Special Article
DR M ATHAR KHAN
ALKitab is one of the names and attributive of the Holy Qur’an. In the first instance the word Al Kitaab refers to Qur’an which is the revolutionary and ultimate source of all knowledge to which the Mo’mineen (believers) turn for guidance in all matters of life. Knowledge of Qur’an as such must form the core of the curriculum of all levels and categories of education; and more so the curriculum of teacher education. In the second instance, the word Al kitab means a written text of any subject or field of knowledge. This latter meaning ofAl Kitaab is specific to curriculum and includes all written and documented course material which is preserved and available in any form. It is, however, to be ensured that content of the books used as ‘source of Ilm’ for must be relevant with the goal and objectives of the Islamic education. It must also be reflective and emphatic of concepts of Islamic education and traditions of the early Islamic education institutions. Non Islamic literature on education should not be altogether excluded from the curriculum; rather it ought to form part of such curriculum as it is essential to highlight the value of the Islamic views and systems of education. Objects and Events: Objects are the real things whereas events signify occurrence of things as they take place under natural conditions. Objects and events are used in teaching process to provide students with real life experience and firsthand knowledge of things as they exist or take place. It is opposed to presenting things in abstraction (oral or written description) or in the form of pictures and models, because they are not associated with the feel of the real thing. The Qur’anic verse, “Say: go about journeying the earth, and behold the end of those who gave the lie (to the truth). (6:11) and the Hadith, about the carcass of a donkey and backbiting provide examples of object and events. Tools of teaching, as means of Ilm, include all sorts of methods, strategies, and material aids to teaching. However, for academic purpose a distinction is to be made between tools and methods in teaching. The tools in this context refer to all those materials, gadgets and facilities that a teacher uses for achieving the objectives of curriculum. Accordingly, the tools include anything and everything to which the teacher has access and makes use of it in the process of teaching. Use of any one or more or the tools of teaching is relative to the nature of the subject curriculum and teacher’s method of instruction. However, it is the teacher’s own ingenuity and teaching style that determine the choice and use of such tools, for which it is essential that the teacher has full knowledge of and about the tools of teaching, their relevance with different school subjects. It is also essential that the teacher acquires ability to use them through personal experience or training. Plan is an effective tool of teaching, which is used for achieving the goal and objectives of curriculum. As a student of education I had known and read only about the lesson plan, which is in the form of steps, which a teacher should follow to conduct and finish a subject lesson in a class within a fixed period of time. In itself the lesson plan is a one-step plan, which focuses teaching a school subject in bits and pieces, with no obvious reference to the wholeness of the subject or class curriculum. The Qur’anic plan on the contrary, focuses wholeness of the Qur’an as the ‘curriculum of the code of living life and guidance for preparing for life hereafter’. It provides for divisions of the text of Qur’an intoAyah (Pl.Ayat), Surah (Chapter), Manazil (Stations), Ruku’ (Sections) and Juz (Part) (PlAjza), each of which is adjustable with the student’s learning ability and availability of time and has its own purpose in teaching and reading of the Holy Book. In the division of the text of Qur’an is inherent a model of a one-time plan of organizing teaching of a subject curriculum as a whole, which is opposed to the present day practice of unit teaching. The Qur’anic plan of teaching is suggestive of a three-staged activity planning of teaching a subject. Stage-1: or the first step in planning teaching of a subject consists in defining subject objectives or learning targets, and describing or listing subject content or activities that are to be used for achieving the objectives of teaching the subject or activity. The Qur’anic model provides for a complete and clear documentation of the subject content in the form of a textbook. Stage-II: The Stage-II is the second step of planning teaching of curriculum, which cosists in distributing the content of the subject curriculum into number of lesson units to be taught and completed within the prescribed period of time. Stage-III: At this stage actual teaching of the subject curriculum takes place in lesson units in adjustment to the time and/or the learning ability of the student (s). —The writer is Prof & Advisor to the VC, Sarhad University, Peshawar.
