About the Facilitator and Learners
Mr. Hossam Mohamed Abdel Sattar is an Egyptian teacher based in Cairo, specialized in teaching Quran and Islamic studies. Mr. Hossam has extensive teaching experience and is well-known for his ability to simplify religious concepts for children.
In this session, Mr. Hossam facilitated a series of activities for a group of ten second-grade students, focusing on moral values inspired by Surat Al-Qalam.
The Topic and Learning Outcomes
The session was a facilitation of various aspects of moral education within the context of Surat Al-Qalam. The main learning outcomes were carefully designed to achieve this goal, and they were as follows:
Main Learning Outcomes
Attitude Outcomes
- Believes in the importance of a good and righteous companionship in developing moral character and puts special attention to befriend true Muslims;
- Cultivates good moral qualities and continuously assesses himself accordingly;
- Disapproves of certain negative behaviors, such as harmful speech and stinginess;
- Values the role of morality within his community and adopts its promotion.
Skill Outcomes
- Discusses and provides evidence for the importance of good morals for the success of societies;
- Connects the studied verses with various life situations;
- Refrains from responding to harm with harm.
Knowledge Outcomes
- Defines certain virtuous qualities and their opposites;
- Lists and narrates some stories about morals and the reasons for their revelation.
Parallel Learning Outcomes
Inspired by experiences from FIRST-ADLX learning journeys, I didn’t only design the main learning outcomes, but I also developed parallel outcomes across the three types.
Attitude Outcomes
- Appreciates cleanliness, especially with regard to food.
Skill Outcomes
- Draws lessons from various life situations;
- Practices some cooking skills and learns to adjust the flavor of food.
Knowledge Outcomes
- Identifies the “zanma” of a sheep.
Performance Outcomes
As for the performance outcomes, learners should be able to …
- Refrain from gossip, slander, and bullying, especially toward classmates;
- Choose righteous companions and avoid toxic environments.
The Application Story
After welcoming the students, and in the Readiness Increase Stage, I invited them to participate in the Carrot Activity. We began by washing the carrots and cutting them in half, then split into two teams: one team grated the carrots, while the other cut them into pickle-sized pieces. I then asked, “What do you think would happen if we placed one part in water with salt and the other in water with sugar, along with processes like boiling?”
They paused for a moment, then answered that the first part would likely become pickled, but they weren’t sure what would happen to the second. So, we placed the grated carrots in sugared water and boiled them until they turned into jam. At this point, that is the Reviewing Actively Stage, they tasted it and realized that carrots transform into jam when mixed with certain ingredients and subjected to a specific process, whereas they could become pickles when mixed with different ingredients and processed differently.
We then reflected on what had happened: the same carrot could become sweet or savory. We connected this experiment to human nature. I asked the students a reflective question: “Is there anyone among us who might be like the carrot?” Through their responses, they concluded that a person who places themselves in a good environment will develop good qualities, while someone in a negative environment may adopt immoral traits.
I followed up with another question: “What if we hadn’t put the grated carrots on the heat? Would they have changed?” The answer was no—they only changed when boiled in water. This, I explained, is similar to human morals under pressure and crises. Some people reveal beautiful qualities in difficult times, while others may show the opposite.
We then moved on to another activity. I distributed papers, shared the instructions, and made sure the students were ready for an activity that required a different level of energy and focus. Next, I listed the negative traits mentioned in Surat Al-Qalam, organizing them in one column on a separate sheet, and invited the students to evaluate themselves on these traits in the adjacent column. The students completed the task individually before sharing their reflections during the Reviewing Actively Stage.
I then asked a question about how to get rid of these undesirable traits and invited the students to offer advice to anyone who wishes to overcome a specific trait. The students exchanged ideas and advice while I collected their responses and built on them to highlight the importance of good companionship and a positive environment, from which a person can develop good morals.
For the third activity, we headed to the kitchen, where I invited the students to wash cups with coffee residue. They washed the cups in a warm, friendly atmosphere. Afterward, during the Reviewing Actively Stage, I encouraged them to reflect on what happened when we directed water at the cups and pulled the lessons learned from the activity:
- The cups became cleaner when we patiently directed water at them until all the dirt was gone.
- Similarly, a person can change but needs patience to acquire or rid themselves of any characteristic.
During the facilitation, the children asked about the meaning of the word “zanīm” in Surat Al-Qalam. We conducted a hands-on demonstration using a sheep at the school’s care center, explaining the negative character of Al-Akhnas ibn Shuraiq as someone who was an outsider among his people and who had poor morals and unattractive appearance. This activity helped us achieve a parallel outcome while also reinforcing the main learning outcomes.
In the next learning activity, I pulled some good morals that a good person should possess before presenting a brief discussion titled “w huna mathalnaha amam nakhlah? وهنا مثلناها أمام نخلة؟” I then explained the hadith from Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Among the trees, there is a tree whose leaves do not fall, and it is like the believer; so tell me, what is it?” The people began mentioning the trees of the desert. Abdullah said, “I thought it was the palm tree, but I felt shy.” They then asked, “So tell us, what is it, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “It is the palm tree.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhari.]
Once I finished the mini presentation, I moved on to the Reviewing Actively Stage, where I pulled lessons from the palm tree:
- The qualities of the palm tree are revealed in times of adversity and when strong winds blow.
- The leaves of the palm tree are soft and flexible in the wind, just as the believer is gentle and accommodating, with examples of situations that demonstrate these qualities.
- The trunk of the palm tree may bend with wisdom and humility, as its top is heavy with fruit, similarly, the believer is wise and humble.
- The roots of the palm tree are strong and firm, just as the believer embodies bravery, nobility, and strength.
- If someone throws something at the palm tree, it only produces good fruit, just as the believer, when addressed by the ignorant, responds with peace and does not repay harm with harm, nor does he get revenge from those who disobey Allah with anything more than obedience to Allah.
Afterward, we conducted a linking and summarizing activity titled “The Jewelry Box and the Trash Basket.” The students received cards containing life situations that illustrated praiseworthy or unacceptable morals. They were asked to evaluate these situations, placing the praiseworthy ones along with their descriptions in the jewelry box, while the others went into the trash basket.
In conclusion, to ensure the learning outcomes were achieved, we engaged in a meaningful activity titled “The Clothesline”: each student selected a card from the trash basket, hung it on a line, and searched the Encyclopedia of Morals for brief solutions to help eliminate that particular trait within the school and home. They were to bring back a solution written on a card to attach to the card with the undesirable trait, with the noble purpose of inviting and assisting others in overcoming these negative qualities.
Bottom of Form
Application of FIRST-ADLX Framework
Throughout this session, I focused on applying the domains of FIRST-ADLX in both the design and facilitation through a variety of activities and actions, some of which I would like to share with you.
- Focusing on the Learner Domain
To implement this domain, I did the following:
- Divided the groups based on the initials of the students’ names;
- Continuously invited them to share their information, experiences, and insights;
- Asked about their feelings and opinions on each new concept;
- Ensured that every learner participated in various tasks, including peeling, cutting, grating, washing, and tasting;
- Trusted them to share the lessons learned and to lead some of the activities.
- Interacting within Positive Group Dynamics Domain
To implement this area, I ensured that:
- A cheerful atmosphere was maintained; whenever someone made a joke, I would respond playfully without disrupting the flow;
- The learners were divided into two groups, and tasks were assigned with specific roles for a designated time, after which the tasks were rotated among everyone;
- Everyone was engaged and interacting throughout the facilitation of the activities.
- Reviewing Activities within RAR Model
In the learning activities, I respected all three staged of the RAR model (Readiness Increase, Activity Facilitation, and Reviewing Actively), as previously explained.
- Sequencing Activities within the Session Flow
The application of this domain may be limited, as I focused primarily on the learning activities and did not design experience activities aside from the linking and summarizing activity. However, despite the absence of an opening activity, an energizer, or a closing activity, I consider that I implemented this domain by varying the activities, changing the learners’ roles, segmenting the objectives, and distributing them across the activities, which contributed to the overall flow and sequencing of the session.
- Transforming Learning into Performance
During the Reviewing Actively Stage of each activity, we drew lessons learned from our experiences and shared practical future steps to help us improve ourselves. Additionally, we were careful to use examples and stories from the learners’ real lives and daily experiences for illustration, reasoning, and evaluation.
Impact of Applying FIRST-ADLX Framework
On the Facilitator
In this session, I was more aware of the learners’ needs, nature, and desire to interact, move, and participate. I also felt more reassured about the lasting impact of the session on the learners’ hearts, as I employed practical and scientific framework to achieve this effect, namely, FIRST-ADLX Framework. I left the session recognizing the importance of considering the learner’s state and needs and how this affects their learning and the sustainability of its impact. Additionally, I understood the significance of creating Active Deep Learner eXperiences to achieve a deep lasting impact. I feel that I need to think more about designing activities to ensure that their impact remains in the learners’ hearts, and I sense a need to exchange experiences and discuss alternatives with other FIRST facilitators to adjust some aspects of the design.
On the Learners
The learners had a positive impression and requested similar sessions in the future, expressing a desire to go to the kitchen and engage in similar activities outside the classroom. They also shared their experiences with classmates in other grades.
Thanks to God, some of the children’s behaviors changed, such as bullying and certain verbal issues, which were noted by parents after a period of experiencing the activities.
On the School or Community
Parents also observed a moral impact on the children after studying the Surah and engaging in related activities at home. They discussed what occurred during the session, and showed greater calmness in their interactions after periods of intense emotional responses.
In conclusion, all praise is due to Allah who guided us to this, and may Allah reward everyone who taught us, and make this a part of their good deeds.
