The Regional English Language Office (RELO) supports English language teaching and learning programs including the English Access Microscholarship Program, English Language Fellow Program, English Language Specialist Program, American English (AE) E-Teacher Program, American English Live Webinar Series, and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Programs are done in cooperation with Ministries and Departments of Education, professional teachers’ associations, Fulbright, Peace Corps, public and private universities, and other higher education institutes, among other partners, in order to build a stronger understanding between the peoples of the region and the U.S.
The English Language Fellow Program places highly qualified U.S. English Language Teaching (ELT) professionals in universities, Ministries of Education, and other host institutions throughout the region for 10 months. Fellows work with host institutions as well as with the local and regional ELT community to create and implement courses, materials, curriculums and training programs that build stronger connections between the host country and the U.S.
The English Language Specialists assist U.S. Embassies in delivering and maintaining quality English language programs overseas and promoting mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries. U.S. Embassies identify and define the English Language Specialist assignments, which may include teacher training, curriculum and textbook development, or host institution program evaluation. In some cases, digital video conferences or webinars are used to deliver trainings or consultations. Specialist assignments range from 10 working days to three months.
The English Access Microscholarship Program (Access) provides two years of after-school English to academically-gifted, economically-disadvantaged teenagers. The program emphasizes fluency in English and couples language study with strong cross-cultural, civic, information technology and leadership building components. All Access sites are strongly encouraged to conduct an “Open Classroom” policy, allowing pre-arranged classroom observations and sharing best practices with area English teachers.
The OPEN Program offers 8-week, online university-level classes to English teaching professionals outside of the United States through the Iowa State University, World Learning, George Mason University, Arizona State University, and the University of Baltimore Maryland County. Topics include Teaching Grammar Communicatively, Integrating Critical Thinking Skills, Teaching English to Younger Learners, Professional Development for Teacher Trainers, Professional Development for Teacher Trainers, Content-Based Instruction, TESOL Methodology, and Using Technology in the Classroom. The program is open by nomination only. Interested English language professionals should contact the Public Affairs section of their local U.S. Embassy.
The American English Live Webinar Series consists of six Facebook live webinar sessions. Each session is 60 minutes and is held every other Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. ET from Washington, D.C. (check https://timeanddate.com for the local time in your region). Participants may join the live sessions at https://www.Facebook.com/AmericanEnglishforEducators or via Zoom. Presenters are American English teaching specialists. Anyone is welcome to attend the live webinar series.
The six online seminars of the series cover a variety of topics intended for teachers of English or future teachers of English around the world. At the end of each event, participants will have the opportunity to earn a digital badge that verifies their participation. Viewing group hosts, Public Affairs Offices, and Regional English Language Offices also have the option to issue e-certificates for those who attend four (4) out of six (6) sessions.
Interested participants are encouraged to follow us on the American English for Educators Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanEnglishforEducators to see schedules for and updates about live webinar sessions.
Recordings of the webinar sessions and videos for English language learners and teachers can also be found on https://www.youtube.com/user/StateAmericanEnglish.
The U.S. Department of State sponsors free Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for English language learners and teachers.
The American English MOOCs for English Language Learners help pre-intermediate, intermediate, and advanced level learners improve their English skills in five major career fields. Each MOOC is free, self-paced, and five weeks long. For more information, visit https://americanenglish.state.gov/american-english-moocs.
- English for Media Literacy
- English for STEM Fields
- English for Business and Entrepreneurship
- English for Journalism
- English for Career Development
The American English E-Teacher MOOCs are free 5-week online courses designed for non-native English language teachers and open to an unlimited number of participants. The program offers both facilitated and self-directed MOOCs. The program offers several types of MOOCs: Facilitated Teacher Training MOOCs; Self-Paced Teacher Training MOOCs; and Self-Paced English Language Acquisition MOOCs. For more information, visit https://www.aeeteacher.org/MOOC.
For American English online announcements on programs and resources:
Regional English Language Office Manila, U.S. Embassy in the Philippines: www.facebook.com/RELOManila