During International Education Week,
November 14-18, 2005, the U.S. Department of State strongly
encourages Americans and citizens of other nations to learn
a foreign language, which can open doors to other societies
and cultures.
To promote English language learning and teaching outside
the United States, the Department of State supports English
teaching activities and provides a wide range of services
and products worldwide. Among these is a network of Regional
English Language Officers (RELOs); the English Teaching
Forum, a quarterly journal with more than 65,000 copies
distributed in over 100 countries; and a range of exchange
programs, including the English Language Fellow Program
that sends American teachers abroad on ten-month assignments,
as well as the dynamic new English ACCESS Microscholarship
Program for underprivileged youth in predominantly Muslim
communities around the world. (For more information, visit
http://exchanges.state.gov/education/engteaching/.)
Throughout International Education Week (IEW), many diverse
activities and events are occurring around the world to
highlight the importance of English language learning and
teaching. A sampling of these events includes:
• Senegal - Two Department of
State RELOs are accompanying two Fulbright exchange teachers
to primary schools, middle schools, and high schools around
Senegal, to conduct activities and discussions with students,
and professional development workshops for English teachers,
as well as present books and other Department of State materials,
November 14 – 18;
• Thailand – An inaugural Digital Video
Conference (DVC) with the University of Oregon is taking
place November 18, to train Thai EFL (English as a Foreign
Language) teachers;
• Mexico - U.S. Embassy Mexico City is conducting
a cooperative program involving two web-based conference
presentations, to reach out to U.S. institutions interested
in exploring educational exchange opportunities in Mexico
or expanding linkages with Mexican institutions, as well
as to other U.S. embassies to promote U.S. government-funded
educational activities;
• Syria – A Senior English Language Fellow
at the University of Damascus is conducting an in-service
teacher training workshop on curriculum development and
has organized an English Club;
• Lebanon – Two Senior English Language
Fellows are training English teachers in Beirut; another
is working throughout Lebanon for the Makassed Schools,
a philanthropic Islamic group; and
• Uruguay – The U.S. Embassy Montevideo
is conducting a series of storybook readings in English
for public elementary school children. The first reading
took place November 16, 2005. The Embassy's Public Affairs
officer Linda Gonzalez; the wife of the Chargé, Mrs. Kristin
Nealon; and two American Fulbright researchers, William
Acree and Elizabeth Watson, read stories to classes of children
ranging in age from 6 to 9. The English immersion school
was very enthusiastic to have their students exposed to
native speakers, and the students very much enjoyed demonstrating
their knowledge of some basic English words.
International Education Week is a global
event, with students, educators, and community leaders participating
in a wide range of activities to recognize the benefits
of international education and exchange in classrooms and
educational systems. Visit http://iew.state.gov/
for more information.
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