ABSTRACT
In this paper I highlight some principles that can be useful when developing curriculum for teaching Arabic as a foreign language. I base these recommendations on my own experiences with and analysis of dozens of textbooks regarding both Arabic and Turkish language studies that have been published during the last century. More specifically, the textbooks most frequently used in the Arabic and Turkish classrooms are Brustad, Al-Batal and Al-Tonsi’s (2004) Alif Baa and the first part of Al-kitab fi ta’allum al-‘arabiyya (2004) and Schulz’s (2000) Standard Arabic. For Turkish, I have made a thorough analysis of the books of Van Schaaik (2008, 2011) and Lubbers-Muijlwijk (2011). In order to meet the needs of today’s world, efficiency and fluency in language learning will become a crucial matter. Of the dozens of principles particularly valuable in teaching a foreign language, I selected nine issues to explore that I’ve determined to be important based on my experience and research.
