10/04/2022
The Online Professional English Network (OPEN) Program
Winter Term 2023 (Begins January 10 – March 6, 2023)
Application deadline: 11:45 p.m., October 17, 2022
The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy Phnom Penh is pleased to announce the offering of the Online Professional English Network (OPEN) Program to teachers and educators who are interested in participating in an online professional development course for 8-week, online university-level courses in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
What courses are available?
1. Content-based Instruction
2. Creating and Implementing Online Courses (CIOC)
3. Developing and Teaching Academic Writing Courses (DATAW)
4. English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI)
5. Fostering Student Motivation and Engagement (FSME)
6. Integrating Critical Thinking into the Exploration of Culture in an EFL Setting
7. Methodology of TESOL
8. Professional Development for Teacher Trainers
9. Teaching English to Young Learners (3-10 years old)
10. Teaching Grammar Communicatively
11. Using Educational Technology in the English Language Classroom
Who can apply?
Candidates must:
• Be a citizen of Cambodia
• Be an English language professional
• Be dedicated and committed to complete the fully funded course valued at $1,500 per participant
• Have strong English language reading and writing skills (minimum 550 TOEFL, or equivalent)
• Be living in Cambodia for the entire duration of this course
• Have regular and reliable access to high-speed internet connection
• Be able to spend 1-2 hours online per day for the duration of the 8-week course
Course Descriptions
Course 1: Content-Based Instruction
This course is delivered by World Learning
This course is designed for teachers who are already teaching — or are preparing soon to teach – content-based instruction (CBI) courses in English. CBI courses present teachers with the challenge of balancing the teaching of both language and content. The ideal way to strike this balance will differ, depending on the teaching context. This course is intended to help its participants meet those challenges by guiding participants through a series of practical, hands-on activities, which are supported by the necessary background and theoretical information, to prepare participants for future decision-making and problem-solving in the area of CBI.
Course 2: Creating and Implementing Online Courses (CIOC)
This course is delivered by the Arizona State University
This course will give participants powerful tools to create and deliver hybrid and fully online courses for online learners. Using the ADDIE model for curricular design, participants will first analyze (A) students, stakeholders, and objectives by writing a learner story. They will then design (D) and develop (D) the course by creating a course geography and course outline. Finally, participants will develop an action plan to demonstrate how they intend to implement (I) and evaluate (E) the English language courses they develop. The main outcome of the course is to have participants apply tools and strategies for creating and delivering online courses in their contexts.
Course 3: Developing and Teaching Academic Writing Courses (DATAW)
This course is delivered by Iowa State University
This course is for international educators of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). As a participant in this course, you will learn what academic writing is and how to develop courses that suit the writing needs of your students. During the 8 weeks of the course, you will develop an understanding of different approaches, types, and key components of academic writing courses. You will also learn important strategies for teaching academic writing skills in a student-centered classroom. Specifically, you will learn to teach students how to go through the writing process, how to search for and evaluate sources, how to develop arguments, how to follow the characteristics of different text types, how to consider the context/audience/culture, and even how to prepare an application essay for possible study abroad in the United States. You will also learn how to assess global and local aspects of writing and to give feedback. Different tools for designing course materials and tasks will be available to you as models to support your learning, and different experiential learning opportunities will allow you to apply your new knowledge and share it with other educators. Throughout the course, the topics and tasks will lead you to complete an Academic Writing Course (AWC) Development Project for your own context and students.
Course 4: English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI)
This course is delivered by Ohio University
English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) is an online course designed to introduce you to the theory and practice of teaching disciplinary content in English. This course will help you re-develop your existing courses or create new ones that use English as the Medium of Instruction (EMI). Materials include engaging videos, practical readings, and opportunities for collaboration within the course and in your institutions. You will identify challenges that faculty and students encounter in EMI classes, and develop strategies for successfully helping students learn course content while simultaneously building or refining their English skills. In addition, you will gain confidence in teaching in English while you also become more comfortable using pedagogies that are interactive and focus on student learning. Topics include course design, syllabi development, lesson and materials creation, teaching interactively in English, and supporting learning through technology. When you complete the course, you will have a portfolio of materials you can use in your own courses.
Course 5: Fostering Student Motivation and Engagement (FSME)
This course is delivered by University of Oregon
Fostering Student Motivation and Engagement (FSME) is an online course for English language educators who want to improve their teaching practices and increase their students’ level of motivation and engagement in learning English. Over the span of eight weeks, participants will develop skills to increase student motivation and engagement, acquire knowledge about differentiated instruction, develop skills to address students’ learning needs, and engage in reflection activities as a matter of professional practice. Throughout the course, participants will identify an area of need in their teaching contexts and will choose tools, strategies, techniques, and resources to try with a group of leaners to help meet that need. At the end of the course, this will become a collection of resources, or a “toolkit,” that they can use in their contexts and share with others.
Course 6: Integrating Critical Thinking into the Exploration of Culture in an EFL Setting
This course is delivered by World Learning- SIT Grad Institute
Exploration of culture in an EFL setting requires helping students engage in authentic situations to develop the ability to navigate across a variety of cultural. This intercultural ability requires language choices and awareness of oneself as a cultural being. It also requires critical thinking skills, which are themselves culturally defined. Using experiential learning as the organizational model, this course will engage participants in analyzing personal experiences, media, EFL textbooks, and classrooms to develop the capacity to think critically about the cultural assumptions and viewpoints embedded in their teaching content and process. After examining themselves as cultural beings and assessing learners’ needs and goals, participants will develop a concrete teaching lesson that reflects their view of teaching critical thinking and intercultural competence in their particular context.
Course 7: Methodology of TESOL
This course is delivered by the University of Maryland Baltimore County
This course is designed to provide participants with current methodologies for teaching English learners (ELs) of different ages in many learning contexts. Participants will discuss and practice a wide variety of strategies and techniques for teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). While exploring best practices for teaching listening, speaking, reading, and writing, including grammar and vocabulary, participants will learn how to create an effective and communicative language classroom for all learners. In addition, participants will examine what best practices means in the context of teaching English in the 21st century, where English is an international language, and the use of English incorporates modern technologies.
Course 8: Professional Development for Teacher Trainers
This course is delivered by Arizona State University
This course, designed for both new and experienced teachers, gives participants methods for creating, presenting, and evaluating effective teacher training workshops. You will gain tools and techniques for promoting professional development in your teaching context. Through participation in this course, you will develop your skills for delivering engaging and relevant teacher trainings.
Course 9: Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL)
This course is delivered by George Mason University
Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) is designed to introduce you to the theory and practice of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to young learners 3-10 years old. Through engaging videos and practical readings, you will explore approaches for teaching English to children that are not only effective but also fun and engaging. You will learn techniques for teaching new vocabulary and grammar that encourage student participation. In addition, you will gain new ideas for teaching listening, speaking, reading and writing in a meaningful context. Through learner-centered activities and group discussions, you will have many opportunities to share ideas with peers and apply course content to your learning environment. Get ready to learn about TEYL and be part of an international learning community with teachers around the world!
Course 10: Teaching Grammar Communicatively
This course is delivered by World Learning- SIT Grad Institute
In this practice-oriented course, participants will explore how to adapt grammar instruction to meet their students’ needs. They will also focus on integrating grammar instruction with teaching language skills, varying grammar instruction meet the needs of large, mixed ability classes, and using available technology effectively to enhance grammar learning inside and outside the classroom. Participants will discuss different challenges their learners may have with learning grammar, and discover how they can help learners use grammar to improve fluency and accuracy.
Course 11: Using Educational Technology in the English Language Classroom
This course is delivered by Iowa State University
This course is designed to help English language teaching professionals around the world acquire and maintain basic knowledge and skills in technology for professional purposes through hands-on learning. It will help teachers integrate pedagogical knowledge and skills with technology to enhance their language teaching and learning through their reading, discussion, and creation of new learning activities. The course will help participants apply technology in record keeping, feedback, and assessment, and use technology to improve communication, collaboration, and efficiency by participating in online discussion and presentation.
How to apply?
Fill out the online application form at https://bit.ly/3C9ormV
For information, please contact the Public Affairs Section by email at [email protected] or call 023-728-248.
Application Deadline: October 17, 2022
