Covid-19!!!

*Virtually...no difference!*

How would you judge man
In his present state?
One doing all he can
...resolving to fate?

Here he is with Covid-19:
From the media he can see it.
Now its reality is heightened...
Around him he is perceiving it.

Lock-downs, rush-shopping,
Social-distancing, self-isolating,
Hand-washing, face-masking,
Hand-gloving, food-rationing!

Governmental yearning...
Health-workers ordering...
Religious leaders sermonizing...
Parents counseling

But man kept nurturing himself
Contrary to...situation demands
Yet from prison rose Prophet Joseph
For submitting to his Lord's commands.

Soon it will be said:
"...was here yesterday;
But nowhere today
...not even on his bed."

The D-day is not exclusive
To denote the Day of Judgment
Nor does it mean being inactive
Prepare for it as you are meant...

Covid-19 is one;
For you to see it raw
Just like the tug-of-war.
Tell me if you have won?

- *AbuuHaashim M.A.Bolaji*
(05/08/1441AH...30/03/2020CE)

EUROPEAN BUSINESS ENGLISH

English as a Medium of Communication

If one hasn't attempted visiting other people's father's farm, one's reply will remain: "My father's farm is the biggest!" This is the similitude of the language situation we find ourselves. 

No language is unimportant; every language has a unique context in which other than it will be irrelevant. That's not to say that there isn't degree of importance about languages. The potentialities of English as a medium of communication between and among state and non-state actors in the international system as we have it today are not unnoticeable even to the blind! 

As linguists, we consider how to assist people in making them to be willingly in control of their lives and not to become victims of forced submission. In a descriptive mode, we could show people the trends and dynamics of communication and consequently the need to upgrade to remain relevant without sounding authoritative! 

There is much wisdom in avoiding being prescriptive; this will keep the field of applied linguistics higher on the rungs of the ladder of language disciplines...

EFFECTIVE USE OF ASSESSMENT IN TEACHING

EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK

Has my judgment on the effective use of assessment in classroom's teaching been positive? Boldly sef! Thus my note-taking: 

STEPS FOR EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK 

During the application of Formative Language Assessment, besides the teaching and learning activities and appropriating of questioning, a number of steps are required at ensuring effective feedback. These are as highlighted below: 

 1- Task-centeredness (avoiding making it learner's capabilities' directed); 

2- Positivity (i.e aimed at bringing out the best from the learners and not for witch-hunting!); 

3- Moderate feedback (provision of necessary/needed guidelines for learners to scale through a given task); 

4- Progressive feedback (that which would be useful in moving up the ladder); 

5- Timely feedback (that's provided when it's required); 

6- Contemplative feedback (which is to give learners the room to contemplate, understand and think out the rightness and wrongness of given tasks); 

7- Checking/Improvement feedback (hints on the confirmation or reality on learning; has learning taken place or not?).

And the conclusion is that besides the foregoing, peer-assessment should also be incorporated into the learning process as its effectiveness has repeatedly been confirmed!

Event Survey!

TESTS AT MAKING AVIATION RISK-FREE!

           Plane-crashes have always been scary! Though they have been proven to be accidental, the degree of recorded loss could have probably been minimal if those duty-bound at such are round pegs in the best round holes.

          Tests may not be 100% appropriate at determining the best candidates all the time. The situation surrounding a test is predisposed as participants are not oblivious of attending to it and as such may only be valid for the apparent intellectual feedbacks!

          The true nature of who we are, requires a real life situation about which the applicants are not pre-informed! Safety remains everybody's responsibility; nochesitation should therefore be entertained at the availability of more credible and relevant tests at selecting the best hands for air traffic control and pilots as the case may be.

...because it isn't always how far an individual can go with an obligation that

matters most, but how well!

LIVING DEAD!!!

*Toyyib? Na'am, he was...!*

The news of *Toyyib's death* baffles...
Should I say...like a make-belief
Until the reality of well-wishers' reactions
Reveal it to be nothing but the truth!

We love *Toyyib* in our own ways;
Preferring he's here and not there
But Allaah chose death for him
Which, in reality, is the real life!

We pray Allaah forgive his excesses,
Reward his successes,
Preserve all that he left behind for good and,
Take away the fear of the bereaved, aamiin!

*Epele ooo!*

From:
Imaam Misbaahud-Deen BOLAJI and family;

Sending a condolence to the family of Ojetola and Olaiwola worldwide!

Religion and Culture: Any Meeting Point?

Religion and Culture!

Like seriously...

On the religio-cultural thing, Brother Ibraaheem Pharmacy aired his view with an initial deep hysteria: 

"Hmm, but Islam also make the culture as a judge in most of marital affairs and that is why statements like "..and live with them (بالمعروف) what is culturally good.
العرف محكم!"

"So, we can't really throw culture away.", he concluded. 

To me, it is a recount:

On my Nikaah Day, I was asked to "at least tilt a little" for the eldest Sheikh in my Zawj's...
I stood my ground... remained standing till the end...

Getting back home, my people ordered that the legs of 'Iyawo' should be washed before entering!

The reason for that wasn't  clear to me. So I refused...

Sometimes it takes one's religious understanding and commitment to address some cultural issues.

However, If we are benefited with  details behind some of our cultural things, we may come to realise that we could actually marry them along our Islamic practices.

24/01/2020
Bolaji M. Anifowose