FROM CHALLENGES TO PRIORITIZED ACTIONS

The shortage of approximately 3,000 English teachers in Ecuador has forced some schools to have non-English teachers teach English. Apart from the lack of human resources, the lack of appropriate pedagogical skills, teaching materials, and satisfactory level of English are challenges that these non-English teachers have to deal with in their daily practice as they struggle to achieve professional competence and access to work mobility and promotion. Through this new in-service training program, 51 English teachers from 17 districts in three provinces of Zone 6 in Ecuador were trained on receptive, productive and pedagogical skills related to Englishlanguage teaching and learning. These teachers have returned to their districts and formed a training team which, in turn, will provide the same training to 20 or more teachers in their respective districts, along with the pedagogical support of the Project Team and the partner institutions.

Project Team UNAE - ESPE, Photo by M. Tamayo

A KEY CONTRIBUTION TO A SUSTAINABLE TRAINING PROGRAM

A total of 340 teachers have been trained after the first and second phases of the program. A collective practice is promoted, whereby trained teachers assume leadership roles and promote collaboration in

their schools using innovative and practical strategies in teaching the English language curriculum. This approach also results in academic inclusion and successful student learning. All teachers who participated in the training will form a Community of Learning (COL), which is responsible for sustaining the program and extending the training to non-English teachers in the provinces of Zone 6: Azuay, Cañar, and Morona Santiago. In providing this in-service training, the Ministerio de Educación will be the first beneficiary as the target participants are English teachers and non-English teachers in public schools.

COLLABORATION PAYS OFF

The universities that are part of this project are: Universidad Nacional de Educación (UNAE) and Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE. As the leading institution, UNAE serves as the training hub of the Project Team and ESPE, as a partner institution, is responsible for assisting the implementation of the pedagogical support system.

Thus, the academic collaboration between universities has created a work culture that fosters team work and partnerships, and encourages

sharing of knowledge. This strategic alliance also helps enrich the program with different viewpoints, due to the trainers` expertise in different areas. This has helped achieve success in the delivery of the training modules and the activities for the selected participants.

This project has also had the participation of students from both universities, who became actively and experientially involved. Their classroom learning has been enhanced through their direct contact with the academic curriculum and real-world work experience with language teachers from public schools.

Strong collaborative relationships and the positive results of this community-based project underscore the benefits of university collaboration that is focused, sustained, and applies an innovative approach to further developing English language education in Ecuador.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

For more information on the project, please visit AEIF 2017 Winners Announced. The U.S. Department of State. https://alumni.state.gov/ aeif/aeif-2017-winners, http://ineflteachersnetwork.com/

Group of 51 teachers trained at UNAE during the first phase of the project Photo by M. Tamayo