EIABD.COM

English in Action implemented its first Teacher Development Workshops in 6 regions across Bangladesh. 600 teachers from 300 schools and 60 teacher facilitators participated in the 3-day workshop. 7 primary and 5 secondary workshops were held in different locations between 23 Feb and 4 March 2010. Aims of these events were to make the teachers familiar with EIA approach and materials, the teacher support programme and also build their confidence in using the mp3 players and other EIA teaching learning materials inside their classrooms. EIA Teacher Development Coordinators together with the members from Open University, UK facilitated the workshops simultaneously in different teams.

While CLT was at the core of all EIA methods, materials and workshop activities, teachers also had opportunities for demonstration and practice through modeling and micro teaching at the workshops. Teachers spoke highly about the workshops as well as the EIA materials (both for classroom use and teachers’ professional development) and welcomed the initiative. Using the latest technology like i-Pods created huge response and excitement amongst the participants. They also appreciated that the technologies provided were simple to use, materials which modelled English (pronunciation, grammar, classroom language etc) and the availability of EfT based audio-visual resources. It was reassuring for the teachers to know that the technologies can be used in situations where no electricity is available. The workshops ended with a high note of enthusiasm and motivation on behalf of all participants.