Biography

Rahman Arman is originally from Afghanistan. He grew up speaking and studying Afghan Languages (Pashto and Dari). In 2005, Rahman graduated Faculty Medical School of Herat University and received his M.D. as a general practitioner. He has also worked for the USAID Afghanistan and Herat Hospital as a medical doctor.

Rahman came to Indiana University in October 2007 as a Pashto material developer for the Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region (CeLCAR), where he is now the Lead Developer for Afghan languages, working with a group of language and pedagogy experts to design effective materials, curricula, and syllabi. Soon after coming to IU, he began teaching classes for the Department of Central Eurasian Studies (CEUS) and has since advanced to the position of Senior Lecturer. He has been teaching Afghan languages at IU’s Summer Language Workshop since 2010, and has been teaching online courses for SLW since 2017.

In addition to teaching at IU, Rahman has also taught Pashto for several summers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI), as well as teaching for Afghan Languages and Cultures Seminars for military personnel, including members of the Embedded Training Teams (ETTs), Agricultural Development Teams (ADTs), and Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRTs). Rahman is also a certified tester, mentor, and evaluator of Pashto and Dari Languages for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and Interagency Language Roundtable (IRL).

Rahman is passionate about language teaching and values communication through mutual respect with his students.

Publications

Education:

  • 2014 – Certification, Language Tester for the Afghan languages of Dari and Pashto, Master Speaking Proficiency Test (MSPT), Department of Justice 
  • 2010 – Certification, Pashto & Dari Language Tester, ACTFL/ILR (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages/ Interagency Language Roundtable)
  • 2009 – Distance Education Certification, Indiana University
  • 2005 – Doctor of Medicine, Herat University Medical Faculty School of Medicine, Herat, Afghanistan
  • 1997 – B.S. in Biochemistry, Herat University Medical Faculty School of Medicine, Herat, Afghanistan

Current Positions:

  • Lecturer, Central Eurasian Studies and SWSEEL The Summer Language Workshop
  • Advisor, Afghan Students Association, Indiana University
  • Afghan Languages Tester, ACTFAL/ILR
  • Afghan Languages Expert and Reviewer, Avant Assessment

Achievements/Awards:

  • Appreciation Award/ Exceptional Language Instruction Award, CeLCAR military seminars from 2008 to 2010, Bloomington, Indiana
  • UN-Habitat Certification for Public Health Awareness, August 2005

Publication and Presentation Highlights:

  • “Dari Language Crash Course” World Language Festival, Center for Language Technology (CeLT), Indiana University, 2013 
  • “Developing an Asynchronous Online Language Course for Dari and Pashto”, Workshop on Online LCTL Teaching, Indiana University, May 2015
  • “Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) Instruction in an Online Language Learning Environment”, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, Share Fair, Indiana University, April 2016.
  • “Developing an Asynchronous Online Language Course for Dari and Pashto”, ACTFL 2015 Annual Convention and World Languages Expo, San Diego CA, November 2015
  • “Pashtunwali: Pashtun’s Code of Honor”, CeLCAR military seminars from 2009 to 2013, Indiana University
  • “Gestures in Afghan Cultures”, CeLCAR military seminars from 2009 to 2013x, Indiana University
  • “Denominations in Islam”, CeLCAR military seminars from 2010 to 2013, Indiana University
  • “Medical Facilities in Afghanistan”, CeLCAR military seminars from 2008 to 2013, Indiana University

Current Positions:

  • Lecturer, Central Eurasian Studies and SWSEEL The Summer Language Workshop
  • Advisor, Afghan Students Association, Indiana University
  • Afghan Languages Tester, ACTFAL/ILR
  • Afghan Languages Expert and Reviewer, Avant Assessment