This section considers the role of Tajwid teachers and the ways that they can perform to motivate students, achieving the goal of making knowledge of Tajwid science comprehensible. Islamic history shows that the beginning of Islamic tutoring consisted of teaching of Tajwid science, and early Muslim educators had individual ways of teaching Tajwid. Unlike today’s Muslims, the first age of Muslims did not need to expend major efforts to learn Tajwid; they only needed to know the special revealed ways of reading the Qur’anic texts, because they were Arabs who naturally spoke the language of the Qur’an, Classical Arabic.
For instance, early Muslim did not need to know how to spell the letters as thick and thin sounds because they were already doing it that way; they were not required to know the placements of the letters in their mouths to improve their pronunciation; and they did not need to know the letters’ attributes or characteristics to know how to
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use their mouths to produce correct Arabic sounds. All they needed was to get together in groups in a mosque or someone’s house and practise reciting and memorizing the Qur’an with it revealed rules. Then, to protect this science and the Muslims’ holy book, they needed to record its verses and compile them into chapters according to the revelations, as soon as they were revealed. The process of teaching Tajwid then subsequently involved orally passing Qur’an recitation from one person to another until everyone was familiar with it.
In contrast, today’s Muslims, Arabic-speakers as well as non-Arabic-speakers, must study the Arabic letters’ classical pronunciations and attributes before they study the rules of Qur’an recitation science and its different ways of reading, as today’s Arabs are unable to speak Classical Arabic (unless they learn it). They speak dialects that are not in any way related to the Qur’an’s words. In addition, non-Arabic-speakers are rarely able to speak any Arabic, which is true for most Muslims in the UK.
Informed by all this, the following are some essential principles and attitudes that this study suggests be adopted for Tajwid teachers and teaching.
1. Tajwid teachers should enthusiastically obtain official qualifications in Tajwid science, because such training is imperative to identify correct knowledge and sources and to pass on correct facts about this science. Highly qualified teachers are more confident in their subject and have a higher probability of being accepted, of being effective. Conversely, lack of subject knowledge could cause the entire educational process to fail. Al-Ḥussainī (2000) claimed, based on awareness of these issues, that it is important to be cautious when seeking an appropriate Tajwid teacher, because teachers
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should have correct qualifications to avoid the serious consequences of learning Qur’an recitation incorrectly the first time. Al-Ḥussainī (2000) also advised non-native speakers to not assume that anyone who speaks Arabic or claims to have studied Tajwid is an expert, and that it is the learner’s responsibility to verify that a Tajwid teacher has the right qualifications. Moreover, al-Ḥussainī (2000) maintained that the serious Tajwid learner should seek a certified Tajwid teacher who has received an Ijāzah certificate, because this certificate shows an unbroken chain of transmission going back to the Prophet.
2. Tajwid teachers should adopt a particular way of recitation when teaching Tajwid science to achieve the main goal of learning Tajwid, which is the perfect and precise reading of the Qur’an as revealed to the Prophet.
3. Tajwid teaching in the UK requires teachers to be proficient in English, so that they can communicate with learners, which will also bolster their confidence. No matter how well qualified the Tajwid teacher is, it will not matter if they are incapable of using the language of the learners in order to communicate with them.
4. Classical Arabic is the language of the Qur’an and the main language of Qur’anic sciences, including Tajwid. Tajwid teachers should have a perfect grasp of Classical Arabic to be acceptable as professionals. Otherwise, they should acknowledge that they are not professionals, and are teaching Tajwid according to their knowledge, which may have shortcomings (see for example Surty 1992, p. 13).
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5. It is essential that Tajwid teachers very clearly indicate the principles,24 purpose, content, and goals of the subject of Tajwid. Without the philosophy and concepts distilled in the principles, Tajwid would be a mystery and if teachers did not comprehend Tajwid principles, they would not be able to demonstrate correct methods or techniques in their teachings. Nor would interested Muslim audiences be able to recognise correct knowledge or the main theories in the field. Tajwid teachers must give their classes clear instructions that help the students comprehend what they must do to understand the lesson content. The assessments should state the topic content being covered and give accurate and complete details.
6. Tajwid teachers should have good communication skills and use them to show respect for all levels of talent and skill; they should use a variety of strategies to present an acceptable persona and to be able to keep the learners’ concentration, to help teaching and learning be successful. Teachers must attend to all learners by using a variety of activities that serve a variety of ways of learning. In particular, teachers must use activities such as readings, design activities, and collaborative teaching or cooperative learning group activities, as the latter help students respect each other, learn ways to criticize ideas, listen actively, think aloud, improve their thinking and understanding, keeps their minds open, and share responsibility.
7. The Tajwid teacher’s skill at maintaining learners’ concentration through amusing and interesting activities is very important, because a commanding way of teaching destroys motivation. Muslims report that their Prophet was a
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See the introduction of Chapter 1 for details on the main principles of Tajwid science as well as section 1.2 for the necessary qualifications to be an expert in Tajwid science.
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living model of kindness and compassion when teaching his people their religion, regardless of the status or level of the learner (al-Buṭī 1991).
8. Teacher facilitation of critical thinking and class discussion gives students some control over teaching decisions. These practices are important to promote original thought and exploration in students rather than directing them in a top-down fashion. For example, teachers can use journaling, new readings, or online case studies to give students opportunities to practise new thinking skills and to help them read critically and to respectfully challenge the teacher’s ideas and those of other students. Furthermore, class discussion allows students to learn from each other, and develops their confidence and sense of personal responsibility for learning. It helps them to study and participate more, supports them to more effectively participate in direct discussions, and clarifies their goals. The next section provides details about applying discussion techniques to Tajwid science.
9. Tajwid teachers should use computer technologies, such as e-mail, computer conferencing, and the Internet, which allow students to access and choose learning experiences that fit the way they learn and provide numerous opportunities to converse and think about what they want. See Chapter 3, section 3.7, regarding the use of technology as a resource to enhance and improve teaching and learning of Tajwid.
10. Evaluations and assessments are important tools that provide students with effective, accurate feedback. Assessment strategies should encourage students to deeply engage with the content, resources must be valid, and teachers should provide timely, helpful feedback to help students improve performance. In addition, teaching students how to self-assess can help them
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practise independence. For example, to help students identify the correct sounds of letters, Tajwid teachers could present the correct and incorrect sounds and then clarify the correct sounds and explain the incorrect pronunciations. In Arabic, the thin sound of the Kāf ) letter and the thick ك( sound of the Qaf ) are pronounced from the back of the tongue as it touches ق( the upper palate. However, the thick sound is made closer to the throat, and the speaker must vibrate the air in that location by first holding it and then freeing it suddenly to make the sound; otherwise, the sound will disappear in the mouth. On the other hand, the thin sound is soft, made closer to the tongue, and needs continual airflow to push the sound out of the mouth or it will vanish. Knowing these details about the ways of pronouncing the two sounds helps learners practise them.
11. Students always need appropriate, frequent feedback on performance. Feedback informs learners of their accomplishments by assessing their knowledge and abilities, and gives them opportunities to perform and receive suggestions for improvement; in addition, speedy feedback is important for students to move forward. However, Tajwid teachers must avoid feedback labelling students’ efforts ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’, and should provide informative comments that illustrate the students’ errors, for example by introducing learners to the right pronunciations in the mouth and guiding accurate articulation. At the same time, teachers should identify individual students’ strengths and weaknesses in their performances and offer precise feedback about improvement.
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