E-Teacher Program Call for FY2011 Nominations

from American Consulate Shenyang

The Office of English Language Programs announces the seventh offering of its acclaimed E-Teacher online courses that train foreign English language professionals in the latest U.S. methods of English language teaching via distance education. Participation is open to teachers worldwide. The 10-week courses will be offered in the fall of 2011 and the winter, spring, and summer of 2012, though not all seven courses will be offered each term. Tuition and materials will be paid by the U.S. Department of State. Twenty-six of the E-Teacher course participants will be selected to attend a three-week professional development workshop in the U.S. in the summer of 2012. Nominations open May 16, 2011. The deadline for submitting nominations is July 18, 2011.

Recruitment: Candidates for E-Teacher scholarships should be teacher trainers or teachers who are working,
or plan to work, with one of the seven subjects covered by the courses. They should be highly motivated individuals who are dedicated both to their own professional development and to sharing the knowledge
gained with colleagues through workshops or professional presentations. Candidates should also be committed to
fulfilling the program requirements (dedicating on average 8-10 hours of work per week) and completing the
course. In addition, candidates should meet the following criteria:

English language skills:
--ability to do academic work at a U.S. university (an advanced level of reading and writing, roughly
equivalent to a minimum TOEFL score of 550 or IBT score of 79-80);
--general understanding of technical terms in English relating to computers and the Internet;
--good command of the necessary vocabulary for the topic of the course for which the candidate is nominated.

Computer fundamentals:
--regular access to e-mail and the Internet;
--ability to navigate in Windows or other appropriate programs and create a Word document;
--basic familiarity with the Internet and web browsers;
--ability to type in English well enough to perform online tasks in real-time and to submit written assignments in a timely manner.

Participant costs are covered between U. S. Department of State and the consortium of U.S. institutions that conduct the program (University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and University of Oregon).  This includes tuition and the costs of any course materials sent from the institution, including CD-ROMs and books, for each participant.

Course materials will include, but are not limited to, the following:
--downloadable or posted syllabi, assignments, and course readings;
--asynchronous contact between instructors and participants, between other experts and participants,
and among participants;
--lectures via real-time, text, or audio-enhanced text;
--use of a bulletin board to post notes, assignments, feedback, etc.;
--information on additional web-based resources;
--U.S. Department of State resources for English teachers.

All materials will emphasize a learner-centered approach and will be in English. When possible, courses will
integrate appropriate Department of State materials, such as "English Teaching Forum" articles and "Shaping
the Way We Teach English".

Certificates: Participants who successfully complete the course will receive a certificate of completion directly from the course providers.

Interested applicants may download one-page course descriptions in Word or Adobe PDF format for each of the seven courses from the Office of English Language Programs' website, located at: http://exchanges.state.gov/englishteaching/eteacher.html

Individual course descriptions follow:

A. Critical Thinking in the English as a Foreign Language Curriculum (offered by University of Oregon,
Linguistics Dept./American English Institute)

The goal of this course is to deepen participants' understanding of the theory and applied use of Critical
Thinking (CT) principles and practices in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom by engaging in the
following activities: 1) Reading and discussing professional information and articles to develop an
understanding of CT theory and practice and its relationship to current topics in language pedagogy, 2)
Identifying, evaluating, and applying materials and techniques to enhance CT practices in the classroom, 3)
Interacting with colleagues regionally and internationally who share  an interest in stimulating CT
in their EFL classes, 4) Creating teaching plans that demonstrate understanding of course  topics, and 5) Adapting and enhancing existing materials and techniques so they are more appropriate and effective CT tools in
each participant's specific teaching setting.

B. Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) (offered by University of Maryland, Baltimore County)

This course is designed to introduce participants to the theory and practice of teaching young learners in the
EFL classroom. The course will investigate approaches for teaching language within a meaningful context as
well as different techniques for making language input comprehensible and encouraging student participation. We
will look at the major principles that govern language teaching based on the four skills - listening, speaking,
reading and writing. In addition, we will study both traditional and modern instructional strategies and
techniques for teaching EFL and look specifically at the application to young learners. Through academic reading
and writing assignments, individual learner-centered activities, virtual collaborations with a mentor, and
online discussions, participants in this course will explore various aspects for teaching EFL to young learners.

C. Building Teaching Skills through the Interactive Web (offered by University of Oregon, Linguistics Dept./American English Institute)

This course is designed to deepen participants' understanding of the theory and applied use of computer
assisted language learning (CALL) principles in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. This
course strives to (1) model innovative online teaching practices, (2) improve understanding of and actively
engage in the analysis and systematic adoption of innovative materials and tools for English Language
Teaching (ELT), (3) offer opportunities for EFL educators to observe and analyze real-world application
of such new materials and practices, (4) provide educators with support and problem-solving mechanisms as
they implement new materials and practices in their teaching, and (5) act as a train-the-trainer model so
that participants can move forward with concrete dissemination plans.

D.  English for Specific Purposes (ESP) Best Practices (offered by University of Oregon, Linguistics Dept./American English Institute)

The goal of this course is to develop participants' knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward designing,
implementing, and evaluating English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses based on best practices in the
field.   Because the foundation of this course is in best practices, new and experienced ESP practitioners
are welcome from all areas of English for Specific Purposes. For example, participants may choose to focus
on courses in English for Academic Purposes (EAP), which address the needs of learners preparing to study in a
specific academic discipline at a university, e.g., business, medicine, or law. Or, they may be working with
learners who need Vocational English for Specific Purposes (VESP) to study at a vocational or technical
secondary school. Other teachers/trainers at private language schools or in university ESP departments may be designing courses in English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) for individuals already in the workplace who need English as a tool for their job. The course will address the need for training in ESP to promote education and economic development at the local and national levels.

E. English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Assessment (offered by University of Maryland, Baltimore County)

This course is designed to introduce participants to the theory and practice of foreign language assessment and
testing. Participants will explore the differences between assessment and testing, and how they can be used
to make effective decisions to support teaching and learning. Participants will also learn important
concepts to consider when developing assessments and tests, such as validity, reliability, and practicality, as well as different kinds of assessments and tests (formative, summative, diagnostic, proficiency, achievement, product-oriented, process-oriented, alternative assessments). In order to develop capabilities in assessing EFL learners' performance in all four skill areas and content areas, participants will learn to write test specifications, develop items, analyze and edit items, and put together a final assessment instrument that is reliable, valid and useful. Finally, participants will gain experience developing rubrics to assist with grading and scoring and make the assessment process transparent to all stakeholders. Reading materials, presentations, and online resources will provide the foundation for interactive discussions on practical applications of all issues discussed throughout the course. The assignments will help participants expand their repertoire of EFL assessment strategies and will prepare them to share their findings and conclusions with the local community.

F. Methods Course I: Survey of Best Practices in Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages
(TESOL) (offered by University of Maryland, Baltimore County)

This course is designed to provide participants with current methodologies associated with teaching English
language learners (ELLs) of different ages in various learning contexts. Participants will read, write,
discuss, and research a wide variety of strategies and techniques for TESOL. While exploring best practices for
teaching listening, speaking, reading, and writing, including grammar and vocabulary, participants learn how
to create an effective and communicative language classroom for ELLs. In addition, participants will
examine what best practices mean in the context of teaching English in the 21st century, where English is
an international language and the use of English incorporates modern technologies. Through individual
learner-centered activities and small group collaboration, participants in this course will put theory to practice using an experiential approach.

G. Methods Course II: Developing EFL Literacy through Project-Based Learning (PBL) (offered by University of
Oregon, Linguistics Dept./American English Institute)

Participants in this course will learn about both the theoretical and practical aspects of project-based learning (PBL) through a review of current articles and videos on this topic along with participation in class projects and discussions.  Topics covered in the readings include theoretical foundations of PBL, learning objectives and course design, alternative assessment, motivation, collaborative and cooperative learning, learner autonomy and learning styles.  Videos segments include insights on the planning and implementation of PBL in language learning classes,
teacher interviews, student testimonials, PBL in action in a classroom setting, and models of assessment for
PBL.  Participants will have many opportunities for focused and contrastive analysis of classroom practices
in the videos, with ongoing guidance in developing appropriate application of observed techniques in their
local English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching environments.  Video footage will be available through
the YouTube-UO web site: http://www.youtube.com/uoregon. Participants will be required to complete individual and group projects in order to experience PBL from a student perspective and to gain insights and understanding of the benefits and potential challenges of PBL from an instructional standpoint.

A component of the proposed cooperative agreement includes a three-week professional development workshop in the U.S. in the summer of 2012. Twenty-six of the top performing and geographically dispersed online course participants from the spring, summer, and fall sessions of 2011 and the winter session of 2012 will be selected
to participate in the workshop, which will provide the participants further opportunities for intercultural and
professional exchanges with U.S. experts in the field of English language teaching. Participants will develop
action plans to implement in their home countries and share with their colleagues the knowledge gained during
the professional development workshop.