AY 2007-2008 Projects - Americas

Country                       Paraguay
City                              Asuncion
Host Institution           Centro Cultural Paraguayo Americano (CCPA)

Project Description
The Binational Center (CCPA) is the premier English Teaching institution in the country with over 9,000 students. While English is taught throughout Paraguay to varying degrees, most of the people who actually speak English learned it in the capital at the CCPA. CCPA alumni provide the bulk of our exchange program candidates and the institutions’ importance to our mission cannot be overstated. They are also our principal partner in our most dynamic new project, the English Micro-scholarship program and strengthening their core curriculum and methods is a top priority. The EL Fellow will teach one advanced level course to students; observe classes at the CCPA’s three branches, and occasionally at their new branch in Encarnación (in the south of Paraguay), and provide constructive feedback to the teachers to help them upgrade their skills; assist the trainers of CCPA’s current pre-service and in-service training sessions (once every three months) to update their methods with the latest techniques in the areas of Cooperative Learning, Humanistic Approach, Natural Learning and Complimentary Methodology (the EL Fellow will also teach some portions of these training sessions, focusing on the area of his/her expertise); and prepare for above tasks. Total number of contact hours with students and teachers will be 20/week.  The EL Fellow will also work on to secondary projects, such as monthly workshops to PARATESOL members or other local teachers’ organizations on topics jointly chosen by the EL Fellow and the teachers; and conduct two workshops/seminars on American Culture at the American Corners in San Lorenzo town

Project Objectives
The purpose of this project is to have an EL Fellow assist the CCPA academic staff in programs such as pre-service and in-service training and class observation. By hosting the EL Fellow in the main EFL Teaching Institution in the country multiple objectives will be accomplished simultaneously: Through in-service teacher workshops the effectiveness of teaching will be improved as broadly as possible. The EL Fellow will also be training faculty, both at the CCPA and at PARATESOL workshops generally, who will go on to train new teachers in future years. The multiplier effect of this program is vast since most teachers hold down multiple teaching positions at various public and private schools. If they are taught new and effective methods at the CCPA, they will carry them over to the other institutions where they work. The CCPA interactive method is based on the theory of Stephen Krashen (natural Approach) and cooperative learning/humanistic approach (Carl Rogers & Gertrude Moskowitz). The CCPA’s aim is that of promoting meaningful oral communication through highly contextualized situations and settings. The expertise of the visiting EL Fellow in the area of EFL methodology will be of great help to upgrade the skills of teachers through the use of the latest techniques.

About the Host Institution
The CCPA was founded in Asunción on February 13, 1942 by a group of Paraguayan and American citizens whose original intention was to promote cultural exchange between Paraguay and the United States of America in order to neutralize the Nazi influence in the area and reinforce freedom of speech. Formed originally as the bi-national center by the United States Information Agency, it is now a self-sustaining, nonprofit educational institution. For decades, the CCPA director was appointed by the Department of State through the United States Information Service. Though the CCPA was privatized in 1989, the links it maintains with the U.S. Government through the American Embassy in Asuncion continue to be fruitful and strong, encompassing both English teaching and cultural programming. The Centro Cultural Paraguayo Americano is now in its 63rd year of teaching English to the youth of Paraguay and it is the main EFL Teaching Institution in the country. The CCPA enrolls over 9,000 students in more than 600 courses in four different teaching centers. Their Downtown Center is the largest with more than 4,000 students. Two centers in the suburbs, Villa Morra Center and San Lorenzo Center each serve 2,000 students and a new branch in Encarnacion, in the south of Paraguay. Their students range from five-year-olds to adults. The great majority of their students are teenagers and young adults motivated by the opportunity to learn English to be able to communicate in the modern world community, to be able to use the Internet, to travel, and to improve their prospects on the difficult local and international job markets. Their staff of 180 teachers comes from many walks of life here in the city and most work on a part time basis. Their educational program is administered by professional teachers and coordinators who oversee the daily classroom activities and plan the materials used in each course. The CCPA has four academic programs: 1) CHILDREN: This program lasts three years for children between the ages of 6 and 11. 2) JUNIORS: This program lasts three years for adolescents between 12 and 16 years old. 3) ADULTS: This program lasts three and a half years not counting the ESP courses and students should be seventeen years old to enroll. 4) TEACHERS CERTFICATION PROGRAM: A two-year program, certified by the Catholic University of Asunción and the Ministry of Education, aimed at those who would like to become EFL teachers.