The Examination Of The Course Books Used In Arabic Teaching In New Schools Opened During The Tanzimat Era In Terms Of Method
Kerim AçıkThree important teaching institutions in the Ottoman Empire until the Tanzimat Era were sıbyan schools, the madrasas and Enderun Schools. Different methods of teaching Arabic were used in these schools like memorization, comprehension, spelling, repetition, Q&A, negotiation and discussion. The most important development regarding the innovation moves during the Tanzimat Era was schooling. In these schools, as a requirement of the new system, weekly plans were made and switched to the application of the teaching method called “new method” in schools. Linguists followed four methods while preparing grammer books: 1- Rearranging Classical Arabic Teaching Books: Authors have prepared new coursebooks in accordance with “new method” to simplify the classical works. 2- Adapting Language Teaching Methods Emerging in Europe to Arabic: Authors adapted the recent principles of language teaching methods to Arabic teaching. 3- Eclectic Method: By examining all works prepared during Tanzimat Period, along with books of the new methods emerging in Europe books were written in an eclectic manner. 4- Methods Developed by the Tanzimat Period Linguists: Turkish linguists in their own way of teaching Arabic prepared works in which the principle of “simplifying Arabic language” was prioritized. The searches for a new method for Arabic teaching during this period was reflected in the teaching books prepared by many scholars and many books were written. Thus, teaching methods that can be considered authentic have been developed in the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language. In this article, certain works prepared to teach Arabic will be examined and analysed in terms of method.
Tanzimat Döneminde Açılan Yeni Okullarda Arapça Öğretiminde Kullanılan Ders Kitaplarının Yöntem Açısından İncelenmesi
Kerim AçıkOsmanlı Devleti’nde eğitim alanında, Tanzimat dönemine gelinceye kadar üç önemli öğretim kurumu bulunmaktaydı. İlköğretim basamağı olarak sıbyan mektepleri, orta ve yüksek öğretim kurumunu oluşturan medreseler ile Devlet’in yönetim kadrolarını yetiştirmek amacıyla kurulan özel okul niteliğindeki Enderun Mektebi’dir. Bu okullarında Arapça öğretim yöntemi olarak; takrîr, ezber, kavrama, imlâ, tekrar, soru-cevap, müzâkere ve münâzara yöntemleri kullanılmaktaydı. Tanzimat Dönemi’nde başlatılan yenileşme hareketi kapsamda eğitim alanındaki en önemli hamle okullaşmadır. Teşkilatlanmaya önem verilerek birçok yeni okul açılmıştır. Bu okullarda, “Usül-i Cedid (yeni usül)” eğitimin gereği olarak, okul müfredatında yer alan derslerin belirlenen saat sayısına uygun haftalık programları yapılmış ve yeni öğretim yöntemi uygulanmıştır. Yeni Arapça ders kitapları yazılarak okullarda uygulanmaya başlanmıştır. Tanzimat Dönemi’nde Arapça sarf-nahiv kitapları hazırlarken dört metot izlenmiştir: 1- Klasik Arapça Öğretim Kitaplarını Yeniden Düzenleme Yöntemi: Medreselerde Arapça öğretiminde kullanılan klasik eserlerin öğretimini kolaylaştırmak amacıyla “yeni yönteme” uygun olarak hazırlanan kitaplardır. 2- Avrupa’da Ortaya Çıkan Dil Öğretim Yöntemlerini Arapçaya Uyarlama Yöntemi: Avrupa’da ortaya çıkan dil öğretim yöntemleri prensipleri Arapça öğretimi kitaplarına uyarlanmıştır. 3- Muhtelit (Eclectic) Yöntem: Avrupa’da ortaya çıkan yeni yöntemlerle birlikte hem klasik ders kitapları hem de Tanzimat Döneminde hazırlanmış diğer eserler incelenmiş, bilgiler harmanlanarak “muhtelit” usulde kitaplar hazırlanmıştır. 4- Tanzimat Dönemi Dilcileri Tarafından Geliştirilen Yeni Yöntemler: Türk dilcilerinin kendilerine has Arapça öğretimine dair tecrübe ve düşüncelerinin bir sonucu olarak “Arap Dilini kolay öğretme” prensibini ön planda tutarak hazırladıkları özgün eserlerdir. Tanzimat Dönemi’nde Arapça eğitimde yeni metot arayışları, alimler tarafından hazırlanan öğretim kitaplarına yansımış ve birçok kitap telif edilmiştir. Arapçanın öğretiminde özgün yöntemler geliştirilmiştir. Bu makalede; Arapça öğretmek üzere hazırlanan bazı eserler incelenerek metot bakımından analizleri yapılacaktır.
There were three important teaching institutions in the field of education in the Ottoman Empire until the Tanzimat Era. Children aged 5-6 were taken to sıbyan schools for primary education. In these primary school-level schools, the Koran reading, writing, catechism, and a‘mâl-i erbâ‘a (numerate) were taught. Beginner level Arabic morphology was also taught in some sıbyan schools.
The madrasas made up the secondary and higher education after the sıbyan schools in Ottoman education system. The teaching activities that began in the XI. century with Nizamiye madrasas established during the Seljuk period to cultivate fiqh scholars was continued during the Anatolian Seljuks and Ottomans in madrasas. The deterioration in the administrative system of madrasas over time was reflected in the education and this process continued until the Tanzimat Era. There is no article related to the reform of madrasas and sıbyan schools in Imperial Edict of Reorganization. For this reason, madrasas were unable to keep up with the modernization efforts quickly and adequately that begin with Tanzimat. So much so that the first serious innovation efforts were only carried out during the II. Legitimacy.
As morphology books el-Emsile, el-Binâ, el-Maksûd, el-İzzî, el-Merâh and eş-Şâfiye’, two el-Avâmil (Avâmil-i Cürcanî ve Avâmil-i Birgivî), İzhâru’l-Esrâr, el-Kâfiye and el-Kâfiye’s Molla Câmi Şerhi of Nahiv books widely used in the classical period were used in madrasas.
In Ottoman Madrasas, there was a promotion system based on obtaining the right to read books from the next level after finishing the basic and auxiliary books of one level in an order called “passing books”. Accordingly, the duration of the education in madrasas at all levels could be extended or shortened depending on the student’s effort and capacity. As Arabic teaching methods report, memorization, comprehension, spelling, repetition, Q&A, negotiation and discussion were used.
Enderun School is the third important teaching institution of the Ottoman period. It is a private school established to train the state’s administrative staffs and operates within the palace. Courses such as the Kuran, hadith, kalam, calligraphy, Arabic, Persian, eloquence, poetry, philosophy, history, mathematics, and geography were taught in Enderun School. The difference between the teaching method applied in madrasas and Enderun School is the practical training that students had gotten in military and administrative subjects. In this respect, the school had a special education system where a wide variety of arts, administrative, political, and military knowledge were taught with practice and students could reach high levels according to their abilities.
New Schools Opened After the Announcement of the Edict of Reorganization and Arabic Teaching
The innovation (modernization) moves initiated in all areas during the Tanzimat Era led to many positive developments in social and cultural areas. In this context, the most important activity that stands out in the field of education is schooling. New schools established at different levels and various fields were tried to be expanded all over the country by paying attention to the organization in the field of education. The primary and secondary education steps of the new education system were established as Rüşdiye, İdadi, and Sultan Schools which had been opening since 1840 and in 1900 with the opening of Daru’l-fünun, the higher education step was also established. In addition to these schools, which constitute the basis of the education system, many schools in vocational areas had been opened by the state. Additionally, with the permission of private enterprise initiatives, private schools were opened at rüşdiye, idadi and Sultani levels. Almost in all of these schools, Arabic was taught both in order to help Ottoman Turkish and as a foreign language. This article will focus on Arabic teaching in major schools.
Arabic Teaching in Rüşdiye Schools
The first of method searching was carried out by Kemal Efendi, Director of Mekâtib-i Umumiye in 1264/1847. A rüşdiye school opened in Davutpaşa and a four-year program was implemented with one-year preparatory class in this school, and one year preparatory in Dâru’lfunûn. Arabic teaching in this school was based on Usûl-i Cedid. At that time, the following information was in the sources about Usûl-i Cedid and Arabic teaching. “With this new method, rüşdiye students have been started in Arabic and Persian with clear and easy expressions at a level their perception can accept. At the end of the teaching, the student completed the entire morphology of Arabic and the book of Avamil. Now, they have begun tı translate their Arabic lessons.”
The following statement in the sources about the teaching of the mentioned books is essential in terms of the reached level and results: “In 1265/1848, about twenty children Rüşdiyes were tested in front of the Meclis-i Maârif. These children are only eight years old. even though they had not read anything other than Emsile and Bina in Arabic, and the two small tractates in Persian, they answered the questions nicely, and have shown that they have gained a high degree of knowledge in three years with great effort and study. ”
Arabic Teaching in İdadi Schools
The schools referred to as İdadî, were first opened in 1261/1845 in military centres to cover the lack of information for those who wanted to enter military schools. The term İdadî was accepted as the name of the secondary education institution in 1286/1869 with Maârif-i Umumiye Regulation. With this regulation, an İdadî would be opened in every thousand-digit town. İdadî schools were planned as a three-year continuum school after four-year rüşdiyes. Although Arabic lessons were not initially considered in their programs, Arabic lessons had been held since 1869.
Usul-i Cedid was applied as the Arabic teaching method. In addition to some classic works, books prepared to implement in newly opened schools with special methods were also used in Arabic teaching in İdadîs.
Arabic Teaching in Sultanî Schools
Sultanîs were the schools opened in accordance with Usul-i Cedid education, in order to raise people who know all kinds of language and sciences, to enable every class to educate themselves, to conduce to the combining of elements living in the Ottoman Empire. In the curriculum between 1316/1898 and1317/1999, Arabic lessons are as follows:
“Sunuf-ı İptidaiye (Three Years): No Arabic lesson.
Sunuf-ı Tâliye Sunuf-ı Âliye
1st Grade: Arabî 4th Grade: Arabî
2nd Grade: Arabî 5th Grade: Arabî and Eloquence
3rd Grade: Arabî 6th Grade Arabî and Eloquence”
The search for methods to simplify language teaching was ongoing in Mekteb-i Sultanî as in İdadis. For instance, the course minister Cemil Bey’s book Sarf-ı Arabî which was taught in Müptedi classes aimed to teach the student Arabic morphology easily. It was also possible to evaluate the works el-Muntehab and el-Muktedab which Mehmed Zihni Efendi prepared in order to teach the Arabic grammar easily, as important examples of method searches during this period.
Arabic Teaching in Private Schools
The best example of Arabic teaching in private schools is the private school opened by Hacı İbrahim Efendi in Fatih, İstanbul on December 4, 1883 (1301) and called “Dâru’t-Talim”. Dâru’t-talim was a private school with iptidai and rüşdiye.
According to Hacı İbrahim Efendi, the flaw in the current teaching system was in the method and language teaching should have been done as it did in Europe. According to him, first Arabic which shares the rules of our language should be learnt and then French and even Greek and Armenian. İbrahim Efendi found a minimum of two years necessary to teach Arabic fully. He stated the rules of the method he applied in Arabic teaching as follows: During the specified time for teaching Arabic, “students should be kept in a boarding school and should not be taught any other course and should focus on only to Arabic. The teaching of the other courses should be taught in Arabic after reaching a certain level. He stated the objectives of teaching Arabic as follows:
“...providing the student with the ability to decipher and translate Arabic expressions especially what they read on Arabic newspapers within two, three years of strict instruction of Arabic language.”
These goals had been reached and the students of the school had successfully passed the test in the presence of the Sultan.
In these newly opened schools, as a requirement of the new system, weekly plans/programs were made in accordance with the hours of courses in the school curriculum and switched to the application of the teaching method called “Usül-i Cedid (new method)” in schools. Accordingly, Arabic teaching books in accordance with the new system and teaching method had been started to be written and applied in schools. The most important feature of the move to prepare books in accordance with the approach of innovation in Arabic teaching during the Tanzimat Era is the search for a new teaching method by authors. Thus, teaching methods that can be considered authentic were developed in the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language. In this article, certain works prepared to teach Arabic will be examined and analysed in terms of method. During the Tanzimat Era, the linguists followed four different methods while preparing grammar/morphology-based coursebooks:
1. Authors prepared new coursebooks in accordance with “new method” in order to simplify the teaching of classical works such as Emsile, Bina, Maksud, Avamil, İzhar, which used in Arabic Teaching in madrasas.
Example: A. Cevdet Hocazâde, Arapça Yeni Sarf ve Nahiv (Second Part), İstanbul, Mekteb-i Harbiye Publishing, 1323.
2. Authors prepared new coursebooks by adapting the recent principles of language teaching methods that had emerged in Europe to the objectives of teaching Arabic in Ottoman State schools.
Example: Literature Teacher of Galata Sultanî Ali Suad, founder of el-Hedaya Magazine and newspaper owner of el-Hilal el-Osmani Abdülaziz Caviş, Arabic Teacher of İstanbul Sultanî Edhemzade Muhammed Kemaleddin, Ta’limu’l-Lugati’l-Arabîye a’lâ Tarîkat-ı Berlitz, İstanbul, Mahmud Bey Publishing, 1331.
3. Authors examined both classical textbooks and other works prepared during Tanzimat Era, along with books of the new methods emerging in Europe and they blended this information and wrote books in an eclectic manner, as they call it.
Example: Mustafa Cemil – Ahmed Naim, Mekteb-i Sultanîye Mahsus Sarf-ı Arabî and Temrînât, İstanbul: Mahmud Bey Publishing, 1323
4. As a result of the experience and thoughts of Turkish linguists in their own teaching Arabic, these authentic works are the works that had been prepared by prioritizing the principle of “simplifying the teaching of Arabic language.
Example: Süleyman Tevfik from Mehmed Safâ, Gayetu’l-ereb fi Teallüm-i Lisani’l-Arab, İstanbul, el-‘Adl Publishing, 1331 (1913)
As a result, in the period from Tanzimat to the Republic, the heated debate sparked by the teaching of Arabic and the new ideas raised were not in vain and reflected in the books prepared by many valuable language scholars as new teaching methods and applied in many schools. Many Arabic experts who adopted this innovative approach had been trained, proving that Arabic can be taught more easily and effectively with New Method. The works of these linguists should be considered as authentic method studies in the field of Foreign Language Teaching, and language-teaching methodists who work in this field should be shown respect and value. It should also be noted that the studies carried out during the Tanzimat Era contributed positively to the field of Arabic teaching.
