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The present contribution is situated in the framework of a broad government project (entitled Pacte pour un Enseignement d'Excellence) and is specifically devoted to the learning and teaching of modern languages. Our group has been working on the collection, selection, and validation of innovative tools for foreign language learning targeting all levels of proficiency in compulsory education. The present paper reports on a case study that addresses reading strategies outside the classroom for Dutch as a foreign language at A1 level and using a mobile hunt in the Hergé Museum4 (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium). The intended outcomes of our case study include (1) the promotion of mobile and classroom Open Educational Practices (OEPs) for L2 reading, (2) the development of in-service teachers' and learners' digital literacy skills (including among others the co-construction of Open Educational Resources (OERs) and reflective practices on image rights), and (3) the creation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and communities of practice. The Actionbound mobile app was used for the mobile hunt. The participants involved in the case study include three researchers, one teacher trainer, 11 pre-service Teachers (psTs) and two classroom groups of Dutch learners (fifth year of primary school). The study setup (including both the teacher training aspects and the activities) is detailed and illustrated, together with the suggestions that emerged from the questionnaires and follow-up focus group discussions. [For the complete volume, "New Case Studies of Openness in and beyond the Language Classroom," see ED596829.]

This study analyzed the textbooks titled "Arabic for Non-native Speaking Children", Level I by Zakirov, Mingazova, and Mukhametzyanov (2011), and "Arabic for Non-Native Speaking Children", Level II by Mingazova, Zakirov, and Mukhametzyanov (2013) which are used to teach Arabic as a foreign language (AFL) to elementary school children in Tatarstan. The textbooks were then evaluated in the light of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) criteria. Results showed that the textbooks do not meet the CEFR language teaching and learning criteria, as they focus on the reading and writing skills, not oral skills and communication. They focus on the Arabic alphabet letters and basic Arabic grammatical structures and categories. The words taught are selected based on whether they contain the alphabet letter under study, not on the basis of belonging to a certain semantic category. In addition, the textbooks have adopted a grammar-translation approach, not a communicative, functional approach. The study recommends restructuring the textbook aims, skills and subskills taught, language elements selected, syllabus design adopted, and language teaching approach followed so that focus is on learning Arabic for communication. The whole Arabic lesson should be conducted in Arabic (L2). The students should practice oral skills before they move on to reading and writing sentences and paragraphs. The form and meaning of the words and grammatical patterns should be taught together using real objects, drawings, gestures and dramatization. The textbooks should adopt a functional situational syllabus design and follow a communicative language teaching approach. [This paper was published in: "Proceedings IFTE-2020" (pp. 101-129). Kazan Federal University.]

This study analyzed the textbooks titled "Arabic for Non-native Speaking Children", Level I by Zakirov, Mingazova, and Mukhametzyanov (2011), and "Arabic for Non-Native Speaking Children", Level II by Mingazova, Zakirov, and Mukhametzyanov (2013) which are used to teach Arabic as a foreign language (AFL) to elementary school children in Tatarstan. The textbooks were then evaluated in the light of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) criteria. Results showed that the textbooks do not meet the CEFR language teaching and learning criteria, as they focus on the reading and writing skills, not oral skills and communication. They focus on the Arabic alphabet letters and basic Arabic grammatical structures and categories. The words taught are selected based on whether they contain the alphabet letter under study, not on the basis of belonging to a certain semantic category. In addition, the textbooks have adopted a grammar-translation approach, not a communicative, functional approach. The study recommends restructuring the textbook aims, skills and subskills taught, language elements selected, syllabus design adopted, and language teaching approach followed so that focus is on learning Arabic for communication. The whole Arabic lesson should be conducted in Arabic (L2). The students should practice oral skills before they move on to reading and writing sentences and paragraphs. The form and meaning of the words and grammatical patterns should be taught together using real objects, drawings, gestures and dramatization. The textbooks should adopt a functional situational syllabus design and follow a communicative language teaching approach. [This paper was published in: "Proceedings IFTE-2020" (pp. 101-129). Kazan Federal University.]

This study analyzed the textbooks titled "Arabic for Non-native Speaking Children", Level I by Zakirov, Mingazova, and Mukhametzyanov (2011), and "Arabic for Non-Native Speaking Children", Level II by Mingazova, Zakirov, and Mukhametzyanov (2013) which are used to teach Arabic as a foreign language (AFL) to elementary school children in Tatarstan. The textbooks were then evaluated in the light of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) criteria. Results showed that the textbooks do not meet the CEFR language teaching and learning criteria, as they focus on the reading and writing skills, not oral skills and communication. They focus on the Arabic alphabet letters and basic Arabic grammatical structures and categories. The words taught are selected based on whether they contain the alphabet letter under study, not on the basis of belonging to a certain semantic category. In addition, the textbooks have adopted a grammar-translation approach, not a communicative, functional approach. The study recommends restructuring the textbook aims, skills and subskills taught, language elements selected, syllabus design adopted, and language teaching approach followed so that focus is on learning Arabic for communication. The whole Arabic lesson should be conducted in Arabic (L2). The students should practice oral skills before they move on to reading and writing sentences and paragraphs. The form and meaning of the words and grammatical patterns should be taught together using real objects, drawings, gestures and dramatization. The textbooks should adopt a functional situational syllabus design and follow a communicative language teaching approach. [This paper was published in: "Proceedings IFTE-2020" (pp. 101-129). Kazan Federal University.]