What Is Islamic Education?Why Should Kids Be Educated On Islam?How Do Children Learn About Their Religion through Direct Method(DM)
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is the lord of all the universe. He chooses Prophets whose all are also his Messengers for delivering his message to all humankind.He sends down 1,24000 messengers with divine scriptures and 4 Prophets with divine books.He creates his system which we know by the name of his Deen (Islam).Islam is the name of entire system,Allah’s order,in literal sense variety of meanings are there like complete Submission to the will of Allah,Enslave to someone and so many other meanings.
Allah subhanahu wa ta’aala wanted to completely delivers his message so he chooses Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) for this heavy duty from Qureish,As Allah Al-Mighty says in his last Holy book (Quran);
This day,I have perfected your Deen for you, completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your Deen.” (Surah Al-Ma'idah, 5:3)
Indubitably! Islamic education is the subject in which we get to know that How to believing on Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala first then obeying his orders, knowing about Sunnah’s of Holy Prophet (SAW) and how to implement our lives upon it.Further knowing the basic tenets of deen,most importantly awareness regarding Day of Resurrection that that why we humans are coming to this world?What is our purpose here? Where do we all have to go from this temporary world?and so many questions arising in one’s mind, for all that queries Islam gives us a complete guidance through Holy Quran and Sunnah of Holy Prophet (SAW).
FOUNDATION OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION
Studying the foundations of Islamic studies a lot of people were confuse in it and they would mix up the basics of Islam with eastern and western philosophical foundations and many more but now it becomes very easy for you to make a clear crystal difference among these all.The building of Islam is stands on the 5 pillars.
1. Shahada( Declaration of faith)2. Salah(prayer)3. Zakat(Zakat)4. Sawm(Fasting)5. Hajj(Pilgrimage)
Behind every business,education,politics,culture,society,domestic life or anything else whatever it be there is always behind that is a foundation upon which all stands. Likewise Islamic education attains a great means of influential and inspirational aim. Allah subhanahu watala ordains human beings as his caliph on this earth for the implementation of his system.
CORE BELIEFS AND PRACTICES TO GET AN ADMISSION IN ISLAM
It’s the duty of a teacher to aware student of all basic tenets,beliefs and daily life practices of deen.When a non Muslim embraced Islam,while entrying into a new religion some are the core beliefs on which to a non-Muslim has to implement than he/she becomes a complete Muslim otherwise in case of rejection of any belief leads to not a perfect entry in Islam,Fulfillment of all core beliefs and practices are obligatory for a Muslim and a Non-Muslim,these are;
1. Belief in Allah
3. Belief in the Angels
4. Belief in Holy Scriptures and Books
5. Believe on the Day of Resurrection
6. Belief in Predestination
But here arises a question that, how should a teacher deal with his students while teaching them Islamic education in a very easy manner in a targeted language?So for that below is the most advance method of learning a L2 for a kid.
HOW A TEACHER CAN IMPLEMENTS ON DIRECT METHOD WHILE TEACHING STUDENTS AN ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN TARGETED LANGUAGE?
Kids are like plants. If we take care of them then they will nourish in a well-mannered way. Mind of a child is far sharper in learning new things as compared to an adult. Whatever we teach a child he/she will attain that in memory. Suppose If anybody comes to know about a code or a secret then there are more chances that he surely knows more about it than others who are unaware of the Code so likewise Islam is the only religion which is a complete code of life as compared to other religions for the benefit of humankind. To train kids by giving them exposure to Islamic education simultaneously to bring up kids according to the lifestyle to which Islam gives a more preference in a very well-disciplined way is very important and necessary to implement on.
Learning process of a child is far more active especially in the first seven years of his age. He is active in copying to his parents and elders. If an environment of home is Islamic where parents, elder's siblings, grandparents and other family members are practicing deen then a kid easily learned that how to practice a deen from the very beginning.
There stands a question that how we easily bring up our kids according to the teachings of Islam in a proper educated manner? Now we don't have to be more worried about that. Through Direct Method (DM) we get to know strategically how to understand and engage with a child in all sorts of his learning process and especially in initial Tabiah according to which mind patterns of a child will work for lifetime.
In schools, Teachers who use this Direct Method intend that students learn how to communicate in the target language. In order to do this successfully, students should learn to think in the target language, it’s the main objective of this direct method. Likewise, here we have to inject faith in the young nerves of kids so by applying this method in the basic learning of a kid regarding Islamic education we give it a unique name of Faith Direct Method. Some of the most essential and preferable techniques are here to apply to this Direct Method (DM)
Here arises a confusion about how we educate our kids through this technical method, so I bring some of the useful techniques for you that help you out significantly.
TECHNIQUES:
1) Firstly, Reading Aloud when you start to teach Islamic education to students in Arabic language.
2) Questioning and Answering Exercise engages you with your students and will let you know about their capabilities regarding picking and understanding of the target language.
3) Student Self-Correction is a very integral part while teaching them methodologies and procedures of a new language.
4) Conversation Practice with a student while teaching them new targeted language plays a vital role because when there applies both styles of conversation formal and informal between a student and a teacher it will results in digestion of a targeted language in very frankly and in easy manner and because of all that a student do not find any difficulty while understanding another language.
5) Students are like sensitive seeds; it is the capability of a teacher to be sharper to understand the psyche of each and every student that how to play with the mind of a student while teaching them a new language in a very easy and frank manner. Giving them Fill-in-the-blank tests or Exercise in a tricky way that for somehow student concentrates more on upcoming puzzles which are in the form of new words and difficult phrases, it results in enhancing the brain activity and open neurons tract in brain. When a student thinks new words, making new phrases, making connections between sentences and do many other things it will speeds up the normal working of brain.
6) Dictation helps students to think quickly and write new phrases, words in a targeted language.
7) When a beginner learns a new targeted language, he/she is much Passionate to learn it faster and digests but oftenly they might go through hardships while understanding it. With a lot of writing practices there comes a time when it’s too much easy for a student to writes Paragraphs. As to do paragraph writing itself tells us that now a student is much more capable to speak a targeted language fluently.
ADVANTAGES:
If a student is not a native speaker of an Arabic language, then it’s very difficult for him to understand deen in Arabic language directly but it seems much easier when the student is taught by this Direct Method. Because of using this method there are some big advantages while learning the target language.
1. Its use of realia for teaching vocabulary is a natural way of changing perception into conception.
2. Students who reflect on this DM (direct method) in their learning will quickly develop fluency in spoken language and can use this knowledge in communication in L2(targeted language).
3. Its outcome or the ability to communicate in the target language is very attractive to those who need to learn a language other than their mother tongue.
4. The advantage is that when a teacher uses this direct method with a student face to face, the student becomes much more capable of imagining targeted language like his own native language.
5. When a student becomes capable in imagining language of deen(Arabic) directly without any focusing on meanings it becomes very easy for him to go in depth of understanding of meanings, do implementation on Holy Prophet’s teachings and reflect his character upon the entire Islamic knowledge.
6. From the beginning when a kid is trained on this direct method of learning a new language this leads to the sharpening of a mind of a kid and secondly this method enables a student to learn many more languages.
7. If a kid with a normal memory will also learn 2 to 3 languages through this direct method it results in gaining of versatile memory and knowledge.
DISADVANTAGES:
1. DM is not as structured as a method; its materials are not probably graded and sequenced. So, at times it is very confusing for learners who are bombarded with living language.
2. Not all teachers are able to teach in this method because DM teachers have to be a native-like competence, creativity, devotion, energy and imagination to design their own courses.
3. Its rejection of translation makes this method very time and energy consuming. At times when it is difficult to convey meaning through realia, explanation in L2 can be a great asset in the hands of the teacher.
4. Implementing this method doesn’t build upon the reading skills the learners have already developed in their L1 and instead passes all the responsibilities on to the teachers.
5. This method requires more teacher’s skill because if the teacher is highly qualified, has a good command over the subject but is weak in delivering a lecture in targeted language well to students, this will lead to loss of students in learning L2.
