PHILOSOPHY

Our aim as an institute is our motto: to truly develop world-class Arabic speakers.
To achieve this objective, we focus on three essential aspects:

1. Acquiring the best instructors

We employ only the highest caliber Arabic teachers with demonstrated knowledge and ability, and a minimum of four years of experience in teaching Arabic as a second language. Any teacher who is hired is immediately made a part-owner of the institute, creating an atmosphere of diligence and enthusiasm among our teachers and staff as well as giving each teacher a vested interest in upholding our rigorous standards of excellence.

Our teachers bring their enthusiasm into all aspects of the student’s learning experience, from the more formal classroom setting to less formal one-on-one discussions outside the class. In both cases teachers are continuously aware of the individual language learning needs of each student.
Our teachers, intimately familiar with various teaching methodologies, present lessons to their students in an interesting and effective manner and at an appropriate and challenging pace. As most classes are private , teachers have the flexibility to tailor lessons to best meet the needs of their students. Our teachers are given intensive on-the-job training and follow-up evaluations, including seminars on teaching methods, monthly performance appraisals and regular student feedback.
In short, we do everything we can to ensure that our instructors are and remain among the very best Arabic language teachers in Yemen.
You can find more information about our instructors on the teachers page.

2. Developing strong academic programs

Over the years, we have fine-tuned a number of academic programs with associated curriculums for learning Arabic as a second language and are confident that these are, by far, the best in Yemen. We began with standard textbooks used in Western universities and, based on experience and student feedback, supplemented these with various exercises, computer programs, and other textbooks, some of them written and published ourselves, to address various weaknesses in the existing program. The result is our ability to train first-class Arabic speakers who are extraordinarily solid in all the relevant language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). You can find more details on Academic Program page.

A crucial part of our teaching program is our evaluation system – an indispensable learning tool that enables both teacher and student to recognize and address weaknesses. Our evaluation system integrates written and verbal exams as well as daily assignments, helping students to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in a timely and accurate manner.
In regards to resources, we provide each teacher with a laptop loaded with various instructional programs that are incorporated into classroom instruction. We have a library of textbooks and other texts in Arabic which students are free to borrow to aid them in their studies. Recently, we have begun to develop a library of titles in English on the Arab World and Islam, which has proved immensely popular with our students.

3. Providing our students with opportunities for cultural interaction

To develop world class Arabic language speakers, we strongly feel that cultural immersion – practicing and hearing the language in context and learning more about Arab culture – is of crucial importance.
Daily interaction with native speakers of Arabic is a great way to not only solidify your Arabic skills, but also broaden your knowledge of the Arabic language. To this end, we offer a number of opportunities ranging from conversation partners with students from local universities to internship positions at Yemeni NGO’s (see the internship page ffor more information). Of course, you are also free to wonder out into the city to practice your Arabic with the locals (because few people in Yemen speak English, you will find ample opportunity to practice).

We also arrange regular events that help to broaden students’ knowledge of Arabic language and culture. These events range from bringing guest lecturers to the institute, to arranging trips to local sites and museums as well as occasional field trips to historical and sites of interest outside of Sana’a.