TEA Alumni Lead Teacher Training Workshop in Bangladesh

140 English teachers in Bangladesh participated in a 2-day training led by three TEA program alumni. The training was led by TEA alum Musammat Badrunesha, along with other TEA fellows Ayan Chowdhury and Debobroto Shaha. When she returned to Bangladesh after completing six weeks of professional development in the U.S. with the TEA program, Musammat was determined to do something to benefit her fellow English language teachers in Moulvibazar District. After obtaining funding and support from the Deputy Commissioner and District Education Officer, these outstanding TEA alumni conducted a two-day workshop for 140 teachers, representing every secondary school in the Mouvibazar District.

The training covered: Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), which is an approach that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language; Problem-Based Learning (PBL), in which students collaboratively solve problems and reflect on their experiences; and the theory of multiple intelligences, which argues that traditional conceptions of intelligence do not sufficiently encompass the wide variety of abilities that students may display.

Through a combination of multimedia presentations, group discussions, and anecdotal story-telling about their time in the U.S., the three TEA alumni generated significant interest among a large audience of English teachers about new teaching methodologies and concepts. Through TEA program’s grant opportunities available to alumni, TEA alumni from around the world are encouraged to develop and deliver relevant teacher training workshops in their own communities.