Language teachers everywhere strive to ensure that relevance is front and center in their language classes. One of the best ways to ensure relevance is to bring the real world into the classroom (Luukkonen, 2003). Bringing the real world into the classroom might start with using authentic materials but it does not stop there. This presentation described in detail a semester of an advanced Arabic class in which real-world tasks were designed by involving the community starting from community outreach, seeking needs, syllabus design, creating tasks, scaffolding, completing tasks, and finally arriving at a real-life product. The presentation went through some of the challenges and difficulties that were faced during implementation as well as ways to overcome them. Several dos and don’ts were also shared at the end of the presentation.
At the end of the presentation, attendees learned the basics of creating real-world tasks& assignments by involving the community. Identify ways to assess these tasks and assignments. Recognize best practices for community outreach and involvement. Avoid certain difficulties in community outreach. Overcome challenges in community outreach.
Significance
Incorporating real-world experiences into the language classroom by engaging with the community is a key pedagogical approach that the Arabic Program at Yale is eager to implement. This strategy ensures that studying Arabic at the advanced level at Yale not only enhances language proficiency but also equips students with practical skills and knowledge for real-world tasks, ultimately benefiting them as they pursue career opportunities or further studies after graduation

