The Arabic Teachers Council of the South is a community of educators from K12 schools, universities, and organizations in the southern U.S. states who are engaged in the instruction of the Arabic language, its dialects, and its multi-faceted cultures. The ATC of the South offers a community of support for these educators, provides professional development opportunities, and hosts cultural events. Its mission is to strengthen the capacity of Arabic teachers in the region by bringing them together, providing resources and training, recruiting new teachers, and supporting the development of pedagogically sound Arabic programs.

On April 29th at Amana Academy, the Arabic Teachers Council of the South hosted a K20 Arabic Teachers Workshop on "Empowering Educators of Arabic Language and Culture". Sessions featured speakers from Amana Academy, Georgia Tech, Annoor Academy, UNC Chapel Hill, Oxford College, Emory University, and Al Falah Academy. The workshop included the following eight presentations:

• Meaningful Arabic Connections for Novice Learners
  • Djaouida Bensaadoun, Amana Academy
• Benefits and Challenges of Project-Based Learning in the Arabic Classroom
  • Dr. Natalie Khazaal & Ahmed Ahmed, Georgia Tech
• Expeditionary Learning Protocols in the Arabic Classroom
  • Hana Arslan & Rula Edilbi, Amana Academy
• How to Use the APPLL Test to Prompt Student Achievement in the Arabic Language
  • Alia Alabsi, Al Falah Academy
• Language & Culture Beyond Borders: A Teacher's Roadmap to Virtual Exchange
  • Caroline Sibley, UNC Chapel Hill
• Arab Scientists in the Golden Age
  • Hadil Alghoul, Annoor Academy
• Improve Reading Comprehension with the "Pre-During-Post" Framework and Active Learning Strategies
  • Abeer Shehadeh, Al Falah Academy
• Integrating Arabic Grammar into Lessons: A Non-classical Approach to Teaching Grammar
  • Egbal Almahatwary, Oxford College, Emory University

To watch the recorded sessions, click the link here. For more information on the Arabic Teachers Council of the South, visit this page here. 

The establishment of the Arabic Teachers Council of the South was made possible through support and funding from Qatar Foundation International (QFI). QFI engages a diverse, global community of learners and educators, fostering cross-cultural connections through the exploration of the Arabic language and the Arab world's histories, cultures, and peoples in student-centered learning environments. QFI is headquartered in Washington, DC, and is a member of Qatar Foundation (QF). To learn more about QFI, please visit: www.qfi.org/opportunities/arabic-teacher-councils/