STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES TO DRIVE POSITIVE SOCIAL CHANGE
Overview
English teachers in Burundi share their goals after completing a World Learning training program.
English language proficiency is an increasingly vital skill to access and succeed in higher education and the global workforce. Yet many people around the world—often in the poorest and most disadvantaged areas—are unable to obtain quality English language training. Many countries are also mandating that their education systems move from
LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION
mother tongue to English language instruction during primary or secondary education and require support in specific areas of expertise to manage the transition. Training English language teachers and developing the capacity of governments and educational institutions to implement English language instruction programs allows more people to obtain these skills and helps prepare individuals, communities, and countries to thrive in the 21st century.
Approach As both an accredited graduate school and an international nongovernmental organization, World Learning and its SIT Graduate Institute have been educating language teachers since 1966. Our master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) was the first of its kind to professionalize English language instruction to non-native speakers. As a result, World Learning and SIT offer a well-integrated and internationally recognized suite of courses for teacher educators and in-service English language teachers worldwide, all of which are accredited and either standardized and internationally portable, or
World Learning is a nonprofit organization that advances leadership through education, exchange, and development programs in more than 60 countries.
tailored to the needs of particular stakeholders.
long-lasting change and our emphasis on locally
These include English teaching certificate
identified priorities ensures that language educa-
programs, online courses, distance language
tion is accessible and relevant.
proficiency assessments, and visitor and crosscultural exchanges that focus on developing English language teaching skills and exposing participants to the diversity of US society.
Success Story In Algeria, World Learning built the capacity of the Ministry of Education to reform their system
Building on its decades of experience with
of teaching English through a “value-chain”
course delivery, World Learning also supports
approach. Education systems involve multiple
host countries’ international development goals
stakeholder groups working collaboratively to
through comprehensive English language educa-
improve student outcomes and this approach
tion reform programs. To maximize the academic
took into account the various Algerian stake-
and economic benefits of English language train-
holders, or “links” in the chain, including policy
ing, World Learning develops its programming to
makers, curriculum and assessment designers,
address the broad demands of the global mar-
school managers, teacher educators, teachers,
ket. Our programming responds to the needs of
and students. Each individual program activ-
a range of stakeholders including teachers and
ity was implemented not only to improve the
teacher educators, policy makers, curriculum
achievements of a particular stakeholder group
developers, assessment designers, administra-
but also to inform and include other groups in
tors, and community stakeholders. Partners have
the chain as a whole. By the end of the program,
included ministries and state departments of ed-
World Learning increased the ministry’s overall
ucation, local and regional education authorities,
capacity to implement system-wide educational
small and large higher education and vocational
reform, as well as the capacity of teachers,
training institutions, and community organiza-
inspectors, and faculty to plan for and implement
tions in countries including Algeria, Afghanistan,
collaborative, systemic change. This enabled
Brazil, Burma, Burundi, China, Cyprus, Egypt,
them to develop a more engaging, motivating,
Ethiopia, Kosovo, Libya, Macedonia, Mexico,
and relevant approach to English language
Morocco, Palestine, South Korea, and Tunisia,
education in the country.
among others. World Learning’s methodology is based on
Contact
experiential, reflective learning that results in
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