Incorporating Dialogic Education and the Traditional Halaqah Model in UAE Primary Islamic Studies Classrooms

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 1:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Faith-Based Educational Contexts & Professional Formation

Abstract

This study explores using the Halaqah format, a traditional Islamic teaching method, to boost deeper learning and critical thinking in a faith-based setting. Implemented in a Dubai public primary school, the research investigates how physical space impacts dialogic teaching in fifth-grade Islamic Studies. Data was gathered through observations, recordings of teacher-student dialogues in classrooms and the school mosque, and semi-structured interviews with 3 students and their teachers. Using the SEDA coding scheme, initial findings show a significant increase in dialogic practices within the school mosque, with the Halaqah format fostering higher levels of dialogue than traditional classrooms. This suggests the school mosque offers a unique space for exploring Islamic concepts more deeply. This paper details preliminary findings from one single-sex classroom.

Author

• Arwa Al Qassim, University of Cambridge