A “dream team” of English Language Fellows on assignment in Africa came together to present at the English for Effective Communication Conference at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya. This conference, sponsored by Learning and Testing Services (LTS) Africa, included presentations by six English Language Fellows: Leanne Cameron (Rwanda), Jessica FitzPatrick (Uganda), Renee Lynch (Burundi), Juan Reyes (Burkina Faso), Matthew Jellick (Ethiopia) and John Simpson (Cote d’lvoire).
The Fellows presented on a range of topics, including English policy on the ground in Rwanda, effectively developing English oral language fluency in the African ESL classroom, and the effects of new media on teaching and learning English in East Africa. Three Fellows (Lynch, FitzPatrick, and Reyes) served as panel members for discussions that involved all conference attendees.
East Africa Regional English Language Officer Scott Chiverton gave a presentation entitled English Clubs: Succeeding Where Traditional Classroom Instruction Fail. His presentation focused on the importance of English clubs and the benefits they provide in the challenging and dynamic African context. With the presence of the six Fellows, eight countries from all over Africa were represented at the conference. This significantly contributed to the international credibility, reach, and scope of the overall event. The event provided a great platform for Fellows to present professional and academic topics of interest, as well as a fantastic opportunity to showcase the impact of the English Language Fellow program throughout the continent of Africa.