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Elkhafaifi, H. (2001). Teaching listening in the Arabic classroom: a survey of current practice. Al-cArabiyya, 34, 55-90.
Abstract: All language instructors teach their students the four communicative language skills: reading, writing, speaking, & listening. Recently, greater emphasis on the discrete skill of listening comprehension has prompted more extensive research on this particular issue. This study presents the results of a survey of Arabic language instructors currently teaching Arabic at universities in the US & abroad. The survey explores instructors' attitudes toward listening comprehension skill development & focuses on the methods they use to develop proficiency in their students. Analysis of the responses reveals that Arabic instructors consider listening comprehension an important element in the curriculum, & they avail themselves of a wide variety of imaginative teaching techniques & ancillary resources to improve their students' listening skills. Responses also indicate a general awareness of current listening comprehension research & a willingness to adapt research findings from other languages to the teaching of Arabic.
Ryding, K. C. (1994). Fostering a learning community for Arabic. Theory into Practice, 33(1), 23-28.
Abstract: The teaching of Arabic as a foreign language (TAFL) is discussed in terms of theoretical & practical considerations that have affected its status as a critical language at the precollegiate level in the US. Student attitudes toward the language are affected by its relative cultural distance, the lack of cognate terms, unfamiliar grammatical concepts, & the need to learn a different script that reads in a different direction. A second difficulty is the existence of both a written form of the language & a spoken vernacular that is significantly different for each region in which it is spoken. As a result of this difficulty, TAFL programs are faced with the dilemma of which language to teach, & how to teach them. Several options are put forward as possible remedies to the situation. The teaching of "formal spoken Arabic" as is taught by the Foreign Service Instit is cited, as well as suggestions for dealing with the negative affective factors faced by students of Arabic. Four course design principles are described: the incorporation of tasks, the inclusion of comprehensible input, the need for a comprehension stage prior to production, & the avoidance of transcription into romanized text. It is suggested that Arabic can be a viable course offering in American high schools, provided affective variables are addressed, & a variant of the language is chosen that is suitable for conversation.
Foreign Languages/Critical Languages
Schrier, L. L. (1994). Preparing teachers of critical languages for the precollegiate environment. Theory into Practice, 33(1), 53-59.
Abstract: The teaching environment experienced by teachers of less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) in elementary & secondary schools, & the particular qualities seen in LCTL teachers, are explored, followed by a discussion of teacher preparation concepts that are deemed necessary to produce effective LCTL teachers. The LCTL teaching environment is described as isolating, as a result of bias toward traditional languages, lack of outside professional support, lack of materials, & inadequate or temporary physical space. Some characteristics of teachers of LCTLs are said to be unique among teachers of foreign languages: many are older when they become teachers, they are often native speakers of the language, & many of them hold advanced degrees in the language. One common characteristic found among teachers of LCTLs is a lack of instruction in education. Suggestions are given for preparation of LCTL teachers, during university coursework & field experiences, as well as following employment in the precollegiate environment, in the form of in-service professional development. It is concluded that the generalization of teaching methods & techniques from those used in the teaching of more common languages is detrimental to the development of LCTL teachers, when there is a lack of sensitivity toward the unique, & often troublesome, teaching environment in which these teachers find themselves.
Schrier, L. L. (2001). Developing precollegiate foreign language teachers: an overlooked mission of foreign language departments. ADFL Bulletin, 32(3), 71-78.
Abstract: As nearly 50% of high school students study a foreign language, it is important for members of college foreign language departments to realize the influence they have in shaping future foreign language teachers. The effect of the collegiate language major on future teachers' notion of language instruction is both explicit, from course content, & implicit, from 460-500 hours of foreign language class time during which a future teacher learns the meaning of teaching a language. Foreign language programs have an impact on four teaching characteristics: (1) proficiency in the language & culture to be taught, which recent surveys show cannot be taken for granted; (2) proficiency in the language & culture of the school environment, which must be promoted to an explicit priority; (3) expertise in curriculum design & evaluation, which in the case of foreign languages is not usually provided by teacher training programs; & (4) technological sophistication, ie, comprehension of the creative potential of technology in a language curriculum. Implications of the current trend toward language requirements in secondary education & the emergence of new teaching environments are also explored.
