EL Fellow Program
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Kazakhstan
City Taraz
Host Institution Taraz State University
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates September 2008 - June 2009
Project Focus
English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, Teaching Methodologies, Teaching Techniques, American Literature
Project Description
The EL Fellow will be teaching Teaching Methodologies, American Literature, Writing Style, and English for Speaking to 3-4 groups of 20-25 junior- and senior-year students each up to ten hours per week. The classes last from 50 to 80 minutes each. The target audience for the classes run by the EL Fellow consists of future teachers of English in secondary schools and universities, and interpreters/translators. The EL Fellow will attend weekly staff meetings of host Department of English. The EL Fellow will also attend monthly meetings of Taraz English Teachers Association. Once every two months s/he can give workshops to the members of this professional association. The EL Fellow will travel in the south and the west of Kazakhstan to give a series of workshops and seminars to the English teachers of local universities and secondary schools, and the instructors of English Access Microscholarship program in Shymkent, which is a 3-hour drive from Taraz. The EL Fellow will run a weekly English Club for the students at the host university. The EL Fellow will present at the annual conference of National Association of Teachers of English in Kazakhstan (NATEK) and Central Asian Teachers of English conference (CATEC).
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Kyrgyzstan
City Bishkek
Host Institution NGO Lingua
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates September 2008 - June 2009
Project Focus
American Culture, English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Teaching Methodologies, Teaching Techniques
Project Description
The EL Fellow responsibilities will include establishing collegial relations with teachers of English at host institution through team-teaching approach; identifying areas for professional trainings; conducting workshops and trainings for English language teachers at host institution; conducting regional trainings (Chui, Issyk-Kul, Naryn, Talas, Osh, Jalal-Abad and Batken); discussing methodology and language related issues; participating in curriculum and teaching materials development; participating in building networking schemes of agencies involved in teacher training process (Lingua, Academy of Education, Teacher-training Universities, Peace Corps, Forum Teachers’ Association, other EFL Fellows); promoting exchange of teaching ideas and best practices though newsletters; and expanding understanding and knowledge of American culture and values in informal settings. In addition, the EL Fellow will establish working relations with Teacher-training educational institutions and conduct workshops on monthly basis; participate in the activities at the American Corners throughout the country; participate in the trainings for Peace Corps volunteers; assist in implementing and coordinating the English language projects; and assist in organizing English language program events: conferences, workshops, meetings.
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Tajikistan
City Khujand
Host Institution Khujand State University
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Mid-August 2008 - June 2009
Project Focus
English for Speaking, Teacher Training, ELT
Project Description
The EL Fellow will teach in the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Khujand State University. The EL Fellow will teach university students English as a second language. Abilities many vary widely, but many Tajik university students want to become interpreters. The EL Fellow will also work with faculty members on professional development, help recruit students and faculty members for USG exchange programs and provide educational advising. In addition to teaching, the EL Fellow will be the primary teacher trainer for up to five ACCESS Microscholarship Program sites located around Khujand. S/he will visit these sites at least quarterly. At the sites, the EL Fellow will train teachers and help develop lesson plans, as well as work with students. This will involve extensive travel, sometimes overnight. The EL Fellow will also be an anchor for the US Embassy's new English Teaching Mentor program, which will select 10 teachers from the North and 10 teachers from the South of Tajikistan to receive training four times a year. As the only USG grantee posted in Khujand, the EL Fellow will conduct at least one of the trainings and serve as a resource for participants in the program.
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Tajikistan
City Dushanbe
Host Institution Pedagogical Institute
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates September 2008 - June 2009
Project Focus
English for Speaking, Teacher Training
Project Description
The EL Fellow will teach English as a second language at the Pedagogical Institute, Tajikistan's primary teacher training institution. Duties will include preparing lessons, mentoring students and assisting with faculty development. The EL Fellow is also encouraged to create reading and conversation groups and will be invited to participate in educational fairs and conferences. The EL Fellow will serve as the primary teacher trainer for up to five ACCESS Microscholarship programs located in and around Dushanbe. S/he will visit the ACCESS locations at least quarterly to assist the teachers with curriculum and professional development and to work with the students. One ACCESS program is located in Khorog, which is accessible only by air travel. All other sites can be visited in one day. Finally, the EL Fellow will be one of the pillars of the Embassy's new English Teaching Mentor program, which will select 10 teachers for the north and 10 from the south of Tajikistan for at least four trainings every year. The EL Fellow will conduct at least one training and will also serve as a resource for participants.
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Turkmenistan
City Mary
Host Institution Mary American Corner
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates September 2008 - June 2009
Project Focus
American Culture, American Literature, Democracy/Civics, English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Journalism, Proficiency Exams, Teaching Methodologies, Teaching Techniques, Teacher Training, Curriculum Development
Project Description
The US Embassy's fully staffed Public Affairs Section, with a Cultural Affairs Officer, Cultural Affairs Assistant, and Education Program Assistant, will continue to support the EL Fellow in all matters. Posting previous EL Fellows to an independent (non-state) host institution, paid off in the EL Fellow's greater mobility and creative space to design his/her own schedule and tailor his/her teaching to local conditions. It has also meant greater visibility for the EL Fellow, leading to greater public interest in the resources of the Public Affairs Section. Bearing this in mind, the US Embassy requests an EL Fellow for 2008-2009 to conduct pre-service and in-service teacher training and assist in curriculum development, particularly to help teachers to adapt and develop other materials for their lessons, which are required to be conducted according to the plan from the Ministry of Education. The EL Fellow will be based at the Mary American Corner and will lead regional English language outreach activities in coordination with the EL Fellow in Ashgabat and with the Public Affairs Section and American Corner. The EL Fellow will spend most of his/her time with Mary American Corner. From his/her base, EL Fellow will conduct teacher-training workshops for teachers from all over Mary region. The EL Fellow will also conduct workshops on EFL for local students at the Mary American Corner and also work with language centers. The EL Fellow will also help local counterparts prepare small publications on English teaching methodologies designed for English language teachers at various teaching levels. The Embassy established the Access Microscholarship program in Mary last year and would like to involve the EL Fellow with Access program progress assessment and monitoring, as well as help ACCESS teachers with their teaching as needed. The US Embassy believes that the Mary American Corner will be an ideal place for an EL Fellow in the region and its audience will benefit greatly from EL Fellow placement there, since the working environment in Mary is favorable and students and teachers are very actively involved in all American Corner activities. At the Mary American Corner, the EL Fellow will work with English language instructors on professional development in teaching methodology by leading weekly workshops on methodology and regular discussion cafes to foster public interest in the work of the American Corner. The EL Fellow will oversee the enrichment of existing American studies curricula through the highly motivated teachers who usually attend American Corner teacher training events. The US Embassy will support the EL Fellow in developing his/her schedule and organizing these events. The EL Fellow will also travel throughout Turkmenistan to conduct workshops for local teachers at the American corners in Turkmenabat, Turkmenbashy and Dashoguz. The current EL Fellow has been working with American Corners, and has been an invaluable tool in US Embassy outreach arsenal to students and teachers in the regions. The Embassy will try to program training sessions for students and teachers with the Pedagogical College in Mary and Pedagogical Institute in Turkmenabat.
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Turkmenistan
City Ashgabat
Host Institution Institute of Economy and Management
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates September 2008 - June 2009
Project Focus
Aural comprehension of English, Reading comprehension, English conversation, Written English, American Culture, Proficiency Exams, Teaching Methodologies, Teaching Techniques
Project Descriptions
The EL Fellow will work at the Institute of Economy and Management, based in the capital city Ashgabat. The main objective for the EL Fellow at the Institute will be to teach primarily General English to teachers of various business courses at the institute, preferably with the focus on English for economists or Business English, contingent upon approval from the Government of Turkmenistan. Currently this Institute is restructuring its curriculum and introducing English, but the level of English of teachers is very low, and they need help with designing English for Economists or Business English programs, a technical writing curriculum and materials. Texas A&M University Business School is trying to help the Institute to re-model its curriculum, based on the US Business school model, and introduce English track at the Institute, but it is impossible to do so without adequate English level among the faculty to be able to start this process. It is planned to build on whatever proficiency teachers have (most of them very elementary) to bring them to the intermediate level until summer 2009, when professors from Texas A&M University will come to give classes in more advanced Business English, technical writing and so on. In summer 2010, it is planned to have professors from Texas A&M Business school to come and teach their courses to Turkmen teachers in English to be able to start the first English track in the Fall 2010. Therefore, the EL Fellow will conduct teacher training, particularly to help teachers to adapt and develop materials for their lessons, in accordance with guidelines set by the Ministry of Education. There are eight English teachers, teaching English to both students and teachers at the Institute and this group needs teacher training to acquaint themselves with new interactive teaching methodologies and techniques. As secondary project duties, the EL Fellow will work at the Foreign Languages Training Center of the Supreme Council for Science and Technology, which is established this year and will be open officially on June 12, 2008 with the aim to teach English and other foreign languages to the first group of Turkmen graduate students. The EL Fellow will work with the six full time English teachers at this Center on teacher-training and material development activities for them, as well as teach some English classes to graduate students (there are 96 of them, but some of them will study German or French, but the majority will learn English), such as conversation classes, academic writing, and so on. As a third and minor duties, as the EL Fellow finds appropriate, s/he will work with NGO POET. At the Professional Organization of English Teachers (POET), a civil society group for teachers and professors in Turkmenistan which is co-located with the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Section, the EL Fellow will work with English language instructors on developing teaching methodologies by leading weekly workshops. The EL Fellow will oversee the enrichment of existing American studies curricula through the highly motivated teachers who comprise the membership and audience of POET.
In general, the design of the English Language Fellow in Ashgabat will give him/her a lot of possibilities and a lot of room for creativity and flexibility in designing their own independent program of what they are good at doing and interested in pursuing. The EL Fellow will have many opportunities to continue to conduct workshops on English as a Foreign Language for local students at the PAS IRC and American Corner in Ashgabat (current location of IREX and ACCELS). The EL Fellow will also be involved with the ACCESS Microscholarship program to assist in progress assessment and monitoring, as well as helping ACCESS teachers with their teaching as needed.
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Uzbekistan
City Tashkent
Host Institution Uzbek State World Languages University/IELTE/ACCESS Program
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates September 2008 - June 2009
Project Focus
English for Writing, Teacher Training
Project Description
There are 11 higher educational institutions in Uzbekistan that have English philology departments. However, none of these departments teach Writing as a separate discipline. There is no syllabus, whether national, local, or improvised, that focuses on teaching students and teachers writing skills, including how to write essays, summaries, and reports. The Institute for English Teacher Education (IELTE) at the University of World Languages is piloting a new syllabus that includes a larger writing component, and an EL Fellow could play a pivotal role in improving the new syllabus, developing new teaching materials and improving teaching methods. IELTE envisions that the EL Fellow will work with a team of teachers to revise the existing syllabi for these Writing Courses. The EL Fellow will work with this team to select existing materials and design new materials for these courses. The EL Fellow will meet once a week with each of four student groups and one teachers group. The Fellow will conduct 5 classes, 75 minutes each for each of these 5 groups. IELTE students currently take the following courses, with which the EL Fellow will hopefully assist as described above: Basic Writing (from sentence to paragraph writing) in the first year, Essay Writing in the second year, and Focus Writing (written projects, outline, summary, paraphrase, etc.) in the third year of study. Though the teachers have tried to incorporate the main components of academic writing into these courses, their own lack of specialized knowledge of English writing has hindered their efforts. Besides assisting IELTE in developing these courses, the EL Fellow will observe other courses and offer suggestions for improvement, advise teachers in meetings, and provide feedback to students on written projects and senior projects and also in meetings of the IELTE newsletter club. The EL Fellow will also work with the Uzbekistan Teachers of English Association (UzTEA), with much of this collaboration focusing on the Access Microscholarship Program. Over 100 students are participating in the Access program in Uzbekistan. The US Embassy has established Access programs in Tashkent and also in the provincial towns of Bukhara and Ferghana, which are located in the western and eastern ends of the country respectively. The EL Fellow could play a key role in the teacher training component of Access by holding bi-weekly sessions with the Tashkent-based instructors. Contact with the EL Fellow will help the Access teachers better understand and implement the learner-centered, fluency-focused approach that makes Access so unique. It will also help these teachers get new materials and ideas, many of which will highlight U.S. culture and democratic values. Activities could include conversation class, mini workshops, lesson planning, and new teaching techniques for approximately 1.5 hours a week for 8-10 teachers. Hopefully, once a month or quarter, the EL Fellow will also hold training sessions with the regional team of 8 teachers at each branch. The EL Fellow could also provide instruction directly to the Access students and alumni by conducting an existing conversation class with 15-20 Access program alumni for 1 hour a week. In addition, as time permits, the EL Fellow could initiate a similar class for 2 hours a week with current Access students. Finally, s/he could provide valuable assistance in expanding and improving the curriculum for the annual ten-day Summer Enhancement School, in which over 100 Access students participate. These activities would consume a total of 5-6 hours of the EL Fellow’s time each week (approximately 12% of the fellow’s time). Additionally, the EL Fellow could provide support to UzTEA itself in a variety of ways, including initiating a weekly conversation class with approximately 20 UzTEA members (1-1.5 hours a week), conducting a weekly or monthly teacher training workshop for up to 80 UzTEA members (2-3 hours a month), assisting with planning the bi-annual UzTEA National Conference, assisting with administering various teacher contests as a selection committee member (2-3 times a year), and assisting with administering the organization’s website: www.uztea.uz. These activities would take approximately 4-5 hours a week (about 11% of the fellow’s time).
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