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Full Project Descriptions
Bangladesh
City: Dhaka
Host Institution: BRAC University
Type of Project: Fellow
Project Dates: September 2008 - June 2009
Project Focus
English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Teaching Methodologies, Teacher Training
Project Description
The EL Fellow will hold a joint appointment at BRAC University and the Bangladesh Rural Development Committee (BRAC). At BRAC University the EL Fellow will be a member of the team of teachers that provide ESL training to all BRAC students as well as faculty and will provide additional professional development training for faculty and staff. At BRAC s/he will take part in the Secondary Education Project which provides in-service training to high school teachers, including English teachers, at satellite sites throughout Bangladesh. The EL Fellow will also participate in BRAC’s in-service training program for current English teachers around Bangladesh.
Project Objectives
At BRAC University, the EL Fellow will be teaching and participating in the development of the curriculum for the newly established ESL program. BRAC University is among the better private universities in Dhaka. Although the elite private universities in Bangladesh use English as the language of instruction, BRAC University is among the first to seriously address the issue of training its students in English as a foreign language. Many aspects of the Bangladeshi educational system have been modeled after the British educational system. There is even a thriving sector of English medium primary and secondary schools that teach the standard UK curriculum (even to the point of sending O level and A level examinations to the UK to be graded). University level English programs have been modeled after British programs and tend to assume native fluency. However, most of the students at BRAC University completed Bangla medium secondary schools. Therefore, BRAC recently launched a new comprehensive English teaching program for all of its students. The curriculum involves multiple teachers for each group of students in order to expose the students to a range of teachers and to utilize each teacher’s strengths. This arrangement is conducive to consultation among teachers. It also provides flexibility in scheduling which will permit the EL Fellow to engage extensively in the secondary project. The objective of this placement is to assist well qualified Bangladeshi students to transition from studying in Bangla to studying in English and to collaborate in the development of the teaching program. Although the Ministry of Education has introduced a new English curriculum that focuses on communicative methods, few Bangladeshi English teachers have the competency to teach such a program. BRAC has multiple training centers in different regions of the country (including one in Savar, within the Dhaka district) to which it invites current teachers for four-week training sessions. The objective of this placement is to train trainers and to acquaint trainers with the US. As the level of English competency of most Bangladeshi English teachers (as well as most of the populace) is low, the EL Fellow will be teaching English more than methodology. The two host organizations are linked institutionally and geographically (at least at headquarters). This placement will permit the EL Fellow to contribute to the teacher training project while also having the stability of a university placement. In addition, in this dual capacity, the EL Fellow will be working with BRAC-affiliated programs affecting English educators throughout Bangladesh. The current EL Fellow has had a wonderful experience working with BRAC. BRAC has been extremely supportive of bending university rules/policies to support improved methodology to the point of agreeing to provide supplemental funding for rural programming by funding the EL Fellow to visit/observe rural teachers and as well as provide funding for a conference. By interacting directly with students, faculty, and administration, the EL Fellow, through the medium of English instruction, conveys American values for democracy and human rights in a uniquely personal manner. As the US Embassy continues its outreach efforts in the Muslim world, this person-to-person approach to educating youth is critical in shaping the views of Bangladesh's next generation of leaders.
About the Host Institution
BRAC University is a new private university in Dhaka. It is almost five years old and recently graduated its first undergraduate class. It is affiliated with BRAC. Despite its newness, BRAC already has several international partners including George Washington University (supported by an ECA partnerships grant) as well as the Institute for Cholera and Diarrhea Disease Research (ICDDRB) with which it is establishing an MPH program (with substantial support from the Gates Foundation). It has approximately 2,000 students, including both undergraduate and graduate students. Although the standard academic year starts in January, BRAC also takes in new students in September. The Bangladesh Rural Development Committee (BRAC) is one of the world’s largest NGOs. When its activities were confined to Bangladesh, it was the largest single country NGO in the world. Now it also has programs in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and some African countries. It has activities in multiple sectors including microcredit, banking, internet service, healthcare, and education (BRAC operates about 34,000 non-traditional primary schools). BRAC generates funds through some of its activities (stores, bank, ISP) and also receives support from donors. At any time there are numerous international interns volunteering at BRAC.
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India
City: Ahmedabad
Host Institution: Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA)
Type of Project: Senior Fellow
Project Dates: Mid-October 2008 – Mid-August 2009
Project Focus
American Culture, English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Teaching Methodologies, Teaching Techniques, Teacher Training
Project Description
This will be the third year of an EL Fellow presence at the institution, but the EL Fellow will be working with a new audience. The current EL Fellow is in charge of outreach projects in key areas that the US Consulate has an interest in, in addition to the AMA duties and the US Embassy has developed have a whole slate of door-opening projects for the EL Fellow for next year. The current EL Fellow is also doing a great job with the local teacher training that AMA sponsors for the schools and colleges in the local community and the region. AMA is approved by the government of Gujarat as an institution for management training, and is a recognized scientific and research organization. AMA is currently hosting an EL Fellow and sharing this expertise with other teachers, training colleges/institutes and non-governmental organizations. The people of Gujarat are well-known for their entrepreneurship, but language has become a major impediment to the states overall socioeconomic development. As in other states, Gujarat follows a three-tier language policy: Gujarati is the first language, and English is either the second or third language, depending on the school. There are English-medium schools for the elite, but the majority of the population send their children to schools that emphasis on the proper teaching and learning of English speaking and comprehension. English is often taught by teachers who themselves learned English as a second or third language, and most English instruction is delivered in another language. Even in English-medium schools, teachers’ comprehension and pronunciation are often deficient. This creates a vicious circle in which students from vernacular schools are trained as English teachers, even though their own English language skills may be lacking. In Gujarat, English language training is stressed in the 11th grade and 12th grades, where language coursework is conducted in English, but students often neglect these studies because the marks obtained in English are not taken into consideration for admission to professional undergraduate programs. There are nascent MA TEFL programs emerging at Colleges of Education in the Ahmedabad area. The EL Fellow will work on the curriculum with them and offer orientation workshops for the staff and graduate students in student-centered, interactive language education. The US Embassy wishes to continue with an EL Fellow based at this prestigious management institute in Gujarat to help build capacity, and also break the downward spiral of language ability and experience in teacher training. The ACCESS Microscholarship program in Ahmedabad offers opportunity for academic and economic advancement to students in a Muslim community who are not able to afford the typical after school tutoring. The EL Fellow will enliven the ACCESS teaching by introducing modern communicative methods to teachers and by interacting with students through activities such as English camp, outings and film showings. The students will be brought to the American Corner from time to time for cultural exposure programs. The EL Fellow will offer academic programs at the American Corner on a regular basis as well. In addition, the EL Fellow in Ahmedabad is co-located with the American Corner and conducts regular programs at the AC. There is a strong and vibrant English Access Microscholarship program in Ahmedabad as well. The EL Fellow plays a key supportive role for that important program by holding workshops for the teachers and meeting the kids.
Project Objectives
At the AMA the EL Fellow will:
A) work with local educators to develop a curriculum for English language teachers in Gujarati-language schools
B) conduct ongoing sessions of English language training programs at AMA and nearby colleges; these include short courses in Business English for the AMA advanced students and for young professionals from the community. Gujarats economy is expanding and English language competency is in great demand
C) organize special lectures/seminars/workshops for English language teachers
D) participate in AMs management development programs
E) Engage with the new MA TEFL programs to develop curriculum and train teachers
In addition, the EL Fellow will work with the ACCESS Microscholarship program in Ahmedabad which is run by an educational NGO. The EL Fellow provides regular training for ACCESS teachers and will provides activities for students in the predominantly Muslim community ACCESS serves. The EL Fellow will offer ELT and cultural programs at the American Corner located in the AMA as well.
About the Host Institution
The Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) has won several accolades for its educational programs and has been running regular language programs for heads of educational institutions, school teachers and students. AMA is also the host institution for posts hugely successful American Corner, and has been a cooperative partner with the Consulate in American Corner activities. AMA is located in a modern and well-kept facility in the city of Ahmedabad, which, at a population of over 5 million, is the largest city in Gujarat and home to a number of educational and cultural institutions.
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India
City: Chennai
Host Institution: Directorate of Collegiate Education
Type of Project: Senior Fellow
Project Dates: Mid-October 2008 – Mid-August 2009
Project Focus
English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Teaching Methodologies, Teaching Techniques, Teacher Training, TOT
Project Description
This proposal is riding the success of the Hyderabad model started two years ago (and still going strong this year without an EL Fellow). The Directorate in Tamil Nadu "heard" about the transformation in teaching achieved by the Andhra Pradesh (Hyderabad) model and requested to do a similar re-training there for all their state college English lecturers. They are committing funds from their fiscal year budget for this and are ready to engage. Teacher training in a learner centered approach that equips students with effective communicative skills is a key area in English Language teaching in India. Students studying in Government Colleges, particularly in rural areas belonging to disadvantaged communities find it difficult to get through the University examinations in English, Math and Science subjects. The EL Fellow Program will be highly beneficial to retrain the faculty to enhance the teaching skills of all the English Lecturers at the Government Colleges in Tamil Nadu, thereby improving the communications skills of the students from the Govt and Govt aided colleges in Tamil Nadu. The model will be the same as that of Andhra Pradesh in that 2 groups of 25-30 teacher trainers will be trained to continue the training with college teachers. The new trainers will be supported by the EL Fellow in the first round of training so as to provide onsite support and feedback on the training. This project is envisaged as a 2 year project with one group of trainers trained in year 1 with at least 40 % of teachers in the state colleges trained in year one. The remaining will be taken care of in year 2. The training structure will be as follows: two 60 hour “General Orientation Programs” for a batch of 150 English teachers from Government colleges who might go on to become future trainers; six 60 hour Regional Level workshops for groups of 50 teachers from each region (Chennai, Vellore, Trichy, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tirunelveli) of Tamil Nadu; a three week “Train the Trainer Program” for 150 teachers selected from the Regional Level Workshops; trainers will be provided with training kits which should ensure a smooth delivery of further training; this program will also address materials preparation, testing and evaluation; and a listening-speaking text book may be produced and made available to the colleges and a listening and speaking component. In addition, the EL Fellow will train the ACCESS teachers thorough a series of workshops throughout the year; review and recommend appropriate materials for the ACCESS learners; and make regular presentations in the American library and American Corner on various aspects of language learning/teaching with specific modules like presentation skills/writing a CV /taking an interview /improving conversation skills, etc.
Project Objectives
Students studying in Government Colleges particularly in rural areas belonging to disadvantaged communities find it difficult to get through the University examinations in English, Math, and Science Subjects. The EL Fellow Program will be highly beneficial to retrain the faculty to enhance the teaching skills of all the English Lecturers at the Government Colleges in Tamil Nadu, thereby improving the communications skills of the students from the Govt and Govt aided colleges in Tamil Nadu. Through presenting the current thinking on English language teaching and using contemporary resources , the program will contribute to the understanding of the US, its policies, social structures, culture and people though which it will advance goals promoting democracy, economic growth and public diplomacy. Through direct influence on the teachers and program administrators, and indirect influence on the growing mass of youth studying English as a tool for personal and national development, in teaching materials, curriculum proposals, and daily interaction with a real American, will support US goals of establishing peace and democracy, of expanding economic opportunity, and of improving the mutual understanding between our two nations.
About the Host Institution
The Directorate of Collegiate Education was formed in the year 1965 with a view to exclusively administer Collegiate Education by bifurcating the erstwhile Directorate of Public Instruction into Directorate of School Education and Directorate of Collegiate Education. The present Government is very keen in making Tamil Nadu the most advanced State in the field of Higher Education by introducing advanced Scientific and Technological measures. The thrust area will be the field of Information Technology which has got a phenomenal scope for the employment of India’s youth studying in the Higher Education Institutions in Tamil Nadu.
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India
City: Jaipur
Host Institution: Directorate of College Education Jaipur
Type of Project: Senior Fellow
Project Dates: Mid-October 2008 – Mid-August 2009
Project Focus
Teacher Training, ESP, Speaking, Writing,
Project Description
This will be the second year for this EL Fellow project at the Directorate of College Education in Jaipur. In this phase the EL Fellow will focus on the following duties:
- Observe the training conducted by teacher trainers
- Monitor and support teacher trainers with supplementary training materials
- Conduct teacher development sessions which will include action research
- Training teachers in learner centered, skills based methodologies and techniques of language teaching
- Training teachers specifically to prepare student with communication skills required in the BPO employment sector
- Develop ESP courses in areas identified by the government which meet the special needs of the state. This would include use of the internet to improve communication skills
- Prepare specific modules on presentation skills, writing a CV, taking an interview, improving conversation skills, etc. (these could be offered to the community at large by the teachers trained on this project)
In addition, the EL Fellow will provide training to Access teachers, give workshops and talks at the American centre, coordinate conferences and meetings, and address the requests of institutions not covered by the Directorate of College Education.
Project Objectives
This will contribute to the government (under the aegis of a dynamic woman chief minister) to bring about changes in education. Funds have been allocated to the education department to initiate innovation in education to make the courses more job oriented for major economic development. As a result the outreach would extend to young professionals who are looking to improve their skills and competence in communicating in English in all parts of the state. In the above context, developing communicative skills in English for students of Rajasthan is particularly important as overall the students have lower proficiency in English than other progressive states in India.
About the Host Institution
The Directorate of College Education (DCE) was set up in 1958 for the administration and development of higher education in the Rajasthan State. In 1958 there were only 40 Colleges (24 Government, 13 Aided And 03 Unaided) which has today increases to a total of 888 colleges (117 Government colleges 71 aided colleges and 700 unaided colleges). The DCE is working under the control and administration of the Commissioner of College Education, Rajasthan, Jaipur. The DCE plays an important role in bringing about the quantitative and qualitative improvement in the higher education in the State. The main function of DCE is to supervise the functioning of the colleges The DCE has six zonal offices situated at Ajmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner, Kota and Jaipur. The Department of Higher Education is being administered at Secretariat level by Principal Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Asst. Secretary and one OSD. The DCE has taken the initiative by introducing challenging and innovative schemes to provide and develop specialized skills in students of government and private colleges of Rajasthan called the Global Skill Enhancement Program. Some of the courses that are delivered under this scheme are in collaboration with the private sector, particularly the IT and BPO sectors. Job oriented certificate courses are being run successfully at various government colleges of Rajasthan. In addition to this, the DCE has set up Knowledge Centers in 50 colleges in the state.
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Nepal
City: Kathmandu
Host Institution: NELTA/Kathmandu University
Type of Project: Fellow
Project Dates: September 2008 - June 2009
Project Focus
English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Teaching Methodologies, Teaching Techniques, Teacher Training, Materials Development
Project Description
The EL Fellow will work directly with NELTA as follows: with monthly contributions for in-country travel, in-kind office space/secretary in Kathmandu and in-kind lodging and meals while traveling in Nepal, the EL Fellow will travel to approximately 2 to 3 NELTA branch offices throughout Nepal to conduct 2-5 day teacher training sessions. The topics of the workshops may be on materials development, teaching techniques, teaching methodologies, listening, speaking, reading, writing, assessment, and testing (pending the EL Fellow’s expertise and areas of interest); the preferred focus being on materials development. As time allows, once or twice a month, the EL Fellow will assist with revision of courses and curriculum of ELT post-graduate programs at Kathmandu University. Time allowing, the EL Fellow will also give occasional lectures to ministry/parliamentary staff, business professionals, lawyers, and/or journalists, on topics related to writing skills, idioms, US culture, or other, pending the EL Fellow’s expertise and areas of interest.
Project Objectives
English language in Nepal is moving inexorably from a rare facility indulged primarily by academics to an essential second language that is crucial to shaping personal lives, careers, and even the structure of Nepal’s new democracy. The US Embassy is committed to promoting peace and democracy in Nepal, to expanding economic opportunity, and to improving Nepalese understanding of the US, its policies, social structures, culture and people. An EL Fellow assigned to assist the premier English teaching organization in Nepal will advance goals of promoting democracy, economic growth and public diplomacy. English facility is essential for engagement with the international community monitoring human rights, the peace process, and democratization in Nepal. Promotion of free markets and entrepreneurship, additional tenets of the American character, are also inherent in the materials, teaching, and personal character of an EL Fellow. Nepali youth who finds job prospects enhanced through a hard-won English capability is very unlikely to fall prey to the temptations of the political extremists so rampant here. There is no substitute for sustained personal contact between Americans and Nepalese as the most effective way to identify shared values and improve cross-cultural understanding. Through direct influence on the teachers and program administrators, and indirect influence on the growing mass of Nepalese youth studying English as a tool for personal and national development, in teaching materials, curriculum proposals, and daily interaction with a real American, the first English Language Fellow assigned to Nepal will support US goals of establishing peace and democracy, of expanding economic opportunity, and of improving the mutual understanding between our two nations.
About the Host Institution
NELTA (Nepal English Language Teachers Association) was founded in 1992. The main objective behind its establishment was to set up a common platform for all the teachers of English in Nepal so as to support their professional development. Members include teachers at all levels of the educational process as well as private and government funded schools and universities. The need to improve the teaching and learning of the English language, thereby keeping abreast of new developments in English Language Teaching, lays the foundation for NELTA. Several of Kathmandu’s IV participants are NELTA members. Upon returning to Nepal, these IV participants remark about the wealth of information provided during the programs. The US Embassy works very closely with NELTA throughout the year. It has sponsored a number of speakers at NELTAs annual meetings and has provided teacher trainers for NELTA-sponsored training sessions. All of this has been done on a case-by-case basis. The Embassy would like to assist NELTA in standardizing its training materials and developing core materials for its members by providing a dedicated professional for these purposes. The government of Nepal provides little if any on-going assistance to its teachers; NELTA was formed to fill this void.
Kathmandu University (Estd. 1991), the second host institution proposed for this EL Fellow, is providing quality education in different streams of arts, sciences and management through the following schools: School of Arts, School of Education, School of Engineering, School of Management, School of Medical Sciences and School of Sciences. The vision of the School of Education is to offer high quality teacher education programs with a holistic approach, and to play a key role in developing competent teachers, trainers and educational leaders. The objectives of School of Education are to offer practical educational programs that provide knowledge and skills to address the current educational challenges in Nepal; to develop trainers and teachers equipped with a variety of instructional skills, strategies, and methodologies required for creating effective teaching and learning environment; to produce and disseminate high quality teaching and learning materials; and to develop school managers and educational leaders with competent, effective management skills related to school program.
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Sri Lanka
City: Colombo
Host Institution: University of Colombo/Ministry of Education
Type of Project: Senior Fellow
Project Dates: January 2009 - October 2009
Project Focus
Academic Writing, E-learning, Teaching Methodologies, Teacher Training, TOT
Project Description
The EL Fellow will be attached to the Department of English, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The needs of the department include expertise in academic writing to enhance the skills of both undergraduate and postgraduate students in conducting research for and writing theses. Staff training for lecturers in the faculty of English in e-learning and English Language teaching methodologies is also required. The EL Fellow’s time will be split between classroom teaching of students and workshop development and delivery for staff. In addition, the EL Fellow position with the Department of English falls under the Faculty of Graduate Studies. This Faculty would also like to engage the EL Fellow in assisting other departments (e.g. women’s studies, American studies) with improving their students English writing abilities. This would involve workshops with students outside scheduled English department class time. The EL Fellow will also continue to coordinate with the Ministry of Education on a teacher training program based on an American paradigm of training. This involves selecting 20 teachers to become trainers providing them with materials developed by the EL Fellow in Bangkok, and then enabling each trainee to train 20 teachers on a regular basis in the local community throughout the school year, resulting in 400 teachers receiving regular training modules through the school year. This is an ongoing and sustainable American style training paradigm that is in sharp contrast to the usual "BLITZ' training that Ministry of Education runs during summer holidays that offer no follow up during the teaching year. The EL Fellow will also work on a limited basis with Sri Lanka's new ACCESS MICROSCHOLARSHIP program. In addition to the work in Sri Lanka, the EL Fellow will be programmed in the Republic of Maldives on an as-needed basis. The Faculty of Education at the Maldives College of Higher Education is in need of assistance in reviewing the primary and secondary teacher training syllabus.
Project Objectives
Sri Lanka's economic growth strategy focuses on improved competitiveness in global markets and on poverty reduction. Workforce skills critically important to achieving both objectives are presently lacking, leading to high unemployment among younger people. Unemployment among university graduates is very high. Workforce skills most in demand are English language, effective use of information and communication technology, critical thinking, workplace communication and team work. These workforce skills are crucial to the productivity and competitiveness of firms in Sri Lanka's export oriented economy. Once employed, workers with these skills are more productive, advance more rapidly, receive more training and increase their wages. Higher earnings in turn contribute to poverty reduction. The Republic of the Maldives is currently opening their first university and the EL Fellow’s presence and assistance will be of paramount importance in creating an environment to enhance mutual understanding between this Muslim nation and the US.
About the Host Institution
The history of the University of Colombo goes back to 1942, when the University of Ceylon was established in Colombo by the amalgamation of two institutions, namely the Ceylon Medical College (estd. 1870) and the Ceylon University College (estd. 1921). A separate university under the name University of Ceylon, Colombo was established in 1967; it became a campus of the University of Ceylon during 1972-76 when a single university (with a network of campuses) was in operation in the country. Under the Universities Act of 1978, the campus at Colombo was converted to an autonomous university under the name and style "University of Colombo". The Department of English is under the Faculty of Arts.
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