علاقة التربية بالتعليم والأسوة الحسنة

The bond of education and character education is like that of body and soul. In the comprehensive process of Islamic character building, education is an integral part. Character is the provision for life journey where as education is the light on the path. The recognition of distinct objectives of education and trenchant targets of character education is necessary to solve the crisis of character faced by contemporary world. Education is a lightening experience to develop the skills and awareness whereas character education helps the individual to be sincere with himself, obedient to his Lord, and compliant with the moral values which is the outcome of character education. The curricula of education, no matter how powerful and evolved may it be, need to be translated into behavior. Therefore, a role model is needed to achieve educational goals. The work of the prophet was characterized with deep insight, strong determination, firmness, honesty. These virtuous qualities caused to enlighten hearts with the right faith. Character cannot be built thorough ease and quiet, it is a process built upon a philosophy and laws, which springs from the moral values followed by the society. Islamic character education evolved from the infallible sources of Islamic Sharia: The Qur’an and Sunnah of the beloved Prophet Muhammad (S. A. W) who formed the characters of his noble companions (R. A) in best manner and equipped their generation with everything they needed to lead a successful life in this world and in hereafter. This paper elucidates the connection between education and character education, and sheds light upon the importance of role model in bringing the change as well as covers the major restraints that shackle the process of education and character education.

Improving Classroom Practice Through Curriculum Enrichment

In this study I have researched the curriculum enrichment process. By enriching the curriculum I mean enhancing, deepening, improving and developing not only the syllabus but also other phases of curriculum objectives, like the teaching methodology, and the development of resources. Enriching the curriculum is a never-ending process; during the process I reflected critically on the implementation of the curriculum. The process progresses from evaluating the existing teaching practice in the classroom, to designing an effective teaching, to implementing new teaching practices and back to evaluating the revised teaching practice. I worked with one teacher from a government school in Karachi, Pakistan. My work experience has been in the government sector schools, so I believed it would be better if my personal experiences were included in developing the education system. If I enhanced my studies through research in enriching the curriculum in the government school, I would be able to develop my own context, as the focus of my research is the process of curriculum enrichment and its effects on teachers' classroom practice. Another reason for selecting a government school was that government sector teachers have been teaching mathematics using the traditional methods. Also the existing system of the assessment in schools is product-oriented examinations. Teachers have to complete the syllabus irrespective of whether they comprehend the content. On the basis of my experience as a teacher and teacher educator, I realized that teaching mathematics effectively in the classroom has been neglected, therefore mathematics curriculum needs to be enriched in such a way that students understand the problem, take interest, and solve it cognitively, not by rote memorizing. The data is qualitative in nature. I used observations of classroom teaching learning process, semi structured interviews, and pre and post conferences with the teacher. My research findings show the curriculum enrichment is a complicated interconnected process. It has a positive effect on the teacher's classroom practice. The findings also reveal significant factors, which act as barriers to curriculum enrichment factors.