Lubna smiles as she shares what she loves most about working with American learners of Arabic on study abroad in Jordan (2014).
Her name: Lubna. I sat down with one of conversation partners working with the program for American students at the University of Jordan. She's nothing short of amazing! With her vivacious spirit, she shared how spending time with American students had truly become a unique opportunity of exchange.
The Arabic word for exchange, تبادل (tebaadl), has at its center, the word for change, بدل (badala). This in mind, the idea of exchange is to reciprocate between parties, and impact each other. Communication presents increased opportunities for the exchange of ideas, where language learning empowers participants and maximizes intercultural learning.
The Arabic word for exchange, تبادل (tebaadl), has at its center, the word for change, بدل (badala). This in mind, the idea of exchange is to reciprocate between parties, and impact each other. Communication presents increased opportunities for the exchange of ideas, where language learning empowers participants and maximizes intercultural learning.
Talking with Lubna from Jamie Thomas on Vimeo.
As part of my 2014 fieldwork in Amman, Jordan, I spent time with Jordanians involved in teaching Arabic, and their students, learners from U.S. colleges and universities. On campus at the University of Jordan, and in coffee shops and afterschool hangouts, I observed American students working together with Jordanian conversation partners for a full semester.
American students were picking up new words from their local counterparts, and so was I. With more words under our belt, our afterschool exchanges moved from coffee shops to restaurants and bars. Language was becoming a vehicle of more than grammar and vocabulary. We were learning about Jordanian life, eating mansaf (the national dish!), taking part in concerts, and local volunteer organizations. Using Jordanian Arabic
American students were picking up new words from their local counterparts, and so was I. With more words under our belt, our afterschool exchanges moved from coffee shops to restaurants and bars. Language was becoming a vehicle of more than grammar and vocabulary. We were learning about Jordanian life, eating mansaf (the national dish!), taking part in concerts, and local volunteer organizations. Using Jordanian Arabic
and American English, we began sharing stories about who we are: as emerging Arabic speakers and international learners.
When I'm spending time with people, respecting their silence, or talking about shared interests, I find that I'm participating in an exchange. An interplay of values and ideas communicated through a look, a set of gestures, sounds. This is interaction, and it sits at the core of international education, along with language as a vehicle for cultural exchange.
I think it's when we approach language as a wellspring of intercultural learning that we empower our students, and bring forward the rewards and responsibilities of multilingualism and international exchange.
When I'm spending time with people, respecting their silence, or talking about shared interests, I find that I'm participating in an exchange. An interplay of values and ideas communicated through a look, a set of gestures, sounds. This is interaction, and it sits at the core of international education, along with language as a vehicle for cultural exchange.
I think it's when we approach language as a wellspring of intercultural learning that we empower our students, and bring forward the rewards and responsibilities of multilingualism and international exchange.
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