International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
learning strategies, approaches, methodologies and techniques so as to unleash the students’ potentials.
(IKRAM-MUSLEH, 2013a).
He may be a muslim or non muslim and has been entrusted by school stakeholders to educate his students.
A mudarris is also the students’ educational manager in school. He ensures that the teaching and learning
process in school is effective and efficient. He enhances school culture and makes schooling environment
conducive for character development and academic excellence.
He is passionate about knowledge and information critical to the development of his students, always keeping
himself updated, well informed, deepens his understanding and widens his experience. He is, however, quick to
admit that he does not know the answers to all questions but he will strive hard to find the answers at a later
time.
He teaches until the students understand meanings, concepts and formulae, become learned, develop positive
attitude and acquire relevant skills. He ensures that the knowledge is holistic, balanced and continuous,
encompassing spritual, emotional, physical and social aspects, so that the students can apply, analyse, assess and
synthesise their knowledge and to enable them to function satisfactorily in society, locally and globally. (Yusuf
al-Qardhawi. 2004).
A mudarris strives to ensure that his students are able to differentiate between good and bad, truth and
falsehood, beneficial and detrimental, benevolonce and damage. He uplifts his students’s ability to think and
make decisions based on criteria, requirements and circumstances according to contexts.
A mudarris pinpoints the motives of his students coming to school and corrects their motives where
necessary. He identifies their mahzumat (unprincipled attitudes) and change them to mahmudat (principled
attitudes).
A mudarris facilitates his students to make changes which are often difficult and complex. From a
constructivist viewpoint, he only prepares the basics. Thereafter, he leaves matters to the students to explore,
investigate and adventure; so as to develop their skills and capacity building. He also ensures that students work
as a team and guides them to make social interactions based on syariah islamiah (islamic law and ethics). All
these are done through cooperative and collaborative learning.
A mudarris teaches innovations and creativity via innovative and creative teaching methodologies and
techniques.
A mudarris is, therefore, a guide, a coach, a mentor, a facilitator, a consultant, a lecturer, a tutor, a motivator
and a social agent all in one.
The Teacher as a Muallim
It is from an arabic word allama which means to impart knowledge. (IKRAM-MUSLEH, 2013a).
Muallim, in many ways is like a mudarris. He does what a mudarris does. He imparts knowledge to others
via strategies, approach, methodologies and techniques so as to develop their potential and make them a better
person. The role of the muallim is based on the hadis, whereby Rasulullah s.a.w. had commanded that every
muslim should transmit from Rasulullah s.a.w. even though it is merely a single sentence.
But unlike a mudarris, a muallim may or may not necessarily teach in school nor teach as a profession. He is
more like a lecturer or preacher. Therefore, most of us, who have been imparting knowledge to others are a
muallim at one time or another.
A muallim deals with 2 types knowledge; aqli (academic) and naqli (revealed knowledge). Aqli knowledge
relates to “worldly matters” such as politics, economics, social and technology. Naqli knowledge are those
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