ISNA MATTERS
Elevating Education in a Changing World After three years of closed schools, educators meet again in person at the 23rd Annual ISNA Education Forum BY EDUCATION FORUM COMMITTEE conducted by Ibrahim Yousuf, featured participants sitting with their colleagues from the same grade levels so they could collaborate on the many topics relevant to what they teach. CISNA hosted Saturday’s Leaders Networking session (Chocolate and Conversations). Attendance was more than expected, as school leaders, board members and just about anyone interested in leadership decided to show up — and it wasn’t just for the delicious chocolate! It had been a long day, but they were happy to meet in person and learn from each other informally. They left with valuable resources and insights.
THE ARABIC TRACK
Dr. Patricia Salahuddin receiving lifetime achievement award from ISNA vice president Magda El-Kadi Saleh
T
he ISNA Education Forum (EdForum), hosted by ISNA in collaboration with the Council of Islamic Schools in North America (CISNA) and the Aldeen Foundation, was held in Chicago on May 13-15. The organizers brought school board members, teachers and administrators together to offer professional development and guidance to advance the mission of Islamic schools. The program committee, chaired by Dr. Azra Naqvi (principal, Hadi School of Excellence), selected the theme of “Elevating Education in a Changing World.” Educators must respond to society’s needs, especially during times when lives have been disrupted. Attendees welcomed the opportunity to learn and exchange ideas with colleagues and experts. The EdForum featured three tracks: Arabic/Quran, Curriculum and Instruction, and Leadership. Islamic studies was 12
integrated into all topics, just as Islamic values are integrated into every aspect of an Islamic school. Over 350 participants attended the event. This year’s EdForum included two networking sessions and one general session. The morning networking session,
The Friday sessions started with Dr. Talaat Pasha’s (director, Arabic Language Institute, American Islamic College, Chicago) full-day preconference on “Planning for Teaching.” Pasha presented key concepts and strategies essential to the teaching/ learning process to the 28 participants. The workshop was full of hands-on activities — aligning individual lesson plans with long-term planning, outlining learning objectives, developing warm-up and introduction activities, planning specific learning activities, aligning with lesson objectives, developing activities to check understanding, developing a conclusion
THE FORUM WAS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO MEET IN PERSON AFTER THREE YEARS OF VIRTUAL EDUCATION FORUMS. ATTENDEES LEFT ENERGIZED AND EXCITED TO IMPLEMENT WHAT THEY HAD LEARNED, AS WELL AS WITH NEW CONNECTIONS NATIONWIDE — CONNECTIONS THAT WE HOPE WILL CONTINUE AND GROW.
ISLAMIC HORIZONS JULY/AUGUST 2022
