Browsing Tag

TAFL

13 posts

TAFL (تعليم اللغة العربية كلغة أجنبية): The practice and methodology of teaching Arabic to non-native speakers, focusing on language acquisition, cultural understanding, and effective communication skills.

Arabic alphabet and ceramics
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Combining Arabic with ceramics – a teacher’s story

Learning Arabic can be tough, especially with its tricky alphabet. Reginald Hefner, an Arabic teacher at York College, found a fun way to motivate his students by combining Arabic learning with ceramics and having them create personalized mugs. A hands-on approach that kept students engaged and excited.
Illustration Human Brain
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What happens in your brain when you learn Arabic?

Learning Arabic requires different brain activity than learning German. What does this mean for adult learners? Can the brain adapt to the new demands? A study from the Max Planck Institute provides answers. In this in-depth interview, Dr. Matthias Schwendemann, who was part of the research team, provides fascinating insights into what happens in our brains when we learn Arabic or German.
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Does the term “foreign language” still fit our times?

Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL); the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL): we need to talk about the "F"-word in these acronyms, writes Dr. Roger Anderson. If Arabic is a "foreign" language, then every time Arab-Americans speak it within their home, they are performing something foreign in every conversation. Hence, the "foreign" has to be abandoned, opines Dr. Anderson in a thought-provoking guest article.
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Is Arabic taught differently in Germany than in the USA?

"Real-life-situations" (USA) versus "lots of grammar" (Germany) - that's what studying Arabic used to be in both countries. But that is changing, says Paula Rötscher, who has studied Arabic at university level in the US and in Germany - and, moreover, teaches Arabic at several institutions.