FARN Books

Telling is an excellent method of communicating specific information, and there are plenty of occasions when our students need specific information. To communicate important facts, to illustrate a concept with a story of its application, to explain the historical origins of a conflict, you can take the easiest route from A to B and just tell (i.e., lecture) your students.

What telling is not good for: teaching students complex ideas, conceptual knowledge, or difficult skills.

‘Is It Ever OK to Lecture?’ New instructors — trained in the importance of “active learning” techniques — often aren’t sure when lecturing is still a valid teaching strategy.

As clarified by the eminent thinker Abū Hāmid al-Ghazālī, wisdom manifests itself in different forms: the poetical (shi'rī), the rhetorical (khitabī), the dialectical (jadalī), and the philosophical (burhanī).

The true test of one's possession of wisdom is that he is able to express it in different forms, just as the Holy Prophet is able to.

Why One Science Professor Has Students Write a Children’s Book A biologist lets students in his upper-level courses choose to write a book explaining complex concepts to kids instead of taking a final exam.

"The study, led by Dr. Joanna Sikora of Australian National University, found the greatest gains in adult literacy, numeracy, and ICT skills when a home had from 80 to 350 books — no additional gains were seen above that number. Nonetheless, what constitutes a large library depends on where you are. Scandinavian families had the biggest collections: 14% of Norwegians and 13% of Swedes had 500+ books in their homes home. Only a handful of countries, though, own fewer than 80 books on average: Chile, Greece, Italy, Singapore, and Turkey."

A home library can have a powerful effect on children A new study finds that simply growing up in a home with enough books increases adult literacy and math prowess

Husmann says the most important thing, for anyone looking to learn something new, is just to really focus on the material—that’s what the most successful students from her study did. Rather than, say, plopping some flashcards in your lap ... “but I’m really watching the football game,” she said.

The Myth of 'Learning Styles' A popular theory that some people learn better visually or aurally keeps getting debunked.

Singapore schools are de-emphasizing pen-and-paper summative examinations, substituting them with other forms of assessment in fulfilment of their goal to rekindle joy of learning.

Can the joy of learning be equated with lesser amount of high-stakes examination? What exactly is joy of learning and its relation to deeper human existential concerns?

Changes to school assessment: What you need to know Schools will cut down on examinations across different levels, in an effort to move away from an over-emphasis on academic results.. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Adab as the purpose of academic pursuit.

In commemoration of Teachers Day this week, get yourself a copy of Imam Abu Hanifah's Al-'Alim Wa Al-Muta'allim (The Teacher and The Student), so as to refresh your intentions of teaching and learning which, according to the great Imam, is directed at enhancing understanding and improving the quality of one's ethico-moral practices.

Pemikiran Pendidikan Imam Abu Hanifah al-Nu’man – Al-Alim Wa Al-Muta’allim Terdapat dua tujuan utama pendidikan menurut Imam Abu Hanifah. Pertama, untuk memperoleh ilmu dan kefahaman; dan kedua, untuk mempertingkatkan kualiti amalan seseorang. Kedua-dua tujuan ini difahami berdasarkan kias, jawapan dan petikan kenyataan Imam Abu Hanifah daripada kitab al-'Alim wa al-Muta'a...

Neocolonization is the extension of the colonial project to a once-colonized sovereign people, by its own colonially-educated people.

The most important medium of neo-colonial project is the education system, which is the main focus of reform for the Neo-Ghazalian Attassian thinker. This is reminiscent of al-Ghazālī's own 11th century efforts which eventually led to the emergence of the generation of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, liberator of Jerusalem from Latin colonization.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) is widely accepted as a model of academic excellence that is not restricted to certificates and schooling. In the PBS documentary "Inside of Einstein's Mind", it is revealed how FOCUS as an element of academic excellence is an integral part of Einstein's life. Even in his spare time, whether at home or at work as a Patents Clerk, Einstein would be found devotedly contemplating on fundamental questions such as the nature of time.

Find out more at

Inside Einstein's Mind; The Enigma of Space and Time [English Subtitles] - Dailymotion Video Inside Einstein's Mind; The Enigma of Space and Time [English Subtitles] adlı Belgesel Günlüğü videosunu Dailymotion'da izleyin.

On Islamic Brotherhood (Ukhuwwah):

“That which unites one Muslim individual to another in a wondrous and unique bond of brotherhood which transcends the restricting limitations of race and nation and space and time and is much stronger than even the familial bond of kinship is none other than this Covenant (made by every individual soul to collectively acknowledge God as their Lord), for those souls that here as man abide by that Covenant recognize each other as their brothers, as kindred souls. They were akin to one another in yonder place and here they are brethren who love one another for God’s sake. Though one be in the East and the other in the West, yet they feel joy and comfort in each other’s talk, and one who lives in a later generation than the other is instructed and consoled by the words of his brother. They were brothers involved in the same destiny long before they appeared as earthly brothers, and they were true kith and kin before they were born in earthly kinship. So here we see that the same Covenant is the very basis of Islamic brotherhood (ukhuwwah). It is this real feeling of brotherhood among Muslims based upon such firm spiritual foundations which no earthly power can rend asunder that unite the individual to the society in Islām without the individual having to suffer loss of individuality and personality, nor the society its polity and authority.”

- Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas, Islam and Secularism (Kuala Lumpur: IBFIM, 2014), 74.

For Minister-level gaffes, the remedy are classics like this one, accompanied with a hot cup of Mocha :)

The Thamarat al-Muhimmah of Raja Ali Haji is a classical must read for politically conscious Muslims, especially in the Malay world in which it is written for. Through the excellent exposition of Associate Professor Dr. Khalif Muammar who is also the current Director of CASIS, the principles of Islamic Statecraft is outlined.

Among the fundamental aspects is the place of politics as the instrument in upholding the religion, statecraft as the art of managing diversity as opposed to the means to achieve power, the idea of rule of law and limited powers, and the necessity of culture of knowledge as the foundations of just governance.