Masterclass Format

This VIRTUAL Masterclass will be delivered by IBICUS via ZOOM by a fully-trained leader. The timings are 09:00-13:30 UK time with a set-up / introductory meeting starting at 08:30 UK time.  Please note that IBICUS Masterclasses are not official IB PD workshops are any certificates issues do not count towards school authorisation and evaluation.

About the Masterclass

Arabic learners do not encounter one uniform language. They move between Modern Standard Arabic, regional spoken varieties and mixed registers, often with very different levels of confidence in each.

This masterclass addresses one of the most important pedagogical questions in MYP Arabic Language Acquisition: how to work productively with diglossia while maintaining clarity, progression and phase-appropriate assessment expectations. Participants will examine when Modern Standard Arabic, spoken varieties and purposeful movement between them support learning. The session considers listening materials, classroom interaction, text choice, register, learner identity, translanguaging, feedback and the difference between a meaningful language choice and an error that limits communication.

Participants will

• Define the role of Modern Standard Arabic and spoken varieties within an MYP language acquisition programme.
• Select listening and viewing materials that expose learners to authentic variation responsibly.
• Build bridges from familiar spoken language to increasingly controlled academic language.
• Teach learners to make purposeful choices about register, audience and context.
• Give feedback that supports accuracy without dismissing students' linguistic identities.

Practical outcomes

• A clear classroom language-use framework for MYP Arabic Language Acquisition teachers and learners.
• A learning sequence that moves between spoken input and purposeful formal production.
• A feedback framework distinguishing register choice, developmental variation and error.

Masterclass Leader(s)