From June 14-26th, the English-Speaking Nation: Secondary Teacher Training Program (ESN:STT) launched the in-person TESOL Core Certificate Program (TCCP) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan for 93 English Teachers. The TCCP was implemented by American Councils for International Education and delivered by TESOL International Association (TESOL).
ESN:STT offers an integrated professional development opportunity for English language teacher trainers and secondary school English language teachers in Uzbekistan. ESN:STT is a program of 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.
The Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. Alan Meltzer, and the Minister of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr. Sherzod Shermatov, took part in the opening ceremony and offered opening remarks for the June TCCP program. The opening ceremony took place at Daniel Hill Hotel in Tashkent on June 14th. The minister pointed out that only four percent of English Teachers in Uzbekistan have been certified based on international standard of testing and he hopes that this number will increase with the 400 English teachers in Uzbekistan expected to receive a TESOL certification through the ESN:STT program.
The TCCP is an internationally recognized and rigorous 140-hour training on teaching methodology and pedagogy followed by 20 hours of in-classroom practicum observation. Initially planned as a full in-person course, the first 60-hour Foundation Course was hosted virtually using Google Classrooms and Telegram due to COVID-19 restrictions and public health regulations. The in-person June TCCP course is the second 60 hours of the training course. Six TESOL instructors traveled to Uzbekistan to facilitate the training for the initial 93 English teachers and will continue to train the remaining ESN participants throughout summer 2021.
Upon completion of this 60-hour in-person TCCP in Tashkent, the teachers will embark on a 20-hour in-classroom practicum where they will be required to observe expert teachers for 10 hours and fellow TCCP teachers for 10 hours. Upon successful completion of both the TCCP course and practicum requirement, they will receive their TCCP certification, an internationally recognized teaching credential.
One of the English Teachers, Yana Kuchkarova, shared her impression about the TCCP sessions: “The ESN:STT Project has influenced our teachers a lot by introducing modern methodologies of English language teaching. Secondary school teachers have a great opportunity to improve and update their English language skills, teaching skills, as well as share international and local experience and expertise. The impact of this project, I believe, would be seen in English classes where learners would be inspired, motivated, encouraged, and supported to learn English helping the development of their country. The sessions of the TESOL trainers and the U.S. Coaches boost our creativity, leads to deep evaluation of our classes, and increases the potential of English language teaching in our country.”
After finishing TCCP in Tashkent, four TESOL instructors, in partnership with the ESN U.S. Coaches, will deliver seven TCCP courses throughout July and August to over 230 teachers. These 230 teachers will serve as the second tier of regional teacher trainers that will eventually conduct their own teacher trainings to over 15,000 English teachers countrywide.