Pedagogies in Becoming Muslim: Contemporary Insights from Islamic Traditions on Teaching, Learning, and Developing

Abstract

In light of calls to examine, elaborate, and improve pedagogies in teaching and learning Islam, thematic analysis was conducted on literature in English on pedagogies derived from the primary-source texts, the Qur'an and Sunnah. Three themes were constructed, each capturing a distinct pedagogic principle, to suggest an expansive framework of principled, flexible, situated, holistic, and transformative pedagogies. First, Relational Pedagogies center learning and developing in warm human relationships. Second, Pedagogies of Mutual Engagement include doing, speaking, and inquiring together in participatory processes of making meaning. Third, Pedagogies of Conscious Awareness aim to make visible purposes, reasons, and principles behind Islamic practices. These three themes were then used as sensitizing concepts in examining data gathered in a sociocultural study on Muslim educators' perspectives and practices at a mosque school in Canada. Reflections of the themes in the data-and contradictions-suggest that educators passionately but partially draw from primary-source pedagogies to inform their praxis in a pedagogic diaspora where interpretation and application vary. Further research is required to examine whether the developmental potential of these primary-source pedagogies might be optimized when they are employed together, as a balanced group, and how they might address pedagogical criticisms in teaching and learning Islam.

Pedagogies of Turkish Mosque Education in the Netherlands

“…Importantly, teaching activities in both mosques contained messages pertaining to citizenship norms and values in various areas such as interaction between the genders, ideas of crime, justice and punishment, relationship to authority and the boundaries of individual autonomy. The primary-source pedagogies identified by Alkouatli (2018) were observed in many classrooms. For instance, all the Qurʾan lessons had an element of differentiated learning (an aspect of Relational Pedagogies) expressed in oneto-one teaching of correct pronunciation.…”

Legal Literacy for Muslim Converts in Malaysia

“…Although several previous studies have discussed the legal implications of conversion to Islam in Malaysia (Abdullah, 2004;Adil, 1994Adil, , 1998Adil, , 2013Adil, , 2014Adil, , 2016Adil, , 2017aAdil, , 2017bAdil & Saidon, 2017;Ibrahim, 1990Ibrahim, , 1993Ibrahim, , 1996Ibrahim, , 2000aIbrahim, , 2000bHusin et al, 2016;Kusrin & Hashim 2016;Mohamed, 2010;Rahman, 2007;Wan Muhammad, 2010;Yussof 2014), those studies did not explore the need for legal empowerment or legal literacy for those affected in religious conversion. In addition, previous research regarding the Muslim converts' learning experience focused on learning the foundations of Islam (Alkouatli, 2018;Challet, 2015;Speelman, 2018), but not on legal issues that arise due to conversion to Islam. Moreover, the implications of embracing Islam only occur in Malaysia.…”

A Literature-Based Reading Instructional Model for Islam-Affiliated University in Indonesia

“…In line with the principle of particularity, it is worth noting that EFL teachers' commitment to their institutional needs is part of their professional ethics (Kafi, et.al, 2018). Educators at Islam-affiliated university are called for integrating prophetic tradition and Qur'anic verses, as the primary sources of Islamic pedagogy, into the learning materials (Purwati, et.al., 2018;Alkouatli, 2018).…”