The Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP) exchange teachers were in Washington, D.C. for a 10-day orientation program designed to prepare them for a yearlong teaching experience in the U.S.

Ms. Gao’s presentation addressed the importance of effective teacher trainings and orientations, and she called upon her experience as a participant in the TCLP Orientations and workshops to deliver eight key points about effective teacher training methods.  She discussed the fact that program training should be diverse, with different philosophies and teaching methods incorporated into the material, and how program training should include information about school or classroom culture in addition to pedagogy.

This past summer, Liu Xin (2012-2013) became the most recent TCLP teacher to help facilitate a formal sister school relationship between her host school, Lakes International Language Academy in Minnesota, and her home school, Deyang Foreign Languages School in Sichuan Province.

The April 2013 delegation of Hopkinton visitors on an education tour from Massachusetts included 27 students and three teachers, who spent two full days visiting Pan Jiling’s home school, Ping Xiang High School, in Shanghai. The Hopkinton students were warmly welcomed by the Ping Xiang students at a welcome party, and continued to connect with one another during a gathering party where Ping Xiang students helped Hopkinton students practice their calligraphy. At a final farewell event, the two groups of students joined together on stage for one last song and dance. Ms.

The goal of this workshop was to help teachers incorporate American culture in their English classes, and also to improve their ability to do peer observations by giving constructive feedback and reflection on the teaching methods.

Just three months after returning home from his year spent teaching Arabic at Peck Elementary School in Chicago, Yasser Abdelgalil was invited to the office of the Undersecretary of Education Ministry, who asked him to transfer to a new school. Teaching positions at this school are highly sought after, and teachers must be very experienced to get a job. Other teachers at the school have 15-20 years of teaching experience, or a certificate of coursework from Great Britain.

Through modern technology and with the help of Blended Schools, she is able to teach students across the ocean in a school surrounded by corn fields in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania without leaving her home in Cairo, Egypt. Gawdet says that she continues to work through some of the challenges that exist with not actually being physically in the classroom, like handing in assignments and giving feedback. She now uses Google Drive, which makes it possible for students to hand in their assignments and for Ms.

Ms. Houzaien was nominated by her colleagues, students, and parents for this award. She was commended for the dynamic and engaging lessons that she conducts and the high level of English skills that her students learn through her teaching. While receiving her award from the Minister of Education she talked about how TCLP has impacted her teaching skills and how important it is to use student-centered methods while teaching a foreign language. Houzaien taught Arabic through TCLP at Renaissance Academy in Lehi, Utah during the 2011-2012 school year.