GPISH and STEP Students Visit Historical Sites in Spain

Students from the Class of 2011 of the Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP) and the Class of 2011 of the Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities (GPISH) recently embarked upon an educational trip to southern Spain. This annual trip allows students to experience at first hand the historical roots of Islam in Europe.

MOre @ >>>> http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=111415


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STEP Cohort 1 Graduation Ceremony

The 16th of March 2010 marked the graduation of the first cohort of students from the Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP), a joint initiative of University of London’s Institute of Education (IoE) and The Institute of Ismaili Studies. The ceremony, which was held at Logan Hall, was attended by the IIS governors, Co-directors, senior managers as well as faculty and staff associated with STEP.


MOre @ >>> http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=111323




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STEP Students Visit Cairo

May 2009

Students from the Class of 2010 of the Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP) recently returned from an educational tour of Cairo, Egypt. The visit was an essential component of the Religious Education and the Humanities in Secondary Education module, part of their double master’s degree programme.

Al-Azhar Park
One of the purposes of this trip was to enable students to visit historical sites connected to the Fatimid period such as the al-Azhar Mosque, arguably the most important building from Fatimid Cairo, and the mosque of al-Hakim, which lies between the two large monumental gates of Bab al-Nasr and Bab al-Futuh.


The visit also gave students an opportunity to understand the importance of Cairo in Muslim history and reflect upon the subsequent contributions by the Ayyubids, Mamluks and Ottomans. Notable visits here included the mosque of Muhammed ‘Ali and the Madrasa of Sultan Hasan. The students also visited the Ibn Tulun mosque, a masterpiece of Muslim architecture.

Group of women at Al Azhar Mosque
Finally, through their guided tour of Al-Azhar Park, an AKTC project, they learned about the valuable cultural, social and economic contributions of this project to the contemporary inhabitants of Cairo. The students found the eight-day visit to be a unique and educationally enriching experience.

The trip provided the STEP participants with experience to complement their academic studies. They can draw upon their personal observations of the city and its people to enliven their teaching. One of the students, Laila Allahwala, summarised the experience thus:
Dr Dhanani and Dr Mitha
“Learning about our past is extremely important as it helps us to build a better future. Visiting Cairo helped me understand what the past meant more clearly as it allowed me to imagine how people lived and worked together to form a community in the past. We, both males and females, felt accepted by others in the Ummah when they extended their generosity by asking us to join them in the Salat in their mosques. Furthermore, what was important was that these sacred spaces were not destroyed, but rather were restored, built upon, and which continue to be revered spaces by tourists and citizens of this city.”

An outdoor class
Muniza Ahmed spoke about her Cairo experience as follows:

“Cairo is a beauty – a surprising combination of a rustic and statuesque appeal – chaotic, crowded, colourful and exotic. It is also a relic where many civilisations and dynasties have left their mark. It has a legacy of many great empires but the one I most yearned to explore was that of the Fatimids. I experienced “Fatimid Cairo” not just by visiting the Fatimid mosques and monuments but its influence resonated in many other structures built by later rulers. It was nostalgic walking through Shahra al-Muizz and going inside the mosque of Al-Hakim and Al-Azhar mosque. Once inside these mosques, we sat on the floor and marvelled at the vast courtyards, the continuous arches and the intricately decorated domes and mihrabs. I find Cairo to be a masterpiece of time – its canvas displays remarkable feats of humanity.”

http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=110282#

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IIS Students Visit Spain as Part of their Course

March 2009 GPISH and STEP students from the Class of 2010 traveled to Spain for an educational visit in February and March, respectively. As part of their courses “Architecture of the Muslim World” (GPISH) and “Religious Education and the Humanities in Secondary Education” (STEP), the two groups visited some of the most notable sites of Granada, Cordoba and Malaga.

More @ www.iis.ac.uk

Source: http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=110187


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STEP students visit Cairo

STEP students visit Cairo
March 2008

Students of the first cohort of the Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP) recently returned from an educational tour of Cairo, Egypt (February 13–19, 2008). This visit was the second of two field trips that STEP participants take as part of their double master’s degree course. The first such visit, taken in November 2007, was to Cordoba Spain.

Rich in history and culture, Cordoba and Cairo are considered to be two of the great cities of Muslim civilisations. Both cities feature prominently in the IIS-developed Secondary Curriculum, which will be used by graduates of the STEP for the education of secondary-level Ismaili students worldwide. STEP participants are currently “testing” elements of the Secondary Curriculum with Ismaili youth in London’s religious education centres as part of their local practicum experience.

The recent trips to Cordoba and Cairo are meant to provide STEP participants with experience to complement their academic studies. They can then draw upon these real-life stories to enliven their teaching.

The students found the experience both enjoyable and educational. One of the students, Saba Ebrahim, summarised it thus: “Both educational excursions guided us in an exploration of our heart and mind, and helped in our development as teachers. For this reason, Spain and Egypt will always hold a special place in our hearts.”

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