Abu Dhabi:The Emirates College for Educational Development has introduced the ‘Ethraa’ programme, a comprehensive initiative focused on the professional development of educators specialising in the Arabic language and Islamic education.
This collaborative effort involves partnerships with the Emirates Foundation for School Education, underscoring a commitment to bolstering the skills and expertise of teachers in these critical subjects.
The primary objective of the ‘Ethraa’ programme is to elevate the competencies of educators dedicated to imparting knowledge in the domains of the Arabic language and Islamic education. By fostering a platform for continuous professional development, the initiative aims to enhance the quality of instruction and provide educators with the necessary tools to excel in their roles.
In alignment with the broader goals of advancing educational standards, the move reflects a shared commitment to cultivating a well-rounded and highly skilled teaching workforce.
Professional growth
The programme underscores the importance of investing in the ongoing growth and proficiency of teachers, recognising their pivotal role in shaping the educational landscape.
The Ethraa programme aims to develop Arabic language and Islamic education teachers’ knowledge and skills in educational methods, which enables them to develop their performance and ensures that they pass the professional license exam.
The programme also enhances the skills of Arabic language and Islamic education teachers in using educational technologies and multimedia, to provide an innovative and interactive learning environment, and to develop their abilities to evaluate student achievement and analyse their response.
The programme guides Arabic language teachers on how to improve students’ academic performance, in addition to developing their specialised competencies.
Enhancing teaching methods
The programme also meets the professional development needs of Arabic language and Islamic education teachers through a group of training workshops that focus on specialised competencies in the two subjects, and enhancing pedagogical methods for teaching them.
Dr May Al Taee, Vice Chancellor of the Emirates College for Advanced Education, said: “Our goal is to enhance the skills in Arabic Language and Islamic Education teachers in the UAE, through realistic, constructive and ambitious strategic plans, in conjunction with our strategic partners. We are creating an inspiring educational journey in the Arabic Language and Islamic Studies education as two key foundations of our national identity in the UAE.
“Through the Ethraa programme, we seek to elevate the performance of teachers in these areas by equipping them with modern educational practices backed by cutting-edge research. This will positively impact both their present reality and future in our national education system, undoubtedly uniting our efforts in preparing future educators and shaping the future of education in the UAE.”
Dr Khalifa Mubarak Al Dhaheri, Chancellor of Mohamed bin Zayed University for Humanities, said: “The university’s participation in the Ethraa programme is a part of its efforts to support the professional development of Arabic language and Islamic education teachers.
“The programme aims to provide innovative and interactive educational environment, developing teachers’ ability in assessing students’ achievement and providing constructive feedback and continuous guidance to enhance academic performance and students’ continuous development.
:Moreover, the program develops their specialised skills, including reading comprehension, vocabulary, and writing. This strengthens their skills and helps them obtain a teachers’ license in the UAE.”
Hessa Rasheed, Acting Executive Director of the School Development Sector at ESE, said: “The Establishment pays special attention to enhancing Arabic language and Islamic education teaching methods because of their main role in instilling the Emirati identity and national values in the hearts of students.
“The Establishment’s cooperation with ECAE’s Ethraa programme is a translation of this attention, especially that the programme supports the Establishment’s continuous efforts to develop the skills of educators and keeping them up to date with the latest educational methods, in line with its goal to improve the quality of educational outcomes.”
Learning by doing
The Ethraa programme is founded on the principles of experiential learning and learning-by-doing, which includes key elements for enhancing teachers’ professional knowledge, skills, and practices, while developing learning activities and facilitation techniques.
The training programme has adopted an experimental learning approach, providing space for practical application and acquiring and reinforcing linguistic and educational skills.
The Ethraa programme focuses on the professional development of teachers through two specific tracks.
The first track is the educational track, which supports teachers of Islamic education and includes training workshops distributed over three areas covering professional and ethical behaviour, professional knowledge practice, and professional development, all based on the UAE standards for teaching.
The second track is the specialised track that targets Arabic language teachers and includes training workshops distributed over four areas covering grammar and morphology, Arabic criticism and rhetoric, reading comprehension and vocabulary, and writing, based on the Specialized Arabic Language Teachers’ Test Guide issued by the Teaching Professions Licensing Department in the Ministry of Education 2019.
