The US Consulate in collaboration with the US Education Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) on Wednesday conducted a workshop for participants of the South Asian Teacher Training Project (SATTP). The workshop focused on 'perceptual learning styles and implications for the English classroom".
As many as 26 teachers from various Lahore schools and colleges attended the workshop which was conducted by Carole Beauclerk, an English Language Fellow based in India and Dr Rajni Badlani, English language adviser for the Regional English Language Office at the US Embassy, New Delhi.
The South Asian Teacher Training Project is a US Government-sponsored project aimed at providing secondary-level English language teachers in Pakistan and India with the opportunity to learn advanced skills in English teaching at the George Washington University (GWU), Washington DC.
Teachers selected from the two countries spent six weeks at the George Washington University in 2005 where, in addition to learning new methodologies for teaching English, they also developed an awareness of US culture and society.
Workshops held this winter in Lahore and New Delhi allowed the Pakistani and Indian teachers to collaborate and share insights and techniques learned through applying the methods taught at the George Washington University summer programme to their real life classroom experiences.
This workshop featured an interface between theory, research and practice. It included presentations on 'perceptual learning styles' and 'multiple intelligence' in addition to group work by teachers on preparing lesson plans based on the techniques discussed in the presentations.
Beauclerk received her BA and MS in educational methodology from the City University of New York, and has worked as an English teacher and teacher trainer for more than 30 years in numerous countries around the world.
Dr Badlani has an MA in applied linguistics from the University of Essex, UK, and taught at the University of York as part of a Nuffield Foundation Fellowship.
She has conducted over 50 workshops on various aspects of English language teaching, including workshops in Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka.
Teachers from Lahore Lyceum; Crescent Model Higher Secondary School; Cardinal School; Defence Public School and College for Girls; Defence Public School and College for Boys; Lahore Grammar School; Beacon House School; Forman Christian College; Queen Mary College; Salamat International Campus for Advanced Studies (ICAS); and Co-operation for Advancement, Education and Rehabilitation (CARE) attended the workshop.