“Arabic Conversation Learning Method for Arabic Teachers at Islamic Boarding Schools. Darussalam and its surroundings”
Founded in 1929 by K.H. Ahmad Fadlil, Darussalam Islamic Boarding School—Ciamis, West Java—is now 89 years old. The Islamic boarding school which was pioneered from a mosque has now been transformed into a large Islamic boarding school with thousands of students from various regions in Indonesia. Not only providing non-formal education in the form of Islamic boarding schools, the educational institution which was originally called Pesantren Tjidewa continues to develop itself by establishing schools from kindergarten to university level—the Darussalam Islamic Institute (IAID)—as its formal educational institutions at the order to respond to challenges era.
As an institution that teaches Islamic religious knowledge, Darussalam Islamic Boarding School makes Arabic one of the compulsory subjects, even the main one. Arabic is taught from elementary school to college in formal education as well as at all levels of education at its pesantren educational institutions. All students in Islamic boarding schools are required to master Arabic to learn Islamic sciences and the language of daily communication. Thus, the use and teaching of Arabic are not foreign to this pesantren.
However, even so, to continue to improve the quality and ability of the students as well as students and students in the Darussalam Islamic Boarding School environment, this pesantren continues to strive to improve the system and personal abilities of its Arabic language teachers. One of the ways he took was by collaborating with the UGM Arabic Study Program. It is also intended to find solutions to the obstacles commonly faced by ustadz/ustadzah in the teaching and learning process that is carried out by them in the Islamic boarding school environment.
For this reason, on July 18-20 2018, in the Community Service (PKM) program, Arabic Study Program, FIB, UGM held an event entitled “Arabic Conversation Learning Method” which is specifically for Arabic language teachers in the Darussalam Islamic Boarding School environment. This sweet. This PKM event was attended by approximately thirty-five participants. They are ustadz and ustadzah who teach Arabic in the Darussalam Islamic Boarding School environment, both from non-formal Islamic boarding schools and formal educational institutions, from elementary school to university level.
This community service program is manifested in three main activities. First, the delivery of a public lecture with the theme “Development of the Latest Arabic Language”. This public lecture will be held on Wednesday, July 18 2018, starting at 19.30-21.30 WIB. This activity took place in the auditorium of the Darussalam Islamic Institute. The speakers at this event were Prof. Dr Syamsul Hadi, S.U., M.A. a professor of the Arabic Study Program, FIB, UGM.
This public lecture reviews the changes that have occurred in the field of Arabic by the situation and changes in the speaking community—the Arab community. Clearly, Prof. Dr Syamsul Hadi explained the history of the formulation of Arabic grammar to the early period of compiling Arabic dictionaries and the characters involved in it. A deeper discussion of the emergence of several schools in the writing of a dictionary is also inseparable from the explanation. Likewise, regarding the use of digital dictionary programs or applications that are rampant lately. In the case of this digital dictionary, he criticizes the educational value and the level of accuracy of the application’s work. In addition, he also conveyed his views on the potential for developing digital dictionary applications.
Second, identify the obstacles to teaching Arabic. This activity was held at the IAID auditorium on Thursday, July 19 2018, from 08.00-10.00 WIB. This activity is intended to identify obstacles or difficulties commonly encountered by ustadz and ustadzah who teach Arabic subjects in the Darussalam Islamic Boarding School environment when they teach. This activity begins with an explanation of the importance of an educator’s sensitivity to the condition of his students. By having sensitivity, an educator will be able to know what things are needed so that the teaching of the Arabic language he does goes well and gets maximum results. It is also with this sensitivity that an educator will know various obstacles that have the potential to hinder the learning process he is holding.
To identify various obstacles in teaching Arabic, the participants were then grouped according to certain criteria. This group division is important considering the problems faced by an Arabic teacher will be different at each level of education where he teaches. They then discussed in their respective groups to explore the various problems they faced. After completion, each group will present the results of their discussion in front of the entire group. From the results of the presentation of each group, it appears that the biggest obstacle often faced by Arabic language teachers in the pesantren environment is the problem in the area of spoken Arabic, especially conversation. Therefore, the next activity—namely the third activity—that was carried out was training in the conversational learning method.
The conversational learning method training activity conducted by the lecturers of the UGM Arabic Study Program for Arabic language teachers at the Darussalam Islamic Boarding School includes several techniques. Among these techniques are imitation techniques, picture reading techniques, recalling techniques, game techniques, drill techniques, singing techniques, role techniques, storytelling techniques, and presentation techniques. It is hoped that after the Arabic language teachers know and understand these techniques, the problems of learning Arabic that they encounter can be overcome so that students and students will feel the ease and have a pleasant atmosphere in learning Arabic.