The English Speaking Nation: Summer Excellence Training (ESN: ESET) is a component of the English-Speaking Nation program, a nationwide initiative to strengthen Uzbekistan’s English teachers’ classroom English language competency and English teaching skills. This program provides comprehensive English language support and practice to 420 secondary school teachers of English. Currently, 25 U.S. English Teacher Experts with seven ESN U.S. Coaches are conducting concurrent trainings in seven geographically diverse regions of Uzbekistan: Samarkand, Andijan, Namangan, Termez, Bukhara, Qarshi, and Urgench from August 1 – 22 at local public schools and in-service requalification centers.
Sixty secondary school teachers of English from Samarkand are now attending 108-hour English language training. They have an opportunity to increase their proficiency, specifically in speaking and listening skills, reflective practice, public presentation, and peer review. Some of the most experienced English Teacher Experts - Kendra Staley, Mary Enright, Robert Dunn, Ellen Barrett, and Phil Owen, are delivering the training in Samarkand which curriculum has five areas of focus such as General English, Classroom English, Professional Development, Conversation Time, and Microteaching.
One of the participants Sabiya Nuridinova from school #45 in Samarkand, shares her impression about the training: “I am thankful for being a participant of ESN:ESET program, as it gives me a chance to be more confident reduce my effective filter in speaking. It is an opportunity for local teachers to enrich teaching techniques and learn more activities and methods that they will use in their classes with their students. Every lesson is perfectly organized by our Coach, Foreign teachers, and Coordinator; they are doing a great job developing English education in our country. I have been taught time management in classes and organize my lessons in the right order”.
One of the selected trainers, Mary Enright, stated: “The program is well structured to incorporate general English, classroom English, conversation, theory and best practices of teaching. The teachers have made progress in both their listening comprehension and confidence in teaching in English. My group has improved giving directions in the classroom and incorporating informal assessments into their daily teaching. Microteaching has been very successful; I have given each teacher written feedback on areas of strength and those areas in which they need to improve. Teachers have incorporated this feedback into their final teaching lesson. I feel very optimistic about English teaching in Uzbekistan.” Mary Enright has been a teacher for 26 years in a variety of different positions, including teaching ESOL to all grade levels, from kindergarten to 12th grade. She works for the Stamford Public Schools in Stamford, Connecticut, where she is a Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages.
Another trainer of the ESET Program, Ellen Barrett, who has 14 years of experience teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language to university students in the U.S. and internationally, highlighted: “I have had a fantastic experience with the program in Samarkand. The teachers in my class are eager to learn, motivated, and kind. It has been a pleasure to work with teachers like them, and I have full confidence that the communicative activities and methodology have had an impact on their teaching”.
ESN is funded by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan and implemented by American Councils for International Education in close cooperation with the Ministry of Public Education in Uzbekistan.
