| Ahlan ya colleagues, Welcome to the Arabic K-12 Bulletin, a biweekly resource for elementary, middle, and high school Arabic teachers, administrators, and researchers. In this final edition of the Bulletin in 2013, you will find a wealth of new professional development opportunities as well as some non-traditional job openings. Stay tuned for new issues in the new year, and in the meantime we wish you and yours a very happy and healthy holiday season. As always, if you would like to reach us please send a message to arabick12@gmail.com. Lucy Thiboutot, Editor |
The Arabic K-12 Teachers Network consists of more than 1,000 educators, administrators, and researchers interested in the Arabic K-12 field in the U.S. It is a free membership provided by the National Capital Language Resource Center's Arabic K-12 Project. Recent issues of the Bulletin are archived here: http://bit.ly/10KRZi3 . All members are welcome to submit posts in English or Arabic and may do so by e-mailing their content to arabick12@gmail.com specifying their content for the listserv. This listserv is focused on elementary, middle, and high school Arabic teaching. Job openings at the university level can be found on the AATA's website .
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES NEW RESOURCES FOR YOUR STUDENTS AND CLASSROOM GRANT OPPORTUNITIES AND JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS NADA'S WEBSITES: "Wikispaces" BELAL'S ACTIVITIES: "Board Game" MEOC BOOK RECOMMENDATION: "The Girl Who Fell to Earth: A Memoir" CURRENT RESEARCH: "The Persistent Allure of Paper" FOCUS ON LEARNING: "Jennifer Grout Sings Umm Kulthum Hits on 'Arabs Got Talent'"
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Workshops and WebinarsACTFL is proud to announce a new series of interactive webinars designed especially for language educators at all levels. Taught by a faculty of leading experts, the webinars deliver new insights and proven techniques that you can use right away in your classroom. Starting today (December 9) with a free Overview Webinar: Guiding Language Performance to the Next Level, the webinars can be viewed live at time of recording or anytime thereafter. To learn more about the webinars and register: http://bit.ly/1dVg8ws Due to the popularity of the fall course, Aldeen Foundation and Qatar Foundational International are offering a second online professional development program for Arabic educators called Interactive Arabic Classroom from January 6 to February 17, 2014. The course allows you to spend about 90 minutes per week listening to lectures and watching instructors model the best teaching practices, and also interact with experienced teachers during live classes online. The cost is $75 per teacher or $300 per school (up to 6 teachers). Space is limited to 40 teachers, and registration runs from December 16-30 or until the course is full. Register online at http://bit.ly/199Uluv and email Mrs. Thouraya Boubetra with any questions at aldeenarabiconlineeducation@aldeenfoundation.org The Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP), funded by the U.S. Department of State, provides your school with a language teacher from Egypt or China to teach Arabic or Mandarin for one year. Join a free online webinar so that you can learn more about TCLP and hear from program alumni about how your school can benefit by hosting an Arabic or Mandarin teacher. To register for the TCLP Webinar on Tuesday, December 10 at 4:00pm EST: http://bit.ly/17DrSRK To apply by January 22, 2014, please visit www.tclprogram.org The Center for Advanced Study of Language (College Park, MD) is interested in seeking participants for a study on how learners of Arabic understand and decipher cultural allusions in Arabic. Participants who are native speakers of English, at least 18 years old, not native or heritage speakers of Arabic, and have completed at least 3 years of university-level Arabic courses are welcome to apply. Each participant receives $25 cash after right taking the test. Testing will be conducted at a convenient location near the participant. Contact kburk@casl.umd.edu for more information. Professional ConferencesThe 2014 International Conference on the Development and Assessment of Intercultural Competence: "Preparing and Supporting K–16 Language Teachers to Teach for Intercultural Competence in and beyond the Classroom" will take place January 23-26, 2014, in Tucson, AZ. The conference aims to bring researchers and practitioners across languages, levels, and settings to discuss and share research, theory, and best practices; to foster meaningful professional dialogue; and to enhance teacher effectiveness in teaching for intercultural competence in and beyond the classroom in order to support all students' development of intercultural competence. The conference is attended by faculty, administrators and students at post-secondary institutions, as well as K-12 teachers and individuals from a wide range of other non-traditional educational contexts who are interested in language teaching/learning and cultural competence. For more information, view the conference website: http://bit.ly/IeH6B9 The Second International Conference on Heritage/Community Languages will take place March 7-8, 2014 at Covel Commons at UCLA. Early registration runs through February 7, 2014: $180 for registrants other than graduate students; $100 for graduate students. Contact: Gerda Lobo gerdalobo@gmail.com or Claire Chik
chik@international.ucla.edu Call For Proposals and PapersThe TexFLEC Committee at The University of Texas at Austin is pleased to announce that they are now accepting proposals for the 15th annual conference that brings together researchers, educators, and students in the fields of foreign language education, TEFL/TESL, linguistics, and applied linguistics: "Shaping the Future of Foreign/Second Language Education to Cross Cultural Boundaries: Integrating Theory and Practice." Conference dates: February 14-15, 2014. Proposals can be submitted online: http://bit.ly/1duDmJu. Proposals received before December 1, 2013 will receive priority with the final deadline for proposal submission on December 31, 2013. More information about the conference: http://bit.ly/18AgTHd. Questions can be directed to: texfleccommittee@gmail.com. The Foreign Language Association of Virginia provides an opportunity to share innovative teaching, technology, research and student success strategies. Send in your proposal by April 18, 2014. The Conference Committee invites proposals for active and engaging presentations on topics related, but not limited to: Supporting beginning teachers; Promoting active use of the target language; Making the most of classroom time; Supporting student learning; Active and engaging instructional strategies; Innovative instructional methodology; Innovative assessment strategies; Unique uses of technology; Technology strategies for all students including those with disabilities. To learn more and submit a proposal: http://bit.ly/1kk31CJ The National Foreign Language Center solicits proposals from schools, post-secondary institutions, school districts, state and regional educational agencies, language associations, and community-based organizations to participate in the STARTALK project. STARTALK's mission is to promote the learning and teaching of critical languages in the United States through summer programs that follow best practices in language instruction. To learn more and create a new proposal, visit STARTALK's proposal page: http://bit.ly/15rzc1u |
You may be interested in this simple Arabic typing tutor to help your students learn to type in Arabic: http://www.studyarabic.com/arabic-typing-tutor The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) now offers the Computerized Oral Proficiency Instrument (COPI), a computer-based, semi-adaptive test of Modern Standard Arabic or Spanish oral proficiency intended for use with native-English-speaking students in later years of high school, college students, and professionals. It provides language educators with a computerized, time-efficient assessment of their students' oral language proficiency in Arabic or Spanish. Performance on the COPI is rated according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. For more information: http://bit.ly/Iw45aE The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) has produced an Arabic Oral Proficiency Guide for Students. This free online tutorial helps high school and university-level students of Arabic understand and improve their oral proficiency. It teaches students how oral proficiency is rated according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines so that they can self-assess and set language learning goals. The tutorial features authentic examples of students speaking Arabic at different levels, tips and resources to improve oral proficiency, and student descriptions of their experiences being assessed and then using their Arabic to communicate abroad. View the site at http://www.cal.org/aop/index.php The Qatar Foundation International (QFI) is launching a new website for Arabic K-12 teachers Al-Masdar (almasdar.oercommons.org). Al-Masdar provides a platform for you to discover free resources through search strategies, to author or upload your own resources, to review resources, join groups and conversations, and collaborate with others. The site is intended to be a hub - the source - for language teaching materials, opportunities, news and events relevant to Arabic instructors. You are invited to explore it and offer your feedback by completing this survey: http://bit.ly/1gvdkWS American Councils for International Education offers a program called the Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP) to help U.S. K-12 schools start or grow their Arabic language programs. This program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and provides your school with a language teacher from Egypt or China to teach Arabic or Mandarin for one year. The application deadline is Wednesday, January 22, 2014. If you wish to apply, please visit www.tclprogram.org Your advanced students may enjoy this new simplified version of Lebanese author Hoda Barakat's novel, Sayyidi wa Habibi, which comes with a set of pedagogical activities and a companion website: http://bit.ly/16vBpEc Al-Jazeera news is currently developing a special news site for Arabic language learners. Although some of the features are still in progress, it may be worth keeping an eye on as a resource for your classes: http://learning.aljazeera.net/arabic The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad Program offers scholarships to American high school students to spend the 2014-15 academic year in countries that may include Bosnia & Herzegovina, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mali (semester), Morocco, Oman, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia, and Turkey. This post 9/11 program focuses on increasing understanding between people in the U.S. and countries with significant Muslim populations. Applications due January 9, 2014. For more information: www.yes-abroad.org The National Middle East Language Resource Center (NMELRC), in cooperation with Qatar Foundation International and Brigham Young University Independent Study, is offering a hybrid online course for high school students. The high school implementation of Arabic Without Walls, winner of the 2010 Distance Education Course Award, covers the basics of both spoken and written Arabic and enables students to acquire real-world communication skills. This process starts with students attending a one-day course in their region and continues as they work online with a tutor and a cohort of students who form a tight-knit learning community. Students who have done so have gone on to win NSLI-Youth Scholarships to study in the Arab world. For more information on registration, cost and credit please visit: http://bit.ly/1bfmfcG . The Institute for Middle East Studies (IMES) Title VI Outreach Program at The George Washington University (Washington, DC) maintains a film and book library and Skype-a-Scholar program that is free and available to area educators. You can view a list of all of the library resources and find out more about the films using our new Film Guide which contains synopses of the films and classroom usage ideas for educators. The Skype-A-Scholar program brings university experts to your classroom through Skype, to converse with students for an in-depth, innovative learning experience. Contact imesnrc@gwu.edu for more information on these programs. American Councils for International Education coordinates the U.S. Department of State's FLEX, YES, and A-SMYLE programs, where students from the Middle East and other areas of the world have competed against their peers and earned a scholarship to come to the U.S. for a full academic year. The students live with an American host family, attend school and become a part of the family. Anyone interested in hosting an exchange student for a period of two months to a full academic year, and the ability to provide a safe, supportive, English-speaking environment is welcome to contact the programs for more information. For more information: http://inbound.americancouncils.org . The Peace Corps offers the World Wise Schools website, with cross-cultural learning resources including lesson plans, videos, publications, an online game, and more. Take advantage of these free resources to develop your students' global competencies and prepare them to be engaged, 21st century global citizens. Connecting With TeachersConnect with hundreds of Arabic teachers in America and from around the world on the Teachers of Arabic Language K-12 (TALK12) page on Facebook. Teachers can chat, swap ideas, and give each other advice: http://www.talk12.org . |
Grant OpportunitiesQatar Foundation International has announced Teacher Initiative Grants (maximum award: $1,000) to enhance Arabic programs and promote excellence in the classroom. Arabic teachers working in U.S. public or public charter schools may apply for funding to purchase books and materials; host cultural events or workshops; take students on field trips; or attend professional development conferences. Applications are due on the first of each month for awards to be announced by the end of that month, from Nov. 1 until April 1. To download the complete Request for Proposal, follow the link: http://bit.ly/17lD6I0 Job OpeningsSecond Language Testing, Inc. (SLTI) of Rockville MD makes tests for a variety of clients, including the US Government. SLTI is currently in need of consultants to assist in the development of tests in Algerian and Sudanese. The ideal consultant will be familiar with the ILR Skill Level Descriptions and their application to the leveling of texts in their language. He or she may have experience as a teacher, test developer, or translator. The applicant should be highly literate in the non-English language and have a solid command of written English. The applicant should also have good computer skills, and access to high speed internet. Ability to conduct Internet research and submit Word documents and/or audio files. Familiarity with audio editing software is a plus. US citizens preferred.
The consultancy will involve 20 to 40 hours work, although follow-up work may occur. Interested individuals should send a resume and cover message, with citizenship/immigration status and contact information to Mmensoor@2LTI.com. The American Community School (ACS) of Abu Dhabi seeks a dynamic and experienced Arabic language leader to coordinate its Native and Non-Native Arabic programs. The ideal candidate will be a Native Arabic speaker with superior fluency in English. He or she will possess a strong background in language acquisition and current methodologies for Arabic learning and teaching. Responsibilities include teaching at least one or two sections of Arabic, modeling effective lessons and approaches, instructional coaching, planning and facilitating K-12 Arabic department meetings, leading professional development workshops, and ensuring consistency of curriculum, instruction and assessment for Arabic learning. In partnership with principals, the coordinator will assist in the supervision and appraisal of Arabic teachers. ACS offers a generous salary and benefits package that includes shipping, housing, medical/dental/vision insurance, tuition for one dependent, professional development opportunities, and annual home leave. Please send a cover letter, current CV, and list of references to the Director of Human Resources, Marise Philip-Jayendran: marisephilip-jayendran@acs.sch.ae on or before December 31, 2013. For more detailed information about ACS, please visit their website at: www.acs.sch.ae Minneapolis Public School District (Minneapolis, Minnesota) is seeking an Arabic World Language Teacher. Minnesota teaching license, or proof of pending license, required. Urban teaching experience preferred. For more information: http://bit.ly/1ga26ED The University of Oklahoma is seeking an Arabic Flagship Coordinator for their program. In order to view a complete listing of the position, please go to jobs.ou.edu and search for the requisition number: 18169. Orange Crescent School, a private, non-profit, Islamic School in Garden Grove, CA, is seeking a highly qualified K-8 Arabic Language teacher to teach for the 2013-14 school year. Teaching credential and successful teaching experience preferred. Respond to hr@orangecrescent.com The Tucson Unified School District is seeking a K-8 Arabic teacher for Safford School in Tucson, Arizona. Arizona Elementary Teaching Certificate required. To learn more information and apply, follow the link: http://bit.ly/1941IHl . |
Nada Shaath (Bell High School, CA) suggests: Wikispaces (http://www.wikispaces.com/) Create a place for yourself, your classroom, your project--a great way to make student portfolios. Create an account on wikispaces.com and get the wiki that's right for you. Do you have a favorite website to share? Send us a link and a short description, and don't forget to include the name and location of your school! |
Belal Joundeya (Renaissance Academy, UT) suggests: Board Game Find a game board from the popular game "Chutes and Ladders" and put images on each of the 100 squares. Students roll dice and move along the board as usual following the chutes and ladders and try to reach the 100th square to win. They must use the topics they land on during the process in a sentence. You may have a second round where they should ask questions about the picture they land on. |
The Middle East Outreach Council (http://www.meoc.us) recommends the youth literatureThe Girl Who Fell to Earth: A Memoir by Sophia Al-Maria (HarperCollins). With its insight into the rapidly changing society in the Gulf, a world infrequently read about by American youth, and a central character caught between two worlds, one of her American mother and the other of her Qatari Bedouin father, Sophia Al-Maria's The Girl Who Fell To Earth is this year's Middle East Book Awards winner. The memoir not only reveals conditions in another part of the world, but will help readers be more aware of similarities, good and unfortunate, between the "other" culture and their own. The central narrator's engaging and witty, voice manages to weave references from Eastern and Western culture in the 1980s and now. Where else could you read about the starry night in the Qatar desert; Carl Sagan's videos; star-crossed lovers from East and West; the oilification of the Gulf or Ziggy Stardust- David Bowie as an alien? Humor, surprises, plot twists make this memoir very appealing to readers |
The Persistent Allure of Paper
By Kim Marshall | Marshall Memo #513, December 2, 2013, http://www.marshallmemo.com The demise of printed material has been predicted for years, but in this article in The Week, Nicholas Carr argues that it's not going to happen soon. "Paper may be the single most versatile invention in history," he says, "its use extending from the artistic to the bureaucratic to the hygienic." The average American uses a quarter of a ton every year. We simply can't live without it. Printed books are selling surprisingly well (2 billion printed this year), and magazine subscriptions, after declining precipitously, have stabilized. A lot of people still like the feel of hard copy, even while they flirt with digital products. What's going on? "Our eyes tell us that the words and pictures on a screen are pretty much identical to the words and pictures on a piece of paper," says Carr. "But our eyes lie. What we're learning now is that reading is a bodily activity. We take in information the way we experience the world – as much with our sense of touch as with our sense of sight. Some scientists believe that our brain actually interprets written letters and words as physical objects – a reflection of the fact that our minds evolved to perceive things, not symbols… The physical presence of the printed pages, and the ability to flip back and forth through them, turns out to be important to the mind's ability to navigate written works, particularly lengthy and complicated ones. We quickly develop a mental map of the contents of a printed text, as if its argument or story were a voyage unfolding through space." This physical, tactile aspect of reading printed material must be why studies show that people who read it have a more immersive experience and better comprehension than those who read electronic material. But what about all the advantages of digital publications? Convenience. Animations. Audio and video. Interactive features. Access to world news. Constant updates. Links to related material. Searchability. All very seductive – and yet print endures. "They seem to be different things," concludes Carr, "suited to different kinds of reading and providing different sorts of aesthetic and intellectual experiences. Some readers may continue to prefer print, others may develop a particular taste for the digital, and still others may happily switch back and forth between the two." "No, Paper Isn't Dead" by Nicholas Carr in The Week, October 18, 2013 (p. 40-41), excerpted from Nautilus at www.nautil.us |
Jennifer Grout Sings Umm Kulthum Hits on 'Arabs Got Talent'
By Lindsay Crouse | nytimes.com, December 3, 2013
Source: http://nyti.ms/1dTz3aX The Arab world has an unlikely new star: an American who sings — but barely speaks — Arabic. Not only that, her genre is traditional Arab music. Plucking her oud, an Arabic version of the lute, and singing with the undulating emotion of Umm Kulthum, the Arab world's legendary diva, the 23-year-old Jennifer Grout has become a sensation across the Middle East as a contestant on the reality show "Arabs Got Talent." She will appear in the finals in Beirut, Lebanon, on Saturday, competing for viewer votes against an array of Arab performers, many of whom would be at home on a Western stage: comedians, hip-hop dancers and jugglers. The only performer of classical Arab music will be an American of European stock. Ms. Grout's success has inspired intense discussion in the Arab world. Since her first appearance on the show, in June, she has earned fans, skeptics and critics; the invisible chorus of social media has been busy. Her abilities are undeniable. "You don't speak a word of Arabic, yet you sing better than some Arab singers," said Najwa Karam, a popular Lebanese singer who was part of the panel that judged Ms. Grout's performance. "We have for so long imitated the West, and this is the first time that a person who has no link whatsoever to the Arab world, an American girl who does not speak Arabic, sings Arabic songs." Ms. Karam later faced a barrage of criticism for supporting an American as a finalist for the show, which ordinarily includes only Arabs. "So many times I've heard the comment 'It's "Arabs Got Talent" — go back to America,' " Ms. Grout said in a recent phone interview from Marrakesh, Morocco, where she lives. "It's like I'm starting an invasion, when really I just love singing Arabic music and desperately wanted a chance to perform it for an audience that would appreciate it." Her flair in doing so has also incited a wave of incredulity about her ethnicity: Ms. Grout, who is from Cambridge, Mass., describes her background as English, Scottish and Native American. The audience's confusion might be understandable. In the performance that sent her to the finals, she wore a flowing blue gown and was accompanied by background dancers, a laser light show and machines expelling wind and smoke. It took courage for such a newcomer to venture into hallowed territory. In her first audition, a judge, speaking in Arabic, asked her name, but Ms. Grout indicated that she couldn't understand the question. So the audience was stunned when she coaxed characteristically syncopated sounds from her oud as she sang along in Arabic. The bewilderment deepened because Ms. Grout speaks English with an oddly unplaceable accent. "I always loved the fact that I had my own accent, and nobody ever could pinpoint where I was from," she said. "But now it's frustrating because people are using it to try to take away my credibility as an artist. " Some Arab musicians dismiss the fuss altogether, framing Ms. Grout's accomplishments in classical Arab music as a sign of a more thorough and reciprocal globalization. "The assumption seems to be that there is nothing special about the global South imitating Western culture, since that is just the way of the world," said Mariam Bazeed, an Egyptian writer and vocalist in New York. "But when a Westerner deigns to imitate 'ethnic' cultures, then it's suddenly this great act, worthy of documenting." Ms. Grout, the daughter of a pianist and a violinist, began studying music at 5. She picked up classical Arab music in 2010 as an undergraduate music major at McGill University in Montreal when she discovered an article on the web about the Lebanese singer Fairouz. "I listened to her voice online and fell in love with it," she said. "I started to listen to other Arab musicians, and then I had an oud made for me in Syria." Soon she was performing at a Syrian restaurant in Montreal. Classical Arab music competes with the ascendance of Western-style pop among younger generations of Arabs. "She is focusing on a repertoire that is becoming lost among the youth of the Arab world," said Amir ElSaffar, an Iraqi-American musician and a curator at Alwan for the Arts, a Middle Eastern cultural center in Lower Manhattan. "Umm Kulthum, Fairouz, Asmahan and others, while they are familiar since they are still ubiquitous in taxicabs, local shops and television programs, generally do not resonate with the young generation in the same way some rappers or modern pop singers do, who are talking about issues like love and politics in a way that is more pertinent to our times." The nuances of Arab music can be difficult for foreign ears to perceive. "Western classical music is based on the art of harmony, and the melody is restricted," said Simon Shaheen, a Palestinian oud virtuoso and professor at Berklee School of Music in Boston. "Whereas, in Arabic music, the system is based on rich melody that depends on microtonality, or the sounds that fall between the white and black on the piano." Mr. Shaheen worked with Ms. Grout at an Arabic music retreat in 2011. "She can reproduce the microtones that are so important to Arab music," he said. "The other critical element of Arab music involves ornamentation, to enrich the sound. She does this, and she reproduces the Arabic words, including the vowels, very nicely." Ms. Grout's involvement with Arab culture continued after college last year, when she traveled to Marrakesh. She recruited the musicians who occupy that city's famous Jemaa el Fna square to instruct her in Berber music, which is indigenous to Morocco and entirely distinct from Arabic music. After two weeks there, she moved on to Paris, where she worked as a subway busker for three months. "I would step onto the train and hold out my hat and start singing Arabic music," she said. "Some days I made decent money, other days hardly anything. But, eventually, I figured out which train lines had the most Arabs on them. Once a man on the train shouted at everyone to be quiet so that he could listen to me." Ms. Grout moved back to Marrakesh, where she's been performing Berber music and learning both the Berber language and Moroccan Arabic. Ms. Grout is measured about her success on the television show. "Arabic music is a love that will stay with me for the rest of my life," she said. "But it doesn't end with a talent show. It's a challenge that takes a whole life to master." |
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