

What’s the secret to expanding an Arabic program at a secondary school and building a love of language learning among students? 

Ustaaz Fadi  has played a vital role in the creation, expansion and management of the World Language Curriculum at a state-funded school in Chicago. Hear from Fadi about his experience teaching Arabic and engaging students and communities, as well as his advice for teachers and administrators. 

References: 

• ACTFL: https://www.actfl.org  
• Global Seal of Biliteracy: an organization that offers a digital, portable credential for language proficiency: https://theglobalseal.com/international-landing  
• Journal Article: “Expanding Assessment Options for Learners and Speakers of Less Commonly Tested Languages”:  https://ncta.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/JNCTA/04.14.23%20-%20NCTA%20Journal%20of%20Testing%20Vol%206%2C.pdf  

Glossary: 

• CI Activity: Comprehensible Input Activity 
• TPRS: Teaching Proficiency Through Reading and Storytelling 
• AP curriculum: The AP Program offers college-level courses and exams that students take in secondary schools in the US 
• CIEE: The Council on International Educational Exchange is a non-profit organization promoting international education and exchange 
• ACTFL:  American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages 

Research is providing vital information on the impact of teaching dialects alongside Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Historically, MSA was the primary form of Arabic taught and learned, but in the past 10 years the use of spoken dialects has expanded in classrooms 

Guests Dr. Rasha Soliman, Associate Professor of Arabic Language and Linguistics at University of Leeds in England and Dr. Lizz Huntley, instructor of Arabic and Linguistics at the University of Colorado Denver discuss the debate surrounding the teaching of Arabic varieties and their research within it. They address questions such as whether dialects should be taught alongside Modern Standard Arabic, and what impact incorporating dialects has on student learning outcomes.  

References: 

• Dr. Soliman mentions a 2016 study that she participated in, “Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language in the UK”: https://bit.ly/3QM1P3U  
  
  
• QFI Call for Research Proposals: In 2021, QFI put out a call for research proposals on teaching Arabic as a global language in schools. Rasha submitted to that Call and received a research award for her work on this topic.  
  
  
• Guidelines and Research Report: https://bit.ly/3ymc6gU  
  
  
• “We Can Learn Arabic”: open access video and audio resource for novice and intermediate learners curated by Dr. Emma Trentman: https://bit.ly/4dBCumV  
  
  
• Dr. Lizz Huntley’s website & links to research:  
  • https://bit.ly/4bGztA9  
  • https://bit.ly/4bzUZq6 

Glossary: 

• GCSE: The General Certificate of Secondary Education is a set of qualifying exams in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.  
• A-Level, or Advanced-Level exam: a subject-based leaving qualification offered in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland  
• CASA: Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad 
• MSA: Modern Standard Arabic  
• FuSHa: Arabic term for formal Arabic. Synonymous with MSA/classical Arabic. 
• DEI initiatives: Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives 
• Dialects: A form of language spoken by a subset of a population 
• Variety: A distinctive form of a language or linguistic expression. 
• Colloquial: Language used in an informal or familiar context; not formal or literary 
• Register: The conveyed formality of speech as determined by the social context

**Note that in this episode, Dialect, Variety, Colloquial, and Register are often used interchangeably 

In Ireland, a unique pilot program for students from Syria provided intensive English and Arabic language lessons to help improve literacy over the summer of 2023. Many of these students had missed years of education and had poor language skills in both English and Arabic. This pilot, implemented based on findings from the SALaM Ireland research project, pioneers a path forward for boosting both mother tongue literacy and English language acquisition for refugee learners. 

Guests Yvonne Leckey, Project Manager of SALaM Ireland and Trudy Rossiter, Deputy Principal at a participating school, share about the research behind the project and its impact. 

References: 

• SALaMA: The Study of Adolescent Lives after Migration to America is a mixed-methods research study which examines the mental health of adolescents after migrating to the United States. It is led by Washington University, St Louis (Principal Investigator, Professor Lindsay Stark) in partnership with QFI. https://sites.wustl.edu/salama/ 
• SALaM Ireland: The Study of Adolescent Lives after Migration to Ireland is a collaborative, school-based project conducted in Ireland as part of the larger SALaMA research initiative. https://cmhcr.eu/salam/  
• LEARNS: Language Enrichment for ARabic-speaking adolesceNts in Schools is the pilot program implemented based on findings from the SALaM Ireland Study. 

Glossary: 

• SALaMA: the Study of Adolescent Lives after Migration to America 
• SALaM Ireland: the Study of Adolescent Lives after Migration to Ireland 
• IRPP: Irish Refugee Protection Program  
• EAL: English as an Additional Language 
• LEARNS: Language Enrichment for ARabic-speaking adolesceNts in Schools 
• ESL: English as a Second Language; 
• CBA: Classroom-Based Assessments 

This episode explores the reality of teaching Arabic in Germany through the lens of assessments, including process, problems, and successes. Dr. Peter Konerding, an Arabic teacher and the coordinator of the Center for the Arabic Language, discusses what the situation is and how CEFR standards can be applied to Arabic in Germany. 

References: 

• German Arabic Teacher Association: https://vdal-d.de/  
• Salzmannschule Schnepfenthal: https://www.salzmannschule.de/  

Glossary of terms: 

• CEFR: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), an international standard for describing abilities of foreign language learners. 

In the UK, teachers are calling for changes to the current language assessment models. The difficulty of Arabic language assessments and a disconnect between classroom teaching and exams are potentially deterring students from studying the language.

This episode of All Things Arabic discusses teachers’ experiences with the Arabic GCSE and the changes they recommend to improve student experiences and encourage further language study. Contributing guests are Fatima Mohamed, an Arabic teacher at a girls school in England, and Luma Hameed, an associate lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London and a leader of the Arabic teachers Council in London and southern England.

References:

• Arabic Teachers Council in London and Southern England: https://arabicteacherscouncil-london.com/home
• British Council: https://www.britishcouncil.org/
• Arabic Honor Society: https://www.qfi.org/students/arabic-honor-society/ 
• Arabic Teacher Councils: https://www.qfi.org/teachers/arabic-teacher-councils/

Glossary of terms:

• GCSE: The General Certificate of Secondary Education is a set of qualifying exams in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
• Edexcel, or Pearson Edexcel: The only privately-owned exam board in the United Kingdom, and the only exam board to offer Arabic.
• ACTFL: The Association for the Teaching of Foreign Languages, https://www.actfl.org/ 
• CEFR: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), an international standard for describing abilities of foreign language learners.

What lessons can other languages provide Arabic teachers? In this episode of All Things Arabic, Ann Marie Gunter, a World Language Consultant in North Carolina, discusses how other global languages like Mandarin overcame challenges that now face Arabic language programs, and strategies to boost enrollment, from offering online classes to Seal of Biliteracy programs to building teacher capacity.

References:

• North Caroline Arabic Teachers Council: https://tarheels.live/ncatc/#:~:text=Established%20in%202021%2C%20the%20North,language%20programs%20across%20the%20state. 
• North Carolina Virtual Public School: https://ncvps.org/
• Critical Needs Languages: https://exchanges.state.gov/cls
• Seal of Biliteracy: https://sealofbiliteracy.org/
• Arabic Honor Society: https://www.qfi.org/students/arabic-honor-society/

Glossary of terms:

• FLANC - Foreign Language Association of North Carolina: https://www.flanc.org/
• CLTA-NC - Chinese Language Teacher Association of North Carolina: https://cltanc.com/

This episode dives into Arabic debate at the high school/secondary school level. Arabic debate seems to be more than just a linguistic exercise; students are advancing in their language and critical thinking skills and are finding joy in learning, all within the school setting.

This episode features secondary school Arabic debater and team captain Mariana McCottry, her Arabic teacher and debate coach Rana Nasser, and principal Dr. Caroline Sanchez, all from Cumberland International Early College High School in North Carolina. They share tips for success in debate, what’s needed to start a debate team and recruit students, and the value-added of the Arabic program and debate team at their school. Tune in for an inside scoop into secondary school Arabic debate!

References:

• Flipgrid (now called Flip)
• Arabic Honor Society
  • Start an AHS Club
• World Arabic Language Day
• U.S. High Schools Arabic Debating Championship
• How to Become a Debater
• Debate Modules

Join us this week as we follow two university Arabic debate teams as they prepare for a national competition and make every effort to come out on top. UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University’s rivalry is age-old: Who has the better basketball team? Who has a more beautiful campus? Which shade of blue is better: light Carolina blue or dark Duke blue? And now, who has the fiercest Arabic debate team?

In 2022, Duke and UNC students joined forces to win the 3rd US Universities Arabic Debating Championship. In 2023, they will face off, all in Arabic. Hear from UNC and Duke debate team captains Jasper Schutt and Majid Al Munefi about their experiences with Arabic debate and the hard work of both teams to prepare for the championship. Are you #teamUNC or #teamDuke?

We welcome comments or suggestions. Contact us at [email protected]. 

With the expansion of Arabic language programs across the US, UK and Europe, educators and their institutions are striving to strengthen methods for teaching and learning Arabic, just like any other global language. 

This episode discusses one of the proficiency and performance assessment techniques and language standards used in some US classrooms. Guests Rolla Elsaiary, Magnet Coordinator at Arabic Immersion Magnet School in Houston, Texas, and Amanda Minnillo, a Language Specialist at Avant MORE Learning, share their opinions on what's working and what needs changing in their contexts. 

References:

• QFI Can Do Statements for Dual Language Immersion Programs
• DLI Overview
• What Is CLIL? The Global Trend in Bilingual Education Explained
• Avant Assessment STAMP Teacher Power Up Guide 
• Avant STAMP™ 

Glossary of terms:

• ACTFL:  American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
• AIMS:  Arabic Immersion Magnet School
• CLIL:  Content and Language Integrated Learning
• STAMP:  Standards-Based Measure of Proficiency

Contact information: We welcome comments or suggestions. Contact us at [email protected].