English Language Specialist Program U.S. Department of State Julia Walters – Office of English Language Programs, Washington DC Kay Westerfield - University of Oregon Michael Krauss – Lewis & Clark College Michael Rudder – Regional English Language Officer (RELO), U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia

Definition U.S. academics in ELT and/or Applied Linguistics to support U.S. Embassy-initiated programs worldwide U.S. academics in ELT and/or Applied Linguistics to support U.S. Embassy-initiated programs worldwide Average of 85 2-wk Programs annually Average of 85 2-wk Programs annually

Projects Include: Assessment Assessment Curriculum Development - Institutional and National Curriculum Development - Institutional and National Workshops and Conferences Workshops and Conferences English for Young Learners English for Young Learners ESP / CBI ESP / CBI Materials Writing & Revision Materials Writing & Revision Program Evaluation Program Evaluation Teacher Training Teacher Training Technology and ELT Technology and ELT

Grantees receive: Honorarium of $200 a day Honorarium of $200 a day Int’l Airfare & Visa Int’l Airfare & Visa Food and Lodging Food and Lodging Miscellaneous $100 Miscellaneous $100 Reporting $100 Reporting $100 Materials Allowance $150 Materials Allowance $150 Health Insurance Health Insurance

Process U.S. Embassies invite specialists U.S. Embassies invite specialists Requests Submitted to WDC in July/Aug 2007 for Oct ‘07 – Sept. ’08 Requests Submitted to WDC in July/Aug 2007 for Oct ‘07 – Sept. ’08 Specialists are selected at U.S. embassies or in WDC year around Specialists are selected at U.S. embassies or in WDC year around

Be a Specialist: Review Past Programs Review Past Programs Send resume and cover letter highlighting your expertise to Send resume and cover letter highlighting your expertise to Write an article for English Teaching Forum Write an article for English Teaching Forum

Invite a Specialist: Contact the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in your country Contact the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in your country Review Past Programs Review Past Programs

Benefits and Useful Tips Kay Westerfield University of Oregon

Professional Development: Learning from colleagues around the world ESP workshop participants in Dakar,Senegal

Professional Development: Collaborating with Other Specialists “Shaping the Way We Teach English” Riyadh,SaudiArabia

Other Benefits for the Specialist Expanding your professional network Expanding your professional network Making new friends Making new friends International travel International travel Delicious food Delicious food

Benefits for the Specialist’s Institution Professional development for faculty Professional development for faculty International and national visibility International and national visibility Opportunities to build relationships for future partnerships / exchanges Opportunities to build relationships for future partnerships / exchanges

Sample Benefits for Host Institutions Specialists that target specific language teaching needs Specialists that target specific language teaching needs Excellent materials for teachers or teacher trainers: Excellent materials for teachers or teacher trainers: –“Shaping the Way We Teach English” multimedia teacher-training materials –Arabic/English MiniMax series for business communication skills Opportunities to build networks for future partnerships and exchanges Opportunities to build networks for future partnerships and exchanges

Helpful Tips for Specialists Be flexible. Be flexible. Become familiar with the local culture in advance. Become familiar with the local culture in advance. Tailor your sessions to the needs of the host institutions. Tailor your sessions to the needs of the host institutions. Take a carry-on with materials and professional clothing -- just in case… Take a carry-on with materials and professional clothing -- just in case… Enjoy! Enjoy!

Michael Krauss Academic English Studies Lewis & Clark College Portland, Oregon, USA

Specialist Trip Russian Federation Moscow Moscow –Orientation and Sightseeing Irkutsk Irkutsk –Summer Institute Vladivostok Vladivostok –FEELTA Conference

Specialist Trip 2005 Tegucigalpa, Honduras Workshops & consultations with three university faculties Workshops & consultations with three university faculties –Constructivism –Discourse Analysis –Computer Integration Plenary and workshops delivered at Honduran National Conference for Teachers of English Plenary and workshops delivered at Honduran National Conference for Teachers of English

Specialist Trip Russian Federation Moscow Moscow –Orientation and Sightseeing Petrozavodsk Petrozavodsk –Summer Institute St. Petersburg St. Petersburg –ESPAcE Workshop

English Language Specialist Benefits Travel and contribute to host community Travel and contribute to host community Form new professional relationships Form new professional relationships –Host country colleagues –Other EL Specialists Motivates professional development Motivates professional development Gain new cultural insights Gain new cultural insights Provide a positive image of the U.S. Provide a positive image of the U.S. Excellent D.O.S. support Excellent D.O.S. support

English Language Specialist Challenges Analyzing/meeting host country needs Analyzing/meeting host country needs Getting “ducks in a row” Getting “ducks in a row” Jet lag/sleep issues Jet lag/sleep issues Pacing to avoid burnout and to stay healthy Pacing to avoid burnout and to stay healthy Adjusting to available technology Adjusting to available technology Accommodating cultural expectations (the vodka toast dilemma) Accommodating cultural expectations (the vodka toast dilemma) Re-entry/playing catch-up Re-entry/playing catch-up IT IS WORTH IT ! IT IS WORTH IT !

U.S. Embassy Perspective Dr. Michael Rudder U.S. Department of State Regional English Language Officer (RELO) Jakarta, Indonesia

USG Interest in Program Support ELT programs as part of U.S. Embassy Mission goals Support ELT programs as part of U.S. Embassy Mission goals Fulfill client requests/needs in ELT Fulfill client requests/needs in ELT Quality cost-effective training/programming Quality cost-effective training/programming

Creation of Program at U.S. Embassy Request by host institution to RELO or Public Affairs Section Request by host institution to RELO or Public Affairs Section Contact Specialist for availability Contact Specialist for availability Set up program Set up program Send online request to WDC Office Send online request to WDC Office

Requisites for Successful Program Match needs of hosts to expertise of specialist Match needs of hosts to expertise of specialist Pre-arrival communication between hosts and specialist Pre-arrival communication between hosts and specialist Follow-up with post Follow-up with post Departure consulting Departure consulting

Extension of RELO Work Support ELT programs in the region Support ELT programs in the region Fill knowledge and information gaps Fill knowledge and information gaps Mutual understanding between U.S. and host countries Mutual understanding between U.S. and host countries