Understandings of Islamic pedagogy for personalised learning

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore what is believed to be a deep connection between Islamic pedagogy as a way to cultivate personal learning experiences. The paper discusses the relationship between the characterising features of Islamic pedagogy and personalised learning that remains central to Islamic institutional developments. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of the embodiment of knowledge in Islamic pedagogy for personalised learning. Design/methodology/approach – The endeavours to define the characterising features that represents the relationship between Islamic pedagogy and knowledge embodiment. Findings – The paper proposes that Islamic pedagogy is dependent on both a personalised approach towards teacher and student embodiment. From an Islamic perspective, embodiment has a physical and spiritual dimension where prophecy is retained and is inherent to existence and daily practice. Without the embodied learning the Islamic approach towards pedagogy is seen to disconnect with many students seeking knowledge. This highlights the centrality of the teachers’ relationship with the student and the distinguishing belief of Islamic pedagogy in knowledge embodiment. Originality/value – The papers contribution to knowledge is in considering personalised learning within the context of Islamic education.