The objective of any successful foreign language teaching program is to enable the second language learner to acquire overall competency in a target language. The curriculum should equally integrate the four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing with adequate emphasis on cultural literacy. The curriculum should also be presented in a non-threatening environment, built on a relationship of trust between the students and the instructor. From the time the students enter the class until the time they leave, they should be constantly exposed to a multitude of activities that engage all of their senses. The instructor should create an atmosphere of total immersion in the classroom which prepares the students to survive in the real world. This is what I strive to achieve in my classes. Ultimately, my goal is to lead my students to proficiency, fluency and accuracy. In the advanced levels, I also teach my students how to conduct research and analyze texts in the Arabic language.

My own experience as a student of foreign language, and later, as a teacher, has taught me that teaching is a collaborative process involving both the instructor and the students. Early in my career as a professor of both language and literature, I realized that teaching language is quite different from teaching literature. In language teaching, a creative and varied teaching methodology is essential. In a language class, I need to initiate and sustain an interactive class environment that is both informal yet serious and to captivate the students’ mind and attention by raising the intensity of their interest to the level of excitement at all times. It is evident to me that to be a successful language instructor, I needed to have passion for language teaching and tolerance for slow growth and progress. Although I get immediate feedback on my students’ learning skills through direct class interaction, homework and quizzes; nevertheless, proficiency and fluency are long term objectives that are achieved through hard work and patience. I also learned with experience that a language class is very different from a lecture class. I do not lecture. I engage my students. I interact with them and involve them individually and in groups. I call on them by name. I test their understanding of grammar and vocabulary items, challenge their comprehension, and respond to their questions and concerns. I aim to create a relaxed but extremely dynamic and interactive environment where the students’ participation is maximized and the target language is dominant. My strategy is to constantly remain in close contact with class dynamics.

Since the primary function of language is communication, it is my crucial responsibility to motivate students. I always strive to establish a friendly and professional relationship with my students and to make the target language the main medium of communication in the classroom by supplying as much input as possible and by generating maximum interaction with them. It is part of my job to encourage my students and to build their confidence and self esteem, to be a partner in their learning process, to be a counselor, and to provide a meaningful context for every activity by personalizing the activity so the students can relate to it. I introduce authentic material that conveys a sense of the real world, and I create a penalty-free atmosphere to elicit opinions and continuous feedback. I also see my role as a resource rather than a source, so students in turn can grow to become independent, resourceful learners. My lesson plan is always designed to establish a student-centered environment rather than to be teacher-focused, where the target language dominates the discussion. I realize the important need on my part to be willing to give up “territory” and make students the focus of each activity while simultaneously managing class time effectively and carrying on the lesson objectives. I continuously strive to vary the pace and type of activity, laugh more, and engage students in meaningful exercises. It is my responsibility to remain competent, prepared and organized at all times.

At the beginning of the semester, each student in my class receives a syllabus and a supplementary material package. I explain that the syllabus is an important document. It is in effect my contract with them and I hold us both responsible for the fulfillment of its contents. The syllabus outlines in clear detail the daily activities of every class hour throughout the entire semester. It reflects the contents of each lesson covered in class, the homework assignments for each lesson and their due dates, the dates and number of quizzes required, the midterm date, presentation topics and dates due as well as the relevant movies to be watched. My syllabus also highlights mid-semester conferences when I meet with every student individually to discuss their progress and solicit feedback on my performance as well. My syllabus also provides information on how I can be reached, my office hours, the textbooks required and where they can be found. I state the objectives of the course, its purpose and design, and why it is taught in Modern Standard Arabic and its relationship to dialect. I explain that this is a proficiency-oriented course as opposed to achievement-based and clearly lay out my expectations, while strongly emphasizing my continuous support and constant availability during and outside my regular office hours. My students know that they can always count on me being there for extra help any day of the week. I encourage group work inside and outside of class and include tips on how to study. I also talk about my expectations of my students: active class participation, continuous regular attendance, homework handed in on time, extra work for extra credit and a continuous dialogue with me because feedback is a two-way street and I welcome their evaluation of my course as they do mine of their progress.

Quite often students ask about the objective of the class, how much they will learn and what they will be able to do with the language after one or two semesters. My syllabus clearly answers these important questions and explains the course objectives. I elaborate that if they do what is required and pass the course, they should be able by the end of the semester to achieve a number of objectives which I list as realistic and attainable. Students themselves are sometimes surprised that so much can be realized in such a short time and they come to know that in my class no time is lost, that every minute counts, and that dedication, hard work and encouragement pay off. I also include a section on grading that shows the breakdown of the grading system and the weight of every activity including attendance, participation, presentations, quizzes, midterm and final. My students know that I view homework amd quizzes as a major source of feedback that will positively help in assessing their progress and proficiency level. On a routine basis I collect the daily homework, correct it and return it immediately at the beginning of the next class meeting. Quizzes are also corrected and returned in a timely fashion. Timely feedback is critical when the information is still fresh in their minds and before moving on to a new lesson and presenting new material. One technique I follow while correcting homework and quizzes is to underline the mistake without correcting it right away. I just indicate whether it was a grammatical, structural or spelling mistake and allow students to figure it out on their own first. When handing in the new homework, students are expected to give back the old homework with the mistakes corrected and to come see me about the ones they were unable to correct on their own. This process gives more validity and importance to such mistakes and has proven effective in minimizing similar occurrences and in avoiding their repetition in the future. Figuring out mistakes, especially grammatical ones, is a conscious process that requires applying the rule and making precise judgments as to how a certain rule works. Until they aquire these rules and become able to recall them at will, I encourage my students to invest the time at home in reviewing them and applying the correct concept in order to correct their mistakes.

The supplementary course-pack is designed to complement the book. In preparing it, I tried to address the shortcomings of the textbook. The course-pack provides sufficient grammatical explanations with an abundant amount of examples. It introduces new grammatical features in context and offers numerous drills for practice. I expand the vocabulary list included in the textbook and use new words in meaningful sentences. The course-pack also includes whole passages for reading and listening comprehension and review sections with speaking exercises that build on current as well as previous lessons. My students have come to appreciate and value the course-pack and expect to receive this supplementary package in any of my classes. Students from other Arabic sections have also come to me requesting the course-pack to reinforce their learning of the Arabic language.

It is my commitment to the success of the Arabic Language Program at Columbia and to our students that has given me the incentive to initiate (CASP) Columbia Arabic Summer Program. I wrote the proposal, detailed the justification, and outlined the syllabus for a complete intensive summer program consisting of two six week sessions. As the Director of CASP since its inception, I have taught in every session, interviewed, selected and trained instructors on our methodology and approach, designed the syllabus that includes both academic and cultural activities, and shared my supplementary materials, quizzes and finals with the group of six different instructors who usually constitute our teaching team. This will be our fourth year now and the program has been a great success. In addition to our own students, the number of students who come to us from all over the world and from other parts of the United States has steadily been on the rise. The reputation of CASP is widespread, and within a short period of time, we have been able to compete with many other older and well-established programs in this country and abroad.

In academia, students study Arabic generally to satisfy a language requirement. Others would like to converse more fluently while some are interested in pursuing a more in depth study of Classical and Modern texts. With these ideas in mind, I always prepare my students not only to survive, but also to comfortably function in the country of the target language. I believe that language cannot be taught in a vacuum; consequently, I continuously try to introduce it within its proper cultural context. It is my conviction that whether in the classroom or outside, the teacher should not be unapproachable and distant. I see my role as a warm, sympathetic, bilingual coach who must connect with his students and provide input in a low anxiety atmosphere conducive to learning. This is my goal.

Throughout my thirty years of experience in teaching Arabic to adult non-natives, I have virtually applied every linguistic and communicative approach and, consequently, I have arrived at a style in teaching that blends the basic elements of every approach with my personal method. I can say, though, that I am still growing, adjusting and trying to be a better enabler and coach.

For acquisition to take place, I make a conscious effort to eliminate anxiety and to constantly motivate and encourage students by engaging them in exercises that include materials on topics that relate to real life and that truly interest them and arouse their curiosity. I believe that repetition makes perfect. This is why I try to recycle information and present new vocabulary words in context. I realize the need to tolerate errors in the early stages of language acquisition and afford students the opportunity for self-correction, allowing them to be daring and creative. Consequently, in my opinion, the best materials suitable for classroom speaking exercises for example, will be those that supply comprehensible input, do not force overuse of grammar, and keep the student off the defensive. I strongly believe that teaching is an interactive process. Both the teacher and the learner have to be willing to give and receive and to grow together. I keep reminding my students that the best way to learn something is to teach it. If they can explain it to a colleague, then it means that they understand it well enough. I also say that by helping a friend, they are not jeopardizing their own grade. In fact, they are not competing against each other; rather, they are only competing against themselves. For every teaching hour, I prepare my lesson plan as if I am teaching the class for the first time. Consequently, I let my students know that they also have a responsibility towards the class if they want to make the most of their time. They are expected to come to class prepared, be willing to engage in the activity and have a positive attitude. Each one is asked to be an active participant, show interest and let me know which activities are more enjoyable and more beneficial. They are required to ask questions and share with me their feedback about the class: was it boring, active, productive, interesting etc. This is the only effective way for self- improvement and progress on both of our parts.

My personal and recent experience regarding students’ expectations from an Arabic course in particular and foreign language in general suggest that the student’s initial overwhelming response would be to exercise their ability “to speak,” while we teachers are still insisting on reading, translating and dissecting grammar. I have learned that these two goals need not necessarily be in opposition, and the curriculum could be organized so as to cater to both interests. I believe that the question of dealing primarily with adults, or at least, adolescent learners in a college setting adopting a process of “limited immersion” raises interesting issues related to the prioritization of skills given the limitations of time and student availability for language instruction. I submit that this reality sheds new light on the function of the classroom as the primary setting for language instruction and gives it a more important role. I argue that the classroom, in spite of all its limitations and confinement, remains a sort of substitute for the target country and that the instructor remains the only native speaker available to provide comprehensible input in an environment conducive to lowering anxiety in order to create high motivation and maximum acquisition.

The classroom community and the textbook remain very useful for beginners as well as students in the intermediate class because both provide structure and continuity. Gradually, (as I implement in my third year Media class ), students should begin to use the informal, real environment: newspapers, internet, TV, plays, poetry, short stories, magazines, interaction with native speakers whenever possible, movies, radio, music, songs, videos and realia. These elements should constitute the basic ingredients of a proficiency-oriented syllabus. As much as possible, the classroom should strive to prepare students for real life and for thorough academic research if this is their future orientation.

It is my conviction that proficiency-based instruction especially in the advanced level should not be sequenced according to a pre-set textbook. Its goal from the outset is to prepare students for real life situations and to prompt them through a series of language activities, arranged along a scale, to function in the target country alongside native speakers, educated and otherwise. By its very nature, proficiency requires that a course syllabus remain in a continuous stage of renewal and adaptation. There may not be a standard basic text since any “authentic” setting in its very nature is in a state of constant change and update. Hence, my role, especially in the advanced classes, is to perpetually select and prepare materials based on situations, current events and the evolving level and interest of the class. I ensure that these materials focus on comprehensible messages, promote meaningful interaction, and recycle vocabulary based on its usefulness in performing a particular function. Grammar assumes greater importance the higher the learner advances up the scale. Undoubtedly, no learner of a language can proceed to the level of native or near-native speaker if the usage of the target language remains ungrammatical.

I agree that the move towards the use of authentic material in language instruction reflects the increased interest in recent years in the communicative functions of language. Both authentic and simulated authentic material have their pros and cons and both are useful to implement in the classroom. I stress that authentic language should and must be used whenever possible. As an experienced language instructor, I am constantly aware that using only unedited, non-pedagogical materials could also create some problems since such materials demand careful selection and a suitable place in the sequence of the language program especially at the beginning level. I agree that unmodified authentic discourse is usually random with respect to subject matter, choice of vocabulary, structure and length, making it rather difficult to integrate effectively into an existing curriculum on a frequent basis. Nevertheless, exposing students to such material certainly helps alleviate the fear and panic that our students experience when they hear native speakers in actual conversations or are asked to listen to radio broadcasts, films or dialogues spoken by natives and at a normal, native speed. Students who are not trained to handle such situations typically give up easily and feel frustration and are shaken by this exposure. Therefore, I strive from the beginning to introduce my students to original texts that I have authored and recorded (as in my online, web-based selection: The Story of Sami and Warda, Twenty -Two Original Texts for Listening and Reading Comprehension ) which caters to all three levels of Arabic that we teach here at Columbia. I also expose my students to controlled and guided activities such as short segments of recorded broadcasts: commercials, news headlines, brief announcements and songs, even live interviews with native speakers on familiar or personal topics. This seems best for students at the lower proficiency level, while in intermediate and advanced classes, I introduce more difficult and longer segments on a variety of topics. Of course, today with the tremendous amount of information that can be printed or downloaded from the internet, my job is much easier and my selection process richer, not to mention that another real advantage is also the fact that students themselves can go directly and access any information from the target web sites specifically selected by me. With this in mind, I have created a personal web site (http://www.columbia.edu/~ge103/) for my students to which I have connected a wide variety of links about the Middle East where they can, among other things, read the daily and weekly newspapers and magazines, listen to live news broadcasts and music, search for Arabic Summer Programs abroad, download a dictionary and look for any book of their choice. The possibilities today are unlimited, and if I cannot take my students to the target country, I can certainly try to bring a genuine sample and flavor of the latter to the classroom through mediums that were unavailable to us a decade or so ago.

This is why I see to it that I am constantly engaged in enriching and supplementing the textbook with outside materials to make the students’ exposure to the language richer and more meaningful. As my students progress towards proficiency and build more confidence, I tend to adopt a less rigid structure especially in more advanced levels where I allow my students to partake in designing the features of a more fluid and evolving curriculum based, as is the case in my third year Arabic class, entirely on proficiency and communicative guidelines. To this end, I have developed six packages of communicative material. Four out of these packages are for Elementary and Intermediate I and II to supplement the textbook we use, while the last two are for the third year and are totally based on authentic texts. These materials have been validated in the classroom and are being used by our students during the academic year and throughout our two sessions of the summer program.

I am constantly aware that any activity performed in the classroom should have a precise purpose and be well prepared. I give my students clear instructions as to what they are supposed to be doing and what is expected of them, and I also encourage them to share in my enthusiasm for such an activity. Most activities lend themselves to either individual or group work. Whatever promotes my students’ participation in an atmosphere where they are relaxed and involved and stimulates their interaction is essential to my class. I expect my students’ interaction to be quiet at times and noisy at other times. To an outside observer, it may even appear to be chaotic during some activities. This is permissible as long as real learning is taking place, where my students are comprehending, communicating, and creating language that is meaningful in an atmosphere of trust and confidence that enhances their self image, respect and excitement. During such activities, my role is to guide and coach them and let them enjoy learning that is fun but which has a clear purpose.

It is important that interaction takes place not only between me and them individually, but also among students themselves. From the first week of class, I learn each student’s name and insist that they do the same. Each one of us introduces him / herself to create a community. Throughout the semester we share in two gatherings outside class in order to strengthen our sense of friendship and encourage group work after class. In class, during small group activities, I act only as a facilitator, attending to the needs of the students by going around and listening to them converse, joining in only if invited to do so. While doing this, I take notes of their mistakes and discuss them with the class after the activity has been completed or during the last ten minutes of class time.

It is important to remember that in real life, the majority of language usage occurs between pairs of individuals or in small groups. Consequently, the application of small group interaction contributes to the creation of a more authentic environment and is psychologically and sociolinguistically much more conducive to the communicative use of the target language than is the typical whole-class environment. From personal experience I always find that such activities create a less threatening atmosphere of positive participation and dramatically increase per-student practice time, while affording me the opportunity to help and be more available to answer individual questions. Within small groups, each student becomes the center, the learner and the teacher. It is my responsibility to effectively coach and monitor every group by creating the attitude of “we’re all in this together.” Furthermore, such activities foster a community atmosphere and allow students to learn from their peers as well as to compare their knowledge and match their skills. Routinely after group work, I proceed with a follow-up session to ensure that the work done is both complete and correct. Students should never feel that their group work was a waste of time or less important than an instructor-led activity.

In my class, next to speaking, listening is afforded its due importance. I always tell my students that listening is probably one of the most neglected of the communication skills and that successful communication is a shared process between a good communicator and an “active” listener. I explain that hearing does not necessarily mean listening. I remind them that they sometimes complain of their inability to retain most of what they hear in class. The problem could also be related to their failure to effectively concentrate. I stress that listening is also difficult because they, on the receiver’s end, usually have little or no control over the flow of my speech, its speed and in some cases, the subject matter involved. In a conversation, a question and answer session or an oral interview setting, only the experienced individual will have the ability to manipulate the course of conversation and steer it in a direction suitable to his/her level of proficiency and interest.

In an authentic setting, language is usually used on the discourse and sentence level rather than on the word level, which is why I must train them from the beginning to listen to vocabulary in context and to full sentences and relatively long passages. In other words, I must train them to discriminate among distinctive sounds in the target language and retain (not necessarily memorize) chunks of language of different lengths and ask them to paraphrase in their own words what they have heard. I reinforce the argument that they should be patient and try to guess meanings in context instead of immediately running to a dictionary to look up every single word. For students in my elementary class, required topics include: listening to information passages in areas like everyday social or survival topics, personal or biographical information, giving and receiving directions, living quarters, transportation, money and food matters and making purchases. Recommended topics could also include: basic classroom objects, colors, numbers, months, days of the week, seasons, clothing, telling time, family members, autobiographical narration, situational topics, broadcasts, songs, accepting or refusing invitations, announcements, interviews, current events, and telephonic and live conversations.

In real life, when we listen to something, we are expected to act on the message by writing, speaking or performing an action. Consequently, most of the aforementioned topics form the basis of a speaking activity in the form of a brief discussion among a group of students to ensure that they receive the sequence of information accurately or respond to questions designed to elicit accurate information about the text that they have heard. To this end, I have prepared materials that combine both authentic and pedagogical features, and on a regular basis, I integrate this web-based activity (WBA ) into any teaching hour.

In designing exercises for my students, whether for listening, reading, writing, or speaking, I always try to keep in mind the basic objective of a given activity and write exercises accordingly. My students’ input and reaction to such materials is extremely critical for me. I observe how they react to and interact with each activity and always strive to improve my design and composition of my materials. I learn from their comments as much as they learn from me. No curriculum is perfect and no exercise is complete until it meets the students’ expectations, arouses their interest, takes them a step forward towards real life communication, and teaches them something new. I believe that teaching material should also be daring. Students should be taught to tolerate ambiguity and be willing to guess and take risks. This is why I purposely inject new words in every text in a way that challenges the students but not to the point of frustrating them.

I believe that the level of difficulty in any exercise need not necessarily stem from the complexity of the text itself but rather from the demand and expectation of the questions that follow. This, for example, allows me to use some intermediate level texts in my elementary Arabic class without frustrating my students. I simply change the expectations and make the questions more general thus the challenging factor remains acceptable. This has allowed me to bring to class Arabic newspapers, magazines and articles which the students welcome as authentic documents showing the actual typeset, headlines, pictures, ads, etc.

It is generally agreed that language is an expression of culture. The cultural characteristics of any country are naturally an inherent feature of its vocabulary. Like vocabulary, culture should be introduced in context and in situations that can be described or explained at the students’ current level of linguistic competence. When teaching culture, I always remind my students that I am not necessarily asking them to accept these cultural “capsules” at face value, but simply to understand them and become aware of their implications. They can question their validity as long as they comprehend their usefulness and importance within the society that produced them. This will not only make them better citizens of the world, but it will make their lives easier if and when they visit the target country. Becoming familiar with local customs and traditions will certainly facilitate their stay, make their vacation more enjoyable or their business easier to accomplish.

During my thirty years of experience in the field of foreign language training as an instructor, team leader, supervisor, mentor, team coordinator, course writer, professor and chairperson of a large and diverse Arabic Department, I have acquired basic skills, insights, abilities and knowledge. I have also arrived at certain beliefs and convictions which I try to bring to my classes and students. My goal is to be the best language instructor that I can be and to put my training and experience at the service of my students so they, in turn, can become the best students they can be and can enjoy and learn at the same time. I consistently try to keep abreast of the latest developments in my field by reading professional books and journals, exchanging ideas with other colleagues, and attending conferences. Not only as a professor, but also as a poet, writer and researcher, I continuously publish poems, stories and articles on language and literature in both Arabic and English and strive to improve my knowledge of Arabic and the Arab world, linguistically and culturally.

Everything I do for my students I do with love, dedication and professionalism. I am convinced that every discovery is a self-discovery. For me, every class hour is an adventure, an experience. Learning is a continuous journey. We all learn, sometimes with greater measures of success. As long as we keep growing, we are bound to bloom. It is only when we refuse to accept change, to tolerate diversity, and welcome constructive criticism that we become sterile and wither away.