The Center for the Study of Arabic Language and Literature
One of the serious problems that characterize the educational system in Israel’s Bedouin sector is that the Arabic language and literature are taught as if Arabic is the students’ mother tongue, while this is not in fact the case. This problem manifests itself in the form of low scores in the Bedouin sector on the Arabic language matriculation examinations, in comparison to the scores achieved by other Arabic-speaking populations in the country. As they begin their teacher training studies, some of the college students from the Bedouin sector display only limited proficiency in the Arabic language.
The establishment of the Center for the Study of Arabic Language and Literature and the teaching methods it promotes contribute to the development of programs that advance the college students’ knowledge of the Arabic language and introduce new methods for teaching it to others.
The Center is an integral part of the Arabic language major and works in conjunction with training programs at the College to prepare future kindergarten, elementary and high school educators. The Center cooperates with the supervising authority appointed by the Ministry of Education to oversee Arabic studies in the Bedouin sector.
Our Center also forges close relationships with instructors, principals and Arabic centers at schools and in the community.
Additionally, our Center strives to develop programs to advance the way that Arabic is taught, upgrading to innovative pedagogical methods that utilize 21st century technology.
Objectives:
- Improving the way that Arabic is taught as part of the teacher training program.
- Developing excellence in Arabic among students training to be teachers.
- Advancing the professional development of teachers as experts in teaching Arabic.
- Encouraging research related to teaching Arabic.