Arabic

Diwan Institute Arabic Philosophy and Pedagogy

The Diwan Institute offers the following Arabic learning programs:

Arabic Circle

Arabic Circle is a weekly listening and conversation session held in Arabic every Sunday. No specific teaching exercises or lessons are given during Arabic Circle. The point is simply to listen and interact without the more formalized structures found in individual lessons.

Participants actively listen to presenters in Arabic without using English. No one is expected to comprehend 100% of the conversations. However, as in real life, participants are given the opportunity to use context clues and build a greater confidence of interacting in a language where not every word is understood.

Arabic Circle content varies each week between Diwan staff and special guests invited to speak. Typically, presenters speak for anywhere between 30 and 40 minutes. The last 15 or 20 minutes are reserved for questions.

Previous Guest Speakers have included:

Journalists

Fashion Models

Arabic Language teachers

Academics

Humanitarians

Musicians

BBQ Pit Master

Social Media Influencers

Arabic Study Groups

Study groups are the foundational core of the Diwan Institute’s Arabic programs.

Students in the study groups each take private lessons either once or twice a week. Students work on all elements of the Arabic language: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. All lessons include a heavy conversation component. Usually the conversations are tailored to fit each students area of interests. Over time these conversations will ebb and flow and expand to cover more nuanced subject material.

Additionally, private lessons focus on certain concepts. For example,. one week Diwan teachers might work with students to understand masculine and feminine forms of colors. Another example may include specific grammar concepts like demonstrative pronouns and the imperative command form. Like the conversational style, these instructional lessons are geared towards the specific demands of the students. Moreover, the level of grammar instruction varies depending on the needs of the student, and what is required to achieve the agreed upon objectives. Often, students take a proactive role in their private lessons. They make requests and steer there lessons to cover material that will best benefit them.

Diwan staff regularly mail resources to students in the study groups to supplement their learning. As one of the incentives in the study group, all of these materials are provided by the Diwan institute without additional charge. The students’ monthly fees covers these materials.

Additionally, students in the study groups are placed in ad hoc lessons with Diwan Institute partners so that they are immersed in different teaching styles, vocabularies, and varying types of accents.

Accountability

The Diwan study groups are unique compared to the other Arabic programs because there is a level of personal accountability to remain in the groups. Students actively participate in ongoing Arabic education through various WhatsApp message boards. Diwan staff post mini-videos every Monday that students respond to. In addition, the students watch and post material of their own to facilitate ongoing learning outside of their private lessons. This process facilitates a collegial learning style that is aligned with the Diwan Institute Arabic Philosophy and Pedagogy.

The amount of work required outside of the private lessons varies from 20 minutes to two hours a week.

Membership in the study groups includes access to the weekly Arabic Circle sessions hosted by the Diwan Institute every Sunday. Some students participate in more than one study group. To be a member you must actively participate in at least one of the groups.

Current study groups include:

Zack’s Diwan Study Group

Shami All Stars

Diwan Muslim Group

An Islamic Law study group is forthcoming.

Questions about the Diwan Study Groups?

Arabic Private Lessons

Students take private lessons with Diwan Arabic staff. Students learn at their own self pace, without any expectations or accountability standards like in the study groups.

The focus of the private lessons emphasizes speaking and listening skills, with little emphasis placed on reading, writing, or Arabic grammar.

Students pay for three months of private lessons at a time.