- Albania, Luigj Gurakuqi University, ELTA/PEACE CORPS - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Armenia, Yerevan State Institute of Theater and Cinema - Filled
- Azerbaijan – Azerbaijan State Agriculture University, Ganja Education Information Center, Fellow - Filled
- Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan Teachers Institute - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Bosnia -Herzegovina, University of Tuzla/East Sarajevo University - Filled
- Bosnia-Herzegovina, University of Dzemal Bijedic-Mostar - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Bulgaria, University of Veliko Turnovo - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Georgia, Ministry of Education and Science - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Georgia, Gori University - Filled
- Georgia, Kutaisi Educational Resource Center - Filled
- Georgia, Zugdidi Educational Resource Center - Filled
- Georgia – Ministry of Education and Science, Fellow - Filled
- Hungary, Romaversitas Foundation - Filled
- Kosovo, Kosovo Education Center (KEC), Faculty of Education at University of Pristina - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Kosovo, University of Pristina, Faculty of Education in Prizren - Filled
- Kosovo, University of Pristina/American Corner Pristina - Filled
- Macedonia, SUMNAL,
American Corners - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Moldova, Aleccu Russo University - Filled
- Romania, Dolj County Inspectorate for Education - Filled
- Russia, Belgorod State University - Filled
- Russia, Moscow Research Institute of Steel & Alloys/American Center - Filled
- Russia, Rostov Institute of Management, Business and Law, Rostov American Center - Cancelled
- Russia, Herzen State Pedagogical University for the Humanities/ St. Petersburg Academy of Pedagogical Mastery - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Russia, Far Eastern National University/
Vladivostok American Corner - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Russia, Chelyabinsk State Pedagogical University/Chelyabinsk American Corner - Cancelled
- Russia, Kazan Federal University - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Russia, Novosibirsk State Technical University/Novosibirsk American Corner - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Russia - Tyumen State University/American Corner - Filled
- Serbia, University of Nis - Filled
- Serbia, University of Belgrade - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Turkey, Cukurova University - Filled
- Turkey, Inonu University - Filled
- Turkey, Yuzuncu Yil University - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Turkey, Keçiören Municipality - Filled
- Turkey, Ondokuz Mayis University - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Turkey, Gaziantep University - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Turkey, Erciyes University - Filled
- Turkey, Pamukkale University - Filled
- Turkey, Suleyman Demirel University/Mehmet Akif University - Filled
- Turkey, Erzincan University - Filled
- Turkey, Anadolu University - Filled
- Ukraine, English Teaching Resource Center (ETRC) at the National University Kyiv Mohyla Academy - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Ukraine, East Ukrainian Volodymyr Dal National University (EUNU) - Filled/Confirmed Renewal
- Ukraine, Sevastopol National Technical University - Filled
Host Country Armenia
Host City Yerevan
Host Institution Yerevan State Institute of Theater and Cinema
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Special Country Requirements
Armenia has a high level of literacy and a high percentage of high school students go to universities. Thus, the determination to achieve higher education can be considered as a unique quality of Armenia. Another feature is Armenia’s geopolitical location. It borders Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran. Interested EL Fellows can travel in the region. While geographically isolated, strong economic growth has led to the emergence of general Western-style stores and restaurants. Housing quality is good though finding housing that accommodates pets is challenging. Though the official language is Armenian, Russian is well understood. English is becoming more and more popular, especially with younger people. English is a mandatory subject starting in the second grade of elementary school and up into the high school. Yerevan is a safe city and an interesting place to be. There are no special immunization requirements.
Project Focus
American Culture, English for Listening, English for Reading, and English for Speaking
Project Description
The objective is to improve the English speaking and comprehension skills among students and to expand the teaching of American Studies through English Speaking classes. The target audience is undergraduate and graduate students. The EL Fellow duties will include:
- Teaching to improve students’ speaking skills
- Improving vocabulary and pronunciation
- Focusing on American content in discussions by using a variety of texts and themes reflecting American history, art, culture, and values
- Developing and share the curriculum of English Speaking through American Studies with the faculty
- Creating an interactive learning environment where students can benefit from group activities/projects and can be involved in discussions on America
- Developing presentation and argumentation skills through organizing classroom debates.
The EL Fellow will teach English speaking and comprehension to several groups of undergraduate students, as well as will lead discussion classes and debates with undergraduate and graduate students. The EL Fellow will teach English speaking and comprehension to 3-4 groups consisting of about 10 students each. Each group will meet once or twice a week for 80 minutes. These will mostly be second year students. According to the curriculum, first-year students are required to take English (elementary level) but English is not offered in the following years and required again at the Master’s program. The EL Fellow will also teach English speaking and comprehension skills to one or two groups of faculty members. The groups will meet once a week. The goal is to increase their English communication and comprehension skills and to equip them with English language skills to access alternative sources of information. The EL Fellow will organize an English Club where students can get involved in extra-curricular activities to improve their knowledge of English. The club should be organized to include discussion events, film screenings, and other activities. The EL Fellow will be asked to help with staging of a theatrical piece in English with students.
Project Objectives
An EL Fellow project at Yerevan State Institute of Theater and Cinema will improve the teaching of English at the Institute, will expand interest in learning English among students, will create a new format for learning/practicing the language through extra-curricular activities, and through cooperation with faculty members, will help ensure that American Studies content delivered through English speaking classes will be incorporated into the curriculum. Students are expected to lead discussion based on strong argumentation skills. As a result, students’ presentation skills will improve. American studies program in Armenia is nascent and EL Fellow will play a paramount role in English language instruction as well as in contributing to the English language curriculum.
About the Host Institution
Yerevan State Institute of Theater and Cinema prepares actors and directors in the field of performing arts, theatre, documentary, animation and fiction films, cutters, cameramen, script writers, playwrights, specialists in drama and cinema studies, artists of theatre and cinema, as well as first in Armenia arts managers. The Institute dates back to 1944 when the first State Theater Institute was established in Yerevan. The Institute provides undergraduate and graduate education to a student body of about 1,000 people. English teaching is limited at the university. English is taught only in the first year and offered again at the MA level when the majority of students have lost even their basic knowledge of the language. As a result, the level of knowledge remains elementary. More and more students realize the necessity of foreign languages and English in particular and many take private classes. The necessity comes from a desire to participate in international student forums, to present their work at various festivals, and to have access to a wide variety of resources. The U.S. Embassy has recently organized an American Documentary Film Festival in Armenia and organized several workshops and master-classes for students. Many admitted that the lack of English language skills isolates them from the outside world and does not allow them to compete in the international art market.
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Host Country Azerbaijan
Host City Ganja
Host Institution Azerbaijan State Agriculture University/Ganja Education Information Center (GEIC)
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Late-June 2011
Fellows accepted for Fall start projects will depart 4-6 weeks after receiving a fellowship offer.
Project Focus
American Culture, Business, Economics, English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Proficiency Exams, Teaching Methodologies, Teaching Techniques
Project Description
The EL Fellow will help the students and the teachers of Azerbaijan State Agriculture University in Ganja develop their Business English and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) with a focus on Agriculture and Economics. S/he will help teachers build curriculum for Business and ESP and develop/design a more holistic approach to an English Language program that focuses on reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. The EL Fellow will help University develop a standardized evaluation system based on International leveling standards and will conduct professional development/training seminars focused on methodology for program sustainability. The EL Fellow may also participate in conversational English language skills courses and introduce American culture to students and teachers alike. Note: Students at ASAU are young specialists who will become experts in various fields of agriculture economy and in Azerbaijan, is unique in its fields of study.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, American Culture, American Studies, English Club Programming, Teachers Association/Organization, Workshops/Seminars. Ganja is the third largest city of Azerbaijan with various higher education institutions and hosting thousands of regional students from all over the country. There are also various information resource centers like Ganja Education Information Center (GEIC), American Corner (both funded by the US Embassy) and the Community Information Center (CIC) functioning within USAID funded Media Program. The EL Fellow may be involved in additional English teaching classes and conversation clubs for the students/visitors of GEIC, be closely involved in different activities held by American Corner - organizing events and workshops on American Culture, American Literature and Studies. He/she may take the advantage of high speed internet connection offered by CIC to organize different online sessions or provide classes on various social networking opportunities. As mentioned above, Ganja is hosting large number of students who are actively participating in different exchange programs. The professional Language Fellow's assistance is highly demanded during the application process - writing essays, preparation for TOEFL test and etc. Such a contribution is highly recommended as an additional activity for the EL fellow. There is also an active branch of AZETA (Azerbaijan English Language Teachers' Association) functioning in Ganja which works closely with nearby Peace Corps volunteers who teach English to school-aged children. The EL fellow may be engaged in teacher training activities at AZETA and development of English language curriculum for secondary and high schools.
Project Objectives
Proficiency in Business and Agriculture will foster greater ability for Azerbaijani future agriculture-sector leaders to increase international trade. Development of a sustainable economic environment beyond the oil-sector is the Embassy’s top goal. English and exposure to American culture will help the country to strengthen its international connections, develop market-based economy, obtain access to more educational resources, and foster a more free and open information environment. Developing English language skills in Azerbaijan will also create a more receptive audience for the U.S. culture, ideas, and initiatives.
About the Host Institution
Azerbaijan State Agricultural Academy is a public university located in Ganja, Azerbaijan. The university has eight schools, 3830 students and 560 faculty members. In addition, there is a teaching site in another region - Gazakh with nearly 500 correspondent students. The university is the only state school in Azerbaijan that offers a university-level degree for the agricultural sector. It has 5 faculties - agronomy, agro technology, zoo-veterinary, IT and agro engineering and economy - with more than 20 specialties. Along with various agro-specialized departments there is also Foreign Languages department at the university. It includes the programs on the following languages: Azerbaijani, Russian, English, German and French. There are English language programs for the bachelor degree students of the agro-economy and agro technology faculties. In addition to the classroom activities the teachers are also engaged in developing the teaching materials and curriculum, developing terminology dictionaries for the usage of students and agriculture sector representatives.
Ganja Education Information Center was created in January 1998. The Center's services: advising students to study abroad, mainly in the US, helping them to choose the appropriate field and degree, regularly organizing seminars for the visitors of our Center, trainings for the volunteers, which have decided to be an educational advisors and delivering lectures for local University students and young teachers, disseminating as more as possible information about the Education System of the US, opportunities for study in the US, management of assistant advisers and volunteers; setting up and maintaining professional contacts with Ministry and Embassy officials and other partner organizations, organizing and presenting at outreach programs, including the outreach at others cities of Azerbaijan.
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Host Country Bosnia-Herzegovina
Host City Tuzla and East Sarajevo
Host Institution University of Tuzla/East Sarajevo University
Type of Project Senior Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Project Focus
Teaching Methodologies, Assessment, and Curriculum Development
Project Description
The EL Fellow will be placed in Tuzla, a major Bosnian industrial and educational center. The University of Tuzla has successfully hosted EL Fellows in the past and this year’s EL Fellow will build upon this success. An EL Fellow will address the gaping need for teaching methodology and assessment, both at the University and across the region. The EL Fellow will be hosted jointly by the University of Tuzla and the Pedagogical Institute, meaning the EL Fellow will not only have a lasting impact on Bosnia's leading English faculty, but on English teachers in over 250 high schools throughout the region as well. A new partnership with East Sarajevo University will also take the EL Fellow 3-4 days a month to nearby Bijelina and Zvornik, both Serb dominated areas that have been extremely difficult for the embassy to penetrate. Both of these towns bore witness to some of the worst atrocities during the war, and this is the first such opening for programming there that we have ever had. The city of Tuzla was the destination of many refugees fleeing Zvornik and Srebrenica, and expanding the reach of the EL Fellow in the region directly supports the goal of unifying the country by working across ethnic barriers to heal the wounds of war. The proposed EL Fellow will play a critical role by providing needed teacher training and exposing area teachers and students to Western ideals of tolerance and the value of diversity. By doing so, the EL Fellow will help strengthen democratic society and institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In 2009-10, the University of Tuzla established the country's first MA and Ph.D. degrees in English Language Studies. The University envisions that the EL Fellow will be a great asset to over 20 full time lecturers and professional staffers. The Rector is a visionary with interests in topics of mutual concern including civic education and inter-ethnic communication and reconciliation. Foreign languages, especially English, are high on the university's list of priorities. However, the University is falling short of its ideals, due to a lack of professors with the necessary background in modern teaching methodologies to bring the rector's plan to fruition. The EL Fellow will work with English teaching assistants to prepare curricula to further develop language communication classes to third and four year English majors. The EL Fellow will help to revise curricula of these and other relevant courses so that they meet international standards and would help develop pre and post course exams to assess progress in light of these standards. It is essential that the EL Fellow have extensive experience in assessment as well as curriculum development.
Secondary project duties will include working with: Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow will:
- Conduct regional outreach to the University of East Sarajevo and its branches in cities of Bijeljina and Zvornik.
- Provide programming at the American Corner in Tuzla in cooperation with the Embassy in order to extend the public diplomacy outreach on vital issues of representative government, human rights, anti-terrorist activities and transparent social process in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Develop and facilitate the Tuzla English Seminar for Teachers in the summer of 2011. This project is Embassy organized, targeting English teachers throughout the region.
- Offer expert advice on the English language curricula for the Cantonal Pedagogical Institute in Tuzla for approximately 100 Elementary and 250 High School English teachers. The EL Fellow will have direct access and impact on 350 English Language teachers, 20 faculty and staff, English from Islamic High School, Catholic School Center, and General Gymnasium in the wider Tuzla region.
- In collaboration with the regional association of English teachers, the Senior EL Fellow will help develop workshops and mentor training programs for secondary school English teachers throughout the region beyond the city of Tuzla and across ethnic lines. It will involve the University of East Sarajevo and its branches in Bijeljina and Zvornik that are majority Serb Orthodox areas.
Project Objectives
The EL Fellow will work across ethnic lines in a region deeply divided. In addition, the EL Fellow in Tuzla will be an integral part of U.S. Embassy’s Muslim outreach efforts. While the city of Tuzla is predominantly Muslim, the areas surrounding the city are ethnically Serb. The EL Fellow is expected to help dispel misperceptions about American society and values, particularly with reference to a multi-religious society and the role of Muslims in America. By doing so, the EL Fellow will contribute to efforts to counter Muslim extremism in the region and provide support to unified Bosnia and Herzegovina.
About the Host Institution
The University of Tuzla is perhaps the most progressive and open-minded university in the country. It is the only university in the region to successfully restructure itself in line with the Bologna Declaration by revoking the legal statuses of each formerly independent faculty and establishing the university as the sole legal entity. However, the new cadre of English faculty and teachers face daunting challenges, as gaps in teaching methodology and assessment are prohibiting further progress. The university established the country's first MA and Ph.D. degrees in English language studies, in part a success aided by the ELF program. The impact of previous EL Fellow Programs, particularly in terms of long-term sustainability, has increased over the past three years. Today, largely due to the university's commitment to English teaching and related fields like American Studies, there are about 20 full time faculty members. Most are working on their MAs and Ph.D.s. The presence of the EL Fellow will consolidate these recent gains, and help the Faculty take the next step forward.
The Medresa in Tuzla is the oldest and largest Islamic High School in the country (and is the biggest in the Balkan Peninsula) with over 400 secondary school students who come from primarily rural areas across the region. The director of the medresa and the staff have been very supportive of U.S. Embassy’s English language programs and have proven themselves to be good partners in promoting our mutual interests in the region. The medresa is the home of one of the current Access programs, and will also host the Summer Seminar for English Teachers.
The highly influential and moderate Mufti of Tuzla and the local Islamic community have actively promoted US Society and Culture as a counterweight to more extremist perspectives and are truly in interested in fostering dialogues between Muslims and non Muslims. In 2009, the Embassy partnered with the Mufti and the Medresa on a successful pilot program for English teachers and fourth year students. After thorough review the Embassy agreed to focus on teacher training and is now working on establishing the Tuzla Summer Seminar for English Teachers in 2010. Both the Mufti and the Medresa cost share for this program by providing facilities, local staff salaries, housing, meals, coffee breaks, computers, photocopies, etc. The Embassy provides American expertise through the RELO and EL Fellow.
East Sarajevo University is the higher education institution for the Eastern Republika Srpska (RS), the Serbian Entity. The University has branches throughout the Eastern RS, most notably in East Sarajevo, Pale, Trebinje, Doboj, Bijelina, and Zvornik. New and improved relations with the University have opened the doors to collaboration on projects such as the EL Fellow Program. The University will host the EL Fellow 2-3 times a month in Bijelina and Zvornik, and in return will provide transportation from Tuzla.
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Host Country Georgia
Host City Tbilisi
Host Institution Ministry of Education and Science
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Late-June 2011
Fellows accepted for Fall start projects will depart 4-6 weeks after receiving a fellowship offer.
Project Focus
English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing
Project Description
Georgia has two sizeable ethnic minority groups -Azeris (6.5% of the population) and Armenian (5.7%) concentrated in south-central and south-east Georgia in the regions of Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti, bordering along Armenia and Azerbaijan, where they form the majority of the population. Most Azeri and Armenian children attend minority-language schools, a holdover from Soviet times, in which Russian is the primary foreign language. The lack of adequate language skills in Georgian, as well as English, seriously impacts these populations’ ability to advance economically, limits their access to higher education within Georgia, and impairs their sense of civic identity and civic integration. At the same time, English is replacing Russian as the primary foreign language, making it doubly difficult for non-Georgian speaking minority groups to participate in political, economic and cultural life. Empirical evidence (not to mention recruitment efforts for USG exchange programs) shows that ethnic minority students perform poorly on English language exams.
At the request of the Georgian Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) the EL Fellow will be affiliated with the Ministry in Tbilisi, and will be accountable to the Senior Deputy Minister of Education. At the Ministry s/he will participate in discussions on strategy implementation and provide assistance on how to enhance English language instruction among ethnic groups in accordance with the National Concept for Tolerance and Civic Integration. The EL Fellow will also travel on a weekly basis to the ethnic minority regions of Georgia to teach English to secondary school students focusing on all four aspects of English teaching: reading, writing, speaking and comprehension. S/he will also help students prepare for the English part of the Unified National Exam for university admission. Students will have the opportunity to enrich their knowledge about American culture, history and society, which will improve their ability to participate in U.S. educational exchange programs. The EL Fellow will also conduct training for ethnic minority teachers to familiarize them with modern teaching methodologies and assessment techniques.
The MOES, with USG assistance, is initiating a substantial program to strengthen English-language learning and teaching in the schools of Georgia. Post is also implementing an EL Specialist English language needs assessment in several geographic regions in February and March 2010. The EL Fellow may be called upon to assist with improving English language outreach in other high-priority geographic regions based on the findings of the EL Specialist final report and MOES priorities.
Secondary project duties will include working with: English Camp. In cooperation with the local Education Resource Centers (coordinating bodies between the local communities and the MOES), and with assistance from the Embassy and MOES, the EL Fellow will work on developing and implementing summer camp projects to take place in mid-June. Each three-week camp will offer 20 boys and girls, both Georgian and Armenian, and Georgian and Azeri (Christian and Muslim) in the 12-15 year age group the opportunity to participate together in classroom and outdoor activities focused on intensive English-language learning, leadership skills, team-building, public speaking, and sessions on democracy-building and volunteerism.
Project Objectives
The goal of this fellowship is to significantly improve the English language skills of ethnic minority populations in Georgia, and promote multiculturalism and minority participation in Georgia's political, economic and cultural life. The Georgian Ministry of Education and Science has asked the U.S. Embassy to expand our English-language activities in Georgia, particularly into these minority regions. The Ministry sees English-language education as a cornerstone for developing a Western or Euro-Atlantic mentality among Georgian citizens after years (if not centuries) of Russian/Soviet influence; as a vehicle for civic education in Georgia; and as a means to encourage tolerance and minority integration within Georgian society and enable Georgians of non-Georgian ethnicity to become more competitive for higher education and work opportunities.
About the Host Institution
The Georgian Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) is the governmental body responsible for the education system and for children’s services in Georgia. The MOES has been an example of administrative and societal reform, and its success has helped spur reform in other public sectors. The MOES has a new Minister as of December 2010. In this time period the Ministry has established a new Department of International Relations and a new School Development Division has replaced the former Programs Department. The mission of the Ministry is the welfare and wellbeing of citizens through reforms in education and science; to create a solid basis for developing a knowledge-based society; to assure equal access to education; to foster life-long and life-wide learning opportunities; to initiate civic integration processes and implement the official language policy; to facilitate freedom of choice in education; to safeguard creativity, innovation, academic freedom and institutional autonomy; and to develop an education system that meets the local and international labor market demands.
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Host Country Georgia
Host City Tbilisi
Host Institution Ministry of Education and Science
Type of Project Senior Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Project Focus
English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques, Young Learners
Project Description
Quality education in foreign languages, especially in English, is one of the keys to developing an individual’s potential as well as for sustainable development of a country This was the rationale behind the 2008 pledge by the President of Georgia and the Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) to improve the quality of English instruction throughout the country. This commitment to English language instruction was reaffirmed during meetings held in Tbilisi in January 2010 with the new Minister of Education and during the bilateral People to People Working Group meeting under the U.S. - Georgia Charter. The USG committed several resources to assist the MOES in fulfilling this objective, including a Senior EL Fellow, who has developed a package of materials and provided in-service training for teachers to prepare to pass the newly-instituted teachers’ certification examinations as a key element of education reform in Georgia. This EL Fellow has traveled throughout Georgia since 2008, and based on her training seminars, teachers of young learners lack a proper understanding of up-to-date teaching strategies, as well as modern materials and techniques that a teacher should apply when teaching this particular age group. For academic year 2010-11, the EL Fellow will work with the Ministry of Education and Science, together with teachers of young learners (age 5-12), on curriculum and materials development, classroom planning, and assessment. The EL Fellow will be based at the School Development Division of the MOES. This placement will help the EL Fellow to be fully integrated into the Ministry’s English Language Enhancement Program, and enable him/her to provide relevant recommendations in both the central office and in the field whenever needed. The EL Fellow will design 40-hours in-service training course for teachers of young learners, and will lead this course in public schools in the capital and the regions. The EL Fellow will be expected to travel extensively to different regions of Georgia to provide hands on trainings at different schools as well and at English Teachers’ Association of Georgia (ETAG) branch offices. Some of the workshop topics that the EL Fellow will develop are:
- Language learning and language acquisition for children
- Classroom management
- Lesson planning
- Evaluation techniques
- Understanding and choosing course materials
- Learning strategies
- Storytelling
The EL Fellow is encouraged to use a variety of materials ranging from books, story cards, posters, games, worksheets, Total Physical Response (TPR) in storytelling, games and dance. TPR is recognized as an effective learning technique for young children, but it is not well-known in Georgia.
Secondary project duties will include working with: Teachers Association/Organization, and Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow will work closely with the ETAG and MOES to plan and organize an annual National English Language Teacher conference in the spring of 2011. This conference will give Georgian teachers the opportunity to update their knowledge and skills about modern teaching trends, enrich their networking capacity and share experiences. The EL Fellow will serve as the key note speaker at the conference.
Project Objectives
The goal of this EL Fellow proposal is to improve the skills of English language teachers at the primary school levels in support of MOES goals. The project will:
- Improve teachers’ competence in English, both knowledge and teaching skills
- Expand teachers’ range of techniques and activities for immediate use with their pupils
- Refine existing curriculum and help teachers to evaluate published materials for younger learners.
About the Host Institution
The Georgian Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) is the governmental body responsible for the education system and for children’s services in Georgia. The MOES has been an example of administrative and societal reform, and its success has helped spur reform in other public sectors. The MOES has a new Minister since December 2010. In this time period the Ministry has established a new Department of International Relations and a new School Development Division has replaced the former Programs Department. The mission of the Ministry is the welfare and wellbeing of citizens through reforms in education and science; to create a solid basis for developing a knowledge-based society; to assure equal access to education; to foster life-long and life-wide learning opportunities; to initiate civic integration processes and implement the official language policy; to facilitate freedom of choice in education; to safeguard creativity, innovation, academic freedom and institutional autonomy; and to develop an education system that meets the local and international labor market demands.
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Host Country Georgia
Host City Gori
Host Institution Gori University Education Resource Center
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Project Focus
English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
The Russian-Georgian war of August 2008 left 30,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), among them 9,500 displaced children from the separatist region of South Ossetia bordering on Russia. These IDPs are now largely located in the region of Shida Kartli, centered around the city of Gori, and in Tbilisi. The EL Fellow will be affiliated with the local Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) Educational Resource Center, with split responsibilities between teaching English to pre-service teachers at Gori University, many of whom are also IDPs, and conducting trainings to local school teachers. The MOES, with USG assistance, is initiating a substantial program to strengthen English-language learning and teaching in the schools of Georgia. The EL Fellow will work through the Educational Resource Center with secondary school teachers on course materials and content, and will conduct class observations and provide guidance. The program will also include weekly training sessions at the Gori branch of the English Teachers Association of Georgia (ETAG) on a variety of ESL topics relevant to the teachers’ needs. The Gori office is collocated at Gori University and is one of nine ETAG branches in Georgia that support teacher development for educators from the region of Shida Kartli. In addition to working with secondary school teachers, the EL Fellow will deliver two or three hours of ESL lectures to pre-service teachers at Gori University to ensure that they have adequate language levels and a solid understanding of communicative methodology.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming. The EL Fellow will be asked to give presentations at the Gori American Corner on different topics pertinent to American culture, history and society. These presentations will expose a broad audience of students, teachers, and the general public to a native English speaker, improving their language skills and knowledge of the U.S.
Project Objectives
This project will help stabilize English language teaching and teacher training in the area of Georgia most directly affected by the August 2008 war. The project will foster understanding of American culture and values that leads to a deeper political, economic and cultural relationship. It will strengthen Georgian interlocutors’ understanding of the United States by introducing participants to American society, educational methods and culture.
About the Host Institution
Gori University (GU) is the premier higher education institution in the Shida Kartli region of Georgia. It has 110 professors and 2,000 students, and offers BA and MA programs in education, the natural sciences, the humanities, the social sciences, business, law, information technology, math, and physics. The university represents the merger of Gori State University and Tskhinvali University (the university in the capital of South Ossetia which moved to Gori after the civil/separatist war in 1992). Both of Gori University’s two buildings were bombed during the conflict in August and the first building of the university is now undergoing capital renovation. U.S. Embassy staff travel freely to Gori and security issues are not a concern.
There are 72 Education Resource Centers (ERCs) in Georgia. ERCs were established in 2006 and they replaced the previously existing regional educational bodies that were in charge of controlling schools. The role of ERCs in education sector management is increasing gradually. Gori ERC is one of the most active and leading regional ERCs.
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Host Country Georgia
Host City Kutaisi
Host Institution Kutaisi Educational Resource Center
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Project Focus
English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
The Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) of Georgia has launched an ambitious new project to improve English-language learning in the schools of Georgia, both to improve English-language skills and also to expose Georgian youth to American values and transform a generation of young Georgians into global citizens with a Western orientation. To this end, the MOES seeks to implement robust changes in English language teaching in Georgia. While the MOES is primarily interested in expanding the direct English-teaching model of Peace Corps, there is still an opportunity to focus on teacher training that incorporates direct teaching methods, focusing on speaking skills, by a U.S. instructor. One challenge for the MOES is to improve the quality of instruction in regional and rural schools, and to encourage teachers in these schools to be active participants in English teaching reform as regional teachers are often reluctant or unable to attend weekend workshops and lack sufficient information about modern methods.
The EL Fellow will work with secondary school teachers in a regional city or large town outside of Tbilisi which support an urban standard of living. The EL Fellow will be affiliated with Kutaisi Educational Resource Center (ERC) and may be co-hosted by a regional university. The EL Fellow will work with school teachers, including nearby towns and villages, observing classroom instruction, providing guidance in new methods, and modeling these methods through team teaching. The EL Fellow may also serve as a resource for an expanded number of Fulbright English Teaching Assistants and/or for Microscholarship ACCESS programs. The EL Fellow will lead teacher workshops on pedagogical methods and English instruction tools and will also be encouraged to lead English language speaking classes or after-school English clubs.
Secondary project duties will include working with American Corner Programming. The EL Fellow will be asked to give presentations at the Khashuri American Corner on different topics pertinent to American culture, history and society. These presentations will expose a broad audience of students, teachers and general public to a native English speaker, improving their language skills and knowledge of the U.S.
Project Objectives
The proposed EL Fellow Program will support the goal of helping Georgia further democratization and economic liberalization, particularly through addressing the needs of Georgian youth outside of the capital and improving educational practices among lesser-served populations.
About the Host Institution
There are 72 Education Resource Centers (ERCs) in Georgia. ERCs were established in 2006 and they replaced the previously existing regional educational bodies that were in charge of controlling schools. The role of ERCs in educational sector management is increasing gradually. Kutaisi ERC is one of the leading regional ERCs.
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Host Country Georgia
Host City Zugdidi
Host Institution Zugdidi Educational Resource Center
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Project Focus
English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing
Project Description
The Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) of Georgia has launched an ambitious new project to improve English-language learning in the schools of Georgia, both to improve English-language skills and also to expose Georgian youth to American values and transform a generation of young Georgians into global citizens with a Western orientation. To this end, the MOES seeks to implement robust changes in English language teaching in Georgia. While the MOES is primarily interested in expanding the direct English-teaching model of Peace Corps, there is still an opportunity to focus on teacher training that incorporates direct teaching methods, focusing on speaking skills, by a U.S. instructor. One challenge for the MOES is to improve the quality of instruction in regional and rural schools, and to encourage teachers in these schools to be active participants in English teaching reform as regional teachers are often reluctant or unable to attend weekend workshops and lack sufficient information about modern methods.
The EL Fellow will work with secondary school teachers in a regional city or large town outside of Tbilisi which support an urban standard of living. The EL Fellow will be affiliated with Zugdidi Educational Resource Center (ERC) and may be co-hosted by a regional university. The EL Fellow will work with school teachers, including nearby towns and villages, observing classroom instruction, providing guidance in new methods, and modeling these methods through team teaching. The EL Fellow may also serve as a resource for an expanded number of Fulbright English Teaching Assistants and/or for Microscholarship ACCESS programs. The EL Fellow will lead teacher workshops on pedagogical methods and English instruction tools and will also be encouraged to lead English language speaking classes or after-school English clubs.
Secondary project duties will include working with American Corner Programming. The EL Fellow will be asked to give presentations at the Khashuri American Corner on different topics pertinent to American culture, history and society. These presentations will expose a broad audience of students, teachers and general public to a native English speaker, improving their language skills and knowledge of the U.S.
Project Objectives
The EL Fellow Program will support the goal of helping Georgia further democratization and economic liberalization, particularly through addressing the needs of Georgian youth outside of the capital and improving educational practices among lesser-served populations.
About the Host Institution
There are 72 Education Resource Centers (ERCs) in Georgia. ERCs were established in 2006 and they replaced the previously existing regional educational bodies that were in charge of controlling schools. The role of ERCs in educational sector management is increasing gradually. Zugdidi ERC is one of the leading regional ERCs.
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Host Country Hungary
Host City Budapest
Host Institution Romaversitas Foundation
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – July 2011
Project Focus
American Culture, Democracy/Civics, English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Proficiency Exams,Teaching Methodologies,Teaching Techniques
Project Description
One of the best institutions that have arisen in Hungary to address the problems of educational access, quality, and attainment for Roma youth is the Romaversitas Foundation in Budapest. This institution has an educational training and community building component, and has made significant strides in educating and forming Roma youth who are often the first in their families to university. The EL Fellow would work with this host institution as follows: One of the primary aims of the program is to enhance English language proficiency among its scholars in order to ensure that Roma graduates are qualified and competitive in applying for jobs with international and Hungarian institutions, organizations, and companies. Most Romaversitas scholars receive individual tutoring in a foreign language (a requirement for university graduation), which has been expensive for the Foundation to maintain, and the organization would like to institute more group classes so the students can learn from and practice with each other in a less intimidating and more motivating setting. Since almost all of the students are attending classes or studying during the day, the EL Fellow would offer English classes during the evening. The Fellow would live and teach in Budapest during the bulk of the week and would teach in Pecs one day per week, offering a mix of beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes, depending on the abilities of the students.
Secondary project duties will include: American Corner Programming,American Culture,English Camp,English Club Programming,Support Mentoring,Workshops/Seminars. Ideally the EL Fellow will also organize and conduct American culture-related programs/workshops at the local American Corner such as but not limited to:
· visiting local primary and secondary schools to deliver talks and workshops on US society, civilization, culture, etc.
· providing seminars on American holidays for local community
· being a part of other regular American Corner programs such as sessions on US society, films, etc.
· contributing to the English conversation and book club
· actively attending job fairs with students
· contributing to International Education Week activities
Project Objectives
The Ambassador to Hungary is strongly interested in and consequently supports this and other EL programs (such as "Teaching Tolerance" and "Roma and Friends" summer camps) that focus on and include Roma education components. In more detail, the ultimate goal of the EL Fellow’s work is continuing to open up the world and expand study, work, and life opportunities for talented Roma youth in Hungary. More specifically, the overall goals of the fellowship are:
- To further raise English language skills so that Roma students can finish secondary school and attend university, being able to pass the required language exams.
- To improve English communication skills so as to enable Roma secondary school students to study abroad and pursue degrees in professional fields like business or law, government or medicine.
-To design an English language curriculum especially for Roma secondary school students (for use at Gandhi and possibly other secondary schools in Hungary and Europe).
-To develop a greater understanding of European, American, and global issues and challenges.
- To instill more confidence in the possibility and Roma students ability to study and work anywhere in the world.
- To increase the quantity and quality of experiences outside of each Roma student’s village, school, and world, which helps to open minds, build skills, and create dreams.
Numbering several hundred thousand (around 7% of the total population), the Roma minority in Hungary faces significant barriers to achieving success in school and in society. First and foremost, nearly half (40%) of this young and growing population (sometimes referred to as Gypsies in English) lives in poverty. One of the main reasons for the high poverty rate is the low educational level of Roma. While a relatively large number of Roma youth in Hungary attend pre-school and primary school compared to other countries in the region, graduation from secondary school is well under 10% and attendance at university is only 2%. The indirect result of fewer Roma graduates is fewer Roma professionals and leaders in their community and throughout Hungarian society. Beyond achievement in education, the quality of education Roma receive is a serious problem as well. Too often, Roma youth are sent to special schools intended for disabled youths (or schools for vocational training, not college preparation) or put in segregated classrooms for lower-achieving students. Furthermore, many teachers do not possess the necessary training and/or basic materials to adequately instruct Roma students, and the curriculum is less rigorous and the expectations are much lower for them than other students.
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Host Country Kosovo
Host City Prizren
Host Institution University of Pristina, Faculty of Education in Prizren
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Late August 2010 – Late June 2011
Special Country Requirements
- No visa is required for Americans to enter Kosovo. The only requirement is to register with local authorities in order to obtain a local ID and the US Embassy will assist.
- Family members under 21 may not accompany the EL Fellow.
- Immunizations against hepatitis A and B and diphtheria/tetanus are recommended; full information on immunizations can be obtained from the US Embassy.
- Pets may be brought into the country but will need a complete health certificate; detailed information on bringing in pets can be obtained from the US Embassy.
Project Focus
Teaching Methodologies and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
The EL Fellow will be based at the University of Pristina's Faculty of Education campus located in Prizren. Prizren, Kosovo's southernmost city, is home to several ethnic groups and functions as a multi-ethnic university town. The Faculty of Education is a relatively new institution still implementing a new and radically different curriculum which emphasizes pedagogy and other applied courses. The EL Fellow will teach pre-service teachers within the English Faculty. Specifically speaking, the Fellow will teach skills acquisition classes such as "Academic Language Skills" and "Academic Writing" and applied courses such as "Testing and Assessment" and "General Methodologies of Teaching." Prizren lacks university-level instructors who are prepared to teach many of the new courses. The EL Fellow will assist in this difficult time to cover one or two courses a semester and provide needed mentoring for instructors. Kosovo requires a sustained effort to develop and maintain a program of English Language instruction that will be instrumental for economic development.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, American Culture, and English Club Programming. The EL Fellow's secondary duties will be at the American Corner Prizren. S/he will offer classes and programs that enhance English language development and give information about American society and values. The EL Fellow will work closely with the staff of the American Corner to develop an outreach program to the Prizren community that addresses mutual needs, interests and priorities. The EL Fellow is a critical element to the American Corner's success. This past year there was no EL Fellow in Prizren, and programming at the Corner suffered. In order to have a fully functioning Corner in Mitrovica, with programs that promote development of English language skills and understanding of American culture, an EL Fellow is vitally needed. The EL Fellow may also be asked to teach one course in the Access English program to secondary school students from various local ethnic groups (Roma, Turk, Bosnian, Serbs, Albanian, and Gorani).
Project Objectives
With an estimated 70% of the population under the age of 30 and 60% unemployment, Kosovo requires a sustained effort to develop its economy. Kosovars who speak English have the best prospects for finding and keeping jobs; English skills are one of the elements needed to attract investment and businesses from abroad. By teaching future teachers of English, this EL Fellow will build long-term institutional capacity for teaching young Kosovars English language skills, a key ingredient in Kosovo's economic development. And by teaching mixed ethnic groups of students, both at the University and at the American Corner, the EL Fellow furthers Kosovo's democratization and all this entails.
About the Host Institution
The Faculty of Education has four campuses; the Prizren site prepares teachers of English for primary and lower secondary schools. The Faculty of Education began to phase in a four-year BA program in September 2003. The new curricula is based on the tenets of the Bologna Declaration, including the use of credit hours, continuous assessment, and elective as well as core courses. This is a radical departure from the past and includes courses that few if any instructors in Kosovo are qualified to teach. Many of these courses are common to American MA programs in TESOL/Applied Linguistics. With their focus on the application of knowledge, they are of great use to new teachers. The host institution has found that EL Fellows just out of graduate school are extremely helpful in helping to teach various courses, suggesting new ideas, and mentoring.
The American Corner opened in January, 2006. Prizren was selected as a location for an American Corner because of the ethnically mixed nature of its populace, its student population, and its historic importance as a cultural and economic center for the region. The Corner, located downtown in the busy Inter-Municipal Library of Prizren, offers books and materials, computer access, and varied programming. The Corner brings residents from the various ethnic communities together to learn about aspects of American society and improve English skills. It is especially popular with primary school pupils and university students. The EL Fellow is a critical element to the American Corner's success.
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Host Country Kosovo
Host City Pristina
Host Institution University of Pristina/American Corner Pristina
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Late August 2010 – Late June 2011
Special Country Requirements
- No visa is required for Americans to enter Kosovo. The only requirement is to register with local authorities in order to obtain a local ID and the US Embassy will assist.
- Family members under 21 may not accompany the EL Fellow.
- Immunizations against hepatitis A and B and diphtheria/tetanus are recommended; full information on immunizations can be obtained from the US Embassy.
- Pets may be brought into the country but will need a complete health certificate; detailed information on bringing in pets can be obtained from the US Embassy.
Project Focus
American Literature, ELT
Project Description
The EL Fellow will teach at the University of Pristina in two different faculties. One semester, the EL Fellow will teach in the Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Political Science; the other semester, s/he will teach in the Faculty of Philology, Department of English Language and Literature. At the Faculty of Political Science, the EL Fellow will teach a content-based course to students with intermediate to advanced level English. At the Faculty of English Philology, the EL Fellow will teach a course in American literature to advanced level students. At this department, the EL Fellow may be asked to assist with curriculum and materials development and to allow faculty to observe classes.
The EL Fellow's secondary duties will be at the American Corner Pristina. S/he will offer classes and programs that engage the public, especially young people. The EL Fellow will work closely with the American Corner Coordinator and the Public Affairs Section to develop, schedule, and carry out programming that promotes both American values and development of English language skills. The EL Fellow may also be asked to teach English Access classes at the American Corner. The EL Fellow will have a small office at the American Corner, with a desk, filing cabinet, computer and printer, and access to a photocopier.
Project Objectives
With an estimated 50% of the population under the age of 25 and an unemployment rate of 45%, Kosovo requires a sustained effort to develop its economy. Kosovars who speak English have the best prospects for finding and keeping jobs; English skills are one of the elements needed to attract investment and businesses from abroad. By teaching future teachers of English, this EL Fellow builds long-term institutional capacity for teaching young Kosovars English language skills, a key ingredient in Kosovo's economic development. And by developing a course in the Political Science Department and programs at the American Corner that promote American values, the Fellow promotes democratization in Kosovo.
About the Host Institution
The University of Pristina (UP) is Kosovo's largest university, and it is the only public university. Plagued by decades of neglect from Belgrade, followed by outright war in the late nineties, the university has suffered greatly in terms of infrastructure, curriculum development, and faculty training. The Departments of Political Science and English Language and Literature, where the EL Fellow will teach, are on a firmer footing than many faculties at the University, but both need assistance to update course offerings, develop new materials, and offer modern teaching methodologies. The EL Fellow's presence at both faculties will assist them in moving forward in these areas.
The American Corner in Pristina is the first and largest of Kosovo's three American Corners. Located on the first floor of the National and University Library, in the middle of the downtown campus of the University of Pristina, the Corner is a natural draw for students. Spacious and well-furnished, the Corner offers an extensive collection, computer access, and a full slate of programs and classes. It is staffed by a Coordinator, an active group of volunteers, and the EL Fellow. With its central location on the university campus, the Corner is a natural platform for programming and attracts post's primary audience--youth. With a small office at the Corner, the EL Fellow is well placed to assist the US Embassy personnel in planning outreach programming at the Corner. In addition, the EL Fellow can utilize the Corner to enhance lessons for the university students s/he will be teaching.
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Host Country Moldova
Host City Balti
Host Institution Aleccu Russo University
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Late August 2010 – Late June 2011
Project Focus
English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
The EL Fellow will teach courses in English language acquisition in Balti, Moldova to Alecu Russo University students, particularly masters level students. Many of these students wish to study abroad, particularly in the U.S. The EL Fellow will also provide monthly seminars for professors who also teach English students, and will assist in developing and enhancing English Language studies curriculum. The access to a native English speaker and exposure to interactive American teaching methodologies have already shown an impact on students who worked with the previous EL Fellow, both in terms of increased comfort in using the language and increased willingness to experiment with a variety of methodologies. The previous EL Fellow gained the respect of the University administration, who will be sorry to see him go, but will welcome a replacement.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, Support Mentoring, Teachers Association/Organization, and Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow will provide seminars and consultation for the regional English Teachers Resource Center (ETRC) in Balti. This will enhance the capacity of this center to provide ongoing support for English teachers in the region. The EL Fellow will also support the ETRC in Chisinau on a limited basis, via seminars once per month, including participation in their fall and spring schools that each attract over 50 English teachers from throughout Moldova. Staff of both ETRCs will be able to make specific requests to enhance their programming. Prior support for the development and operation of a national English Teacher Resource Center (ETRC) and support of the Association of English Professors and Teachers (APLE) has significantly enhanced Moldova's progress toward improved quality and availability of English teaching. The ability to assist the regional ETRC in Balti and maintain limited ongoing support for the national center will maximize the benefits of the EL Fellow's presence in Moldova. One or two visits a year will be programmed for the Moldovan American Corners to assist English teachers in rural areas of Moldova.
Project Objectives
Exposure to American culture and values provides a vision of transparency and participation in government, strengthening civil society. Additionally, English capability allows citizens to access credible information from a wide range of international sources. English skills also increase education and employment opportunities for citizens, both at home and abroad, an important consideration in the poorest country in Europe. By improving English language instruction outside of the capital, the EL Fellow will also help decrease the substantial difference currently seen between the economy of Chisinau and that in other areas of the country. The country of Moldova has a unique status, both geographically and socially, as a former Soviet Republic which also borders the European Union. Most citizens are bilingual in Romanian and Russian. English is becoming more common, particularly among young people, as a third or even fourth language. Seventy to eighty percent of Moldovan students study English, however the number of trained teachers and available resources continue to be limited, and the number of students who reach a high fluency level remains small.
About the Host Institution
Aleccu Russo State University in Balti is the largest University in the northern part of the country, with 10,000 students. They have two language departments. The local language department includes Romanian, Russian, and Ukrainian, while English is one of four languages included in the Foreign Language department. This department is considered to be the strongest English language institute outside of the capital. Both bachelors and masters level degrees are offered. The regional English Teaching Resource Center is an institute of the University. This will be the third year in which Aleccu Russo University will host an EL Fellow, and so they have a clear idea of the responsibilities and benefits involved.
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Host Country Romania
Host City Craiova, Dolj County
Host Institution Dolj County Inspectorate for Education
Type of Project Senior Fellow
Project Dates September 2010 – June 2011
Project Focus
American Culture, Democracy/Civics, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
The EL Fellow will conduct in-service teacher-training workshops on teaching techniques/methodologies. The main audience for the workshops will be formed of teachers of English at the beginning of their career (mostly up to five years of service). In the Romanian education system, English is taught from the 2nd grade to the 12th grade, and in many cases kindergartens offer English classes to very young learners. Although English is widely taught, and the need for qualified teachers is very high, universities provide insufficient training on using theoretical knowledge of teaching methodology in actual classroom activity. This happens because of Romania's higher education system's need to implement the Bologna process, which results in less time being allocated for teaching methodology training, as well as for practical training of student teachers. As a consequence, young teachers find themselves at a loss in the classroom. Also, teachers from rural areas have limited opportunities to attend teacher-training programs (teacher-training centers, one for each county, offer such courses, but the demand is a lot higher than their capacities), demonstrate classroom teaching and receive pair critique to help improve their teaching style. The largest areas of demand for the EL Fellow's expertise are: working with mixed-ability classes, multiple intelligence, learner motivation, building resources for the English class, materials to complement the textbook, and classroom management/maintaining student behavior. The system is improving, but there are still many steps to complete education reform.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, Support Mentoring, Teachers Association/Organization, and Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow will work with the regional English teachers' association and with the experienced teachers who serve as mentors for student teachers and young teachers at the beginning of their careers. The EL Fellow will offer workshops for mentors and certified teacher-trainers and other experienced teachers, who conduct professional development programs through the teacher-training centers. The purpose is to update teacher-trainers and mentors on latest teaching methodologies that they include in their own teacher-training courses, creating a multiplier effect. The schedule of these few workshops will be decided by the EL Fellow, in consultation with the county teacher-training centers and inspectorates (county boards of education). Time permitting, the EL Fellow will conduct activities at the American Corner in Craiova city in southwest Romania.
Project Objectives
Improved English teaching will help Romanian students acquire the language skills that will enhance their competitiveness on the labor market. They will also have improved access to information and a better chance for communication and intercultural understanding via English language. Past experience has shown that the EL Fellow Program not only helps improve English teaching, but it also creates highly positive impressions of the United States and its society, culture, and values.
About the Host Institution
Dolj Inspectorate for Education is one of the 41 regional offices of the Ministry of Education. The Inspectorate is responsible for the management of the educational activity at county level. The English Inspector supervises ELT activity, organizes and supervises competitions for filling English teacher positions, inspects teachers in the classroom and evaluates their teaching, and recommends professional development courses for teachers to take. The Inspector also works closely with the Teacher-Training Center, with the Ministry of Education-certified teacher-trainers in the region, and with mentor teachers on designing relevant professional development programs, as well as criteria for teacher evaluation. The Inspectorate also works with the University in Craiova, the main higher education institution in the region. Since the Ministry of Education, as a central structure, supervises County Inspectorates and Teacher-Training Centers, the English Inspector in Dolj and the other counties work closely with the Inspector General for English, proposing improvement in EL teaching, use of materials, curriculum development, etc. They appreciate the EL Fellow support for improving English teaching and understand the importance of having good language and communication skills; the director of the Teacher-Training Center in Craiova will make the necessary efforts towards the accreditation of the course in the region. This will add value to the program as, according to the Ministry regulations, teachers need to acquire a number of credits from professional development programs every year. The Ministry of Education has always been supportive of the EL Fellow Program and other programs (E-Teacher, teaching civics through English, etc.); the Inspector General for English is an IVL Program alumna and has provided all institutional and personal support for the success of the program.
The American Corner in Craiova was opened in 2006 and since then it has been very active in proposing and conducting relevant programming to reach out to large, especially young, audiences. The American Corner coordinator is highly dedicated and a very resourceful person, who would be happy to assist the EL Fellow in designing and carrying out programs that would educate youth on American culture and values, via the English language vehicle, contributing to an improved mutual understanding. The American Corner functions all the year round, as it is hosted by the public library.
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Host Country Russia
Host City Russia
Host Institution Belgorod State University
Project Type Senior Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Special Country Requirements
The Russian Federation requires that all visa requests be accompanied by HIV test results.
Project Focus
American Culture, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
The EL Fellow will expected to work closely with English teaching staff at Belgorod State University, one of Russia’s newly designated “Research Universities,” on a professional development program for English teaching staff and on methodology course for MA level students studying to become English teachers. This program should focus on a series of in-house workshops that aim to build the staff’s overall professional application of new ideas, with an emphasis on American studies, academic writing and the use of authentic materials in the classroom, especially in ESP contexts. Staff development should include building a peer observation system that allows colleagues to share ideas in a constructive, formative manner. The EL Fellow may be asked to spend some time helping other teaching staff improve their speaking and writing skills, though this should be minimal. If the EL Fellow is involved in any teaching hours, the expectation is that s/he will open the classes for observation, thus turning the language teaching experience into a training opportunity.
The EL Fellow will play a key role in supporting various English ACCESS Microscholarship Program sites throughout southwestern Russia, with particular attention to be paid to new sites in Rostov, Sochi, Nalchik, Stavropol, and Samara. More experienced sites nearby include Novocherkassk and Elista and, where possible, the EL Fellow should assist with the cross-pollination of successful practices. The EL Fellow is expected to work closely with the sites to develop a training module and online component for a “Student-generated Stories” project and to support Access teachers with this training project in their respective areas. The Fellow is expected to support the Access sites by establishing an “open classroom” model that allows area teachers to come and observe the Access’ unique blend of student-centered, fluency-based instruction. The Fellow is also expected to work with teachers on enhancing the programs with a strong U.S. cultural component and should use a team-teach approach while working with students.
The Fellow should couple travel to Access sites with general outreach programs in the Access site cities as well as in nearby cities. The EL Fellow will have access to funds for for programming and travel in the region and should take appropriate steps to maximize this budget by coordinating travel and programming with the English Language Officer (ELO). The EL Fellow will have approximately one outreach trip each month and should set aside funds for mid-year and end-of-year conferences and for supporting participation in Access summer school programs. Where possible, the EL Fellow should coordinate these trips through the local teachers’ associations. Content will generally focus on general methodology, with an emphasis on authentic materials, American Studies, and IT.
Belgorod has a strong teachers' association and regularly holds professional development events. The EL Fellow will work closely with the board of the association to build a calendar of professional development events for English language teachers. The Fellow should approach this programming with a creative eye, and include how best to use ELO materials, internet resources, films, newspapers and other authentic sources.
Other secondary duties will include:
- co-authoring an article for English Teaching Forum
- helping ELO identify appropriate candidates for the five E-Teacher courses (Teaching English to Younger Learners, Business English, Legal English, Critical Thinking, Assessment), the “Integrating the Internet into the Classroom” online course, and IV programs
- meeting the need to train teachers on how to deal with the new Unified National Examination.
Project Objectives
The EL Fellow project in Belgorod will support increased US-Russian cooperation in a number of fields, including education, and encourage Russia's efforts to build democratic institutions. The first goal recently received a much-needed boost during a visit of a delegation from DC headed by U/S McHale. During the visit, several projects in education, including building a stronger language instruction infrastructure, were discussed and agreed upon by both sides. EL Fellows were highlighted as major catalysts in the region. The second goal refers to the U.S. Embassy’s strong support for civic structures, among which exist one of Russia’s strongest educational civic networks, the National Association of Teachers of English (NATE). These bottom-up structured entities, in which teachers are given the opportunity to voice their own opinion and, ultimately, affect educational policy (as was seen with NATE’s involvement in the national university entrance exam), have a direct impact on a major shift happening in language classes across the country, a shift from a teacher-centered to a bottom-up learner-centered approach. EL Fellows’ programming is closely related to association-run professional development events and consultations.
About the Host Institution
Belgorod State University is one of Russia’s new “Research Universities”, which entitles it to enhanced funding and a special status with regard to supporting foreign faculty. It has a strong English language teaching department and trains most of the region’s future English teachers. It also has a large ESP department where English is taught to several thousand students studying science, engineering and the arts. It is located in a safe, medium-sized city that has won awards for being Russia’s cleanest city. It is an easy train ride away from most of Russia’s southwestern region where the majority of Access sites exist.
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Host Country Russia
Host City Russia
Host Institution Moscow Research Institute of Steel & Alloys/American Center
Project Type Senior Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Special Country Requirements
The Russian Federation requires that all visa requests be accompanied by HIV test results.
Project Focus
American Culture, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
Moscow last hosted an EL Fellow five years ago. Since that time, most outreach has rested squarely on the shoulders of the US Embassy’s English Language Office. With 10,000 plus English language instructors in the area of the capital, a newly reinvigorated Moscow English Language Teachers’ Association (MELTA), three major pedagogical university and over 10 pedagogical faculties in the region, all producing Russia’s future cadre of English language teachers, Moscow is long due the support of an EL Fellow. The Moscow Research Institute of Steel and Alloys will host the EL Fellow for several reasons, the most important one being that they are able to provide a one-year multiple-entry work visa for the Fellow. Their new Vice-Rector, American Timothy O’Conner, who was hired to spearhead the institute’s new international outreach program, has assured the Embassy that they have a quota, unlike most other universities in the area and, for that matter, in the country, to accept a non-Russian on their staff. The institute is also poised to begin new English-medium courses and programs in English and, as such, need to upgrade their students’ and faculty’s language level. The 40 plus English teaching staff are hoping to get training in general ELT and ESP methodology.
The EL Fellow will be involved in ongoing in-house professional development at the host institution. The two over-riding themes that are in high demand, and which should therefore be the focus of the training, are ESP and IT applications to the classroom. The EL Fellow will also help develop an in-house peer observation and feedback structure as well as program regular in-service events that allow all staff to share best practices. The ESP focus will have an impact on numerous universities in the country who are trying to upgrade their English instructors’ skills. Materials development, with an emphasis on the use of authentic sources, should be a secondary result of training in ESP methodology.
The EL Fellow will conduct outreach trips to nearby cities that are in the process of building associations or already host associations. Cities include Kursk, Voronezh, Tula, Kolomna, Ivanovo, Oryol, Ryazan, and Yaroslavl. During these trips, the EL Fellow will primarily cooperate with local hosts on professional development events, working closely with current and future trainers on two to three-day retooling sessions. These trips, where possible, will include local pedagogical universities or faculties and local Ministry in-service entities. The EL Fellow will have access to funds for programming and travel in the region and the EL Fellow should take appropriate steps to maximize this budget by coordinating travel and programming with the ELO. The EL Fellow will have approximately two outreach trips each month and should set aside funds for mid-year and end-of-year conferences and for supporting participation in Access summer school programs.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, American Culture, American Studies, English Camp, Teachers Association/Organization, and Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow will continue developing the “Shaping the Way We Teach” in-service training program, together with the Moscow Institute of Open Education and the Moscow English Language Teachers’ Association, MELTA. Work includes training a core group of 24 trainers, including already trained trainers in delivery of sessions, and supporting a cadre of trainers during their own training in their school districts. The EL Fellow will also use newly developed locally made video clips and a trainer’s manual to enhance ECA’s “Shaping the Way We Teach” DVD-based material. The course and follow-on training will most likely continue to happen at the Project Harmony computer lab and the American Center. The EL Fellow should also use the group of trained trainers to conduct bi-monthly ‘Teacher to Teacher’ sessions at the American Center.
The National Association of Teachers of English, NATE, is largely based in Moscow due to the presence of many of its board members in this city. The EL Fellow will help them with teacher association infrastructure building and with helping them link the various associations. There will also be opportunities to support three national English language “Olympiads” by helping the association create evaluation material and criteria. Other secondary duties include:
- co-authoring an article for English Teaching Forum
- helping ELO identify appropriate candidates for the E-Teacher courses
- supporting the English Access Microscholarship Program through active involvement in the summer school program
Project Objectives
The EL Fellow project in Moscow will support increased US-Russian cooperation in a number of fields, including education, and encourage Russia's efforts to build democratic institutions. The first goal recently received a much-needed boost during a visit of a delegation from DC headed by U/S McHale. During the visit, several projects in education, including building a stronger language instruction infrastructure, were discussed and agreed upon by both sides. EL Fellows were highlighted as major catalysts in the region. The second goal refers to the U.S. Embassy’s strong support for civic structures, among which exists one of Russia’s strongest educational civic networks, the National Association of Teachers of English (NATE). These bottom-up structured entities, in which teachers are given the opportunity to voice their own opinion and, ultimately, affect educational policy (as was seen with NATE’s involvement in the national university entrance exam), have a direct impact on a major shift happening in language classes across the country, a shift from a teacher-centered to a bottom-up learner-centered approach. EL Fellows’ programming is closely related to association-run professional development events and consultations.
About the Host Institution
The EL Fellow’s host institution is the Moscow Research Institute of Steel and Alloys. It is capable of providing a one-year multiple entry work visa. It is also at the forefront of Russian universities trying to establish English-medium programs.
The Moscow American Center is the country’s largest US Embassy-supported outreach space, with a large conference room for over 80 guests, a full library and computer equipment. The Center regularly hosts professional development events for teachers.
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Host Country Russia
Host City Chelyabinsk
Host Institution Chelyabinsk State Pedagogical University/American Corner
Type of Project Senior Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Special Country Requirements
The Russian Federation requires that all visa requests be accompanied by HIV test results.
Project Focus
American Culture, American Literature, ESP, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
Chelyabinsk is an important industrial city located a few hours’ drive south of Ekaterinburg. Like Vladivostok, the city was closed to foreigners until the break-up of the Soviet Union. It is home to more than a dozen universities, among which is the Chelyabinsk State Pedagogical University. The EL Fellow will work part-time at the university, teaching methodology to 4th and 5th year students in the English language teaching faculty and training faculty members through a combination of workshops and peer observations. Most faculty are members of Chelyabinsk English Language Teachers’ Association, CHELTA, and, as such, conduct regular professional development events for teachers in the Chelyabinsk area. These are usually run in cooperation with the local Ministry of Education in-service training office. The EL Fellow is expected to work closely with the association to help boost its programming and build its membership. One specific area in which the EL Fellow is expected to work with CHELTA is in ESP materials development and training. This effort should focus on using authentic materials - text, audio and visual - available through the Internet and on creating a repertoire of activities to be used with the texts.
Through CHELTA’s and ELO’s web of teacher associations in the region, the EL Fellow will work on teacher development seasonal “institutes” in Yekaterinburg, Miass, Izhevsk, Perm, Tyumen, Tobolsk, Nizhnevartovsk, and Khanty-Mansiysk. These outreach events are often the combined effort of local Ministry of Education in-service programs, local universities with strong English teaching faculties and the association members. The role of the Fellow will be to focus on enhancing teachers’ use of authentic ESP-related materials and IT in the classroom and to support their effort to teach American studies. The EL Fellow will have access to programming and travel funds and s/he should take appropriate steps to maximize this budget by coordinating travel and programming with the ELO. The EL Fellow will have approximately one outreach trip each month, in-country program allowance funds permitting, and should set aside funds for mid-year and end-of-year conferences and for supporting participation in Access summer school programs.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, American Culture, American Studies, English Camp, Teachers Association/Organization, and Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow will work through the Chelyabinsk American Corner on presenting a series of American Studies workshops designed mainly for English language teachers in the city. These informal sessions will allow teachers to explore American language and culture, to practice speaking English in small groups, and to share ideas on how best to teach with the presented material. The EL Fellow should use a multi-media approach and should take full advantage of two new sets of materials, “Picturing America” and “American Values through Media.” Other secondary duties will include:
- co-authoring an article for English Teaching Forum
- helping ELO identify appropriate candidates for the suite of E-Teacher courses, the “Integrating the Internet into the Classroom” online course, and IV programs
- supporting the English Access Microscholarship Program through active involvement in the summer school program.
Project Objectives
The EL Fellow project in Chelyabinsk will support increased US-Russian cooperation in a number of fields, including education, and encourage Russia's efforts to build democratic institutions. The first goal recently received a much-needed boost during a visit of a delegation from DC headed by U/S McHale. During the visit, several projects in education, including building a stronger language instruction infrastructure, were discussed and agreed upon by both sides. EL Fellows were highlighted as major catalysts in the region. The second goal refers to the U.S. Embassy’s strong support for civic structures, among which exist one of Russia’s strongest educational civic networks, the National Association of Teachers of English (NATE). These bottom-up structured entities, in which teachers are given the opportunity to voice their own opinion and, ultimately, affect educational policy (as was seen with NATE’s involvement in the national university entrance exam), have a direct impact on a major shift happening in language classes across the country, a shift from a teacher-centered to a bottom-up learner-centered approach. EL Fellows’ programming is closely related to association-run professional development events and consultations.
About the Host Institution
The EL Fellow’s host institution is Chelyabinsk State Pedagogical University, the oldest among a dozen universities in the city. The University prepares future teachers of English for the region and is home to the CHELTA.
The Chelyabinsk American Corner regularly hosts ELT and American Studies events throughout the year. It has excellent computer and a/v equipment as well as internet and DVC capability.
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Host Country Russia
Host City Kazan
Host Institution Kazan Federal University
Type of Project Senior Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Special Country Requirements
The Russian Federation requires that all visa requests be accompanied by HIV test results.
Project Focus
American Culture, Computers, Democracy/Civics, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
Due in large part to the recent visit of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Kazan in December 2009, the government of the Republic of Tatarstan is working on boosting its ability to build its own exchange program, Algarysh, and to explore university partnerships with US universities. They correctly see English language teacher retooling as the beginning of this process and have already begun investing in several large-scale teacher training programs. Last year was the first year Kazan hosted an EL Fellow and her involvement in the training process was pivotal. The Secretary's visit to Kazan State University was the turning point in this prestigious university’s history in that it was followed sharply by a visit by President Medvedev who, in a speech, gave the university federal status. This means two things: the university absorbs other peripheral specialized higher education institutions, including the Pedagogical Institute, and it allows the university to largely fund its operations directly from Moscow. Due to this important change, the EL Fellow will no longer be based at Kazan State Power Engineering University but rather at the newly named Kazan State Federal University.
The Kazan-based EL Fellow's work at the university will include a part time teaching load with pre-service level student teachers in the pedagogical faculty. This work will also involve working closely with other faculty members, especially those teaching methodology, to improve the content and delivery of courses through a combination of workshops, swap shops, peer observations and peer evaluations. The EL Fellow will keep office hours for consultations with staff at the university. The EL Fellow will also continue his/her work with faculty members in delivering training to in-service English language teachers at the primary and secondary levels in Kazan and throughout the region. This project is being run in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education and, as such, participants are given official credit upon completion of the workshop series. The third player in this project is the Tatarstan English Language Teachers’ Association (TATELTA). This young association recently hosted an international conference and aspires to recruit more members and continue with its delivery of high-quality professional development opportunities to teachers throughout the republic. The EL Fellow will have access to programming and travel funds in the Kazan region and in other nearby regions and should take appropriate steps to maximize this budget by coordinating travel and programming with the ELO. Regions to be visited include Samara, Kirov, Nizhni Novgorod, Saratov and Ulyanovsk. Programming should be arranged through the local teachers’ associations and should focus on general methodology, American Studies and IT. The EL Fellow will have approximately one outreach trip each month and should set aside funds for mid-year and end-of-year conferences and for supporting participation in Access summer school programs.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, American Culture, American Studies, English Camp, Teachers Association/Organization, and Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow is to help launch an “American Studies through Art” project begun in Spring 2010 that is based on the National Endowment of Humanities-funded “Picturing America” collection of 40 American artworks. These works, based on six different themes such as Leadership, Democracy and Creativity and Ingenuity, will be available through Access sites and American Corners throughout Russia. The Kazan-based EL Fellow will develop and conduct a training program that supports the use of the material in an EFL context.
The EL Fellow is also expected to support the English Access Microscholarship sites in Kazan and nearby Samara by establishing an “open classroom” model that allows area teachers to come and observe the Access’ unique blend of student-centered, fluency-based instruction. The EL Fellow is also expected to work with teachers on enhancing the programs with a strong U.S. cultural component and should use a team-teach approach while working with students. Other secondary duties include:
- co-authoring an article for English Teaching Forum
- helping ELO identify appropriate candidates for the five E-Teacher courses (Teaching English to Younger Learners, Business English, Legal English, Critical Thinking, Assessment), the “Integrating the Internet into the Classroom” online course, and IV programs
- conducting monthly workshops for teachers at the Kazan American Corner
Project Objectives
The EL Fellow project in Kazan will support increased US-Russian cooperation in a number of fields, including education, and encourage Russia's efforts to build democratic institutions. The first goal recently received a much-needed boost during a visit of a delegation from DC headed by U/S McHale. During the visit, several projects in education, including building a stronger language instruction infrastructure, were discussed and agreed upon by both sides. EL Fellows were highlighted as major catalysts in the region. The second goal refers to the U.S. Embassy’s strong support for civic structures, among which exist one of Russia’s strongest educational civic networks, the National Association of Teachers of English (NATE). These bottom-up structured entities, in which teachers are given the opportunity to voice their own opinion and, ultimately, affect educational policy (as was seen with NATE’s involvement in the national university entrance exam), have a direct impact on a major shift happening in language classes across the country, a shift from a teacher-centered to a bottom-up learner-centered approach. EL Fellows’ programming is closely related to association-run professional development events and consultations.
About the Host Institution
Kazan Federal University will be the primary site as this site has a new pedagogical faculty that prepares future teachers of English and runs an in-service training program in conjunction with the Ministry of Education. It is also closely involved in the Tatar EFL Teachers’ Association.
The English Access Microscholarship Program in Kazan is one of Russia's oldest and has 30 students currently. The program is based at the Power Engineering University.
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Host Country Russia
Host City Novosibirsk
Host Institution Novosibirsk State Technical U./Novosibirsk American Corner
Type of Project Senior Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Special Country Requirements
The Russian Federation requires that all visa requests be accompanied by HIV test results.
Project Focus
American Culture, Technology in the Classroom, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
Novosibirsk is located in the heart of Siberia and covers an area far larger than any other area in the Russian Federation. While the population is sparse outside of a few key cities, it is spread out into remote corners that range from towns that have changed little over the past 50 years to booming oil towns. One thing all towns and cities have in common is their lack of exposure to Americans, to American Studies, and to an American take on English language teaching. The EL Fellow will work in close cooperation with the Novosibirsk State Technical University and with the Novosibirsk English Language Teachers’ Association, NOVELTA, to reach university instructors and secondary teachers throughout the city, conducting methodological workshops and weekly workshops with educational establishments of Novosibirsk and Academgorodok. The institutions include the Pedagogical University, NSTU, and SiBOSK. The majority of training projects will focus on using information technology in the classroom and communicating trends in ELT methodology. The EL Fellow will use ELO materials where possible and use the materials to enhance American studies components in schools and universities. The EL Fellow should approach this work with flexibility and creativity, and consider how best to motivate teachers to also use authentic sources, such as those from the internet, film, and newspapers. The EL Fellow should emphasize building peer observation systems within schools and universities. The EL Fellow should also have a keen eye for how best to turn teachers into trainers and make a concerted effort to build a core group of qualified trainers who feel confident spreading the methods and techniques developed by the EL Fellow, and to add their own unique insight to the training process. The “Shaping the Way We Teach English” material should be used to this end. With the growing importance of internet use within schools and among university faculty, the EL Fellow is expected to run a series of workshops that introduce Web 2.0 applications to the ELT classroom. The EL Fellow will work closely with graduates of various online courses, including E-teacher and Lewis and Clark’s “Exploring Web 2.0”, and through NOVELTA to identify the proper audience. Follow-on programming should include an enhanced website for NOVELTA as well as several classroom-specific projects for teachers and students.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, English Camp, Teachers Association/Organization, and Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow will travel extensively throughout the region and build a strong relationship with associations, universities, especially those training future teachers, in-service training facilities, and American Corners. The EL Fellow will have access to programming and travel funds and should take appropriate steps to maximize this budget by coordinating travel and programming with the ELO. Programming should be arranged through the local teachers' associations and should focus on general methodology, American Studies and IT. The EL Fellow will have approximately one outreach trip each month, in-country program allowance funds permitting, and should set aside funds for mid-year and end-of-year conferences and for supporting participation in Access summer school programs. Other secondary duties include:
- co-authoring an article for English Teaching Forum
- helping ELO identify appropriate candidates for the suite of E-Teacher courses, the Integrating the Internet into the Classroom’ online course, and IV programs
- supporting the English Access Microscholarship Program through active involvement in the summer school program.
Project Objectives
The EL Fellow project in Novosibirsk will support increased US-Russian cooperation in a number of fields, including education, and encourage Russia's efforts to build democratic institutions. The first goal recently received a much-needed boost during a visit of a delegation from DC headed by U/S McHale. During the visit, several projects in education, including building a stronger language instruction infrastructure, were discussed and agreed upon by both sides. EL Fellows were highlighted as major catalysts in the region. The second goal refers to the U.S. Embassy’s strong support for civic structures, among which exist one of Russia’s strongest educational civic networks, the National Association of Teachers of English (NATE). These bottom-up structured entities, in which teachers are given the opportunity to voice their own opinion and, ultimately, affect educational policy (as was seen with NATE’s involvement in the national university entrance exam), have a direct impact on a major shift happening in language classes across the country, a shift from a teacher-centered to a bottom-up learner-centered approach. EL Fellows’ programming is closely related to association-run professional development events and consultations.
About the Host Institution
Novosibirsk State Technical University is one of the largest research and educational centers of Russia and one of the major ones in Siberia. The University trains specialists in engineering, social-economic studies as well as in the humanities. The University has ten schools and two institutes with over 10,000 full-time students.
The Novosibirsk American Corner is one of the most proactive Corners in Russia. It regularly hosts ELT and American Studies events throughout the year. It has excellent computer and a/v equipment, as well as internet and DVC capability.
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Host Country Russia
Host City Tyumen
Host Institution Tyumen State University/American Corner
Type of Project Senior Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Special Country Requirements
The Russian Federation requires that all visa requests be accompanied by HIV test results.
Project Focus
American Culture, Teacher Training, Teacher Associations, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
In early April 2010 the Ekaterinburg Consul General, Tim Sandusky, and later the Consulate’s Public Affairs Officer, Chris Istrati, visited the greater Tyumen region and reported that both at the political and academic level, the demand for upgrading English instructors’ language level and teaching skills is a priority. In one of the areas, Yamalo-Nenets, local administrators named it as their top priority. The EL Fellow will be based at the region’s main university, Tyumen State University, which has 40,000 students at 15 branches spread over an area comparable in size to a third of the continental U.S. Cities in the region include Surgut and Khanti-Mansisk, both of which have only recently inaugurated new teachers’ associations, and several larger cities, Consulate-based Ekaterinburg only a few hours away by car and Chelyabinsk, an industrial city with a vibrant teachers’ association. The region is also rich in gas and oil and the city of Tyumen is home to a university specializing in the sector.
The EL Fellow will dedicate half of his/her time to work at the host institution. The department that has agreed to host the EL Fellow, the Regional Institute for International Cooperation, is run by IV alumna Dr. Telegina. Her Institute trains future teachers of English. The EL Fellow’s main responsibilities at the institute are subject to further negotiation, based on the EL Fellow’s background, but will focus on supporting methodology courses for future teachers and running in-service teacher training for staff at the university and at its branches. There is also a strong possibility that through the university’s connection with local Ministry of Education in-service training programs the EL Fellow will also conduct workshops for in-service secondary school teachers.
Through Tyumen State University and the web of associations in the region, the EL Fellow will travel to numerous cities, including Khanti-Mansisk, Surgut, Ekaterinburg, Ufa, Miass, Izhevsk, Perm, Tobolsk, Nizhnevartovsk, and Chelyabinsk. A special effort will be made to support the growth and effectiveness of local teachers’ associations so that they work closely with local Ministry of Education in-service programs and Pedagogical universities and departments to provide quality teacher training for teachers at all levels of education. The EL Fellow will help integrate the associations into the National Associations of Teachers of English, NATE, and ensure that all contribute to and learn from the wiki www.eltrussia.ru and the social networking site www.elt-russia.ning.ru. The EL Fellow will have access to funds for programming and travel in the region and the EL Fellow should take appropriate steps to maximize this budget by coordinating travel and programming with the English Language Officer (ELO). The EL Fellow will have approximately one outreach trip each month and should set aside funds for mid-year and end-of-year conferences and for supporting participation in Access summer school programs.
The EL Fellow will also work through the Tyumen American Corner and present a series of American Studies workshops designed for English language teachers in the city. These informal sessions will allow teachers to explore American language and culture, to practice speaking English in small groups, and to share ideas on how best to teach with the presented material. The EL Fellow should use a multi-media approach and should take full advantage of two new sets of materials, “Picturing America” and “American Values through Media.”
Other secondary duties include:
- co-authoring an article for English Teaching Forum
- helping ELO identify appropriate candidates for the suite of E-Teacher courses, the “Integrating the Internet into the Classroom” online course, and IV programs
- supporting the English Access Microscholarship Program through active involvement in the summer school program.
Project Objectives
The EL Fellow project in Tyumen will support increased US-Russian cooperation in a number of fields, including education, and encourage Russia's efforts to build democratic institutions. The first goal recently received a much-needed boost during a visit of a delegation from DC headed by U/S McHale. During the visit, several projects in education, including building a stronger language instruction infrastructure, were discussed and agreed upon by both sides. EL Fellows were highlighted as major catalysts in the region. The second goal refers to the U.S. Embassy’s strong support for civic structures, among which exist one of Russia’s strongest educational civic networks, the National Association of Teachers of English (NATE). These bottom-up structured entities, in which teachers are given the opportunity to voice their own opinion and, ultimately, affect educational policy (as was seen with NATE’s involvement in the national university entrance exam), have a direct impact on a major shift happening in language classes across the country, a shift from a teacher-centered to a bottom-up learner-centered approach. EL Fellows’ programming is closely related to association-run professional development events and consultations.
About the Host Institution
The EL Fellow’s host institution is Tyumen State University. With 15 branches and approximately 40,000 students, the university is one of Russia’s largest, both in terms of size and the geographic area it covers.
The Tyumen American Corner regularly hosts ELT and American Studies events throughout the year. It has excellent computer and a/v equipment, as well as internet and DVC capability.
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Host Country Serbia
Host City Nis
Host Institution University of Nis
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Project Focus
American Culture, American Literature, English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
In collaboration with the host institution faculty members, the EL Fellow will develop and teach language skills courses for academic purposes, in the areas of integrated language skills. The EL Fellow will primarily teach the Contemporary English Language course, to the 2nd year students (upper intermediate/advanced level), 3rd year students (advanced/proficiency level), as well as the 4th year students (proficiency level). Under the reformed curricula, the EL Fellow will teach the integrated language skills, including grammar, vocabulary, text analysis, writing and speaking. The EL Fellow will be required to both work on his/her own, and paired up with his/her counterparts. The EL Fellow will be required to have up to 18 classes per week. In addition, the EL Fellow will be required to work with another counterpart within the course English Language through Debate, the total of 1-2 classes per week during the Fall semester. Besides teaching classes, the EL Fellow will be expected to review and grade students' home assignments, take part in the written and oral exams, and have the minimum of two office hours per week.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, American Culture, Teachers Association/Organization, and Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow will also be expected to schedule presentations at the American Corner in Nis so as to give workshops on American life and culture, language teaching methodology, etc. The EL Fellow will develop and maintain a productive relationship with the English Language Teachers' Association (ELTA) in Serbia. All this will ensure both a greater reach and a greater impact of the EL Fellow's work.
Project Objectives
To develop and teach interactive-experiential oriented skills courses and work with the faculty to help them do the same; to improve the local community's understanding of U.S. culture and society via university courses and American Corners activities.
About the Host Institution
English Language Department of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Nis, is one of the newer such departments in Serbia. Nis, as the regional center, is the breeding school for future teachers of English language, covering a vast territory and great number of elementary and secondary school students. With the new higher education reform under way in Serbia, and the newly appointed management of the EL department, they're eager to exchange ideas and experiences with their international colleagues.
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Host Country Turkey
Host City Adana/Mardin
Host Institution Cukurova University/Artuklu University
Type of Project Senior Fellow
Project Dates September 2010 – June 2011
Project Focus
Teaching Methodologies and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
Liaising with the English Language Officer (ELO) in Ankara, the EL Fellow based in Adana/Mardin will serve as a Regional Coordinator for English language programs administered by US Embassy Ankara in the Southeastern Anatolian region of Turkey. Primary duties, which will comprise three-four days of work per week and will require frequent travel, are as follows:
- Providing pedagogical and logistical support for EL Fellows and English Teaching Assistants (ETAs). The Senior Fellow will maintain regular contact and make site visits to four EL Fellows (based at universities in Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Malatya, and Van) and approximately 10-15 ETAs (based at universities and high schools throughout the region). The EL Fellow will address classroom issues and logistical concerns to the extent possible, informing the ELO as necessary. The EL Fellow will also coordinate EL Fellow outreach activities in his/her region and assist in preparing and forwarding highlights of EL Fellow and ETA activities.
- Providing pedagogical support for the English Access Microscholarship Program. The EL Fellow will conduct teacher observations, organize teacher-training workshops, support cultural enhancement activities, and interact with Access students at four sites in the region (Batman, Gaziantep, Malatya, and Mersin).
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, American Culture, English Club Programming, Support Mentoring, and Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow will also spend one-two days per week working with students in the English Language Teaching (ELT) Department of Cukurova University's Faculty of Education and with language education staff at Mardin Artuklu University on curriculum and materials development for the new Living Languages Institute. The EL Fellow will also provide professional support to English teachers at both universities and their efforts to develop English language courses at their respective universities. The EL Fellow will also be asked to give occasional talks at the American Corner in Gaziantep.
Project Objectives
For several years, the U.S. Embassy has been working to cast a wider net in recruiting participants for its academic and youth exchange programs from outside Turkey’s main cities of Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir. The biggest obstacle in this effort is the low level of English language skills outside these three urban centers. As a result, one of the top priorities is to improve the quality of English teaching and learning in other regions of the country. To this end, the Embassy has secured an agreement with the Government of Turkey and the Turkish Fulbright Commission to expand the English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program eightfold in AY 2010-2011. The Embassy also anticipates continued growth in its English Access Microscholarship Program, which currently reaches youth in 15 cities in traditionally underserved regions of the country. The EL Fellow in Adana/Mardin, working in coordination with his/her EL Fellow counterparts in three other regions of the country, will play a crucial role in ensuring that the rapid expansion of English language programs is implemented smoothly and achieves maximal impact.
About the Host Institution
Founded in 1973, Cukurova University has played a leading role in the development of southern Turkey. Today, the university comprises ten faculties, one state conservatory, three colleges, nine vocational colleges, three institutes, and 29 research centers, with approximately 1900 faculty members teaching over 32,000 students. The Department of Foreign Language Education in the Faculty of Education, where the EL Fellow will be based, is among the leading programs of its type in the country. Graduates of the department’s BA program are placed in Ministry of Education schools throughout the region, while graduates of its post-baccalaureate programs have received academic appointments nationwide and now play a key role in pre-service language teacher education in their own right.
Founded in 2007, Mardin Artuklu University one of Turkey’s newest institutions of higher learning. To distinguish his university from the rest of this young pack, the Artuklu rector has unveiled a strategic plan that seeks to turn his institution into a center of social science research focusing on the cultures of Mardin region. Key among these plans is the establishment of a “Living Languages Institute” that will focus on teaching and researching the languages of the region: Arabic, Kurdish, Persian, and Syriac (Assyrian Aramaic). The university is also seeking to establish an English Preparatory Program for students whose major departments will require proficiency in English. The EL Fellow would make an important contribution to the development of both of these language programs.
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Host Country Turkey
Host City Malatya
Host Institution Inonu University
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Project Focus
English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Medicine, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
The EL Fellow at Inonu University will work with students in two different sections of the university: the English Language Teaching (ELT) Department of the Faculty of Education, and the English Language Preparatory Program of the School of Foreign Languages. In the ELT Department, the EL Fellow will provide instruction to pre-service English language teachers. Possible course topics include language teaching methodology, language assessment, or advanced English skills. In the preparatory program, the EL Fellow will teach skills-based English language courses to students who are required to reach an institutionally defined level of English in order to attend courses in English-medium degree programs at the university. Additionally, the EL Fellow will be asked to teach at least one course per semester on ESP Medicine for graduate students and faculty members from the university's medical school.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Culture, English Club Programming, Support Mentoring, and Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow will work closely with the English teaching staff at the Turkish Educational Association (TED) school in Malatya to support local English Access Microscholarship Program courses. The TED school in Malatya is located on the university campus, where the EL Fellow will teach and live, making it extremely convenient for the EL Fellow to have frequent interaction with Access teachers and students. The EL Fellow will serve as a living resource for the cultural enhancement component of the Access course, appearing as a guest speaker to discuss aspects of American life and culture with the students. The EL Fellow will also support the quality of teaching by providing monthly professional development workshops for the Access teachers and by serving as a mentor for the youthful TED English teaching staff.
Project Objectives
Under the direction of a dynamic new president, Inonu University is attempting both to improve the quality of instruction across campus and to increase its involvement in international educational exchange. As is similar at most universities in the southern and eastern regions of Turkey, Inonu University's limited institutional English-language capacity (among both students and faculty members) is a major impediment to these efforts. Placing an EL Fellow in Malatya will help demonstrate the U.S. Embassy's commitment not only to Inonu University in particular, but to improving the opportunities for residents of the region to be able to participate in international educational and professional exchanges.
About the Host Institution
Inonu University was founded in 1975 to serve the province of Malatya, which is located in an agriculturally rich region in south-central Turkey. Today, it is located on a modern, well organized, and secure campus on the outskirts of the city. The university consists of nine faculties, nine vocational schools, three institutes, and two colleges, including a teaching and research hospital that has been recognized internationally for its work in organ transplantation.
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Host Country Turkey
Host City Ankara
Host Institution Keçiören Municipality
Type of Project Senior Fellow
Project Dates September 2010 – June 2011
Project Focus
Administrative Duties, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
Liaising with the English Language Officer in Ankara, the EL Fellow based in Keçiören will serve as a Regional Coordinator for English language programs administered by the U.S. Embassy in the Central Anatolian region of Turkey. Primary duties, which will comprise three days of work per week and will require frequent travel, are as follows:
- Providing pedagogical and logistical support for other EL Fellows and English Teaching Assistants (ETA). The EL Fellow will maintain regular contact and make site visits to two EL Fellows (based at universities in Kayseri and Konya) and approximately 10-15 ETAs (based at universities and high schools throughout the region). The EL Fellow will address classroom issues and logistical concerns to the extent possible, informing the ELO as necessary. The EL Fellow will also coordinate EL Fellow outreach activities in his/her region and assist in preparing and forwarding highlights of EL Fellow and ETA activities.
- Providing pedagogical support for the English Access Microscholarship Program. The EL Fellow will conduct teacher observations, organize teacher-training workshops, support cultural enhancement activities, and interact with Access students at six sites in the region (Karabuk, Karadeniz Ereli, Kayseri, Konya Ereli, Polatl, and Zonguldak).
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, American Culture, English Club Programming, Support Mentoring, and Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow will work two days per week to provide support for English language courses offered by the Keçiören Municipality through its community education centers. The EL Fellow will provide professional development seminars to English teachers working in the centers and will assist in curriculum development and program evaluation efforts. Time permitting, the EL Fellow may also be asked to support development of the Municipality's after-school language-teaching courses and Public Language Resource Center. The EL Fellow will also be asked to give occasional talks at the American Corner in Kayseri.
Project Objectives
For several years, the U.S. Embassy has been working to cast a wider net in recruiting participants for its academic and youth exchange programs from outside Turkey’s main cities of Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir. The biggest obstacle in this effort is the low level of English language skills outside these three urban centers. As a result, one of the top priorities is to improve the quality of English teaching and learning in other regions of the country. To this end, the Embassy has secured an agreement with the Government of Turkey and the Turkish Fulbright Commission to expand the English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program eightfold in AY 2010-2011. The Embassy also anticipates continued growth in its English Access Microscholarship Program, which currently reaches youth in 15 cities in traditionally underserved regions of the country. The EL Fellow in Keçiören, working in coordination with his/her EL Fellow counterparts in three other regions of the country, will play a crucial role in ensuring that the rapid expansion of English language programs is implemented smoothly and achieves maximal impact. Additionally, because Keçiören is populated largely by internal migrants from Central and Eastern Anatolia, having the EL Fellow work with the Municipality's community centers will allow to reach more conservative, less economically well-off segments of the population of Ankara.
About the Host Institution
The Keçiören municipality, with a population of over 850,000, is the largest district of Ankara. As the primary destination for internal migrants from Central and Eastern Anatolia, Keçiören remains one of Turkey's most rapidly expanding urban areas. To help these recent arrivals, many of whom are impoverished and undereducated, adapt to realities and demands of their new social environment, the Keçiören municipal government has established over 12 community education centers. The centers, which primarily serve female residents of Keçiören, provide courses in subjects such as life skills, arts and handicrafts, and foreign languages (Arabic and English). The Municipality also has plans to offer after-school English courses (similar to the English Access Microscholarship Program) and to open a community language resource center.
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Host Country Turkey
Host City Kayseri
Host Institution Erciyes University
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Project Focus
American Culture, American Literature, English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, and English for Writing
Project Description
The EL Fellow at Erciyes University will continue to teach courses in American studies, American literature, and using technology in the classroom. The later course, which is new to the department, will be developed in collaboration with the department chair. The EL Fellow will continue to provide pedagogical support to the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant who will be assigned to the School of Foreign Languages (a pre-university program for students admitted to faculties that require English language for study).
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, American Culture, American Studies, English Club Programming, Support Mentoring, and Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow will work closely with the English teaching staff at the Turkish Educational Association (TED) school in Kayseri to support local English Access Microscholarship Program courses. The EL Fellow will serve as a living resource for the cultural enhancement component of the Access course, appearing as a guest speaker to discuss aspects of American life and culture with students. The EL Fellow will also support the quality of instruction by providing monthly professional development workshops for the Access teachers and by serving as a mentor for the youthful TED English teaching staff. The EL Fellow will continue to support the American Corner, working closely with the corner coordinator in developing a dynamic and relevant program that reaches out to university students and beyond. One objective is to regularly involve American speakers based in Istanbul, Ankara and the US in DVC based interactions with interested students, staff and community members on topics of mutual interest.
Project Objectives
The EL Fellow helps dispel some of the widely held erroneous conceptions of U.S. society and culture by reaching out to future generations of teachers. This placement helps create a better balance in terms of content at the university's English language and literature program.
About the Host Institution
Erciyes University is located in the commercially vibrant city of Kayseri in central Anatolia. It has eight faculties, including a new faculty of Education (where they do not yet have an English department, although that might change). Until very recently, it also had branch campuses in Yozgat and Nevsehir. In 2005, the Yozgat branch was reconstituted as an independent university and in 2008, the Nevsehir campus became an independent university. Both still depend heavily on Erciyes for expertise and instructors. Although neither Yozgat nor Nevsehir are quite ready to host an EL Fellow, both would benefit from having an EL Fellow at the "mother institution". In addition, Erciyes has a large and growing School of Foreign Languages. Students admitted into the faculties of medicine, architecture, and business administration are required to pass an English proficiency exam or take a year-long intensive English course at the School for Foreign Languages.
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Host Country Turkey
Host City Denizli
Host Institution Pamukkale University
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Project Focus
American Culture, English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
The EL Fellow at Pamukkale University will teach courses in academic reading and writing and speaking to future English teachers enrolled at the host university's Faculty of Education. The EL Fellow will teach methodology and curriculum/materials development courses to advanced students in the department. The EL Fellow will also provide pedagogical support to the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant working at the university's new "School for Foreign Languages" (a pre-university language preparatory program for students accepted into university programs that require English language skills for academic purposes).
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Culture, Support Mentoring, and Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow in Denizli will continue the work begun by his/her predecessor with the Cafer Sadek Abalioglu Holding Company's Education and Cultural division on a number of community-oriented projects. These projects include developing an English resource center for economically disadvantaged young kids (ages 5-10) and a Community Assistance Service (CAS) program for third year students interested in volunteering some of their time to helping out in orphanages, public libraries, health clinics, etc. in the community.
Project Objectives
This project serves to provide a new generation of English teachers with alternative approaches to teaching not only English but critical thinking skills. The academic program focuses on helping future English teachers think and write critically, thereby making them and perhaps their future students better equipped for life in an open, functioning democracy. The program serves to increase the pool of USG-funded activities and programs outside the major metropolitan areas of Turkey. Through it's Community Assistance Service (CAS) program, the program gives young people direct experience in volunteering. This program benefits from working in collaboration with a progressive business conglomeration that helps fund some of the outreach activities.
About the Host Institution
Pamukkale University was founded in 1992 and consists of six faculties (Education, Engineering, Medicine, Public Administration, Arts and Sciences and Social Sciences), three research institutes, six schools of higher education and eight vocational schools. Over 90% of the students are from beyond Denizli and live on campus. The university also has a vibrant cultural and sports center. The university also promotes a strong community-development ethos and seeks to involve students in community outreach projects.
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Host Country Turkey
Host City Isparta/Burdur
Host Institution Suleyman Demirel University/Mehmet Akif University
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates Mid-September 2010 – Mid-July 2011
Project Focus
American Culture, American Literature, English for Listening, English for Speaking, English for Writing, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
The EL Fellow will continue work begun last year at Suleyman Demirel University and will expand this project to Mehmet Akif University in the neighboring province of Burdur. The EL Fellow will spend three days per week in Isparta and two days per week in Burdur. At Suleyman Demirel University in Isparta, the EL Fellow will continue to be based at the Department of English Language and Literature in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, where s/he will teach courses in conversation, American literature and American studies. At Mehmet Akif University, the EL Fellow will be based in the English Language Teaching Program in the Faculty of Education's Department of Foreign Language Education. In addition to language classes, the EL Fellow may teach courses in language teaching methodology while at Mehmet Akif University. At both universities, the Fellow's students will be future English teachers.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Culture, Support Mentoring, and Workshops/Seminars. In addition to primary duties, the EL Fellow will provide pedagogical support to teachers in the local English Access Microscholarship Program and to the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant working in Isparta. S/he will also provide frequent in-service teacher training seminars to English teachers in the School for Foreign Languages at both host universities.
Project Objectives
The project serves to provide a new generation of teachers and young people with a better balanced view of U.S. society and culture. It also helps support our outreach efforts in a region that has received little attention over the years from this mission.
About the Host Institution
Suleyman Demirel University was founded in 1992. It is a large and rapidly growing university in south central Turkey that attracts students from across Turkey. The university has recently created an Office of International Affairs and is increasingly interested in forging international links. It is now participating in several EU and Council of Europe programs including the Erasmus program. English is now required by students enrolled at the faculties of business administration, journalism and communication and might be soon expanded to several other faculties. The School for Foreign Languages has over 50 teachers on staff and is interested in in-service teacher training. Although the school has no Faculty of Education, most of the students enrolled in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (Dept of English) plan to pursue careers in education and need enriched pedagogical input. In 2006, the Faculty of Education and several vocational schools located in Burdur that had been affiliated Suleyman Demirel University were granted autonomous status and reopened as Mehmet Akif University. Just four years later, Mehmet Akif University serves over 12,500 students in three faculties, two colleges, five vocational colleges, and numerous other university research and teaching centers. The English Language Teaching Program in the Faculty of Education's Department of Foreign Language Education offers both undergraduate and graduate courses in language teaching methodology to future English teachers.
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Host Country Turkey
Host City Erzincan
Host Institution Erzincan University
Type of Project Senior Fellow
Project Dates September 2010 – June 2011
Project Focus
American Culture, American Literature, English for Speaking, Teaching Methodologies, and Teaching Techniques
Special Country Requirements
Because this project will involve extensive individual travel by bus through conservative Muslim communities in rural provinces of Northeastern Turkey, preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated ability to live and work in such settings. Although prior knowledge of Turkish language, culture, and society are not prerequisites for the position, candidates possessing such knowledge are strongly encouraged to apply.
Project Description
Liaising with the English Language Officer (ELO) in Ankara, the EL Fellow based in Erzincan will serve as a Regional Coordinator for English language programs administered by US Embassy Ankara in the Northeastern Anatolian region of Turkey. Primary duties, which will comprise of three-four days of work per week and will require frequent travel, are as follows:
- Providing pedagogical and logistical support for EL Fellows and English Teaching Assistants (ETAs). The EL Fellow will maintain regular contact and make site visits to the EL Fellows based in Samsun and approximately 10-15 ETAs (based at universities and high schools throughout the region). The EL Fellow will address classroom issues and logistical concerns to the extent possible, informing the ELO as necessary. The EL Fellow will also coordinate EL Fellow outreach activities in his/her region and assist in preparing and forwarding highlights of EL Fellow and ETA activities.
- Providing pedagogical support for the English Access Microscholarship Program. The EL Fellow will conduct teacher observations, organize teacher-training workshops, support cultural enhancement activities, and interact with Access students in Samsun.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, Support Mentoring, and Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow will also spend one-two days per week working with language education staff at Erzincan University on curriculum and materials development for the new English Language Teaching program in the Faculty of Education. When courses open in the department (with the actual date TBD by the Turkish Council of Higher Education), the EL Fellow may also be asked to teach a course on language teaching methodology. The EL Fellow will also provide professional support to English teachers at the university and their efforts to develop the university's English preparatory program.
Project Objectives
For several years, the U.S. Embassy has been working to cast a wider net in recruiting participants for its academic and youth exchange programs from outside Turkey’s main cities of Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir. The biggest obstacle in this effort is the low level of English language skills outside these three urban centers. As a result, one of the top priorities is to improve the quality of English teaching and learning in other regions of the country. To this end, the Embassy has secured an agreement with the Government of Turkey and the Turkish Fulbright Commission to expand the English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program eightfold in AY 2010-2011. The Embassy also anticipates continued growth in its English Access Microscholarship Program, which currently reaches youth in 15 cities in traditionally underserved regions of the country. The EL Fellow in Erzincan, working in coordination with his/her EL Fellow counterparts in three other regions of the country, will play a crucial role in ensuring that the rapid expansion of English language programs is implemented smoothly and achieves maximal impact.
About the Host Institution
In 2006, the Faculty of Education and several vocational schools in Erzincan that had been affiliated Atatürk University (located in neighboring Erzurum province) were granted autonomous status and reopened as Erzincan University. A rapidly developing university in a region previously under-served by higher educational facilities, Erzincan University today serves over 12,000 students in five faculties, two colleges, twelve vocational colleges, and numerous other university research and teaching centers. The Foreign Language Education Department in the university's Faculty of Education was opened in 2008, with the first students being admitted in AY 2008-2009 (in the French language teaching program). The university is working to open an English language program in the near future, and the EL Fellow will play a crucial role in developing the curriculum for this language teacher education program.
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Host Country Turkey
Host City Eskisehir
Host Institution Anadolu University
Type of Project Senior Fellow
Project Dates September 2010 – June 2011
Project Focus
Teaching Methodologies and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
Liaising with the English Language Officer (ELO) in Ankara, the EL Fellow based in Eskisehir will serve as a Regional Coordinator for English language programs administered by the US Embassy Ankara in the Western Anatolian region of Turkey. Primary duties, which will comprise three-four days of work per week and will require frequent travel, are as follows:
- Providing pedagogical and logistical support for English Language Fellows (ELF) and English Teaching Assistants (ETA). The EL Fellow will maintain regular contact and make site visits to two EL Fellows (based at universities in Denizli and ISPARTA) and approximately 10-15 ETAs (based at universities and high schools throughout the region). The EL Fellow will address classroom issues and logistical concerns to the extent possible, informing the ELO as necessary. The EL Fellow will also coordinate EL Fellow outreach activities in his/her region and assist in preparing and forwarding highlights of EL Fellow and ETA activities.
- Providing pedagogical support for the English Access Microscholarship Program. The EL Fellow will conduct teacher observations, organize teacher-training workshops, support cultural enhancement activities, and interact with Access students at four-six sites in the region (Afyon, Antalya, Bursa, and Isparta + up to two new cities TBD in Fall 2010).
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, American Culture, Support Mentoring, Teachers Association/Organization, and Workshops/Seminars. The EL Fellow will also teach courses one-two days per week in the English Language Teaching (ELT) Department of Anadolu University's Faculty of Education. The EL Fellow will advise and mentor students in the ELT Department, who are all pre-service teachers of English. The EL Fellow would also be asked to give occasional talks at the American Corners in Bursa and Izmir.
Project Objectives
For several years, the U.S. Embassy has been working to cast a wider net in recruiting participants for its academic and youth exchange programs from outside Turkey’s main cities of Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir. The biggest obstacle in this effort is the low level of English language skills outside these three urban centers. As a result, one of the top priorities is to improve the quality of English teaching and learning in other regions of the country. To this end, the Embassy has secured an agreement with the Government of Turkey and the Turkish Fulbright Commission to expand the English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program eightfold in AY 2010-2011. The Embassy also anticipates continued growth in its English Access Microscholarship Program, which currently reaches youth in 15 cities in traditionally underserved regions of the country. The EL Fellow in Eskisehir, working in coordination with his/her EL Fellow counterparts in three other regions of the country, will play a crucial role in ensuring that the rapid expansion of English language programs is implemented smoothly and achieves maximal impact.
About the Host Institution
Founded in 1952, Anadolu University is today considered to be one of Turkey's most innovative institutions of higher education. The university serves a population of approximately 24,000 residential students (graduate and undergraduate) at its main campus in Eskisehir and reaches another 1 million students through its distance education courses in 8 cities throughout the country. The Department of Foreign Language Education in the Faculty of Education, where the EL Fellow will be based, is among the leading programs of its type in the country. Founded in 1982, the department employs three full professors, four associate professors, six assistant professors, and numerous teaching and research assistants to educate pre-service English language teachers. The department also offers a dual degree program with the State University of New York-Cortland, in which students spend two years in residence in Turkey and two in the United States.
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Host Country Ukraine
Host City Kiev
Host Institution English Teaching Resource Center (ETRC) at the National University/Kyiv Mohyla Academy
Type of Project Senior Fellow
Project Dates September 2010 – June 2011
Project Focus
Teaching Methodologies and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
English Teaching Resource Center (ETRC) at National University is a center for professional development of teachers of English and American Studies from throughout Ukraine that offers regular teacher training seminars and has a lending library with an inventory of over 7,000 items in its collection. The EL Fellow will continue providing in-service training for university level and secondary school teachers at the ETRC as well as doing an outreach to other institutions throughout Ukraine. The current EL Fellow has conducted a series of workshops for university level and secondary school teachers on developing teaching skills and introducing them to techniques for teaching oral communication in the context of ESP. In the second semester, he has started developing a new project focused on increasing the use of technology among English language teachers to promote student learning. Classroom technologies that are freely available, such as podcasting, wikis, message boards, interfaces to corpora, Skype, and the course management platform Moodle, are not being utilized well in Ukrainian educational institutions even though an increasing number of schools and universities have an adequate Internet connection, and students typically have access to computers either at home or at school. The AY 2010-11 EL Fellow will continue promoting the use of technology in teaching to enable teachers to increase peer-to-peer interaction and learning outside the classroom. The second project will involve familiarizing teachers with inquiry-based approaches to professional development - specifically Lesson Study - to encourage teachers to take responsibility for their own professional learning. The EL Fellow will continue working with groups of teachers to cultivate their expertise to adopt this professional development activity and begin to lead Lesson Study groups in their institutions.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Culture, English Club Programming, and Teachers Association/Organization. In addition to the regular teacher training workshops at the ETRC, the EL Fellow will also be invited to give professional presentations at nationwide and regional teacher training conferences. The US Embassy will coordinate EL Fellow's outreach to other institutions, Window on America Centers, and RELO-sponsored regional teachers' resource centers throughout Ukraine. The EL Fellow will also work closely with TESOL-Ukraine and American Studies teachers' associations to help develop its leadership and strengthen the network through professional conferences and activities.
Project Objectives
This project aims at fostering understanding between Ukrainians and Americans by deepening Ukrainian knowledge of educational and cultural aspects of American society, and exposing Americans to Ukrainian society. English teachers who use the ETRC services not only bring new ideas and the latest methodologies back to their classes, but also pass along knowledge about U.S. society and values to their students. The knowledge and understanding that is generated encourage a global perspective and lead to the growth of democratic institutions. This project also supports Ukraine's efforts to provide equal access to quality education and to increase the overall quality of the education system by preparing graduates for the global economy and Euro-Atlantic integration.
About the Host Institution
The English Teaching Resource Center (ETRC) is located at the National University/Kyiv Mohyla Academy in Kyiv. The US Embassy has had a longstanding relationship with Kyiv-Mohyla Academy's English Department and actively supports the development of various programs and activities for teachers. There are currently about 3,000 registered members, most of them Ukrainian teachers of English and American Studies from secondary schools and universities, graduate students, or scholars. About 30% of its members are teachers from outside of Kyiv who plan regular trips to Kyiv to borrow English teaching materials and to attend teacher training workshops for their professional development. The ETRC also promotes English teaching materials produced by the Office of English Language Programs of the State Department and offers them for purchase through the Embassy’s recycling program. The highly trained and committed ETRC staff offers a variety of services to the center’s members, including weekly professional development seminars and youth discussion club meetings; they also maintain library collection of over 7,000 titles on topics related to English teaching and American Studies and prepare monthly electronic newsletters with information about upcoming events, new acquisitions, and current themes on American society and culture. In 2009 alone, ETRC organized 102 events for teachers (averaging 2-3 events per week) with total number of 1,846 participants and provided services to an average of 50-100 visitors daily, totaling about 10,000 visits during the calendar year.
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Host Country Ukraine
Host City Luhansk
Host Institution East Ukrainian Volodymyr Dal National University (EUNU)
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates September 2010 – June 2011
Project Focus
American Culture, English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
An EL Fellow will continue teaching the English Conversation and American Culture courses to undergraduate and graduate students of EUNU Philological Department. In addition to classroom teaching, the EL Fellow will conduct seminars on American culture and language for young faculty members of the university. This will enhance the teachers' communicative competence and allow them to introduce more cultural content into their curriculum. The English Conversation course is a practical English course based on all four language skills aimed at raising students' communicative competence. It includes topics from university standard curriculum such as Human Life, Education, Cross-Cultural Communication, and Conflict Resolution. The EL Fellow will also help students to enhance their critical thinking skills by way of formal discussions, oral presentations, and debates in the classroom. The aim of the American Culture course is to introduce students to American history, politics, life and culture and to stimulate their critical thinking skills while teaching about the development of civil society and democratic institutions.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, English Club Programming, and Workshops/Seminars. The current EL Fellow has been involved in establishing the ECA English Access Microscholarship Program in Luhansk and helped the university to select teachers, interview students, and select course materials in the 1st semester. The Ay 2010-11 EL Fellow will continue working closely with the program instructors to help them expand American cultural component as well as instruct on using communicative English teaching methods. The EL Fellow will also observe the ACCESS program lessons and participate in students' discussions on U.S. culture and life. The EL Fellow will also work informally with students of the university's English Conversation Club and participate in outreach events at the Window on America Center (American Corner) at the city library to talk about different aspects of American life and culture.
Project Objectives
Luhansk is a large oblast center, remote from the capital and Western Europe, and located in eastern Ukraine, an important target of US Embassy’s Public Diplomacy efforts. Its educational institutions still lack resources and information about current teaching approaches that are now becoming available at more centrally located institutions. This project aims at fostering understanding between Ukrainians and Americans by deepening Ukrainians' knowledge of educational and cultural aspects of American society in a major city on the periphery of Ukraine that has little contact with Americans. It will also promote a better American understanding of Ukrainian society. The current EL Fellow based at this institution has commented in her mid-year report that the university's greatest need is to teach students to express original thought and opinions. The knowledge and understanding that is being generated by this program encourage a global perspective and contribute to the growth of democratic institutions. The US Embassy also supports the Window on America Center (American Corner) at the Oblast Library where the current EL Fellow conducts English conversation club to enhance cultural awareness of teachers and students in this eastern Ukrainian city.
About the Host Institution
The East Ukrainian Volodymyr Dal National University (EUNU) has had a successful cooperation with the Embassy and hosted several of embassy's speakers, including the current EL Fellow. The university was also a recipient of Embassy Media Development Fund’s grant for opening a television studio. In 2009 EUNU was selected to become the educational service provider for the new English Access Microscholarship Program in Luhansk. EUNU located in the city of Luhansk is one of the leading higher education institutions in eastern Ukraine. The student body is over 20,000 with a faculty of about 1,500. All its students are required to study English. The university was founded in 1920. At present it is a large educational-scientific complex which includes the main university in Luhansk city and 16 branches in other cities throughout Ukraine. These branches prepare professionals for 124 specialties. EUNU has 24 departments including English Philology Department, a Department of Foreign Languages, and a Translation Studies Department, Philosophy, History and Political Science, Linguistics, Journalism, Sociology, Electronic Engineering, Law, Natural Sciences, Finance and Economy, and Computer Technologies Departments. It also includes two educational and scientific institutes, Institute of Postgraduate Education and Distance Education, Public Administration Master program, International Centre of Undergraduate Education, 97 sub-departments, the centre of managerial staff retraining for entrepreneurship sphere, Educational and Scientific Institute of Applied Ecology, Scientific Research Institute of Control Systems, more than 40 scientific research laboratories and engineering centers, scientific library, publishing house, and printing office. EUNU was one of the first institutions in Ukraine which signed the Great Charter of European universities in Bologna, Italy in 2004. In February 2007 East-Ukrainian National University was awarded a golden medal in the nomination “Modernization of higher education in conformity with the Bologna Convention standards” at the 10th International Exhibition.
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Host Country Ukraine
Host City Sevastopol
Host Institution Sevastopol National Technical University
Type of Project Fellow
Project Dates September 2010 – June 2011
Project Focus
American Culture, English for Listening, English for Reading, English for Speaking, English for Writing, and Teaching Techniques
Project Description
The EL Fellow will teach the English Conversation and American Studies courses to undergraduate and graduate students of the Humanities Department. In addition to classroom teaching, the EL Fellow will be expected to conduct seminars on American culture and language for faculty members of the university. This will enhance the teachers' communicative competence and allow them to introduce more cultural content into their curriculum. The English Conversation course is a practical English course based on all four language skills aimed at raising students’ communicative competence. It includes topics from university standard curriculum such as Human Life, Education, Cross-Cultural Communication, and Conflict Resolution. The EL Fellow will also help students to enhance their critical thinking skills by way of formal discussions, oral presentations, and debates in the classroom. The aim of the American Studies course is to introduce students to American history, politics, life and culture and to stimulate their critical thinking skills while teaching about the development of civil society and democratic institutions. Materials and information provided by the EL Fellow and shared with his/her classes will create a greater awareness of American culture at an institution that has typically placed more emphasis on the culture and history of the United Kingdom.
Secondary project duties will include working with: American Corner Programming, American Culture, English Club Programming, and Teachers Association/Organization. The current EL Fellow has been involved in establishing the new ECA English Access Microscholarship Program in Sevastopol and helped School #3, the educational provider, to select teachers, interview students, and select course materials. The new EL Fellow will continue working closely with the program instructors to help them expand American cultural component as well as instruct on using communicative English teaching methods. The EL Fellow will also observe the ACCESS program lessons and participate in students’ discussions on U.S. culture and life. In addition, the EL Fellow will be requested to do outreach to other universities and secondary schools on the peninsula, including the US Embassy-sponsored American Corner in Simferopol and American Children’s library in Sevastopol. Such activities would include workshops for teachers as well as presentations on American culture for students that will enhance understanding of American society and culture at Crimean educational institutions.
Project Objectives
Crimea has traditionally been skeptical of the United States, favoring Russia. Inhabitants of the region receive most of their news from Russian sources, and have only limited knowledge of Americans or the United States. This is particularly true of Sevastopol, home to the Russian Black Sea Fleet. In part to counter this lack of information, the U.S.-Ukraine Charter signed in December 2008 commits the U.S. to opening an American Presence Post in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea. This project aims at facilitating democratic institution building in Ukraine and encouraging participation in the global economy and integration into international institutions. It will also foster understanding between Ukrainians and Americans by deepening Ukrainians' knowledge of democratic and cultural aspects of American society in a major city of the Crimean peninsula, inhabitants on which have little contact with Americans. The placement of the EL Fellow in Sevastopol will also help promote mutual understanding among minority cultures of the peninsula.
About the Host Institution
Sevastopol National Technical University (SNTU) founded in 1963 used to be a branch of the Odessa polytechnic institute and got a status of a technical university in 1994. In 2001, the university received the highest accreditation level (4th) and became the largest educational-scientific complex in Crimea opening new specialties and offerings for its graduates. SNTU has eight departments and 25 sub-departments which train specialists in the fields of economics and management, radio electronics, engineering, natural sciences, humanities, and other. All students are required to study English. The student body is over 10,000 with some 600 faculty. The university complex also includes scientific research laboratories and engineering centers, scientific library, and publishing house. SNTU prepares future specialists in different professional fields for whom knowledge of English is essential in adapting western methods and experience and in moving reforms forward in Ukraine.
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