PMTELAAR - MA Teaching Languages (Arabic)

The MA in Teaching Languages (Arabic) offers the chance to study in an exciting multicultural environment alongside Arabic teachers and other language professionals. The course enhances students’ disciplinary knowledge and understanding, introduces them to new ways of thinking about Arabic language, language pedagogy and practice and opens them up to career opportunities that they may not have previously considered. In so doing, it provides a boost to students, whether in the early stages or in the middle of their career.
The course explores the cultural, educational, political, linguistic and other contexts in which the Arabic language is learned, taught and used. It enables students to become both more reflexive and Reflective in teaching Arabic and encourages them to think of themselves as Arabic language professionals with a strong contribution to make in the field.
The course structure allows students to develop their professional and academic interests through wide reading, guided discussion and supported research, encouraging them to develop the abilities they will need to become highly skilled and globally employable Arabic language teachers, policy makers, educators and researchers. The course allows students to deepen their understanding of the fundamental disciplinary areas of the Arabic language, culture, pedagogy, and linguistics while also involving a closer focus on more specific theoretical and/or practical themes. These include key areas such as Arabic language awareness, Arab cultures, concepts and issues in language learning, language assessment and testing, materials design for teaching Arabic, etc. Students also undertake a supervised research study leading to a dissertation and in preparation for this take a module in research methods.
As a postgraduate degree in an MFL subject area, we strongly believe in inclusion, diversity, and equality. That is why, if applicants meet the programme's entry requirements, we will offer them the MA Arabic Programme irrespective of their age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, nationality, and marital status. Our cohorts of students are from diverse ethnic, social, educational, and cultural backgrounds and we pride ourselves on having students with such a diversity and variety on our MA Arabic Programme. This arguably enriches our programme and modules in that our students bring with them a vast variety of experience and knowledge which reinforces and consolidates our academic, pedagogic, linguistic, and cultural discussions in the classroom.
The course places interculturality and social justice at its core and draws on recent developments in the field to reflect upon current policy and practices in the teaching of Arabic in a variety of contexts. Our focus on interculturality encourages students to question traditional constructs that contribute to inequalities and discrimination in the field and invites students to adopt a more inclusive approach that values the multiculturality of the Arabic language.
Teaching strategy

The normal pattern of teaching on the course is through a combination of lectures, seminars, and one to one tutorial. Lectures on the MA tend to be fairly interactive and we encourage students to raise questions or make comments if they wish. The seminars provide the opportunity for deeper discussion of the issues and themes which arise during the lecture and from the associated reading. Seminars involve a variety of activities such as presentation and discussion of assigned readings, analytical tasks or small-scale group research projects. Tutorials are generally held to provide feedback, support learning, monitor students’ progress on the course or to meet individual student’s needs. There are also on-line resources available through the Internet. The course has a general Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and each module has its own specific Weblearn resource to accompany the face-to-face teaching. This means that students can access readings, lecture slides and other materials and participate in on-line discussions. In addition to a number of books and journals in print, the university library has a large number of e-books, e-journals, academic and educational databases relevant to the MA.
Employability focus (including attribute development)

MA Arabic prepares and trains students to become Arabic language professionals and teachers, so they can teach and work in various institutions including universities, colleges and secondary schools. The course also provides each student to teach two hours on the OLP Arabic Beginners level modules.

The MA in Teaching Languages (Arabic) aims to:

1. provide an appropriate context for professional, academic and personal development in the field of Teaching Arabic which builds upon the concept of reflective teaching and a critical approach to theory and practice
2. offer a programme of study that is academically challenging and professionally rigorous in that it stretches the participants’ critical thinking and encourages them to develop their knowledge and skills in evaluation, analysis and research at Master’s level
3. provide an opportunity for the participants to develop an in-depth insight into a wider range of disciplinary perspectives on theory, practice and policy and to extend their knowledge and understanding of the themes in Arabic language teaching

4. help the participants to become independent professionals who can critically evaluate and analyse concepts and issues related to their professional practices and can solve practice-related problems
5. develop the participants’ knowledge, skills and experiences that can help them accept leadership responsibilities in their future jobs
6. enable participants to apply theoretical knowledge to practice-oriented tasks, by becoming independent researchers

The following learning outcomes incorporate and depend on a systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of the academic discipline, field of study or area of professional practice.

On completion of this course, students will be able to: demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity and will act as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible professionals in their discipline (ULO).

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

• apply methods and techniques appropriate to their own research or advanced scholarship in Teaching Languages (Arabic) (LO1)
• apply knowledge with originality, based on a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in Teaching Languages (Arabic) (LO2
• evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in Teaching Languages (Arabic) (LO3)

• evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, to propose new hypotheses (L04)
• deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively in Linguistics, culture, language learning and teaching make sound judgments in the absence of complete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences (L05)
• exercise self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems in language and teaching, materials preparation, and language testing act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level (L06)
• advance their knowledge and understanding of the Arab world. (L07)
• learn independently for the purposes of continuing professional development. (L08)

A wide range of different assessment strategies are used on the course. Examples include oral presentations, poster presentations, materials and test development, case studies, coursework as well as academic essays. A final dissertation of around 12000 -15000 words is the single assessment on the guided independent research study. A combination of summative and formative strategies are also in place.
During the course as well as at the end of each semester and each module formative and Summative the feedback is provided to the students both in writing and verbally. the feedback will be both descriptive and evaluative. Furthermore, feedforward will be provided to the students so they can improve their future assessments and academic performant.

Assessment strategy

A wide range of different assessment strategies are used on the course. Examples include oral presentations, poster presentations, materials and test development, case studies, coursework as well as academic essays. A final dissertation of around 12000 - 15000 words is the single assessment on the guided independent research study. A combination of summative and formative strategies is also in place.
Arrangements for formative and summative feedback:
Students receive formative feedback throughout the module from both their peers and from the module tutors for each module they undertake. Each activity provides the necessary knowledge and skills base that will ultimately be required to successfully complete the formal assessment task for which students will summative feedback Received.

Further information:

The LN7P08 Teaching Languages Dissertation module is a 60-credit module assessed via a 12,000-15,000 word dissertation. Although the tariff differs slightly from School recommendations, there is a clear rationale for this decision.

The proposed word count allows students to explore their topics of investigation in depth and produce academic work of a high standard. A number of our graduates continue developing
their dissertation projects at doctoral level and use their dissertation work as evidence of their academic and research skills. The tariff is also in line with common practice in the fields of applied linguistics and Arabic language teaching in UKHE

There is no organised work experience/placement on the course. However, on one of the modules (LN7012): Understanding the Language Classroom), school observations are arranged for the students. Through these observations, the students will have a valuable opportunity to develop critical knowledge about Arabic language teaching and learning processes and practices and gain a deeper understanding of Arabic language teaching and learning in educational contexts. The course also provides each student to teach two hours on the OLP Arabic Beginners level modules.

For Autumn starters, they should take Issues in Language Learning (LN7075), Arabic Linguistics and Cultures (LN7010), and Arab World Studies (LN7011) in their first semester. In their second semester, they should take 1 or 2 modules from the Spring semester.
For Spring starters, they should take Materials Design for Teaching Arabic (LN7012), Language Testing and Assessment (LN7076) and Research Methods (LN7077) in their first semester. In their second semester, they should take 1 or 2 modules from the Autumn semester.

1. For PG Certificate: Any 60 credits (except for the Dissertation) from table 22

2. For PG Diploma: Any 120 credits (except for the Dissertation) credits from table 22

3. For MA: 180 credits from table 22

Autonomous learning and independent and critical thinking and development are central to the focus of the course and therefore encouraged from the beginning of the course. Personal development takes place through one-to-one tutorials and feedback sessions.

Connecting students with
1. potential employers
2. London Met alumni
3. Professional organisations and networks

Some of the students are international teachers, many of them go back to their home countries to be promoted in their jobs, e.g. teaching at colleges and universities and/or accepting managerial roles. Some continue to a PhD at London Metropolitan University or at other universities both in the UK and elsewhere in the world. Some of those who would like to develop their careers in the UK are promoted to become Arabic language lecturers and teachers.

The content of the course provides excellent preparation for the above purposes, although this is not a teaching qualification
MA Arabic prepares and trains students to become Arabic language professionals and teachers, so they can teach and work in various institutions including universities, colleges and secondary schools. The course also provides each student to teach two hours on the OLP Arabic Beginners level modules.

The MA offers opportunities for career advancement both in the UK and abroad. Most graduates find employment after completion of the MA, some returning to more senior positions in their previous employment, while others move into new areas such as school management or language advisory work. Some of our students continue with us to study at doctoral level.

You will be required to have:

• a good bachelor's degree in Arabic
• if you do not have a bachelor's degree in Arabic, you will need to take a stage four Arabic test

For non-native speakers of English, you'll need a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 (or equivalent) with a minimum score of 6 in all components.