About the Facilitator
Ms. Manal Assem Abdel Sattar Taher, a facilitator from Giza Governorate, Egypt, possesses distinguished experience in learning facilitation. She memorized the Holy Quran, completed four years at the Preparation Institute, and subsequently attended Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, earning the Aaliyah degree in Quranic Recitations (Qira’at).
She has served as a facilitator in several Quranic recitation circles (Maqari’), including Al-Huda, Al-Fadilah, and the Shooting Club (Nadi El-Seid), alongside a number of online academies. Ms. Manal also boasts extensive experience working with various age groups, including kindergarteners, primary and secondary school students, and adult women. A group of six energetic, curious, and highly active girls—aged 9 to 12—interacted during one of her learning journeys.
Introduction to the Implementation Story
The learning journey she shared details about focused on remaining steady during times of trials and temptations (fitan). It covered the general concept of trials and temptations, their various types, how to identify them, methods of prevention, and the spiritual rewards associated with staying firm—supported by a range of examples from the Biography of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the lives of his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this learning journey, learners will be able to achieve the following:
Attitude Learning Outcomes
- Develop love for the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
- Demonstrate steadiness and avoid being influenced by trials and distractions.
- Value remaining united with the Muslim community and take pride in their faith and identity.
- Appreciate that the Holy Qur’an is the guide and roadmap for life and that life cannot be lived without it.
Skills Learning Outcomes
- Apply practical means that help maintain steadfastness during trials.
- Follow the example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in all situations.
- Establish a daily Qur’an recitation routine.
- Study the Prophet’s biography with the group.
- Perform prayers on time.
- Participate in group activities that strengthen the value of righteous companionship.
Knowledge Learning Outcomes
- Identify the different types of trials.
- Explain how to remain steady and protected during trials and temptations.
- Describe how the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) remained steady during trials and how to follow his example.
- Recall examples from the lives of the Companions and the trials they experienced.
Parallel Learning Outcomes
- Value proper time management and academic excellence.
- Understand the importance of steadiness —just as mountains stabilize the earth, the Quran, messengers, and good companions act as grounding pillars. Similarly, iron symbolizes strength, enhancing, beautifying, and reinforcing whatever it enters; following, studying, and contemplating the Quran functions in the exact same way.
Performance Outcomes
- To consistently perform prayers on time after the completion of the learning journey.
- To maintain the daily Quranic recitation routine (wird) in the future.
- To continue studying the Prophet’s biography (Seerah) after the program ends.
- To actively contemplate (tadabbur) the Holy Quran throughout their future life.
Description of the Implementation Story
The learning journey included one synchronous session alongside a series of asynchronous interactions. The session began with an opening activity, and FIRST Framework was applied throughout the learning journey.
Applying the FIRST-ADLX Framework
F – Focusing on Learner Behaviors
Ms. Manal paid close attention to each learner’s unique talent: she praised a well-organized learner for her tidiness to subtly encourage others to emulate her, and she informed a highly focused, engaged learner of her active participation, which further boosted her focus and engagement. She also invited a different learner to suggest an activity each time, maintained eye contact with all of them, and made a point of addressing them using affectionate nicknames (asmaa’ al-dala’). She greeted them warmly, celebrated their presence, and checked in on anyone who was absent. Furthermore, she gave each learner the opportunity to play the role of the teacher—reciting a verse while the rest of the learners repeated after her.
I – Interacting within Positive Group Dynamics
Ms. Manal divided the learners into teams, where each team would recite and earn points. Both the energizing activities and the mission activities were built around positive interaction. Each learner demonstrated her method of drawing on the cover page of her study notebook in front of her peers, which fostered positive interaction while keeping the focus squarely on the learner. Additionally, a whiteboard activity was used, where each learner held a small board while the facilitator either joined in or monitored their performance.
R – Reviewing Activities within RAR
Readiness Increase
Ms. Manal began by pulling what the learners already knew about the Straight Path (Al-Sirat Al-Mustaqim) and how remaining steady on it leads to the pleasure of Almighty Allah, granting peace in this worldly life and Paradise in the Hereafter. She then provided instructions, distributed tools, and ensured that the learners were seated appropriately for the activity. The activity was first demonstrated with one learner, after which the facilitator clarified the rules of the game once more.
Activity Facilitation
Ms. Manal facilitated the activity according to the outlined steps, monitoring the learners’ performance and encouraging them throughout the activity to achieve the desired goal. Two or three learners held a ping-pong ball using a sheet of paper, with the mission of safely delivering the ball into a basket or a decorated bowl. Canson paper and ping-pong balls were used, and the winner was whoever successfully delivered the highest number of balls without touching or dropping them.
Reviewing Actively
Following the activity, the facilitator asked the learners: “What does the Canson paper formed into a pipe represent? And what does the ball represent?” She then drew out the conclusion that the ball represents the human being, and that if a person strays from the path, they become lost and suffer until they return to it—or they may not be able to return at all.
S – Sequencing within Learner eXperience
The session began with a personalized greeting for each learner, followed by a collective recitation of verses, after which space was given for anyone who wished to recite individually, accompanied by words of encouragement.
Next, questions were posed regarding the verse: “Guide us to the straight path,” such as: “What have we learned from these verses?”, “What is the Straight Path?”, “How do we remain on it?”, “Why do we pray in every prayer for Allah to guide us to it?”, and “Why is the supplication phrased in the plural form?” This was followed by a discussion on the importance of unity and strengthening one’s peers.
After that, the ping-pong ball activity was conducted, followed by the reviewing actively stage. The facilitator then invited each learner to visualize the Straight Path and draw what lies on both sides of it.
Next, the learners discussed the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) regarding the Straight Path and the imagery within it, and they wrote down the Hadith.
They then engaged in an energizing activity where a line wide enough for only one foot was drawn on the floor, surrounded by cups. The activity required each learner to walk along the line without knocking over the cups.
In the closing activity, the learners recited Surah Al-Fatihah together, after which each learner extracted the plural terms found in the Surah onto her own paper.
After the session, preparation for the upcoming session involved researching the plural terms in Surah Al-Fatihah, reflecting on the reason for their occurrence, exploring the names of Surah Al-Fatihah, and understanding why it is called the “Surah of Prayer.” Additionally, the facilitator distributed a tracker schedule to encourage commitment to the Straight Path.
T – Transforming Learning into Performance
The facilitator followed up on the learners’ commitment to prayer, maintaining direct contact with anyone facing difficulties. Furthermore, each learner was asked to log her daily actions demonstrating her steadfastness on the Straight Path.
Impact of Applying the FIRSTis-ADLX Framework
Impact on the Facilitator
Ms. Manal realized that a learning session should be an exciting trip that leaves a lasting impact on learners and translates directly into their daily lives. She became convinced that if a session does not translate into tangible positive real-world change, she, as a teacher and facilitator, has not truly succeeded in her mission—a realization that drives her to put greater effort into preparation and learner engagement.
She concluded that session design is critically important and that a learner-centric approach significantly increases the impact of the session. She also recognized the necessity of designing sessions characterized by seamless flow and logical sequence.
Her practices shifted noticeably after applying the FIRSTis-ADLX Framework: she became more focused on the learner, more appreciative of each learner’s individual talents, and began viewing the session as an integrated whole—characterized by flow and sequencing—where every component supports the other.
Impact on the Learners
The response from the learners was overwhelmingly positive. They wrote notes and cards to the facilitator, inquired about upcoming activities, and expressed a desire to repeat certain exercises. They interacted enthusiastically with one another, creating a positive, interactive, and safe learning environment.
The facilitator observed that the learners were more deeply moved by the session and frequently repeated what they had learned. Among the most prominent outcomes was their effort to establish a daily routine for reading the Quran, along with noticeable improvement in maintaining their daily prayers.
Impact on the School or Community
The facilitator noticed a positive impact on parents, who consistently expressed their gratitude. Whenever a behavioral issue arose with one of the learners, parents proactively reached out to request a learning session aimed at helping modify and guide that behavior.