Learning in Morocco offers a rare look inside public education in the Middle East. While policymakers see a crisis in education based on demographics and financing, Moroccan high school students point to the effects of a highly politicized Arabization policy that has never been implemented coherently. In recent years, national policies to promote the use of Arabic have come into conflict with the demands of a neoliberal job market in which competence in French is still a prerequisite for advancement. Based on long-term research inside and outside classrooms, Charis Boutieri describes how students and teachers work within, or try to circumvent, the system, whose contradictory demands ultimately lead to disengagement and, on occasion, to students taking to the streets in protest.

In this book, I attempt to show how colonial and postcolonial political forces have endeavoured to reconstruct the national identity of Morocco, on the basis of cultural representations and ideological constructions closely related to nationalist and ethnolinguistic trends. I discuss how the issue of language is at the centre of the current cultural and political debates in Morocco. The present book is an investigation of the ramifications of multilingualism for language choice patterns and attitudes among Moroccans. More importantly, the book assesses the roles played by linguistic and cultural factors in the development and evolution of Moroccan society. It also focuses on the impact of multilingualism on cultural authenticity and national identity. Having been involved in research on language and culture for many years, I am particularly interested in linguistic and cultural assimilation or alienation, and under what conditions it takes place, especially today that more and more Moroccans speak French and are influenced by Western social behaviour more than ever before. In the process, I provide the reader with an updated description of the different facets of language use, language maintenance and shift, and language attitudes, focusing on the linguistic situation whose analysis is often blurred by emotional reactions, ideological discourses, political biases, simplistic assessments, and ethnolinguistic identities.

This intensive social biography of a rural Moroccan judge discusses Islamic education, the concept of knowledge it embodies, and its communication from the early years of colonial rule in twentieth-century Morocco to the present. The work sensitively combines the outlooks and perceptions of the author and those of the shrewd and reflective `Abd ar-Rahman, supplementing our knowledge of resurgent militant Islamic movements by describing other popularly supported Islamic attitudes toward the contemporary world.

This book explores the global spread of English and its ramifications for the status of English in Morocco. It sheds light on motivational issues in English language teaching and learning in Moroccan higher education and examines various teaching practices in terms of: teaching effectiveness, assessment and evaluation, written feedback, English-Arabic translation, and undergraduate supervision. In addition to identifying critical issues in the discipline of English studies and the main challenges facing English departments from historical, institutional, and pedagogical perspectives, it suggests strategies for addressing and overcoming them.

Now even more complete, with updated lists of available resource materials, this manual is your access guide to home schooling- maximizing our family life while providing a quality education for your children. If you're considering homeschooling, this book is a must-read before you decide; and if you've been at it for awhile, it's a fresh perspective, with plenty of tactics for renewing your energy and motivating your kids. With wit and wisdom gleaned from years of experience, Debra Bell sets forth a compelling vision for the joys of home-based learnng and the essential tools for success. The CD-ROM contains the complete text of the book, plus website links and a search engine.

Moroccan Arabic was written by a dogged student of the language (and a natural teacher) and it was edited by a native speaker and equally wonderful teacher. Finally, a straight-forward and easy to use primer for learning Moroccan Arabic - and now, new and improved in this 2nd edition. It incorporates reader suggestions and features more details on the transliteration system, additional words, new word lists, and the text has been completely revised and re-edited. Practical and witty, it's basically the equivalent of a VCR repair manual, just a bare-bones list of how to do the important things: here's the present tense, here's the future tense, etc, etc. In other words, it's a reference book with simple examples, none of the filler, and a few youthful surprises. It's just the kind of cheat-sheet everyone craves. Best of all, and unlike the others, everything is provided side-by-side in English, transliteration, and Arabic. And it uses a simple real-word transliteration system that is simply written the way things sound without the use of exotic linguistic symbols. It's the perfect book for everyone with an interest in contemporary Morocco: travelers, tourists, students, diplomats, business people, academics, artists, Peace Corp volunteers, Fulbright Scholars and student grantees, etc. Praise for Moroccan Arabic from students, scholars and travelers on both side of the Atlantic: "Fills a gaping hole in Moroccan Arabic instruction. Based on the first-hand immersion experiences of a native English-speaker who navigated Moroccan culture and language for a year... and as a researcher in Morocco myself, I found it handy." --Nabil Khan, Fulbright Student Grantee "I love the sense of humor woven throughout - it's an enjoyable read. A great example of collaboration." --Edwin Bodensiek, Dir. of Outreach and Public Relation, CIES - Fulbright, Washington, DC "A great resource. I wish had this book when I was traveling and researching in Morocco." --Dr Jennifer A Roberson, Professor of Islamic Art, Sonoma State University, California "Written by a born teacher. This book enhances effective language instruction and builds a collection of everyday conversation resources for Anglo-American students and scholars." --Dr Khalid Amine, Universite Abdelmalek Essaadi and President, ICPS - Tangier Many people contributed to making this book a reality - and by agreement of all those involved, the proceeds from the sale of this book go to support the publishing program at the International Centre for Performance Studies (ICPS) - Tangier, Morocco. Initial research for the book was conducted during a Fulbright graduate student grant. The ongoing project (encourage more people to learn Darija, provide improved study materials, and provide a funding stream for ICPS-Tangier) is sustained by the generosity of numerous all-volunteer partners - kindly lend your assistance by sending an email to [email protected]

At a time when more and more of what people learn both in formal courses and in everyday life is mediated by technology, Learning Online provides a much-needed guide to different forms and applications of online learning. This book describes how online learning is being used in both K-12 and higher education settings as well as in learning outside of school. Particular online learning technologies, such as MOOCs (massive open online courses), multi-player games, learning analytics, and adaptive online practice environments, are described in terms of design principles, implementation, and contexts of use. Learning Online synthesizes research findings on the effectiveness of different types of online learning, but a major message of the book is that student outcomes arise from the joint influence of implementation, context, and learner characteristics interacting with technology--not from technology alone. The book describes available research about how best to implement different forms of online learning for specific kinds of students, subject areas, and contexts. Building on available evidence regarding practices that make online and blended learning more effective in different contexts, Learning Online draws implications for institutional and state policies that would promote judicious uses of online learning and effective implementation models. This in-depth research work concludes with a call for an online learning implementation research agenda, combining education institutions and research partners in a collaborative effort to generate and share evidence on effective practices.

This classic volume presents the core vocabulary of everyday life in Morocco--from the kitchen to the mosque, from the hardware store to the natural world of plants and animals. It contains myriad examples of usage, including formulaic phrases and idiomatic expressions. Understandable throughout the nation, it is based primarily on the standard dialect of Moroccans from the cities of Fez, Rabat, and Casablanca. All Arabic citations are in an English transcription, making it invaluable to English-speaking non-Arabists, travelers, and tourists--as well as being an important resource tool for students and scholars in the Arabic language-learning field.

In a time of drought in the Kingdom of Morocco, a storyteller and a boy weave a tale to thwart a Djinn and his sandstorm from destroying their city.

The Medina -- the Old City -- of Fez is the best-preserved, medieval walled city in the world. Inside this vibrant Moroccan community, internet cafes and mobile phones coexist with a maze of donkey-trod alleyways, thousand-year-old sewer systems, and Arab-style houses, gorgeous with intricate, if often shabby, mosaic work. While vacationing in Morocco, Suzanna Clarke and her husband, Sandy, are inspired to buy a dilapidated, centuries-old riad in Fez with the aim of restoring it to its original splendor, using only traditional craftsmen and handmade materials. So begins a remarkable adventure that is bewildering, at times hilarious, and ultimately immensely rewarding. A House in Fez chronicles their meticulous restoration, but it is also a journey into Moroccan customs and lore and a window into the lives of its people as friendships blossom. When the riad is finally returned to its former glory, Suzanna finds she has not just restored an old house, but also her soul.