PROPHETIC PEDAGOGY: A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR ISLAMIC SCHOOL EDUCATORS AND LEADERS

Prophetic Pedagogy Workshops and Short Courses

At CICW, we offer professional development programs for teachers who work with Muslim students either in a Full time or Weekend school context. The following is a list of workshops and short courses that we have offered virtually since 2020. Each workshop comes with:​

• Program Book
• Powerpoint and Handbook
• Resources for further study

Our workshops and courses support teachers as they think through how to teach in a contemporary setting with a Prophetic mindset and approach. 
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Workshops

Our workshops are conducted over a 1.5 hour timeframe with time for questions. They are interactive, with warm up exercises, dialogue and discussion and provide scenarios and case studies to help consolidate knowledge. 
$250, Virtual Workshop
$300, In person, plus any Travel Costs

10 Things Every Islamic Teacher Should Know -  Shaykh Abdalla Idris Ali

• An overview of the major elements of teaching in Islamic school setting with a focus on the teacher’s roles and responsibilities to students. 

Imam Ghazali’s Guidance for Teachers- Amaarah DeCuir, EdD

• Drawing from Imam Ghazali’s chapter in Ihya Uloom Al Deen on Knowledge and Learning, this workshop reviews the duties of the teacher towards his or her students.

The Power of Halaqas – Circles of Situated Learning- Rehenuma Asmi, PhD

• Exploring the history of the halaqa in Islamic education and utilizing social learning theories, this workshop looks at the ways in which halaqas can serve as third spaces of learning that allow for a mixed level of teaching, peer learning and apprenticeship.

Repetition as Renewal- Rehenuma Asmi, PhD

• Why does Islam emphasize repetition in prayer, Qur’an recitation and dhikr? This workshop looks at the distinction between oral, aural and written modes of learning and why sensory learning activities can prove more effective in embedding knowledge and turning it into action. We also explore the key to unlocking the power of repetition as a tool of learning vs. ways it can become a crutch. 

Questioning in the Qur’an and Sunnah- Amaarah DeCuir, EdD

• The Qur’an and sunnah offer numerous examples of the use of questions by Allah(swt) and his Prophet (sws). This workshop outlines the multiple uses of questioning as presented in the Qur’an and by the Prophet Muhammad (sws) and encourages teachers to adapt these into their classroom plan for student engagement and assessment. 

Apprenticeship: The Prophet and Mu’ad Ibn Jabal- Rehenuma Asmi, PhD

• In Islam’s educational history, teachers and students often form special bonds that go beyond the realm of the intellectual to focus on character and community building, with an emphasis on justice. We look at the example of the Prophet Muhammad (sws) and Mu’adh ibn Jabal (ra) as a model for how a student-teacher relationship can transition students into independent teachers and leaders. 

Storytelling as a Teaching Tool- Shaykh Abdalla Idris Ali

• Stories are an essential part of human history in creating narrative models that individuals can use to emphasize values, model behavior and illustrate complex concepts. This workshop looks at the Qur’anic model of storytelling and offers tools for educators who want to use storytelling in their classrooms. 

Teaching Through Trauma – Rehenuma Asmi, PhD

• A shorter version of our extended “Trauma Informed Education” course, this workshop covers the key components to look for in addressing trauma in the classroom from a neurobiology perspective. 

Gender in the Classroom - Rehenuma Asmi, PhD

• A workshop covering research on gender and education in Islamic schools, providing strategies to challenge gendered experiences of learning that may inhibit or prevent either gender from becoming engaged and active learners.​​

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Short Courses

Short courses offer an opportunity delve deeper into a topic. They involve modules, exercises and additional resources/support. 

Short Course: Teaching with the Brain in Mind with Rehenuma Asmi, PhD
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$1000, Virtual
$1250, In person, plus travel

• A prophetic approach to children’s emotional and social well-being requires an awareness of the mind and it’s connections to the body. By learning about the neuroscience of the brain and complementing it with Prophetic strategies that achieve mindful self-awareness, we can engage more of our God given gifts and skills to enhance the educational experience of our students. The session also covers suggestions for how to help students who are overwhelmed with emotions or experiencing frustration and how to use tools to assess teacher-student connection and well-being.

Short Course: A Dignified Way: Prophetic Approaches to Classroom Management with Omaira Alam
$1000, Virtual
$1250, in person, plus travel

• Explore ways in which teachers can develop a classroom ecosystem aligned with Prophetic pedagogy, immersed in adab, dignity, and empathy.

Module 1: Introduction to Dignified Way
Module 2: Raising Standards
Module 3: Responding with Dignity as Teachers
Module 4: Towards Dignified Human Beings

Short Course: Trauma Informed Schools: Creating Compassionate Classrooms with Rehenuma Asmi, PhD and Fatima Mirza, PhD, LCSW
$1000, Virtual
$1250, in person, plus travel

• Course Summary: Islamic Schools today are facing a myriad of issues stemming from both small and large forms of trauma in the school population as well as the larger culture. Crisis of war, climate change and economic scarcity can all impact a school depending on the students and families it serves. This short course will develop teachers and administrators capacity to engage with the challenges their students are facing with a compassionate approach centered in the Prophetic tradition. The course will draw upon both sacred and secular sources of knowledge to explain how schools can be prepared and positioned to respond proactively  to big and little Ts in the school community.

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Module 1: How Trauma Impacts Students
Module 2: The Teacher’s Role
Module 3: Classroom Practices
Module 4: Trauma Informed Schools

Short Course: Islamic Health Education for Muslim Youth: Let’s Talk About What We Aren’t Talking About with Amber Khan, DO
$1000, Virtual
$1250, In person, plus travel

• The Islamic Education course aims to help parents and educators teach Muslim youth ages 11 and up about important health topics.  Bringing together both science and Islam, this course discusses four main health topics:  puberty, same sex attraction and genderism, mental health and illness, and technology and entertainment.  The goal is to help educators provide students with health knowledge, spiritual connection and practical tools to take care of their mind, body, and soul.

Module 1: Puberty for Young Men and Women 
Module 2: Sexual and Gender Identity 
Module 3: Self-Esteem and Mental Health 
Module 4: Positive Use of Technology & Entertainment

Short Course: Healthy Relationships: Preparing Students for Social Well-Being with Amber Khan, DO
​$1000, Virtual
$1250, In person, plus travel

• Healthy Relationships serves to provide Muslim youth educators, chaplains, and community leaders with tools to help their students value, nurture, and protect the most common relationships in their life.

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Module 1: The Parent and Child Relationship
Module 2: Community Connections
Module 3: Peer Relationships
Module 4: Islamic Courtship

WORKSHOP INSTRUCTORS

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​Omaira Alam has over 25 years of experience as a classroom teacher, education consultant, principal, board member, program director, and teacher educator. She has taught at the Foreign Service Institute of the US Dept. of State, worked on curriculum materials with the Council for Islamic School Excellence (CISE), focused on school improvement pathways for Gibraltar Leadership Academy and Pearls Academy, and trying to establish a weekend Islamic school program for children with special needs as one of MUHSEN’s lead teachers. She also developed A Dignified Way, a behavior management & character education program grounded in Prophetic pedagogy. Omaira completed her undergrad in Neuroscience & World History, at the U of Toronto; Global Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the U of Toronto; master’s in special education from The George Washington University. She is currently a teacher coach with Hemispheres Academy.  

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​Dr. Abdalla Idris Ali was born in Sudan and immigrated to Canada in 1977 as a graduate student at the University of Toronto, pursuing his Ph.D. in International Relations. His work in education began as a teacher of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Islamic Centre of Toronto. He was then appointed as director of education, and later became Imam and director for twenty years. In 1982, he laid down the foundation of the first full-time Islamic school in Canada and served as the Principal of the Islamic Community School For more than 19 years. He was later appointed to the Executive Council of the Islamic Society of North America and then elected to its consultative body. This led him to serving as President of ISNA from 1992 through 1997. He is also a founding Board member of the Council of Islamic Schools in North America where he developed and implemented Islamic and Arabic Studies curricula for elementary and junior high students. In 1998, he moved to the United States as a curriculum consultant to the Universal Foundation, and then was appointed Director at the Center for Islamic Education in North America (CIENA)  in Kansas City, Missouri. He also became a member of the Board of Trustees I.B.E.R.R., a unique organization headed by Yusuf Islam, which served minority communities in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Britain, South Africa and Nigeria. Upon returning to Canada in 2008, he started serving as the Secretary General of ISNA Canada. He previously chaired the ISNA Education Forum that attracts more than 250 schools and close to a thousand teachers every year. In 2017 became the Director of Outreach and Community Development. Currently, he serves as the Senior Community and Religious Adviser at ISNA Canada.

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Rehenuma Asmi, PhD is an executive board member of CICW, and a convener of teacher training program. She received her bachelors from Georgetown University with double majors in Arabic and Government. Dr. Asmi completed her Masters in Teaching from American University and her PhD in Anthropology and Education from Columbia University Teachers College. She served as Assistant Professor of Religion and Education at Allegheny College from 2013-7. Dr. Asmi's research interests are in the areas of bilingual education, education policy and socio-cultural effects of education on Muslim family life. ​

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Amaarah DeCuir, EdD, is a faculty member at American University in the School of Education.  She is an Executive Board member with the Center for Islam in the Contemporary World.  Recently, Dr. DeCuir served as an Advisor in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, supporting the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.  Her scholarship spans the areas of antiracist pedagogy, Muslim student experiences, Prophetic pedagogy, faith erasure, equity, antiracism and social justice, education leadership, teacher education, and faculty development.  She is the co-author Faith Honoring:  Making the case for faith-inclusive pedagogy with Academic Studies Press.  She brings over 30 years of teaching and leadership experiences from public and private K-12 schools to inform her current work in higher education.

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Dr. Fatima Mirza is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Virginia. She primarily works with adult survivors of trauma in a private practice setting, and incorporates a variety of treatment methods in her work with clients. Fatima's clinical experience also includes methods to integrate spirituality and religion into clients' healing journeys. You can learn more about her clinical work at https://www.wellnessthroughcounseling.com and more about her education and training work at https://www.sunflowerinitiative.org .

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ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Prophetic Pedagogy explores the teaching styles of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as found in the Qur'an and Sunnah, and complements them with contemporary research on teaching and learning for an Islamic school context.  

Prophetic Pedagogy project seeks to provide Islamic school educators with tools, practices, and concepts to help shape education within Islamic schools today.  We want educators to be fully equipped to teach the Message of Allah in a global context that doesn’t support faith-based identities, just as the Prophet experienced.  We want educators to lead the youth in understanding how to resist oppression and disrupt injustices around them, just as the Prophet demonstrated.  And we want educators to be fully engaged in the realities of today’s context, just as the Prophet was fully engaged in his contextual reality.  Our educators need to be able to teach students through technology,  who struggle with their identity, and who face challenges with social norms and practices.  We feel that with a systematic examination of the Prophet’s pedagogy, we will be able to advance teaching practices that can transform today’s Islamic schools to be the schools that Muslims need in today’s day and age.

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