Ready,Set, Good Start.........

1.

• I would like to deliver a weekly conversational/writing Arabic language course. However, due to time constraints, I will be focusing on one introductory session that will outline the whole course. Within that session, I will discuss the course schedule and rubric used to gauge learner interaction and engagement. I plan to deliver the essential components to learning any language: i.e. alphabet, sound differences, pronunciation of words, cultural influences, and writing. 
• My delivery will be through course orientation files that contain online resources like YouTube with weekly “Learn Arabic with Maha” videos, documentaries, quizzes, and instructional worksheets.  
• My audience is any college student interested in Middle Eastern culture.  It may include those of Middle Eastern descent who need to brush up on their Arabic or those who have never been exposed to the language before.  However, the session will be given to a fictitious audience due to time constraints and no focus group. Nonetheless, these learners should be aware of basic Arabic sounds, should be hard-working, and should be ready to partake and submerge themselves in not just Middle Eastern language, but the culture as well.
• I plan to deliver the lesson towards the end of the quarter (March 2013). My delivery duration will be straightforward and to the point (1 hour max.—including comments and questions). I will include an overview of the language sessions and what the scope and sequence will look like. I will also navigate the appropriate learning management system that the university has adopted. The students will know exactly where everything is located (ie. syllabus, help desk information for technology problems) and will be better eqipped to ask any questions regarding the structure and technology used in the course.

2a. Good Start Approach: Below I have provided useful links (Resource list).

http://www.arabic-keyboard.org/	Arabic keyboarding program
http://www.arabick12.org/documents/Arabick12.org%20Glossary.pdf	Glossary/translator
http://www.nclrc.org/sailing/stratlists/arabic.html	Linguistics and the use of context words
http://nclrc.org/webcasts/arabic/, http://www.arabicpod.net/ http://www.youtube.com/user/LearnArabicwithMaha http://www.lessonplanet.com/worksheets/arabic http://nclrc.org/newsletter.html	Podcasts Webcasts with Maha Daily worksheets Arabic Newsletter

Text and Item Review Checklist (Clark, 2008, p.20)

Criteria                                                                                                                                  

Text-specific  

• The text is authentic
• The text/task fits the life experience of the target audience
• The level of text/task is appropriate
• The audio quality is acceptable (listening)                                                             
• Item-specific
• The question focuses on important and not trivial content
• There is only one correct answer
• All distractors are plausible
• The question is independent of others
• The question matches the level of passage
• The item can be answered without specialized background knowledge
• The item is free from bias
• The task is open ended (writing/speaking)
• Technology Checklist http://www.nflrc.hawaii.edu/NetWorks/NW31/NW31t.pdf

2b. Ways to Enhance Learner Interaction in the Course: Utilizing Tools and Methodologies (Taken from a Previous Session--Coulson, 2011)

Objective: To learn beginning grammar structure, text cohesion, and use of pragmatic words in the Arabic language

Week 1	Lecture Podcast Lecture—“Learn Arabic with Maha” (See Resource List for link) (Slides/Transcripts) Practice quiz on Moodle-effective course management system for weekly assessment of material Quiz Worksheets- http://www.lessonplanet.com/worksheets/arabic
Week 2	Lecture Podcast Lecture—“Learn Arabic with Maha” (See Resource List for link) (Slides/Transcripts) EduTagger-sharing scholarly articles with other students—The Middle East Journal; International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies Quiz Worksheets- http://www.lessonplanet.com/worksheets/arabic
Week 3	Lecture Podcast Lecture—“Learn Arabic with Maha” (See Resource List for link) (Slides/Transcripts) Watch Middle Eastern Documentary—Culture, Food, Attire, Beliefs, etc. Quiz Worksheets- http://www.lessonplanet.com/worksheets/arabic
Week 4	Lecture Podcast Lecture—“Learn Arabic with Maha” (See Resource List for link) (Slides/Transcripts) Community of Inquiry—discussion board review; use of human performance technologies Quiz Worksheets- http://www.lessonplanet.com/worksheets/arabic
Week 5	Midterm (Online)—Use of Arabic Keyboard! Be prepared
Week 6	Lecture Podcast Lecture—“Learn Arabic with Maha” (See Resource List for link) (Slides/Transcripts) Quiz Worksheets- http://www.lessonplanet.com/worksheets/arabic
Week 7	Lecture Podcast Lecture—“Learn Arabic with Maha” (See Resource List for link) (Slides/Transcripts) Quiz Worksheets- http://www.lessonplanet.com/worksheets/arabic
Week 8	Lecture Podcast Lecture—“Learn Arabic with Maha”  (See Resource List for link) (Slides/Transcripts) Quiz Worksheets- http://www.lessonplanet.com/worksheets/arabic
Week 9	Lecture Podcast Lecture—“Learn Arabic with Maha” (See Resource List for link) (Slides/Transcripts) Quiz Worksheets- http://www.lessonplanet.com/worksheets/arabic
Week 10	Final (Online)—Use of Arabic Keyboard! SurveyMonkey-gathering of comprehensive feedback from students and faculty Feedback: Newsroom, online conventions, newsletters: http://nclrc.org/newsletter.html

Learning Assessment Rubric

 Language Proficiency Measured by CAP (based on Bachman & Palmer (1996)) (Clark, 2008, p.13)

Arabic Course: Engagement, Structure, and Development		Beginning	Transitioning	Expanding	Refining
Grammar	Vocabulary Syntax	Knowledge of limited number of common words and cognates Little productive ability, but may be able to recognize memorized chunks	Knowledge of some general purpose vocabulary Familiarity with basic syntactic structures, but not complete accuracy; may be confused with complex structures	Knowledge of most general purpose vocabulary and common cultural references Familiarity with basic syntactic structures and common complex constructions	Knowledge of general purpose vocabulary and some specialized vocabulary Generally able to understand all but the most complex or rare syntactic structures
Text	Cohesion Rhetorical Organization	Little or no cohesion Loose or no structure	Some knowledge of cohesion, but may be confused by relationships Loose or clear structure	Ability to recognize and express most common relationships (temporal, sequential) cause and effect Able to recognize clear, underlying structure	Able to understand a wide range of cohesive devices Able to recognize structure or argument
Pragmatic	Functional Sociolinguistic	Ability to recognize basic manipulative functions Combination of natural and contrived language	Ability to understand basic manipulative and descriptive functions Combination of natural and contrived language	Heuristic (language for learning) Mainly natural language	Imaginative (language use to create imaginary worlds poetry) Able to recognize register differences in figures or speech etc.

The course schedule and rubric may seem rigorous, however, I hold high expectations for each of my students. Their scores on weekly quizzes, discussion boards, and assignments will help me to identify any problem areas that could be improved. The goal for the course is to get everyone to the beginning/transitioning level.  In addition, according to Technology in foreign language, as an instructor, other ways to know that I am keeping my student’s best interests at heart would be to ensure each component:

• Is appropriate for the lesson
• Is age-appropriate
• Builds students’ World Language learning
• Provides authentic aspects of culture
• Demonstrates authentic cultural documents
• Motivates students
• Is consistent with national World Language Standards
• Offers a better format of instruction
• Gives students opportunities to interact with each other and the program.
• Gives the teacher a chance to observe students’ reactions and performance.
• Appeals to different students’ learning styles and intelligences.
• Is user-friendly for the teacher and the students.

Resources

Clark, M. (2008). Arabic computerized assessment of proficiency (CAP). Center for Applied

            Second Language Studies. Retrieved from http://casls.uoregon.edu/cap/TechReport/

            Arabic.pdf

Coulson, Tony. “Information Systems Security Professionals.” CSUSB, 2011. Web.

Technology in foreign language: School computing. Wiki Pages. Retrieved from

            http://schoolcomputing.wikia.com/wiki/Technology_in_Foreign_Language