7th Annual Australian Islamic Schooling Conference (AAISC7)

Centre for Islamic Thought and Education"We envisage a revival in Islamic thought for empowerment  of communities through research, education and engagement."Our philosophy is to promote empirical research informed by Islamic methodologies, philosophies and pedagogies, cognisant of the unique Australian context.It is our deep conviction that academic research and teaching must positively impact on engagement with community, media, government and non-government organisations. It must empower vulnerable and disempowered communities. This is at the heart of our philosophy.Bringing together researchers specialising in Islamic civilisation, psychology, ethics, leadership, management, finance and education, our staff has extensive academic experience in Islamic studies, and importantly, substantial understanding of the needs and aspirations of the Australian Muslim communities. Our staff have actively participated in the affairs of the community for the last two decades and are well placed to explore issues that affect them, and engage with them in a holistic and grounded way.Our approach is strength based and does not examine the Muslim community as a ‘subject’ of inquiry that is inscribed by ‘otherness.’The Centre will have major, ongoing impact on the deeper understanding of Islam and Muslims, and their place in Australia and the modern world. We will provide a model for research, teaching and community engagement that are informed by a comprehensive understanding of Islam and Muslims based on Islam’s sacred traditions and contemporary realties.Our centre will engage with academics, journalists, politicians, and the wider community in order to inform, educate, and build bridges of understanding, and to promote a spirit of interconnectedness.

Centre for Islamic Thought and Education /UniSA

Islamic Worldview: Renewing Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment

Islamic College of Brisbane

A worldview is the set of beliefs about fundamental aspects of reality that ground and influence all one’s perceiving, thinking, knowing, and doing. It also refers to your set of answers to all the big questions of life. The Islamic worldview is God-centric and holistic and continues to influence Muslim institutions and communities. Dive deep into the heart of the Islamic Worldview at our conference: Islamic Worldview: Renewing Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment. This unique conference is designed to explore the profound influence of the Islamic worldview on education and explore how it can renew curriculum development, pedagogical praxis, and assessment practices in Islamic Schools.The Inaugural stimulus paper, ‘A Shared Vision for Islamic Schooling in Australia: Learners, Learning, and Leading Learning’, asserts:Islamic schooling privileges an Islamic worldview as the foundation for a distinct form of education. Islamic worldview is both a foundation for knowing and doing, and it is the lens through which all within Islamic schooling mediate understandings and practices towards a distinct form of education. The concept of tawhid (oneness of God, wholeness) is the overarching principle of an Islamic worldview and of education, as envisioned by Islamic schooling as a collective. It serves as both a philosophical and methodological construct that centres purpose and enables coherence and alignment with our understandings of education and schooling.At this conference, we will embark on an enlightening journey, delving into the core principles and values that underpin the Islamic worldview. Our aim is to renew education by infusing it with the wisdom, ethics, and perspective that have shaped Islamic civilization for centuries, showcasing those who are creatively adapting and enacting this in the present.Key themes of the conference include:<ol><li>Islamic worldview in Education: Explore how the Islamic worldview has shaped entire educational systems and can continue to inform whole school renewal right down to the most practical aspects of learning and teaching.</li><li>Innovative Pedagogical Approaches: Share innovative teaching approaches rooted in the Islamic worldview that are inspiring Islamic schools’ classrooms.</li><li>Curriculum Development: Discuss the renewal of educational curricula and share emerging curriculum models that are God-centric and grounded in higher purpose.</li><li>Assessment for Holistic Learning: Reflect on holistic forms of assessment that go beyond evaluating cognition and move toward assessing spiritual, moral, ethical, creative, and critical self-development.</li><li>Teacher Training and Professional Development: Share insights into professional learning programs and initiatives that focus on holistic self-development of educators over technical teacher training or narrow performance and evaluation regimes.</li><li>Global Perspectives on Islamic Education: Present research or case studies that highlight how the Islamic worldview influences education on a global scale, considering regional variations and adaptations.</li><li>Social, Cultural and Political Context: Analyse the impact of social, cultural and political factors on the implementation of Islamic worldview in education, and strategies to navigate challenges and opportunities.</li><li>Student Perspectives: Students sharing their experiences and insights on how the Islamic worldview has influenced their educational journey and personal growth.</li><li>Islamic Education Policy and Advocacy: Explore the role of policymakers, advocates, and policy critics in privileging or promoting the Islamic worldview in resisting, challenging, or enhancing dominant education systems.</li><li>Community Engagement: Share initiatives for centring families and communities in the educational journey of fostering faith.</li></ol>These themes provide a broad spectrum of topics for abstract submissions that can contribute to the conference's vibrant and diverse discussions on renewing curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment within the context of Islamic schooling, and in light of an Islamic worldview.

<h4>Dr. Samir Mahmoud</h4><h4>"Towards an Educational Framework rooted in an Islamic Worldview"</h4>He is also Lecturer on the Diploma in Islamic Psychology at the Cambridge Muslim College.Recently he was Assistant Professor at the Lebanese American University. He has a BA (Hons) in Anthropology &amp; Politics with a focus on multicultural theory and comparative religion, and an MA in Architectural History, Theory &amp; Urban Design with a focus on the traditional townscape from the University of New South Wales, Sydney Australia. He also holds an MPhil in Theology &amp; Religious Studies with a focus on comparative philosophy and aesthetics. He completed a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Dr. Timothy Winter (Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad). Dr. Samir Mahmoud is currently Academic Director of Usul Academy (www.usul.academy). <a href="https://www.samirmahmoud.com/" title="https://www.samirmahmoud.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Read More</a>

<h4>Dr. Farah Ahmed</h4>Farah Ahmed is Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. She co-convenes the ‘Cultural, religious and philosophical traditions in educational dialogue’ strand of the Cambridge Educational Dialogue Research group. Her current project is: Rethinking Islamic education for British Muslim children: a philosophical investigation of personhood and dialogue in Islamic educational theory and an empirical study trialling dialogic halaqah to develop shakhsiyah Islamiyah. The empirical study has led to the founding of the online Islamic Educator Learning Community, an international teacher professional development and research exchange platform. Farah has published widely on holistic Islamic educational approaches.Farah is a qualified secondary English Language and Literature teacher. In 2002, she co-founded Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation (ISF) which runs two full-time independent Islamic faith-schools. ISF grew out of homeschooling projects and has developed a unique holistic Islamic educational programme based on classical Islamic educational thought and contemporary research. Farah served as head teacher for twelve years and is now Director of Education and Research and the lead developer of Shakhsiyah Halaqah and Holistic Thematic Curricula. She is the author of Principles of Shakhsiyah Education and Dialogic Halaqah: A guide for the Muslim educator.

<h4>Dr Claire Alkouatli</h4><h4>"From Islamic Worldview across Pedagogy to Transformative Human Development"</h4>Dr. Claire Alkouatli is an academic, educator, mother, and coach. Her PhD is in Human Development, Learning, and Culture from the University of British Columbia, in Canada, with a specialization in social and emotional development. She is currently a Lecturer with the Center for Islamic Thought and Education (UNISA), a Research Fellow at the Cambridge Muslim College, and a Learning Innovation Developer with the University of Toronto, designing and facilitating Saudi teacher education. Her qualitative research focuses on the roles of culture, relationships, and pedagogies in expanding human development across the lifespan, and holistic well-being in children, youth, educators, and families, with specific focus on imaginative play, dialogue, inquiry, and challenge. <a href="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9717-9614" title="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9717-9614" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Read More</a>

<h4>Assoc. Prof. Nadeem Memon</h4><h4>"How Islamic Worldview Challenges Everything We Mean by "Integration": Breaking Down Implications for Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment."</h4>Assoc. Prof. Nadeem Memon is a Senior Research Fellow and the Program Director for Islamic Education in the Centre for Islamic Thought and Education (CITE) in the School of Education at UniSA. His research focuses on teacher education with particular emphasis on Islamic Pedagogy, comparative faith-based schooling, philosophy of religious education, and culturally relevant and responsive teaching. He is the co-editor of two books: Philosophies of Islamic Education: Historical Perspectives and Emerging Discourses (Routledge, 2016) and Discipline, Devotion, and Dissent: Jewish, Catholic, and Islamic Schooling in Canada (Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2013).Prior to joining UniSA, Nadeem was the Director of Education at Razi Education, a Canadian education-consulting firm that develops professional development for educators working in Western schooling contexts with significant Muslim student populations and for educators in Muslim-majority contexts. At Razi Education, Nadeem spearheaded the design and implementation of a ground breaking online teacher certificate program, the Islamic Teacher Education Program (ITEP), in collaboration with the University of Toronto.In addition to the above, he has also held faculty teaching positions at Centennial College (Canada), Al Akhawayn University (Morocco), University of Toronto (Canada) and Wilfrid Laurier University (Canada). Nadeem holds a PhD in Theory and Policy Studies in Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. His doctoral dissertation focused on the history and philosophy of Islamic schooling in North America. He also holds a M.A. in Education with a research focus on experiential education and a B.Ed of Education with specializations in teaching high school English and History from York University, in Toronto, Canada.

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