FMU Modern Language Courses are a Cultural Experience …
Adegbite Adebimpe Ayooluwa and Nabil Eddoumi want the students who they will teach Yoruba and Arabic languages at Florida Memorial University (FMU) to learn more than speaking and writing.
They want them to learn the culture of the languages.
Nabil will utilize a multi-media approach to teach Arabic because the method allows students to not only talk and read the language, but to also feel the nuances that will expose students to the culture.
“I will use a combination of video, audio and project-based learning methods to engage students,” Nabil explains. “Teaching is like cooking — a good mix of ingredients and flavors are needed to make the meal yummy!”
According to Adegbite, every word and every name in Yoruba has a meaning, therefore connecting the language and the culture. He believes this connection will make learning Yoruba fun and exciting for FMU students.
In Yoruba a persons name is a cultural identifier. For example the name “Abidemi” means that that person was born while their father was away.
Like Nabil, Adegbite will create classroom environments that involve games, singing, and small group projects that both support the fundamentals of learning the language and enhance the cultural experience for FMU students.
FMU’s Modern Languages courses are just one of several course offerings in the Department of Arts and Humanities that prepare FMU students to engage with businesses, organizations and communities abroad. Adegbite, of Nigeria, and Nabil, of Morocco, are scholars in the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Program and will serve as teaching assistants at FMU for the 2016-17 academic year.