الجليس al-Jaleys Part One

As a language teacher one of the main principles in my career has been the whole language approach to language teaching and learning for functionality and proficiency. This approach is based on the following conditions; (1) include meaningful, natural language, (2) include whole language, not language fragments, and (3) be functional, and help students learn in a meaningful and cultural context. The above principles have been utilized in the development of "al-Jaleys". The culture topics appear in three categories:(1) those dealing with surface features of the Arabic culture with primary emphasis on behavior;(2) those pertaining to daily life in the target culture habits, patterns of living, and (3) those dealing with a more conceptual level, with attention to political, social, economical, culture institutions and patterns, and with challenges currently facing Arabs daily. "al-Jaleys" recommends interactive teacher/student relationship that can be categorized as cognitive instruction. Through this approach, students process information in meaningful ways, take responsibility for their learning, and become independent learners involved in what one can term a "scaffolding process".