Pedagogical Approaches in Teaching Kurdish: The Traditional Approaches vs Modern Ones

Our objective in this article is to explore the complexities and diverse strategies involved in teaching the Kurdish language across various contexts, including Kurdish-speaking regions. The Kurdish language holds significant cultural and historical importance, but faces challenges in education due to political restrictions, especially in Turkey and Iran. In contrast, in KRG region has seen progress in promoting Kurdish through formal education. The article focuses on traditional methods such as the grammar-translation method (GTM), which has been effective in building foundational literacy skills. Modern approaches, including Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and Task-Based Learning (TBL), are discussed as promising alternatives that emphasize interactive and immersive learning experiences. However, these methods face challenges, such as the shortage of trained teachers and a lack of standardized teaching materials across the various Kurdish dialects. In the study, it has been observed that the materials such as the books prepared for teaching Kurdish were mainly prepared under the influence of GTM or the other traditional methods rather than the modern ones. However, the modern ones which provide communication skills at a higher level enable students to be able to utilize the skills more effectively. The solutions to address such issues are highlighted.