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Nazarena Cali presents on the TEA Program during International Education Week in Entre Rios, Argentina

TEA 2009 Alumni Put Their Experience Into Practice

January 21, 2010

Alumni of the 2009 TEA program returned to their home countries in November, 2009 and have been steadily working to put their experience into practice in their schools and communities.

In Azerbaijan, TEA Alumni Halima Fatullayeva organized an hour-long session during International Education Week at the Azerbaijan English Teachers’ Association (AZETA). Halima presented her experience on the TEA program and her knowledge of WebQuest learning tools. She is also planning to conduct a series of trainings for secondary and high school teachers in the newly opened Ganja Community Information Center.

In India, Sarada Narendranath conducted a workshop for social studies teachers at her school toshare  the subject-specific methods and assessments she learned during the TEA program. Also in India, Rugmini Kongattil has embarked on a classroom-to-classroom email exchange project in collaboration with U.S. teacher Barbara Miller (Cowan Junior Senior High School, Muncie, Indiana). Students in the two English classes – one in India and one in Indiana – have exchanged letters about their local culture, customs, and language.

Another teacher from India, Devika Raman, wrote an article about her experience on the TEA Program that was published on her school’s website. The article highlights her experiences at the University of Nebraska and can be read by clicking here: http://psbbschools.ac.in/tea-programme-kkn.html.

In Argentina, Nazarena Cali made a presentation to a group of teachers and students during International Education Week at the Universidad Autonoma de Entre Rios on November 18, 2009. She was a member of the first group of teachers from Central and South America to participate in the TEA program. By sharing her experiences, the projects she completed, and other successes, Nazarena has encouraged a new group of teachers in Argentina to apply for and participate in the program next year.  

Congratulations to all the TEA 2009 Alumni, and special congratulations to those who have already put their experience into practice in their home schools and communities.

 

Punahou, HI Teacher Selected for Teaching Exchange in Ghana

Panther Creek High teacher traveling to Bangladesh

Niles West High School Teacher Leslie Natzke Selected for TEA Program

Global Educators Study US Teaching Methods

TEA Alum M. Mizanur Rahman Sheik (Bangladesh) has been nominated for the "Best Teacher Award" 2009 at the BSB Foundation. Congratulations to Mizan!

Fellows in the Press: Online Conference for Teachers and Students http://avealmec.org.ve November 5-8, 2009 -- Social Networking 2009 Conference. A completely online, free open-knowledge event aimed aimed at encouraging practioners to reflect on the role of communities of practice as a social network in English Language Teaching.

TEA US Teacher David Nurenberg created a sister-school exchange program between Concord-Carlisle High School, where he teaches English, and the school he visited in Balkanabat, Turkmenistan, during the TEA exchange program in April 2008. View David’s video and story about the sister-school program and the impact it has had on his students and the students in Balkanabat.

US Teacher Chon Lee Leads Seminars for Colleagues in Azerbaijan

June 22, 2009

On April 5, 2009 a US teacher from California, Chon Lee, came to Azerbaijan on a reciprocal visit as part of TEA program. He stayed in Azerbaijan for two weeks to work together with host teachers Gulnaz Guliyeva in Sumgayit, and Shukufa Najafova in Ismayilli. The two-week program included a variety of activities such as trainings, workshops and class observations in different schools as well as some recreational activities. On April 6, IREX field staff paid a visit to Sumgayit to observe the workshop on teaching methods conducted by Chon Lee together with his host teacher Gulnaz Guliyeva. The workshop took place in the Sumgayit Lyceum of Natural Science and was attended by more than 20 English language teachers. Read an article written by Chon Lee about his experience in Azerbaijan.

Educational Leadership Publishes Article on Brain-Friendly Learning for Teachers

Two American Teachers Deliver Workshops at Kazakhstani Secondary Schools

During April 6th-16th, two American teachers visited Kazakhstan on the TEA program. Lisa Wakefield gave workshops at a school in Ust-Kamenogorsk while Joel Fouser gave his seminars at Sayram school. An IREX staff member visited Joel Fouser’s workshop at the Uzbek school-gymnasium #1 on April, 11. Joel gave a workshop on “Using Free Hi-Tech Online Communication Tools to train EFL and ESL students to think critically”. The purpose of the presentation was to show that using instructional technology is effective at a secondary schools level and that it can help students enhance their English reading and writing skills, critical thinking, as well as assist them in developing e-learning strategies and techniques that are one of the main ways to learn in the information technology age.  In addition, it demonstrated that e-learning can encourage a student-centered learning environment on the basis of critical thinking and independent learning. The workshop provided the participants with opportunities to learn more about the ways of thinking and strategies of learning.  It resulted in a positive, desirable outcome for both teachers and the American teacher. It positively influenced and motivated the audience, increasing various language, computer, and Internet skills.

US Teacher Visits Ukraine (in Ukrainian)

Maryland Teacher Spends Spring Break in Ukraine

US Teacher Conducts Workshops in Sumgayit and Ismayilli, Azerbaijan

Teacher from Port St. Lucie, FL Travels to India: “It’s an honor, and it’s a lot of responsibility.”Read full story.

TEA US Teacher Alum David Nurenberg worked with the school principal he met in Balkanabat, Turkmenistan to set up an exchange program between their two schools. Nurenberg says, “my school jumped right on board and the Public Affairs Office of the Embassy agreed to fund it. This may well be the first such program in history to operate at a high school level between our two nations. It is almost certainly the first such program in Massachusetts.” Read full story.

TEA US Teacher Alum (2006) Lisa Adeli collected and shipped a box full of books to two schools she visited in Armenia. Adeli is also working on lesson plans on Armenia which will appear on the Univeresity of Arizona Center for Middle Eastern Studies website.

Teacher Travels to Ukraine to Share Teaching Experience
Kate English is one of 15 exceptional teachers from around the United States who has been selected by the US Department of State and IREX (International Research and Exchanges Board) to participate in a bilateral exchange program that provides professional development opportunities to secondary school teachers from the United States, Eurasia, and South Asia.

TEA Alumni Lead Teacher Training Workshop in Bangladesh

TEA alumna Olena Bushtruk places first in the Schorsky district in Ukraine’s Teacher of the Year Contest

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US Election Impacts Visiting Ukrainian Teacher
Nataliya Nayavko, who took part in the 6-week professional development and internship training provided by the TEA program in Fall 2008, found herself not only learning and experiencing the American education system, but being a direct witness to the presidential election on November 4th.

Upon returning home to Novyi Rozdil, Lvivska oblast, Ukraine, Ms. Nayavko documented what she witnessed on and around election day during her stay in the U.S. in an essay that was published in the US Embassy newsletter 'Visnyk" in both Ukrainian and English.  It was also made available in the cultural programs section of the US Embassy website. Please click here to download the full essay. 

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TEA Fellows from Turkmenistan return home

TEA Alumni Conference on Interactive Teaching Methods takes place in Kyiv