Writer: Najla Ismail
Exploring the needs of Muslim students on a theoretical level continues with ink on paper. It is the practical application and teacher implementation of Islamic pedagogy within the classroom that remains to be most effective and immediate. Muslim teachers are at the core of delivering quality education to Muslim students. Tailoring programs to their needs that specifically and overtly address their beliefs, values, morals and ethics is an essential ingredient in effective teaching methodology. The effectiveness of such ethical teaching practices encompasses an underlying noble task of nurturing and developing lifelong learning experiences for the Muslim student. Such values that underpin teaching pedagogy are immeasurable by numerical data as they are the values that effectively result in positive social, spiritual, moral and behavioural development and essentially contribute to the well being of society at large.
Teachers are engaged in the most noble task, that of imparting knowledge and nurturing the future generation of humanity.
Education is a profoundly ethical activity, concerned centrally with enabling individuals to pursue worthwhile lives. Effective educators use pedagogic means that are appreciative and beneficent. [1] Teachers develop their teaching pedagogy before they even step into the classroom. Pedagogy has been defined as the art, practice or profession of teaching or a systemised instruction of principles that promote student learning. (Bransford, Browsn and Cocking, 2000) The word pedagogy comes from the ancient Greek paidagogeo which literally means to lead the child.
For the Muslim teacher this teaching pedagogy is not simply a set of systematic approaches to teaching with the aim to achieve the highest immediate and tangible results. The ideal pedagogical approach would consider means beyond those that are tangible, physical and immediate. Pedagogy should not be merely a question of practice or a set of instructions; but it should consider the deeper realms of existence for Muslims, that balances the gains of the life of this world and the eternal abode of the Hereafter. Addressing the purpose of existence and the attainment of perfection in character for Muslims takes pedagogy on a level beyond the scope of its definition. It is pedagogy that nurtures the social, spiritual, ethical and moral character whilst cultivating a sense of purpose and reward beyond the material gains of this earthly life.
So even before stepping into the classroom and addressing several characters of the future Muslim community, a teacher must deeply consider their practices and method by asking:
How will I:
- Develop my students purpose of life?
- Contribute positively to and in the community?
- Create a pathway for life-long learning experiences and
- Cultivate a spiritual awareness and attainments of rewards for the Hereafter?
Teachers are engaged in the most noble task, that of imparting knowledge and nurturing the future generation of humanity. Whether deliberate or not teachers impart this knowledge with a set of values for life that impact on student conception of their world and how to live in it. For Muslim teachers this carries with it a deep sense of responsibility and subsequently accountability for the kind of education that they impart to their students under their care. As Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) made clear in an authentic hadith:
It was narrated that Abd-Allah ibn Umar heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say, ‘Each of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock.’
(Narrated by al-Bukhari, 853; Muslim, 1829)
The teacher is a shepherd and is responsible for their flock, that is, the students under their care.
This responsibility comes with vast opportunities to gain rewards and attain a sense of fulfilment and contribution. As knowledge does not exist in separate areas of studies but must be explicitly connected to produce effective lifelong learning experiences. For Muslim students this correlation is imperative, and at the core of all subject areas lies the fundamental belief in and awareness of The Creator, Allah (s.w.t).
Islamic pedagogy ‘nurtures the social, spiritual, ethical and moral character’
This methodology is demonstrated in the seerah (life, sayings, and actions) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). A Prophets teachings that brought human civilisation to its pinnacle and articulated knowledge that is beneficial for the whole of mankind for all times. At the first instance of revelation, the Prophet Muhammad, the illiterate and unlettered Prophet was instructed to read in which his natural response to Arch Angel Jibreel (a.s) was, I do not know how to read. This continued three times before Jibreel (a.s) recited to him the glorious words of Allah (s.w.t):
Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists),
Has created man from a clot,
Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous,
Who has taught (the writing) by the pen,
He has taught man which he knew not. (96:1-5)
The first verses revealed are a constant reminder in our everyday teaching practice that all knowledge is from Allah (s.w.t) and all knowledge leads back to Allah (s.w.t). Thus all fields of study and curriculum areas create a deeper awareness of the Creator, Allah, when taught with the over laying Islamic pedagogy. This is the fundamental core of any effective teaching pedagogy to ensure a quality Muslim student education.
A highly effective teaching pedagogy will create pathways for the attainment of perfection in the social, spiritual and moral character of students and not merely in measurable academic performances alone. This pedagogy needs to find a balance between the academic and spiritual education to allow students to reach their full learning potential.
Endnotes:
- [1]Halpin, Hope and Education: The Role of the Utopian Imagination, Routledge-Falmer, 2003.
- John D. Bransford, Ann L. Brown, Rodney R. Cocking, editors, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C, 1999