U.S. Department of State TESOL International Academy and ELT Conference Logistics Program for India

This program will connect Indian English language teachers with both American and regional English Language Teaching (ELT) experts in order to strengthen regional and international teacher networks and to contribute to professional development of the field. The TESOL International Academy and ELT Conference Logistics Program will bring together U.S. and Indian teachers for the first-ever TESOL International Academy in India and it will provide logistical support to send selected Indian teachers to ELT conferences in North America, India and the region. During the TESOL International Academy and the ELT Conferences the Indian teachers will attend workshops and improve their understanding ELT methods and approaches. The TESOL International Academy and ELT Conference Logistics Program will also promote an understanding of U.S. educational methods, build greater regional awareness amongst Indian teachers, and build linkages between U.S. and Indian experts, institutions and teachers’ associations.

TESOL International is the leading English language teachers’ association in the U.S. They are interested in working with a local partner to help organize a two-day TESOL Academy. Approximately 180 English teachers from India and the region will attend the Academy and there will be six separate strands, each led by either an American or Indian teacher trainer. TESOL International and the Regional English Language Office (RELO) will identify the trainers and work on all of the program content. The recipient partner organization will be responsible for collecting participant registration fees and any sponsorship donations, arranging and paying for the travel and accommodation of three American trainers/participants, and arranging and paying for the travel and accommodation of a number of Indian teachers, as specified by the RELO. The recipient may also be asked to arrange other logistics for the conference, as specified by the RELO. The TESOL International Academy is tentatively scheduled in Chandigarh at the end of April 2015.

In addition, the TESOL International and ELT Conference Logistics program will also allow approximately 25 to 35 Indian teachers to attend specific ELT conferences and seminars throughout the year. Some possible conferences which might be proposed are the GLoCALL in Ahmedabad in October 2014; the Access Coordinators Conference in Almaty, Kazakhstan in January, 2015; the Teacher Educator Conference in Hyderabad in February, 2015; the Nepal English Language Teachers Association Conference in Katmandu in February, 2015; TESOL International in Toronto, Canada in March 2015; and the Amity University ELT Conference in Lucknow, in May 2015.