Teacher-Training Programme for KS3 & KS4

‘Ilm 2 ‘Amal Curriculum & Campaigns

  A one-day intensive training programme, essentially designed for KS3 & KS4 committed teachers wishing to deliver the ‘Ilm 2 ‘Amal Curriculum & Campaigns within their respective schools. The curriculum focuses on specialist subjects, seeking to enrich financial literacy and social responsibility in young learners and is a grassroots initiative funded by 1st Ethical Charitable Trust, which seeks to empower Muslims to benefit society through faith-based campaigns.    Course OutlineExclusively designed for secondary school teachers delivering the ‘Ilm 2 ‘Amal Curriculum & Campaigns, this training programme sets out to equip delegates with everything they need to know in order to effectively deliver the curriculum and campaigns. In exchange for investing a full day (approx. 8 hours), our trainers will equip  front-line educators with the self-confidence together with the necessary skills, tips and resources, so they can better educate their pupils with a holistic and practical understanding of Islamic teachings that go beyond the walls of the classroom. Niche yet important subject matters will be covered in the curriculum, such as:

• Islam beyond ‘Ibadat (acts of worship): Rights of Allah (Huquq-Allah) & Rights of others (Huquq’l-‘Ibad)
• Financial Literacy & Money Matters (Mu‘amalat): Wealth & Halal Earnings, Islamic Wills & Zakah (Charity)
• Social Duties & Civic Engagement (Mu‘asharat): Effective Presentational Skills, Voting, Animal Welfare, Sadaqah, Helping Older People, Employment etc.

Our trainers will further demonstrate the potential of our ‘Ilm 2 ‘Amal Curriculum and how teachers can potentially empower pupils to put their learning into practice beyond the classroom, thereby benefitting not only themselves but also reaching out to benefit the community within the school as well as the surrounding communities. The first half of the day will be dedicated to the curriculum (the ‘Ilm aspect), where our trainers will walk teacher-delegates through the relevant modules, lesson plans and material, presentations and activities from the curriculum.  Teachers will be fascinated with the amount of hard-work, pilot deliveries and research that has gone into preparing the resources and ready-made lesson plans. After lunch, the training will move onto the on-ground campaigns (the ‘Amal aspect). Each module has been specifically designed to benefit pupils with numerous ‘call to action’.  Teachers will hear from experienced representatives on how to conduct simple and effective student-campaign toolkits, which essentially connect classroom learning with community action. The afternoon session will see outstanding workshops delivered by representatives from partner organisations such as RSPCA, Age UK, Globe Theatre, The Salvation Army and Al-Qalam. Trainers will walk teacher-delegates through campaign toolkits, which teachers and pupils can easily implement at their own pace. By the end of the programme, teacher-delegates can be sure to walk away well-equipped with all they need to know in order to empower their pupils to demonstrate Islamic values for the benefit of wider society.   Course Aims

1. To train and support teachers in delivering, confidently and effectively, the ‘Ilm 2 ‘Amal School Curriculum thereby equipping their pupils with necessary knowledge and skills in areas of Huquq’l-‘Ibad (rights of others), Mu‘amalat (financial transactions) and Mu‘asharat (social dealings).
2. To assist teachers with resources to connect classroom learning (‘Ilm) with community action (‘Amal)
3. To encourage learning outside the classroom by providing teachers and pupils with campaign toolkits and volunteering opportunities in order to effectively plan, organise and implement community campaigns.

Who should attend this training? This training is mandatory for all teachers delivering the KS3/KS4 ‘Ilm 2 ‘Amal Curriculum.   Upcoming Programmes:

North of England Event

Venue:

British Muslim Heritage Centre

College Road

Whalley Range

Manchester

M16 8BP

 Saturday 10^th November 2012

09:00 – 17:00

South of England Event

Venue:

Ilford Islamic Day-Care and Community Centre

57-65 Albert Road

Ilford

Essex

IG1 1HL

Saturday 17^th November 2012

09:00 – 17:00

Cost A nominal fee of £20 per delegate is set to cover costs. A special group discount of £45 is available for any organisation/school who wishes to send up to three members. (Members must be from the same school and committed to delivering the curriculum).   Agenda The intensive day begins from 09.00 and finishes at 17.00. The training will incorporate the following sessions: Morning Session (09:00 – 12:00): Curriculum Dimension (‘Ilm)

• Module 1 – Teaching Islam in its Entirety & Importance of Huquq’l-‘Ibad
• Module 2 – British Muslims & Social Responsibilities
• Module 3 – Islamic Perspective on Money Matters

Lunch 12:00 – 13:00 Afternoon Session (13:00 – 17:00): Campaign Dimension (‘Amal)

• Why are campaigns important?
• How does a Toolkit work?
• Campaigns: Animal Welfare by RSPCA, Food Drive by The Salvation Army; Shakespeare in Islam by Globe Theatre (tbc); Helping Older People by Age UK and Islamic Wills, Halal Earnings & Zakah by Al Qalam.
• Evaluating the Curriculum & Campaigns: Student Voice, Focus Group & Local Media.

  Total Training Duration: 09:00 – 17:00 Duration (8hours) If you are interested in attending this training course, please get in touch with our team: humerah@1stethical.com (North) or abid@1stethical.com (South). Click here to download the above information.

Muslim teachers rally for ground-breaking curriculum 25^th May 2012 Last weekend, a renewed-optimism infused teachers from London’s top Muslim schools for the future of Muslim education. These twenty carefully selected delegates had attended 1^st Ethical’s ground-breaking half-day workshop at Regents Park Mosque, following a similar event in the north last month for Lancashire and Yorkshire teachers. Designed to enthuse teachers about the importance of learning beyond the classroom, the training set out to address key academic and social challenges facing many British Muslim pupils. One London teacher remarked “The research presented about British Muslims and their underachievement was a real eye opener as to how much work is required” Ms. Chowdhury from Azhar Academy Girls School stated “The syllabus is a unique initiative – it is much needed within every classroom to enrich students with a wholesome understanding of Islam”. Ms. Chowdhury was referring to 1st Ethical’s unique contribution to the school curriculum – the ‘Ilm 2 ‘Amal syllabus – which as the name suggests, is aimed at ‘connecting classroom learning with community action’.  This injection of innovative learning into Muslim Schools comes at a time when young British Muslims face a wide array of challenges such as academic underachievement, drug and alcohol abuse, gang violence, a rise in Islamophobia, high unemployment levels and sadly, a crisis in faith. The latter is arguably a result of a crisis in identity where young Muslims struggle bring together Islam and their British identity.  These Muslims are left with two choices: exclusion or assimilation. Parents and teachers alike are asking themselves, what is the best way to achieve social stability where young Muslims can comfortably fit in with society yet remain faithful to their faith? According to Waqaus Ali, National Manager at 1st Ethical, “Of course the depressing statistics paint a bleak picture for the Muslim community in Britain. Depending on how well Muslim institutes rise to these challenges, it is a make or break situation”. The responsibility for changing the tide doesn’t only lie with parents but is to be shared by teachers and society as a whole. “A teenager on average spends approximately 7,000 hours in high school life therefore as front-line educators – be it in schools or madrassahs – we have a crucial role to play in ensuring these precious minutes are spent productively and not wasted” argued Mr Ali.

Connecting classrooms with communities

In Islam, knowledge (‘ilm) mandates action (‘amal) and learning should not stop at the door of any classroom. Being glued to the screen, children are increasingly pushed away from experiencing the real world beyond classrooms and shopping centers. According to the Council for Learning outside the Classroom and the 2008 Ofsted Report, learning outside the classroom develops pupil’s personal social and emotional development such as confidence and resilience. Mr Ali  states the “Ilm 2 ‘Amal curriculum is in “perfect sync” with the Ofsted research. This is what makes the ‘Ilm 2 ‘Amal curriculum new and revolutionary – it is designed to encourage pupils to go beyond learning about Islam in the four walls of the classroom to actually live Islam through on-ground campaigns that benefit the community.  He stated “Never before has the need been greater for Muslims in the West to demonstrate their faith in deeds and not mere words”. Pupils can practically learn that Islam is not simply about belief or rituals, but rather a complete way of life, which encourages its followers to live through example, contribute to societal life and strive to make the world a better place. In a well-known hadith of the Prophet (saw), “the best of mankind is the one who benefits humanity” (Daruqutni).  We can see this prophetic tradition demonstrated by the first generation of Muslims, where their devotion to worship was accompanied by their exemplary service to society. We must do the same and it starts with the classroom. ‘Ilm 2 ‘Amal Curriculum & Campaigns Launched in 2009 with four pilot schools, ‘Ilm 2 ‘Amal covers the  niche topics of mu‘amalat (mutual dealings and transactions) and mu‘asharat (social dealings), the authors intended to fill these crucial gaps of teaching and understanding the deen in a holistic manner, allowing pupils to not restrict Islam to the modes of worship (Ibadat). One of the unique aspects of the curriculum’s focus is financial literacy, which according to the 2010 Ofsted inspection report was under satisfactorily taught in many schools. Mr. Ali states, “Recent buzz words such as ‘recession’ and the ‘credit crunch’ mean nothing to our young people yet affect them as much as anyone else. The mu‘amalat  lessons fill the gap, developed and audited by scholarly expertise from the Al Qalam Shariah Scholar panel and legal and financial expertise.” Currently the syllabus is pitched at KS3 level and is spread over ten-sessions. It is designed to promote core Islamic values such as ethical transactions, feeding the needy, animal welfare and caring for older people. At the heart of the curriculum is a partnership with mainstream charities to implement on-ground campaigns which encourage pupils to put their knowledge learnt from the lessons in to action to in order to become fully engaged members of their communities. Examples include food drives for the needy with local Salvation Army centers, farm visits with the RSPCA, helping older people in their communities with Age UK and learning the power of language with Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre company. A KS2 and KS4 syllabuses are currently under construction and will be piloted in September 2012. Delegates at last weekend’s workshop left with the hope that Muslim pupils and teachers alike can bridge the gap in many of our schools and rise to the challenges we all face. Mr Abdul Quddus, Curriculum Director at KD Grammar. “I congratulate 1st Ethical for producing this curriculum .. it superbly succeeds in creating well-rounded students for the benefit of society”. With the national curriculum currently under review, we believe this is only the beginning of great initiatives to come for empowering the young Muslim community to benefit and enrich the very fabric of our society. To keep up to date and  find out more about the ‘Ilm 2 ‘Amal Curriculum and Campaign Toolkits, please visit www.1stethical.com/for-teachers. By Fazila Bux

Prepared by education specialists and scholars, our school curriculum sets out to equip British Muslim pupils with the knowledge (‘ilm) to benefit wider society through positive action (‘amal). Click to read our ”Ilm 2 ”Amal curriculum overview, and view a sample lesson here.    

The following Muslim School Partners have delivered in 2012:

 

Our curriculum is designed to work in tandem with our on-ground campaigns, which we deliver in partnership with reputable charities. Please click on our toolkits below for more information:

• Zakah Campaign in partnership with Al-Qalam Shari‘ah Scholar Panel
• Animal Welfare Campaign in partnership with RSPCA
• Halal Money Campaign in partnership with Al-Qalam Shari‘ah Scholar Panel
• Islamic Wills Campaign in partnership with  Islamic Relief, Muslim Hands, Muslim Aid and Ummah Welfare Trust
• Food Drive Campaign in partnership with the Salvation Army

  During 2011, 1st Ethical hosted several Sadaqah and Food Drive projects which were a huge success:

  New campaigns coming to schools in 2012:

• Local MP office visit
• Farm visits for the Animal Welfare Campaign
• Organising a fundraiser for the Charity Campaign
• Engaging with the media to increase public awareness

When delivered with passion and precision, assemblies can be the most effective ‘bite-size’ presentation for your school audience. Pupils are fresh, alert and full of energy first thing in the morning, so why not capture their attention and stimulate their minds with something different? The assemblies on offer for your school all tie in with our school curriculum and can be delivered by any of our experienced representatives. Alternatively you can request an assembly presentation today and deliver it yourself! Click here to view our menu of assembly topics.

Click here for FAQs about our curriculum.