Mediating Cultures between and among Arabic Teachers

This paper explores how Arabic teachers participating in a 2013 StarTalk program incorporated culture in performance-based assessments while mediating their respective cultures for teaching in US schools. The primary focus centers around how teachers mediate between their first culture and the cultures of the US as demonstrated in their micro teaching simulations. Promoting intercultural and cross-cultural competencies becomes a primary goal and objective for Arabic teachers in the US. We conclude and concur with the sentiments of Rings (2006): the teaching of Arabic must be deliberately focused on mastering cultural knowledge that exposes students to multiple authentic scenarios and assists teachers in mediating cultures between and among Arabic teachers. Index Terms--culture, critical need languages, teacher development