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Elaine Guillot
Public Relations and Marketing Manager
Office of International Initiatives
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ATLANTA— In June 2021, staff from the Office of International Initiatives, International Partnerships and Agreements (IPA) unit led by Kike Ehigiator, explored a partnership with Amity University in India that established a need for English language training in Uzbekistan. Following internal exploration, a Georgia State University alumnus from the Department of Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language (ESL) was identified as a good contact with prior experience in Uzbekistan. Dr. David Chiesa (Ph.D. ’18), now an assistant professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia, worked with the State Department as a doctoral student to lead IPA’s consultations with the U.S. government agency in Tashkent in October of that year.
This relationship led to the submission of a successful grant proposal by Dr. John Bunting, Director of the Georgia State University Intensive English Program (IEP). The $247,000 award funded on-campus professional training for 16 Uzbek teachers at Georgia State earlier this summer.
“The IEP and the Department of Applied Linguistics were delighted at the opportunity to host an amazing group of educators from Uzbekistan this summer, sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan,” Bunting said.
The 7-week training program created a space for the educators to expand their skillsets through courses, class observations, workshops and cultural immersion. While the teachers came from diverse backgrounds, they connected over their shared roles as teachers in the Access Program, a U.S. State Department-funded initiative that serves students from disadvantaged backgrounds throughout Uzbekistan. That’s why it was so important to program leader Sharon Santmyer (IEP Lecturer in the Applied Linguistics department) that the training offered a dynamic experience.
“Our program revolved around weekly themes and overarching learning objectives, yet was tailored to ensure that each teacher could walk away having explored new tools to use in their unique classrooms and reflected on how they can grow as an educator”, Santmyer said.
For 6 weeks before the group arrived in Atlanta, Santmyer hosted online sessions which informed the program structure. During these virtual meetings, she conducted needs analysis and gained valuable insight into the teacher’s challenges, desired takeaways and areas of interest concerning their access to students. The result was the implementation of a 3-way training approach combining language training, teacher training and cultural training.
Over the seven weeks at GSU, the teachers participated in Oral Communication and Academic Writing courses weekly, taught by Robin Cathey and Rachelle Udell of the Georgia State Applied Linguistics and ESL department, respectively. In addition, Santmyer’s intensive practicum connected each week’s themes and learning objectives among the three courses.
“It was clear that the curriculum was created with intention, and our teachers were continually so dedicated to helping us grow,” explained Louisa Galimullina, a university teacher from Ferghana, Uzbekistan.
Throughout their stay at Georgia State, the teachers also engaged in workshops that focused on skills-building and personal growth. Two workshops in particular, “Teaching ESL/EFL with an Awareness of Trauma” and “Enhancing English Spoken Skills Through a Social-Emotional Learning Lens,” targeted useful tactics for teachers in their Access Program.
The program’s experiential learning approach was complemented by cultural activities around Atlanta planned by Santmyer, where teachers experienced various events and activities while continuing their learning outside the classroom.
It’s hard to pick a favorite cultural activity,” Dilnoza Boymirzaeva, a teacher in the Andijan region of Uzbekistan expressed. “I got to discover Atlanta and am leaving with many unforgettable memories”.
After the 7-week training, Aziza Yunusova, a teacher from Bukhara State University, shared, “Luggage isn’t the only thing I’m bringing on the flight back home with me. I’m excited to bring my newfound understanding of myself not only as an educator, but on a personal level.”
Chiesa, who was instrumental in building this partnership with colleagues in Tashkent, affirmed Georgia State’s Intensive English program. “There is no greater joy than seeing a productive relationship grow between my academic family at GSU with my international colleagues from Uzbekistan,” Chiesa said. “This collaboration is a testament to the role of Georgia State students’ international experiences and their involvement in facilitating future partnerships and friendships.”
It's clear that the relationships made during the program were impactful. Nurjan Jalgasov from Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan remarked, “I have made plans for further collaboration with Georgia State professors, even following the conclusion of this program—I know that our work will not stop here”.
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The Department of Applied Linguistics is a multifaceted department that focuses on post-secondary/adult language learning, teaching and use. Our faculty specializes in several areas, including second language (L2) acquisition, writing and teacher education; sociolinguistics; language assessment; corpus linguistics; and educational technology. The Intensive English Program offers a range of special programs for its partners around the world while also preparing international and immigrant/refugee students for future academic success. To learn more about the Department of Applied Linguistics and ESL, click here.
The Office of International Initiatives builds interdisciplinary synergies and expands global opportunities where faculty, staff students and our Atlanta-area colleagues can collaborate, innovate and form engaged partnerships with far-reaching impact. To explore collaborative opportunities with the Office of International Initiatives, click here.
Additional materials written by Naomi Garcia-Hector
Student Assistant, Department of Applied Linguistics & ESL
[email protected]