The Regional English Language Office (RELO) of the U.S. Embassy, in partnership with TESOL International Association and the Regional Institute of English (RIE), hosted a special training program for English language teachers in Chandigarh on April 24 and 25, 2015. The program – called a TESOL Academy , which is for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages – was the first ever event of its kind in India. Under the theme “Changing Classrooms, Supporting Teachers,” experts from the United States and India trained over 180 teachers and educational leaders from eight different countries in various aspects of English language teaching, such as assessment, pedagogical challenges, technology in the classroom, and course design. Dr. Andy Curtis, 2015-2016 TESOL President, who opened the Academy, also happens to be the first TESOL President of Indian heritage. Mr. Vijay Dev, IAS, Adviser to the Administrator, U.T. Chandigarh, delivered the inaugural address. The three partners prepared for the event for over a year.
TESOL welcomed the opportunity to partner with the Regional Institute of English, which has a reputation for excellence in teacher training and materials production for English language teachers. The Regional English Language Office of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi is optimistic that this inaugural event will encourage more regional teachers to become members in this international professional association and to continue their professional development.
TESOL aims to advance professional expertise in English language teaching and learning for speakers of other languages worldwide. TESOL members are located in all parts of the world and work in a variety of educational and research settings and TESOL welcomes English Language Teaching professionals to join the association (http://www.tesol.org/). Likewise, the Regional Institute of English offers a wide range of courses to meet the changing professional needs of teachers. In-service and pre-service teachers can find more information about their upcoming courses athttp://www.rieni.org/. Finally, the Regional English Language Office (RELO) based at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi supports the professional development of English language teachers by partnering with English language teaching institutions from the public and private sectors. Teachers and students studying English can find numerous free resources provided by the U.S. Department of State on AmericanEnglish.state.gov.
For more information about this event please contact:
RELO Specialist, SharmaR3@state.gov
