February

This month’s happenings:

We have been busy planning for the Invited Speaker Session at Virtual TESOL: Social Justice and the English Language Specialist Program. We hope to see you at this event on Friday, March 26 at 9:00 AM ET.
As part of the 30th anniversary celebrations, we are hosting six Regional Sessions at Virtual TESOL. Please join us to learn more about what Specialists have been doing in these regions around the world.

Our February featured story is Two 30@30 Specialists Make an Impact in Tanzania and Togo.
If you haven’t already, check out the 30th Anniversary Calendar. February features a photo submitted by Specialist Richard Silberg. He shares memories of his project below.

In 2019, Richard Silberg spent three weeks in Cambodia with 200 Cambodian teachers and teacher trainees, providing training on “Engaging Young Learners”, “Engaging English Learners Through Drama” and “Developing a Reflective Teacher Practice.”

“In this shot we captured a typical moment I had seen throughout my experience in dozens upon dozens of classrooms: one student at a time actively engaged in language learning, while 30-50 students watched on. But this classroom was different from many I had seen as an English Language Fellow and on an earlier Specialist assignment. It was a beautiful classroom, adorned with posters and decorations. I attributed this to the fact that it was a primary teacher whose classroom I was visiting, and I have found, worldwide, that primary teachers truly understand that the classroom environment plays a key role in unlocking their student’s potential as learners. Looking at the photo again I am struck by the colors and the transcendent light streaming in through the window and the image of the solitary student working through a vocabulary exercise in front of her class.”

Click on previous months’ happenings to learn about the anniversary calendar photographers and their projects, and about other ways we’re celebrating throughout the year.

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