This document presents an approach called Neurolanguage Coaching for teaching Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) to young learners. It combines principles of neuroscience, coaching, and communicative language teaching. The approach aims to create a positive, low-threat environment that engages learners' attention and motivation. Key aspects include using brain-friendly techniques like visuals and storytelling, focusing on prior knowledge, and following the learning cycle of preparation, input, practice, and production. Traditional teacher-centered methods are replaced with coaching conversations and brain-friendly interactions to help transform learners' brains into a performing state for language acquisition.

2. Presented by
Marwa Mekni Toujani
PhD candidate
marwaISLT@gmail.com
Higher Institute of Languages, Tunis
2-3 March 2017
Tunis, Tunisia
Neurolanguage Coaching® : Approach to Teaching
MSA to Young Learners

3. Modern Standard Arabic: An L1 or an L2?
L1
Natural
Easily learnt
Just exposure to input
Complete
L2
Taught
Effortful
Interference of
different variables
Different attainment levels
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4. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) in Tunisia: The
problems
Tunisian Arabic (TA) Vs. MSA
Syntactic differences, phonetic differences,
semantic differences
Young learners attitudes towards MSA
learning
Compared to English and French, MSA is the
most loved language . However, English is the
most preferred one to learn (Jabeur, 2000)
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5. TA Vs. MSA
 Case
 Pronunciation
 Vocabulary
TA MSA
‫كرهبة‬ ‫ارة‬ّ‫ي‬‫س‬
‫جرانة‬ ‫ضفدعة‬
TA MSA
‫للمدرسة‬ ‫مشات‬ ‫زينب‬ ‫المدرسة‬ ‫إلى‬ ‫زينب‬ ‫ذهبت‬
‫كبيرة‬ ‫المدرسة‬ ‫كبيرة‬ ُ‫المدرسة‬
‫المدرسة‬ ّ‫ب‬‫تح‬ ‫زينب‬ ّ‫ب‬‫تح‬
‫المدرسة‬ ُ‫زينب‬
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6. Birth of Neurolanguage Coaching®
 This term was coined by Rachel
Paling in 2012.
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7. What is Neurolanguage Coaching®?
Neurolanguage
Coaching
Neuroscience
Coaching
Communicative
Language Teaching
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8. Principles of Coaching
• Attention
• Motivation
• Empathy
• Trust
• Socio-cultural contexts
Comfortable and positive
atmosphere
• Active Listening
• Powerful questions
• Practice
• Goal-setting
Active Learning
• Paced learning
• Acknowledgement
Adaptation and feedback
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9. ‫ارة‬ّ‫ي‬‫س‬ ‫أو‬ ‫كرهبة‬
‫؟‬
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10. Principles of Neuroscience
• Capacity
• Attention
• Learning cycle
Brain mechanisms
• Brain connections
• The limbic system
Brain systems
• Prior Knowledge
• Visuals
Brain-friendly atmosphere
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11. The Learning Cycle
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12. Neurolanguage Coaching® into Action: Teaching Style
Shutting off teachers’ internal brain
• while you are listening to your learners
• silence
Coaching conversations
• Reformulation
• Asking for clarification
Brain-friendly Conversations
• No multiple questions at the same time
• No « WHY » questions
• More open-ended questions
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13. Neurolanguage Coaching® in Practice: Teaching Content
Grammar Cards
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14. Neurolanguage Coaching® in Practice: Teaching Content
Games
Alphabet games Naming game My personal story game Story card games
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15. Neurolanguage Coaching® in Practice: Teaching Content
 Videos/ICT
Stories Songs
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16. Neurolanguage Coaching® in Practice: Teaching Content
Performance
Acting Story telling Convesations
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17. Traditional Approaches Vs. Neurolanguage Coaching®
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18. Takeaway Messages
 Neurolanguage Coaching® can be considerd as the melting pot
where all teaching/learning approaches melt in a brain-friendly way.
 The aim behind Neurolanguage Coaching® is to transform the
brain for its mere thinking state to its performing state in order to
achieve what football coaches normally aspire to which is winning
the match.
 Learners better learn in a comfortable, zero-threat, highly motivating
and positive atmosphere.
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19. Conclusion
 “I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can
learn.”
— Albert Einstein
 “Each person holds so much power within themselves that needs to be let out.
Sometimes they just need a little nudge, a little direction, a little support, and the
greatest things can happen.”
-Pete Carroll
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20. Useful References
 Efficient Language Coaching™
 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbTKtM8K1_Af0gKPudhh3tQ?spfreload=10
 http://www.efficientlanguagecoaching.com
 Innovative Activities
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS691j9fntg
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEGsRKDsd1k
 https://sites.google.com/site/maham1975/torok
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