TEA alumni Conference “New Teaching Strategies in the New School Year”

TEA alumni Conference “New Teaching Strategies in the New School Year” was held on October 8, 2011 in Kyiv. The Conference was well-planned and prepared. Oleksandra Iegorova, Cultural Affairs assistant, U.S. Embassy, Kyiv, sent us all the necessary information and the schedule in advance.
Arthur Evans, Assistant Cultural Affairs officer for Education and Exchanges, U.S. Embassy, Kyiv, and Oleksandra Iegorova opened the Conference.
Anita Selec, English Language Fellow, Sevastopol, Crimea, conducted a workshop “Integrating Four Skills in Creative and Challenging Way”. The participants learned new strategies through doing.
Carol Haddaway, Senior English Language Fellow, Kyiv, focused on “Teaching Academic Writing”. As students write essays during their exams, teachers need to upgrade their skills in this field. Carol Haddaway gave teachers tips and formats of different kinds of essays. Her workshop was a great success.
The Conference has contributed to effective collaboration and open communication among professionals. The participants compared and discussed teaching ideas with each other during the Round table.
I made a presentation on a course for teachers of English in primary school. As there is a growing tendency in our country to start teaching English to younger children, teachers need to upgrade their teaching skills in this field. Thus, I developed a training course for Ukrainian teachers "Teaching Listening and Speaking to Young Learners during the Summer 2011 Institute, the E-Teacher Professional Development Workshop at the UMBC in July-August 2011. The course material is compiled from the U.S. Department of State E-Teacher Scholarship Program course Teaching English to Young Learners. In addition, some content is developed through the E-Teacher Professional Development Workshop at UMBC under the assistance of Joan Kang Shin ’08 Ph.D., language, literacy and culture, clinical assistant professor of education and director of TESOL Professional Training Programs in Continuing and Professional Studies. The course will be held at Lviv Regional In-Service Teacher Training Institute, Lviv, Ukraine as a part of the professional development of teachers.
TEA alumni Conferences support teachers in their professional practice by developing new competences and sharing innovative practices. We appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Embassy in Kyiv very much. Thank you for everything you are doing for us and our students.
Nataliya Nayavko,
TEA alumna,
teacher and teacher trainer, Novyi Rozdil, Lvivska oblast.