Sleepless nights are a common thing nowadays as parents approach the new ‘back to school’ lifestyle. We want our children to learn and grow and be part of a community that shapes them and prepares them for the future. Unfortunately today, as we face these unprecedented times and dive into a new territory of learning from home, we are consumed with uneasiness about learning loss and lack of face-to-face teacher-student interaction. The only thing I’m certain of today as a mother is that I want my children to not miss out on the experience of truly comprehending a subject or a language, not just going through the motions and marking the homework as complete with hurried help from the parents or the internet.
In mid-August, when we first started distance learning, I noticed that the most concerning issue was the Arabic language. Other subjects like mathematics and sciences and arts present new concepts that students are interested in learning and applying. The English language is present everywhere in their lives and even, sadly, used most of the time in our home. Simply put, it’s just easier to use and I blame myself for that. Learning and loving a somewhat new and difficult language that is not dominant on a daily basis is quite a challenge that I share with most of the mothers in our community. In order to provide additional support for my children and try to close the gaps they are facing in comprehending the Arabic language and utilizing it correctly, I decided to install the Arab Easy application. After conducting some pretty lengthy research, I found it to be the best and most user friendly and engaging application to use for children of all ages and grade levels for learning Arabic.
There is a recognizable need to modernize the teaching methods of the Arabic language for our children and future generations by using digital and interactive approaches, and I found that the Arab Easy application fulfills that need. It encourages students to engage with the language using innovative learning features and techniques such as:
- Digital worksheets and reading comprehension questions that allow for practice and self-evaluation which encourages the child to “win” and move up the levels.
- Access to hundreds of books from leading publishers divided into levels suitable for every age and grade.
- Use of conversational language that is easy for the student to connect to and understand.
- Access to videos and educational games and competitions.
- Student performance and activity reports.
- Tips for parents to help them utilize the application efficiently.
The big value in using the Arab Easy application today as children adapt to learning solely online is establishing a regular routine that eventually creates lifelong learners while being aligned with national curriculums and the academic requirements for each grade level. As a concerned mother over the evident gap in content delivery and understanding caused by learning from home, I felt that the application supports me with teaching my children the Arabic language without having to force it on them as homework and it comforts me to know that our children are spending their time learning from an application that fully assists their homeschooling needs.
The main struggle at the moment is feeling that our children are disengaged due to the lack of physical interaction; we want them to read every day and develop an understanding and eagerness to learn the Arabic language, and we want to be involved and spend time with them – all easier said than done- but more attainable with the help of the Arab Easy application. I found that especially true when reading the bedtime stories offered in the application, as this bedtime routine allowed me to be a part of my children’s learning process by reading aloud and answering questions and solving puzzles in a fun and peaceful way.
There are many new things in our lives that we are adjusting to with this pandemic, and distance learning seems to be at the frontline. We’ve made a few changes at home that are helping with the transition such as:
- Setting up a learning space with a desk and space for school that can be either closed off from the rest of the house to ensure there is adequate “quietness” or the use of noise cancelling headphones if there isn’t enough room.
- Setting up parental controls over screen time to ensure that our children are getting enough offline time in their day to breathe fresh air and spend time with their family and interact face to face.
- Using interactive and entertaining daily calendars with schedules and timings for each class and letting the kids participate using checklists.
- Utilizing supporting applications where necessary such as the Arab Easy application for assistance with the Arabic language. Many children struggle with different school subjects or languages and I truly feel that applications like these can make the learning experience more appealing to a child especially as our children today rely heavily on technology and try to spend as much time on their screens as they can. My thought process here is the following: if our children will be homeschooled and learning online on their screens anyway, might as well fill their screens with applications that provide stories and audiobooks and challenging quizzes. Eventually they will progress in their language /subject and will feel encouraged to continue their learning practice by themselves.
We all love our children and want the best for them. This is a trying time for all parents and educators and mostly, children. I believe that we should seek help wherever we can. After all, it take a village. I found this help with the Arab Easy application and I’m not the only one, many parents in my community are using it and noticing significant improvements in their children’s Arabic literacy. The application aims to “educate its audience (our children) by helping change the way Arabic language is taught and learnt by making reading an everyday practice” and I have found that it accomplishes just that.
Arab Easy app is available on both Google Play and App Store
For more info please visit: https://arabeasy.app
