Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar Foundation International (QFI) recently supported a group of students from the UK to take an immersive Arabic language and culture trip to Qatar, designed to unlock new experiences, connect people from different backgrounds and cultures, and promote the Arabic language.
The students aged nine to10 years from Horton Park Primary School in the UK were in Qatar for a week. During this trip, they joined in classes at Qatar Foundation (QF) Pre-University Education schools, visited Souq Waqif, the National Museum of Qatar and Qatar National Library, tried traditional food and learned about the local environment.
Mohammed Saleh, an Arabic language teacher at Horton Park Primary School, explained the importance of learning a language through its culture.
He said, “Through the ‘Connecting Classrooms’ programme supported by QFI, students work together on joint projects, such as identity, which strengthens relations between them and helps our non-native speakers learn the Arabic language. This is done through studying the local culture.
“In Britain, we teach classical Arabic to students, but we also care about teaching our students local dialects as this helps them learn more about the language.”
According to Saleh, members of the Arabic Teacher Council (ATC) in Britain, a network of teachers that organises activities, professional development events, workshops and webinars to professionalise the teaching of the Arabic language, meet periodically to develop plans to benefit schools wishing to teach the Arabic language.
The ATCs are also supported by QFI, a US-based member of QF that works to advance the teaching and learning of Arabic in Europe and the Americas.
“We are committed to making the Arabic language a viable choice in language classrooms,” said Latrecia Wilson, executive director of QFI. “This means providing teachers, researchers, administrators and the whole Arabic language ecosystem with access to the networks and support they need, and helping students to access the lifechanging opportunities that learning Arabic affords.”
Duncan Jacques, CEO of Exceed Academies Trust in the United Kingdom – the organisation that Horton Park Primary School falls under – considered the visit a milestone for students and teachers alike.
“This visit opened our eyes to Arab culture in general, and to culture in Qatar in particular and we will return to Britain more open to this culture. We look forward to organising more such trips in the future,” he said.“The importance of the Arabic language is increasing daily in the world, and it is also an important language for many of our students who will be able, through learning it, to communicate more effectively with the people of Arab countries.”
Phillip George, a student at Horton Park Primary School, said: “This visit was very useful to me and my fellow students, as it reinforced what we learn in the classrooms about the Arabic language, through its practice with our fellow students in Qatar-based schools.”
Adriana Vorokhta, another student at Horton Park Primary School, said: “I really enjoyed my stay in Qatar, where I had the opportunity to get to know my peers, students at Qatar Academy Doha and Gulf English School, and participate in cultural activities that helped me and my colleagues learn the Arabic language.
