Teaching Arabic/French language for me is more than just a subject matter that ends with the close of class period. Teaching Arabic –and language in general- helps foster and strengthen the development of a lofty form of human interaction that transcends the classroom setting. Language instruction is one of the certain pathways to create an understanding, which broadens the individual’s perspective of himself and the world, and hence enriches the overall human experience.
A successful approach to the instruction of Arabic should not be teacher centered. Rather the role of the teacher should be that of a facilitator, who engage the students in the making of the learning process and helps them become autonomous learners. Furthermore, an integral component to the successful learning of a language deemed «difficult» (like Arabic) is the creation of an environment in which students feel at ease making mistakes since mistakes are opportunities for betterment in the language that should be explored and benefited from. An instructor can foster such an environment by maintaining a high level of respect, professionalism, integrity, and fairness.
For the learning experience to be truly effective it should be based on mutual commitment to excellence on behalf of both the student and the teacher. As a teacher this dedication to excellence continually drives me to seek innovative pedagogical methods and creative classroom strategies that make learning Arabic not only an instructive process, but also an enjoyable experience. An integral component to the successful teaching of Arabic/French is for one to be well versed and cognizant of the theoretical debates that unfold in the field of Second Language Acquisition. Moreover, a teacher who is a good listener (regarding concerns of his students), and who reflects often about his methods is one who will achieve the most success in the classroom.
