Virtual Reality helps students learn Arabic in UAE

Dubai - Using virtual reality allows the teacher to have more control over what the students are seeing and learning.

Using creative ways to teach the Arabic language to students is more effective than word-repetition methods, said a teacher who uses virtual reality in his Arabic class.
Dr Mohammed Salamah recently took his students on a virtual trip to the Sheikh Zayed mosque in Abu Dhabi, where he acted as an Arabic-speaking tour guide, helping his pupils learn Arabic phrases. He was also one of the speakers at the Living Arabic event, held by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), where Arabic and Islamic studies teachers gathered on Saturday to share best teaching practices.
"Teaching students through these devices makes it more engaging for them and that is important to do," Dr Salamah said, a teacher at the Kings' School in Al Barsha. "The students are actually excited to come to the Arabic class and learn. "It's really amazing to see the kids enjoying learning the language. When teachers use the repetition method, it can get boring for the students, so, it is important to use creative ways for them to learn."
Using virtual reality allows the teacher to have more control over what his students are seeing and learning, he said. His students' recent virtual trip to the Sheikh Zayed mosque helped them explore the area with the help of an Arabic tour guide. "I recorded my voice and guided the students in just Arabic, which helps them learn new words and phrases,' Dr Salamah said. "You can control what you see and you can record the voice. After the experience, you prepare worksheets for the students."
Dr Kaltham Kenaid, director of research at KHDA and head of Living Arabic, said that the authority encourages schools to use virtual reality in Arabic classes. This edition of Living Arabic has allowed teachers to share best and new practices of teaching the language, especially ones who are using technology as an Arabic teaching tool.
"Some of the sessions were on virtual reality and it's being used in one of the schools. Another practice is how one teacher is using YouTube to teach non-Arabic speakers the language and how she motivated them to learn Arabic," Dr Kenaid said.
They are looking Living Arabic as a platform where teachers can collaborate with each other with new things. "As part of Living Arabic, we have a project called Action Research, wherein teachers apply something new and measure the results before and after. We want measurable results. We want to see the outcome and improvement of the new method and in students' results."

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