Discussions
That Matter

Arabic Diwaneyat online was established to practice speaking and listening Arabic skills naturally and spontaneously by speaking and listening to various engaging topics through online discussion groups while connecting to others of similar age groups. The language used is a simplified formal Arabic language, similar to the practical Arabic version used in the media today. Arabic Diwaneyat are run by Mrs. Manal Al Farkh who has established this project based on her experience and expertise in the field of education and language learning.

History and Background of the Traditional Diwaneya:

The traditional Diwaneya refers to the reception area where Middle Eastern men received their business colleagues and male guests in the past. Today, the term refers both to a reception hall and the gathering held in it. Visiting or hosting a Diwaneya is an essential feature of a Gulf Arab man’s social life.

Upper Elementary Diwaneyat:

Fun and relevant topics are particularly chosen by Mrs. Al Farkh to create an interactive discussion. Games, as well as fun activities, are introduced to the sessions to create a happy and natural environment for the younger students. The length of the Diwaneya for the younger students is forty-five minutes, unlike the youth and the adult Diwaneya which lasts for an hour.

Middle School  Diwaneyat:

The importance of friendship and the social connection at the middle school level is respected in designing the session for the middle school students. The activities, as well as the topics, are carefully chosen by the students as well as the moderator to match the needs of this age group.

Youth and Adults Diwaneyat:

High school students and university students are placed with professionals to allow an exchange of learning.  In these Diwaneyat the high schoolers get to discuss topics relevant to their daily lives with university students as well as professionals.  They also get to ask more experienced adults about different subjects.  The adults reflect on their ideas as well as practice the language while listening to different perspectives. Depending on the interest of the group, an expert guest is often invited to add a new perspective to the conversation. Through these natural and relevant discussions, the target language speaking and listening skills are practiced.

French Diwaneyat are run by young professional moderators who share the same vision as Mrs. Al Farkh in practicing and growing in language skills.  So far our moderator for the French youth and adults discussion groups has been Bijan, who has received his education at a French school and completed his undergraduate degree at one of the UK’s reputable universities.

Being a third culture student raised in Dubai, Bijan brings a wealth of experience in discussing various topics that the youth can enjoy, all while practicing their speaking and listening language skills in French. His passion for learning and continuous development is a trait that inspires the youth in his discussion groups.

Since September 2019, we have been experimenting with the concept of Diwaneyat online. The enthusiastic participants were young adults in different countries who come from a family with at least one Arab parent. Their first language and the one they use in school predominantly is English.

The conversations during the online sessions were in Arabic (simple classical Arabic). The moderator sent the topics and main vocabulary to the group ahead of time so that students could practice. Feedback from the groups has been the driving force for the refinement of the Diwaneyat Online project.

Apart from the general discussion groups, we have had specialized hosts speak to our young adults about their experiences and views on a specific subject. We also had events when the participants themselves could present to others a topic they are passionate about or a project they worked on.

In  Januaury 2021  we have started our first online upper elementary as well as middle school students Diwaneyat. We made sure we closely worked with the students as well as the parents to get feedback.  Our younger age Diwaneyat required different strategies and adjustments to the adults discussions sessions. After analyzing the feedback of the kids and the parents, we feel that we have been successful in creating a positive environment and engagement amongst our elementary as well as the middle school students. We therefore will have more sessions catering to this age starting in September 2021.  We are all learners, so we believe we will continue to learn and adjust to our participants’ learning styles.

• We use coaching strategies such as paraphrasing to give participants the chance to hear the correct structure and pronunciation. This way, the conversation flows naturally and the speaker does not feel judged or feel as though he or she is in an exam.
• We plan our sessions based on the level and the interests of the participants.
• For the high school sessions, we often invite a professional to share a real-life experience with the students.
• In our middle school sessions, we use simple strategies to start discussions about their school life and activities.
• We also understand the challenges that are involved in holding sessions for elementary students online, therefore we use fun games and activities to help create a discussion.
• Feedback from participants is collected regularly since we believe in a growth mindset.