Chapter 3
Evidence-based Teaching Methods and Teacher Certification Opportunities
Through professional development programs (for both new and current teachers) and recognizing excellence in Arabic teaching, QFI supported the lifecycle of Arabic teachers in 2023.
- The new Bursary Program for PGCE-Seeking Arabic Teachers had its first four candidates in 2023, all of whom will be certified teachers of Arabic in the UK upon completion of their program.
- In 2023, QFI supported or administered 182 professional development opportunities for Arabic educators reaching over 4,930 educators.
- QFI worked to further develop the network of Arabic Teacher Councils in the US, UK and Germany engaging and connecting with over 2,800 Arabic teachers.
Bursary Program for PGCE-Seeking Arabic Teachers in the UK
Supporting the next generation of educators
School leaders need a solid pipeline for developing and certifying Arabic teachers to support the full mainstreaming of Arabic in the school timetable. To this end, QFI began working with certification providers in the UK to support incoming Arabic teachers completing their Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).
Our teacher council network also supports PGCE candidates in finding placements to teach Arabic and assists with resource-sharing across the network and mentoring of new teachers entering the education field.
Arabic for Teachers Initiative in Germany
Equipping teachers with no prior knowledge
QFI continued to support an initiative called “Arabic for Teachers,” a 10-week online introductory Arabic course tailored for educators in Germany who have little to no prior knowledge of Arabic.
Developed in partnership with the State Language Institute at the Ruhr University Bochum (LSI) and the German-Arab Friendship Association (DAFG), this course equipped teachers with basic Arabic skills, enabling them to act as cultural liaisons and assist native Arabic-speaking students in overcoming language barriers while learning German.
The successful implementation of the course led to the introduction of Arabic as a world language in a school in Berlin.
“This approach enables me to step outside my role as a language instructor and have a sincere dialogue with my students—something that motivates them.”
Participant, Arabic for Teachers Course
Dual-Language Immersion Programs in the US
Revisiting best practices
Educators and administrators gathered for QFI’s DLI Summer Institute 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland to revisit best practices for dual-language immersion instruction before the start of the new academic year. The DLI summer institute provided professional development to teachers from four of the five public school Arabic DLI programs in the US: PS/IS 30 in Brooklyn, New York; Elizabeth Learning Center in Cudahy, California; Arabic Immersion Magnet School in Houston, Texas; and Baltimore International Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. The fifth public school Arabic DLI program, PS 102 in New York City, started in September 2023 and will be included in future professional development institutes.
QFI Summer Institute at Concordia Language Villages
Supporting continuing education
QFI’s 2023 Arabic Summer Institute was hosted at the Arabic Village at Concordia Language Villages, which is also a QFI-supported student summer program. This professional development opportunity for Arabic teachers focused on providing opportunities for student observation and hands-on opportunities for teaching practice, observation and feedback, and real-world application of the training material. In addition, teachers received certified continuing education credits to keep their teacher certification active. Each teacher was part of a smaller group cohort working on individual action plans that could be customized for their school.
“We dove into accessing all students’ levels and working with them individually to power up their proficiency in ways that bring joy, purpose, and connection to the language classroom. I’m truly, truly feeling relaxed, recharged, and re-inspired!”
Caroline Sibley,
Teaching Assistant Professor of Arabic at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Arabic Teacher Excellence Award 2023
Recognizing excellence
Because excellence deserves recognition, we initiated the celebration of three outstanding individuals who consistently served as role models in Arabic language teaching practices, spearheaded groundbreaking activities, and fostered connections within the network of students, teachers, and experts through the QFI Arabic Teacher Excellence Award. This annual recognition honors Arabic language educators at state-funded primary and secondary schools for their dedication, commitment, innovativeness, and quality. In addition to the award, recipients are also given leadership opportunities outside the classroom through speaking engagements and presentations at reputable seminars and conferences.
Arabic Teacher Councils
Fostering connections for leadership
In 2023, the network of Arabic Teacher Councils continued to expand to include two new teacher councils supporting educators in the UK.
QFI fostered connections with the leadership of the teacher councils to discuss increasing capacity, finding solutions to common challenges across our different contexts, and developing new leaders positioned to represent the Arabic language landscape in their geographic regions.
