Teaching with Ihsan
Teacher and mentor training for Islamic educators — twelve Saturday seminars in Islamic educational thought, human development, curriculum and lesson design, pedagogy, classroom leadership, assessment, and mentorship.
The Need · حاجة
The primary aim is to help current and aspiring Islamic educators become more capable teacher-mentors: people who can communicate Islamic knowledge clearly, lead an orderly and caring learning environment, understand the young people before them, and begin building the relationships through which learning becomes practice and character.
Why This Program Exists
The apprenticeship between study and service
Students of knowledge are often asked to enter classrooms, masajid, and leadership roles with deep commitment and valuable learning, but with limited supervised practice among the people they will serve. Teaching with Ihsan creates that missing apprenticeship. Participants study the craft of education, work through real cases, practise teaching, receive feedback, and begin developing the judgment and relational competence that knowledge alone cannot supply.
The program prepares you for further service and continued supervision — it does not by itself appoint anyone as an Ihsan Circle mentor or Hilaq leader.
Who It's For
Teachers already in the room, and those about to walk in
- Aspiring Ihsan Circle and halaqah mentors
- Sunday-school and part-time Islamic Studies teachers
- Qur'an and hifz instructors seeking pedagogical formation
- Masjid youth volunteers and educators
- Current teachers without formal educational training
- Students of knowledge preparing to begin teaching
The Details
Twelve Saturdays, start to finish
- Length
- 12 weeks
- Schedule
- Saturdays, 9:00–10:30 AM Central
- Format
- Live online
- Instructional hours
- 18 total live hours
- Cohort size
- Runs with 5–10; limited to 10
- Instructor
- Irslan Ahmad
- Tuition
- $400 per participant
- Credential
- Certificate of Completion
Start Date
The next cohort will meet live online on Saturday mornings from 9:00–10:30 AM Central. Dates will be announced to the interest list first.
The Aim
What makes a teacher-mentor
Teaching with Ihsan prepares current and aspiring Islamic educators to become more capable teacher-mentors: people who can communicate sacred knowledge clearly, lead students with wisdom, and build the relationships through which learning becomes practice and character. Across twelve Saturday seminars, participants study Islamic educational thought, human development, curriculum and lesson design, pedagogy, classroom leadership, assessment, pastoral judgment, and mentorship. Each participant develops a practical teaching portfolio and receives direct feedback on their own teaching.
Curriculum · منهج
Three phases, twelve weeks
The program moves from why we teach, to how we teach, to how we mentor. Every week title is below — open any one for its detail and applied work.
The Mentor and the Learner
Weeks 1–4
Participants examine the purpose of Islamic education, the nature of the learner, and the personal and relational responsibilities of teaching.
The Craft of Teaching
Weeks 5–8
Participants move from educational purpose into curriculum design, lesson planning, pedagogy, and classroom leadership.
Mentorship in Practice
Weeks 9–12
Participants learn to assess growth, respond wisely to students, adapt their practice to different Islamic educational settings, and demonstrate what they have learned.
Assignments
One portfolio, not twelve disconnected essays
Each week's applied work becomes part of a single cumulative Teacher-Mentor Portfolio — a set of usable products you carry straight into your own classroom, halaqah, or program.
- 01Teacher self-assessment and personal formation goal
- 02Personal philosophy of Islamic education
- 03Learner and context profile
- 04Classroom-observation reflection
- 05Three- or four-week curriculum map
- 06Complete lesson plan
- 07Classroom-leadership plan
- 08Assessment or feedback tool
- 09Responses to pastoral and ethical cases
- 10Microteaching reflection
- 11Final teaching reflection
- 12Continuing development plan
Practice
You will actually teach
The practice requirement is intentionally manageable for a twelve-week, part-time program.
- 01One classroom or halaqah observation
- 02One 10–12 minute microteaching exercise
- 03One substantial supervised teaching segment
- 04One revision or reflection based on feedback
Participants who already teach may complete the final demonstration in their current setting.
Participants without access to a classroom may teach an approved simulated lesson to the cohort or another small group.
A longer apprenticeship remains part of the separate Ihsan Circle mentor-approval process.
Competencies
Six areas you grow in — and get feedback on
Educational purpose and professional integrity
Understanding of the learner
Curriculum and lesson design
Pedagogy and instructional clarity
Classroom and relational leadership
Reflection and responsiveness to feedback
The Credential
Ihsan Circle Certificate of Completion in Islamic Teaching and Mentorship
You receive it when you
- Attend at least 10 of 12 live sessions
- Complete the core Teacher-Mentor Portfolio
- Participate in microteaching
- Complete the final teaching demonstration
- Demonstrate appropriate judgment and professional boundaries
- Respond constructively to feedback
Completion does not
- Constitute state teacher licensure
- Verify mastery of Islamic subject matter
- Verify Qur'anic recitation or tajwid competency
- Automatically appoint someone as an Ihsan Circle mentor
- Automatically qualify someone to direct Hilaq
It gives participants a meaningful pedagogical foundation and makes them eligible for further review, supervised service, or mentor placement.
Completion marks a serious beginning, not mastery.
Your Instructor
Irslan Ahmad
Irslan teaches every session of Teaching with Ihsan himself — the same person who built the circles, trained the mentors, and has been doing this work with young people since 2017.
Tuition
$400 per participant
Tuition includes
- All 12 live sessions
- Course readings and resources
- Feedback on assignments
- Microteaching feedback
- Review of the final portfolio
- Final teaching demonstration and readiness feedback
Payment options
- One payment of $400
- Two payments of $200
Sponsorship
Participants are encouraged to seek sponsorship from their masjid, school, or community. Ihsan Circle can provide a sponsorship request letter, program overview, and invoice, and may help connect accepted applicants with potential sponsors when available.
We can provide
- A ready-made sponsorship request letter
- A concise program overview for masjid boards or school administrators
- An invoice sent directly to the sponsoring organization
- Support requesting full or partial sponsorship
- Connections with potential sponsors when funds or relationships are available
Sponsorship help is available, but funding is not guaranteed.
Joining
From interest to cohort
Join the Interest List
Tell us about your background and teaching goals, and which community (or yourself) you're applying under.
Confirmation
You'll get an automatic reply letting you know we've received it.
A Conversation
We'll reach out personally — by call or WhatsApp — to talk through fit, sponsorship, and your questions.
Dates Announced
When the first cohort's dates are confirmed, the interest list hears first and places are offered from it.
Outcomes
By the end, you will be able to
- Articulate a coherent philosophy of Islamic education
- Recognize the developmental and relational needs of their students
- Design purposeful curricula and lessons
- Use varied pedagogies suited to Islamic educational settings
- Establish orderly, caring, and meaningful learning environments
- Assess student learning and give useful feedback
- Respond to pastoral concerns with appropriate judgment and boundaries
- Reflect upon and improve their own teaching
Questions
Before you join
Learn to teach as well as you know.
The next cohort will meet live online on Saturday mornings from 9:00–10:30 AM Central. Dates will be announced to the interest list first.
What the twelve weeks ask of you
- Short weekly readings or media
- Applied assignments
- One classroom or halaqah observation
- One microteaching exercise
- One supervised teaching segment or equivalent final demonstration
- Final Teacher-Mentor Portfolio