ARAB 6700 - Methods of Teaching and Learning Arabic

Credit Hours: 3

This course introduces students to the theory and practice of foreign/second language instruction. It focuses on methods of teaching Arabic as a foreign language and starts by introducing students to models and theories of second language acquisition (SLA), including understanding what language and research are, what learning is, and for classroom contexts, what teaching is. The course will also focus on SLA research, including Arabic SLA studies, and the implications of major research findings for Arabic language teaching. In addition, the course will zero in on best practices in Arabic instruction, including the teaching of the four language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). Finally, it will focus on a number of important questions that face the teacher of Arabic as a foreign language, such as teaching grammar and vocabulary, course design, writing lesson plans, material development, technology use, assessment, and teaching MSA and dialect.