EL Fellow Program
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Country Venezuela
City Maracay
Host Institution UPEL-Maracay
Project Description
The EL Fellow will work at the UPEL in Maracay at the Department of English, where future generations of English teachers are taught. Their primary responsibilities will be to teach upper level classes in English language, teaching methodology, grammar, etc to students (pre-service); and give training workshops to UPEL faculty (in-service). As U.S. Embassy funds and local opportunities arise, the EL Fellow will also be asked to give presentations at the national VenTESOL conference (usually held over a weekend in late May) and at binational centers. Finally, s/he would be asked to conduct community outreach via the American Corners in Barquisimeto and Maturin (where there are two other UPELs and expected interaction among UPELs and EL Fellows) conducting chats about aspects of American culture and society, as well possibly doing some promotion of study in the U.S. The EL Fellow may also infrequently be asked to work with the binational center, CVA, and the educational advising center, AVAA, in Caracas.
Project Objectives
The 4 UPELs in Caracas, Maturin, Barquisimeto and Maracay currently have EL Fellows, for the first time. Before academic year 2006-2007, there hadn't been any American teachers in the UPELs in recent memory. (One had an American teacher who was married to a Venezuelan, but he lacked professional TESOL training). The ACAO has visited three of the four institutions and has been in close contact with all of the EL Fellows and their Venezuelan counterparts - and all report a high level of success and satisfaction, as well as a desire to see the program continue. This request for an EL Fellow is made also to help counter the anti-US misinformation campaign of the government and to support the mission goals of improving mutual understanding, supporting democracy, and assisting economic development. By offering training to an audience with an already favorable opinion of the U.S. (future English teachers), the U.S. Embassy hopes to strengthen that favorable predisposition and to achieve a multiplier effect as those teachers begin their careers educating youth. With four EL Fellows continuing their work in the Pedagogical Universities, the Embassy would be able to reach a national audience of Venezuelans eager to learn and teach English.
About the Host Institution
The EL Fellow will be based at the pedagogical university in Maracay, Aragua State, approximately two and a half hours driving time from Caracas. The U.S. Embassy would like to continue to provide pre-service training to target the National Pedagogical Experimental Universities - the UPELs - and their in-house pedagogical institutes. These post-secondary institutes are government-supported and offer undergraduate teaching certificates to mostly middle class and lower middle class students. Their graduates typically become teachers in elementary and secondary public education. UPEL Maracay, founded in 1973, has approximately 5000 students, and the Department of English has approximately 400. There is currently no Master's program available, but the Department is developing a program and expects it to start for the 2007-2008 academic year.
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