Acceptance of Language Learning Realities

It must be acknowledged that the vast majority of children living outside Persian-speaking communities cannot speak Persian as fluently and completely as children within such communities. Kanoon’s goal is for children to, by the end of Kanoon’s 5-year Persian language program, be able to speak Persian well, read with ease, and write legibly, even though their vocabulary may likely reach 80% of a fifth-grade graduate in Iran. A basic familiarity with significant Persian literature is part of this program. Kanoon envisions that this educational framework, completed before the age of 11, will provide a foundation for students to easily connect with the cultural and literary space of Persian speakers. Beyond this, the hope is that most students will gain the interest and confidence to independently deepen their Persian language skills or pursue an academic or artistic field related to Iranian culture, such as studying Persian poetry or learning traditional musical instruments.

 

Approach

Some Persian schools dedicate an entire weekend day to teaching Persian. We believe that the UK education system has already determined the optimal amount of instructional hours for children. Dedicating a full day of the two-day weekend to Persian language education may deprive many children of the rest and mental recovery they need. This could increase the risk of students discontinuing their Persian language learning.

As previously mentioned, children are influenced by their peers, and it is difficult for them to accept dedicating a full day of their weekend to an activity that none of their classmates are familiar with.

​

Balanced and Flexible

Many of the students’ peers spend their weekends attending sports or extracurricular activities, and our children are also interested in participating in such programs. If a child attends one or two additional classes on Sundays, they will likely struggle to recover and return refreshed to school on Monday morning.

Kanoon classes are held for two hours a week on Saturdays. These two hours allow children to meet peers who share the same goals in this specific area. This builds credibility and confidence in children’s Persian learning. Furthermore, the cheerful atmosphere, interaction with friends who speak their family language, and enjoyable group projects make these two hours more than just a class—they become a point of connection between the efforts of parents and teachers to foster Persian language education.

 

An Educational Program Beyond a Classroom

At Kanoon, we believe that teaching the Persian language cannot be accomplished solely through formal schools. Learning Persian at Kanoon transforms into a multifaceted project rather than a conventional school format. While most schools emphasize the role of parents in supporting their children’s education, Kanoon offers a relatively structured program designed to sustain children’s continuous interest and learning throughout the week.

We have analyzed the realities and challenges of learning Persian and recognize the limitations of running a Persian school in London. Accordingly, we have adapted our program to these realities, focusing on improving its quality to achieve the maximum educational outcomes for our students.

 

Program Highlights

The following activities are the core of Kanoon’s efforts to achieve its educational goals. With the active participation of parents and teachers, students can successfully complete one academic year each year. However, limited parental involvement may extend the time required to complete each academic level.

• Providing programs and guidance to parents or guardians for participation in education

• Encouraging parents to speak more Persian at home and offering motivational programs

• Sharing successful experiences between parents and teachers during parent-teacher meetings

• Offering graded extracurricular books (stories and literature) for children to practice reading Persian during the week

• Forming teams to work on artistic and sports projects in Persian during classes and celebrations

• Maintaining parent-teacher notebooks for mutual communication about the educational program

• Introducing and utilizing supplementary textbooks

 

Class Structure

Classes at Kanoon are organized into groups of 5 to 10 students per term, based on the number of students. The goal is to create at least three different classes for levels 1 & 2, 3 & 4, and level 5, provided students are appropriately distributed across these levels. If such distribution is not feasible, classes may be organized by age, but the 5–10 student limit per class will still be maintained to allow teachers sufficient time to work with each student.

Friendly School Community

At Kanoon, we are eager to foster friendly relationships among all members. Parents who are interested are invited to join Saturday gatherings at a nearby café during class hours to discuss various topics, particularly their children’s academic progress, and to share experiences.