Fellow Mary Catherine Boehmer led a one-day workshop on cooperative learning in the English language classroom at the Baku American Center in Azerbaijan. The training was open to Fulbright English Teaching Assistants, Azerbaijani educators and English language professionals in the Baku area so that participants could discuss their experiences in the classroom.
Fulbright ETAs Kevin Ith, Kayla Morton, James Millar, and Robert Borowik facilitated small-group discussions and activities and gave short presentations on the similarities and differences between American classrooms and English language classrooms in Azerbaijan.
The workshop focused on why interaction and communication in the English language classroom is essential and how cooperative learning activities can be used to promote interaction. Participants worked in small groups for the duration of the workshop and tried out different cooperative learning activities firsthand. At the end of the workshop, participants created their own mini-lesson using one of the strategies from the workshop and taught it to their group.