Teacher Training

As a teacher trainer, my goal is to help the teachers I work with develop interactive and student-centered teaching approaches that are appropriate and effective in their local contexts. I draw on my own classroom teaching experiences, many of which involve teaching large classes with limited resources in the developing world, as well as my own training, to help teachers create hybrid models that merge current methodologies with local realities.

Teacher Education in Cote d’Ivoire

I spent two years working at l’Institut Pédagogique National de l’Enseignement Technique et Professionnel (the National Pedagogical Institute for Technical and Professional Training) in Cote d’Ivoire, one of only two teacher training schools in the entire country. My responsibilities included observing and giving feedback to pre-service teachers during their practicum phase at local schools and meeting with the trainees to discuss both theoretical and practical concerns. I also developed the Cote d’Ivoire ELT exchange to provide continuing professional development for in-service teachers through a series of workshops and seminars, an online course and website, and a national ELT conference. This project expanded to include a training of trainers program for 50 teachers from 25 regions throughout the country.

Gambella Training

I co-led a training on Strengthening English in Refugee Camps in Gambella, Ethiopia, organized by the US Embassy Addis Ababa and Plan International, in collaboration with an English Language Specialist and three other English Language Fellows. We trained 44 teachers, including South Sudanese refugees, Ethiopian national teachers working in the camps and the surrounding community, and teacher trainers from the local teacher training college. Our workshops focused on teaching large classes with limited resources and organizing English clubs.

Kilimanjaro Training

I collaborated with the Kilimanjaro branch of TELTA, the Tanzanian English Language Teachers Association, to deliver a two day workshop focused on interactive teaching for large classes with limited resources. 20 teachers from throughout the Kilimanjaro region attended the training. Topics covered in the training included teaching the fours skills creatively, collaborative language learning and planning for new activities.

Marangu Teacher Training Group

I founded and co-facilitated this teacher training group with a Tanzanian colleague. We met bi-weekly and led hands-on sessions on interactive teaching techniques for 20 English teachers from 6 local primary schools.

Mafia Island Training

I was invited to co-lead training sessions for 60 Tanzanian teachers at a week-long, US Embassy-sponsored training. Topics included creative teaching techniques, making the most of limited resources and designing effective assessments.

Peace Corps Tanzania Trainings

I lead pre-service and in-service training sessions for over 120 Peace Corps trainees and volunteers and helped structure the training schedule. Over the course of three years, topics I taught included using songs and games in the classroom, teaching listening and speaking skills, creating unit plans and schemes of work, preparing for the first day of class and promoting English use at school. I also observed trainee teachers, provided feedback and led sessions for trainees to reflect on their internship experiences.

Ecuador Teacher Training

In Ecuador, I have conducted classroom observations and feedback sessions for local primary school teachers. I have also led professional development activities as part of weekly teachers meetings for 10 secondary school teachers, focusing on integrating interactive and communicative teaching techniques into lessons based on the government textbooks.