A Boston College faculty member will play an important role in organizing national teaching workshops and training seminars to modernize Arabic-language teaching, as well as prepare current and future instructors for the increasing demands and challenges of teaching Arabic.
Ikram Easton, a lecturer of Arabic in the Slavic and Eastern Languages and Literatures Department and a strong advocate of integrating technology in world language classrooms, was recently elected to the executive board of the American Association for Teachers of Arabic.
The organization aims to facilitate communication and cooperation between teachers of Arabic and to promote study, criticism, research, and instruction in the field of Arabic language pedagogy, Arabic linguistics, and Arabic literature. Among other events and activities, the association holds an annual meeting and sponsors translation contests in literary and non-literary Arabic.
Easton's three-year appointment recognizes her cutting-edge pedagogic innovations integrating technology into more traditional Arabic-teaching models.
A native of Syria who immigrated to the U.S. in 1998, Easton and eight Boston College colleagues from various disciplines received a competitive internal grant from the University’s Center for Teaching Excellence to build online innovative modules to enhance instructions in traditional or online classes. Working through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Learn-NC, Easton designed, developed, and taught the first Arabic I and II online courses for high school students. In 2005, she started the first public school Arabic program in the state of Iowa with four levels of Arabic courses, including content and activities on Middle East culture.
–University Communications | July 2018