Senior English Language Fellow's ELT Mexico Bulletin

Adios Mexico! I'll miss you!

2008-06-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Sadly, it's time for me to say goodbye. It's been a wonderful and busy 2 years for me working as an English Language Fellow in Mexico. For example, I've attended 2 national MEXTESOL conventions, presented at 5 regional MEXTESOL conventions, taught 1550 teachers in 16 different states of Mexico.

In this time I feel I've learned so much: how to not sweat the small stuff, how to be confident when giving a plenary talk, how to be flexible when you don't know who you'll be teaching and above all, I've learned what kind, creative, fun-loving, hard-working people most Mexican teachers are. I haven't left yet and I can't wait to come back.

However, as is the case with fellowships, its time for me to give someone else the opportunity to work in fabulous Mexico. That someone is Deborah Farley, the new Senior English Language Fellow, a really nice teacher from Vermont. So if you want another workshop, contact Jose Manuel Villafuerte at the Office of English Language Progams at villafuertejm@state.gov .

As for me, I will be moving with my husband to Oman in the Middle East to teach at Sultan Qaboos University.
Finally, I'd like to thank JM and Kay for all their support and friendship over the past couple of years and all the teachers and coordinators who've made my stay in Mexico so memorable.
So, as I finish, I won't say "Adios" but just "Hasta luego!" Keep in touch!

Mexico DF 19th Regional MEXTESOL Conference Touches the Future

2008-06-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

Plenary speaker Joep ven der Werff introducing the Queen of the Netherlands
The Mexico City MEXTESOL chapter hosted its 19th regional conference "Touching the Future" on Saturday, June 21st, 2008 at the Escuela Bancaria y Comercial Reforma Campus. The opening plenary by Joep ven der Werff's "Planning Lesson Planning" got the audience sharing beliefs and practices of lesson planning.

I gave my last presentation in Mexico (sniff, sniff) "Use Your Brain: Applying Brain Research in the Language Classroom" with a really fun crowd of about 35 Mexico City teachers who were full of ideas, insight and applications. I also got to meet up with one of the really driven teachers I know from my work in the State of Mexico, which was a treat. - It was fun talking with you, Florencio!
Thank you Uli Schrader for your organizing prowess, good luck on future conferences!

If you'd like to become a member of MEXTESOL click here.

If you'd like to see upcoming MEXTESOL regional events click here.

If you want information on the MAIN EVENT "New Ways for New Needs in ELT" in Leon, Guanajuato from October 16-19, 2008 click here.

Ambassador and US Secretary of Education Honor Mexican Teachers

2008-06-25T15:50:00.000-07:00

On June 13th, 2008, U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza hosted a "Teachers Day" reception for teachers in Mexico at the Anthropology Museum in Mexico City in honor of U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings visit. The event was a cheerful affair where teachers, diplomats and Fulbrighters from all over Mexico got to reconnect with each other and enjoy a beautiful view of the Anthropology museum's Aztec calendar while nibbling on "botanas" and sipping wine or soda. Personally, I enjoyed the opportunity to say good bye to many of the teachers I might not see again until the next time I'm in Mexico.

Ambassador Garza, thanks for supporting teachers and English programs in Mexico!

OELP's Training of Trainers Workshop Makes a Big Impact

2008-06-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

On June 12-13, 2008, 24 teacher trainers and SEP coordinators from nine states (Aguascalientes, Coahuila, Quintana Roo, Sonora, Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Nuevo Leon, Jalisco, Mexico D.F) came together at the Benjamin Franklin Library in Mexico City for the OELP's Training of Trainers Workshop. The goal of the workshop was to share OELPs Teacher Training Anthology CD (a CD with teacher training workshop materials from English Language Fellows in the region), U.S. Dept. of State materials "Shaping the Way We Teach English" and "Teaching Jazz Chants to Young Learners with Carolyn Graham" with Mexican teacher trainers from all over the country in order to strengthen English teaching in Mexico. In addition to the electronic materials each participating institution received a set of reference materials including H.D. Brown's Teaching by Principles, Richard and Lockhart's Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms and Martin Parrot's Tasks for Language Teachers. In addition to demonstrating the materials to the participants, workshop facilitator and E.L. Fellow Brigitte Miller, led discussions on such topics as "trainers beliefs" and "working with peers: supervision and observation". Finally the participants put together tentative teacher training proposals based on the needs of their teachers and presented them to the group for feedback. The proposals of each institution varied alot in their size, topics and focus. The scope of this project was much bigger than expected. Ultimately, these materials should impact 5022 teachers and at least 407,500 students (that's only from 4 of the nine states).
The feedback from the materials and workshop evaluation was very favorable indicating that everyone will use these materials in some way to design their own teaching training programs and that as much was learned from the other participants as was learned about the materials themselves. Many participants were incredulous that teachers would share so much of their work with others. We're hoping that this will further encourage other teachers to share their materials for the greater good. Nice examples of this were also demonstrated by Coahuila's dynamic SEP team who shared their English in primary materials with the group and Hidalgo's SEPA Ingles team who also offered to share the software they developed.
Thanks everyone for your dedication! You were such a pleasure to work with. Most of all, good luck with all your training projects!

MEXTESOL 3rd Annual S.E. Regional Conference Explores the Art of ELT

2008-06-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

The Chiapas MEXTESOL chapter held its third annual S.E. Regional Conference "Exploring the Art of ELT" at the Villa Mercedes Hotel in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas on June 6-7, 2008.

The conference was a great success with approximately 112 presenters and participants coming from Greece, Oregon, Texas, Tabasco and Chiapas. The conference was generously sponsored the UNICACH and, as usual, very well organized by the MEXTESOL Chiapas team of Edith Martinez (Chiapas MEXTESOL president), Diego Gamez (UNICACH language center director and Geraldine Montoya (Chiapas MEXTESOL vide-president). It included not only a fabulous location in charming San Cristobal de las Casas, various publishers, a book raffle, numerous opportunities to network with teachers from all over the South-East and enthusiastic participants but knowledgeable and engaging speakers such as Melinda Sayavedra (opening plenary) and Katherine Fouche (closing plenary) amongst others.

The E.L. Fellow, Brigitte Miller gave two new presentations: "Hot Lesson Openers: Icebreakers and Warm-ups" and "Use Your Brain: An Intro to Brain Research and the Language Classroom which were well-received despite issues with time.

Chiapas MEXTESOLers keep up the good work! I'd attend another of your fabulous conferences any chance I got!

Their next event is an Academic Saturday on August 23rd, 2008. To find out more about how to join MEXTESOL click here.

Oaxaca Road Trip: Office of English Language Programs visits UABJO

2008-06-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

From May 26th-31st, 2008 the team from the Office of English Language Programs: Regional English Language Officer Dr. Kay Davis, Cultural Affairs Assistant Jose Manuel Villafuerte and Senior English Language Fellow Brigitte Miller went on a road trip to Oaxaca to get in contact with the teachers of the Universidad Autonoma "Benito Juarez" de Oaxaca. On May 27th they went to the UABJO's Centro de Idiomas Tehuantepec Campus where Brigitte gave a workshop to 35 local English teachers, professors and students. What a surprise to find that in this remote outpost at the isthmus in Oaxaca, the English teachers had such a high level of English and such enthusiasm for teaching! The credit for this must be given to veteran English teacher Mauricio Zarate Jarquin and the energetic Facultad de Idiomas director Rufino Vazquez Manuel. The workshop was followed up by a delicious seafood lunch under a palapa in the sweltering isthmus heat. Thanks to Rebecca, Abraham, Ricardo and Omar too for your hospitality!

From Tehuantepec, the OELP team went on to the city of Oaxaca where Kay and Jose Manuel met with the director again and other representatives from the university while Brigitte gave another workshop to the teachers and trainees from the Oaxaca campus. In Oaxaca too, the students and professors were active participants in the workshop. According to the workshop evaluations 100% of the participants found the workshop topics (cooperative and task-based learning) and activities either somewhat or very interesting. Most said they would try to apply these ideas to their teaching especially the strategies, the roles and authentic tasks. In future they would like to learn more classroom activities as well as how to deal with large classes. Some of their comments were:“Very valuable”, “it was amazing”, “I like your way to teach this class – you’re so happy and all could be too” and “I think it was all very useful”.

Thanks Oaxacan teachers. I had a great time too! Hope to visit you again one day! Special thanks to the students for your help around the city!

Aguascalientes' CBTIS English Teachers Get Down to Basics

2008-06-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

Twenty-five CBTIS English teachers participated in a 30-hour workshop entitled "The Basics of English Language Teaching" from May 19th-23rd, 2008. They learned how to: structure cooperative lessons, use a variety of tasks which appeal to multiple intelligences, motivate students with authentic tasks, materials, and internet activities and use rubrics for student-centered, formative assessment. According to the participants' evaluations, the favorite parts of the workshop were the "multiple intelligences" activities and the internet activities, particularly the blogs. The participants are most interested in learning more about Rubrics and they said that the parts they will apply to their own teaching are (in order of number of responses): 1 Everything, 2 Multiple Intelligences, 3 Fun web tasks, 4 Authentic Materials, 5 Cooperative tasks and 6 Rubrics. The workshop was very well organized by the ever hospitable and always cheerful Carmen Guardado and facilitated by fellow Brigitte Miller. The course was opened with a ceremony that included a student's speech about Aguascalientes and closed with fabulous performances by CBTIS 195 students and the soulful singing of Jorge and Carlos (two participating teachers). Also present were the gracious principal Mrs. Sara Veronica Serrano Macias , directors of the CETIS and CBTIS, Mr. Juan Antonio Glez Arechiga Ramirez Weilla and Mr. Jose Luis Ortega Juarez. The festivities were topped off by a long chatty lunch in town.

To see more pictures from the workshop, including student performances click here. To see the participants blogs click here. To see what the participants learned about Internet tasks, click here.

Thank you, all of you, for a wonderful experience in Aguascalientes. Keep in touch to let me know how your classes progress. Best of luck!

MEXTESOL Morelia Gets Together for Their 8th Regional Convention

2008-04-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

On April 18th-19th, 2008 I attended MEXTESOL Morelia's 8th Regional Convention at the Universidad Latina in festive Morelia, Michoacan. The conference was a great opportunity to meet new colleagues in the field and catch up with others.
I attended an informative presentation by Francisco Lozano on Video Techniques for the ELT Classroom and the very dynamic closing plenary" What Makes a Good Teacher and What Makes the Best Teacher" by English teacher trainer/dance instructor Adan Alberto Hurtado Olivares
My own session "Fun and Games for Oral Fluency and Motivation" was packed with 45 enthusiastic students and teachers.
At my other session"Letting Them In On the Secret:Rubrics for Formative Assessment", 36 teachers and students learned how to create rubrics with their students. For those interested in more information about rubrics please check out this wonderful online resource "Rubistar" or get a copy of the final handout by leaving me a comment with your email address here on the blog. I look forward to hearing from you!
I had the opportunity to catch up with, founding president of MEXTESOL Morelia and teacher trainer, Luis Gerardo Ramirez Amor (pictured here with me passing out certificates of attendance and books generously donated by the publishers). I also got to meet the Universidad Latina's new English coordinator Yacine Kabbage and MEXTESOL Morelia's lovely president, Monica Alvarez (pictured here after all the event's activities were successfully finished).

Thanks MEXTESOL Morelia! I had a great time. Best of luck with your next event!

"Worlds of TESOL" meet in New York City for the 2008 TESOL convention

2008-04-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

The theme of the 42nd annual TESOL convention in New York City was "Worlds of TESOL: Building Communities of Practice, Inquiry and Creativity". People from all over the planet gathered in this most global of cities to present, learn and connect. I, for one, met up with friends, colleagues and mentors from Monterrey, Cairo, Morocco, Russia and San Francisco as well as former fellows from everywhere! Personal favorites were: the session by AUC professor Phyllis Wachob and Salma Waly on their work with refugee communities called "Teaching English to Refugees in Transition", the session "Online TESOL Education: Creative Communities of Practice" with Liz England, David Hall, John Knox, Ralph Sabio and Datta Kaur Khalsa and finally, the English Language Fellow Program networking event. There were plenaries by Penny Ur and Lia Kamhi-Stein among others and the TESOL job market place was filled with recruiters from all over. If you didn't attend this year, but you'd like to attend next year, register for MEXTESOL membership to be eligible for a grant that could help you with expenses for the 43rd annual TESOL convention to be held March 25-28th, 2009 in Denver, Colorado.

Tabasco Teachers Try Out Tasks, Technology and TOEFL

2008-03-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

Twelve English teachers from the Insituto Tecnologico Superior de Centla in Frontera, Tabasco participated in a 25-hour workshop (from February 25th-29th, 2008) on Motivating Teachers and Learners, TOEFL Preparation Strategies, Authentic Tasks and Materials, Integrating Skills, Cooperative Learning and Fun Web Tasks. Participants were very enthusiastic (100% of them liked the topics, activities and explanations). During the workshop they took TOEFL practice tests, developed picture stories, created blogs, perfomed role plays and cooperated in a reading jigsaw.
According to the workshop evaluations, the favorite parts of the workshop and the topics they will use most in their teaching are: Cooperative Learning and Authentic Tasks. A comment from an email since the workshop proves it's true too. “I have practiced with my students about cooperative learning. I prepare my classes with authentic material, it really works!!! It´s funny and amazing to work in this way!!!!! Thanks for your teaching.” To let me know how this workshop has affected your teaching please fill in my Workshop Follow Up Survey. Thanks.

Some of the other participants' comments were as follows: “Sincerely was the first time I talked to a native speaker. For me was so wonderful”. “It’s my first participation in a workshop like this. I gonna apply cooperative learning in my English class”. “It was fantastic, we had a great time”. If you'd like to see more photos and the participants' blogs please click on ELT Workshop ITSCE . The workshop was very well organized by Citlalli Garcia Albores.

Citlalli at the Centla swamps.

Teachers and Trainers at the UNAM's Facultad de Estudios Superiores in Acatlan Develop Communicative Competence

2008-03-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

Thirteen English teachers and trainers from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) Acatlan campus gathered together from February 11th- 15th, 2008 to learn more about: Task-based Cooperative Learning, Developing Projects for Mixed Ability Classes, Developing Oral Fluency, Developing Writing Fluency and Motivation.

Although small, the group's enthusiasm, dedication to teaching and experience made for interesting discussions and productive collaborations. According to the online workshop evaluation 100 % of the participants liked the topics, activities and explanations in the workshop (Wow!!). The participants favorite parts were the activities( particularly the oral fluency ones) and the opportunity to share ideas with colleagues. They will use the cooperative and writing activities most in their own teaching and for future workshops they'd like to learn about reflective teaching and authentic materials. Thank you Erika for organizing the event. It was so much fun getting to know all of you. Keep in touch.

Moving Past Milestones at the Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Hidalgo

2008-03-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

From Jan. 30th - Feb. 1st, 2008, 35 English professors and trainers participated in the fellow's workshop on the following topics: Rubrics and Formative Assessment, Lesson Planning, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Specific Objectives, Task-based Collaborative Learning, Cooperative Learning Structures. The group's lively discussions and peer evaluations made the experience a fruitful one for both the facilitator and the participants. According to the workshop evaluations the parts of the workshop most of the participants will apply to their own teaching are "rubrics" and "lesson planning". The favorite parts of the workshop were: "lesson planning", "collaborative task-based learning" and the interaction with other teachers. Please let me know the effect of this workshop on your teaching by filling out my Workshop Follow Up Survey. Thanks so much.Teachers said they'd like to learn more about "rubrics and assessment" and "task-based collaborative learning". Thanks are due to Bertha Paredes and Hilda Hidalgo for organizing the event.

Also thank you Bertha and Norma for your hospitality!

Latin American Fellows Unite in Costa Rica

2008-03-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Costa Rican flora

In January 2008, Latin American English Language Fellows, Regional English Language Officers (Kay Davis in Mexico City and Kitty Johnson in Lima Peru), their assistants Jose Manuel Villafuerte and Marcela Raffo and Fellow program administrators Catherine Williamson and Christa Hansen got together for the midyear conference at the Apartotel Cristina in San Jose, Costa Rica. The thirteen fellows each presented on some aspect of their fellowship for 45 minutes. According to the conference evaluation, fellows unanimously found this midyear conference very helpful. The responses to the question "What impact, if any, do you think this conference will have on the rest of your fellowship?" are as follows:
1. Nice to see everyone again and hear what they are up to.
2. Collecting project descriptions and resources for future ELFs.
3. I feel that I can use much of what I gained here in the next five months. I feel that I am doing and will do a good job for the remainder of my time.
4. I will network more with the Western hemisphere and communicate more with them to see if they have resources I need.
5. It makes me feel part of a community - and reminded me of what a great resource this community is for me. This conference has motivated me and given me access to resources for my projects. Definitely think they're an very important part of the fellowship that should be included every year!
6. I have a number of solutions to emotional/psychological problems that will really help!
7. Thanks to time spent with other fellows I have a better sense of where I'm at or rather how my personal expectations of my work fit into realistic expectations. Better balance.
8. Unsure, but I may be more assertive in relations with host.
9. Right now, I feel very motivated and far more prepared to be successful,. I also feel better about the problems I've faced. This has made all the difference in the world.
10. -Helps me with directions and focus. -Inspiration to create better balance
11. A greater sense of positive energy, more acceptance, of things I can't change.
12. A great influence. Showed me what I should be/could be doing! Gave me strength and renewed energy to reapproach my project!
The favorite of the fellow presentations was Wendy Senft's "What about your social life?" which addressed the personal side of the fellow experience, although, overall, people found hearing about each other's professional experiences interesting too.

The fellows agreed that the midyear conference should be part of the fellow experience every year.

In addition to the fellows conference, the Latin American fellows also presented at the local National Conference for Teachers of English "Empowering Tomorrow's Leaders" at the Centro Cultural Costarricense from Jan. 23-25th. To view the array of interesting presentations at the conference click here for the program . One of my favorite speakers was featured Beninese storyteller and educator Raouf Mama.

Fellows (from left to right):

Brigitte Miller, Michele Gordon, Erin Lowry, Tara Zahler and Allyson Kellum

It was a real pleasure catching up with you!

Chihuahua teachers share resources, knowledge and good cheer!

2008-03-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

In December 2007, from the 10th-14th, twenty-six high school teachers participated in a 30-hour workshop, organized by Betty Ramirez and Ramiro Bojorquez from the SEC, at Maestros Mexicanos high school, Chihuahua. The workshop was intended as both a follow up to last year's workshop with some of the same teachers and an opportunity for other teachers to experience an in-service teacher training. The group consisted of diverse linguistic and educational backgrounds but none-the-less managed to work well together. There was a wide range of topics including: Classroom management, Lesson planning, Bloom's Taxonomy (we used it to help write objectives and then design tasks), Integrating Skills with Cooperative Learning, Authentic Tasks and Materials for Integrating Skills, Fun Web Tasks where participants created their own blogs (please see our blog to view pictures and participants' blog addresses) , Rubrics and Performance Assessment.

According to the workshop evaluation the group found the topics very interesting and most people also really liked the activities. The evaluation results also indicate that the topics which participants will use in their classes are mainly "Assessment" and "Lesson Planning".

The participants' favorite parts of the workshop were: "Internet and blogs", "interacting with other teachers" and "lesson planning". The participants would like to learn more about "Motivation" and "Internet links".

Please let me know how this workshop has affected your teaching by filling out my Workshop Follow Up survey. Thanks so much!!
In addition to writing specific objectives participants devised some really creative christmas "picture stories". Other memorable moments were: Martin's wonderful "Jeopardy" demo, Paty's demonstration of the state of the art computer lab we were using and Toni singing at our end-of--workshop posada.

Martin setting up "Jeopardy". Watch out Alex Trebeck!

Paty showing us "Tell Me More" software.

Toni singing.

It was a nice opportunity to meet some enthusiastic new teachers and catch up with some friendly faces from last year.

Some familiar faces...

Who says teachers can't have a good time? Happy Holidays Y'All!

Best of luck in 2008!

Durango CBTIS "Gets Real" with Authentic Tasks

2008-03-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

Thirty-four English teachers from the CBTIS 130 in Durango participated in a 30-hour workshop on: Multiple Intelligences, Differentiating Instruction, Authentic Tasks for Authentic Communication, Fun Web Tasks, Authentic Film for the EFL Classroom and Motivating Teachers and Learners. On the last day all the participants made their own blogs which, whose links you can view here. The workshop was coordinated by the amazingly energetic duo of Ricardo Hagen and Guille Gonzalez.

The diverse expertise of the participants, ranging from medical doctors and food scientists to psychologists and engineers, definitely enriched our discussions. According to the workshop evaluations the majority of the participants found "Authentic Materials" and "Multiple Intelligences" to be the most useful topics. However, "Internet Tasks", "Blogs", and "Authentic Film" were their favorites topics. The greatest challenge was "task-based learning". Topics they would like to learn more about are: "Authentic Tasks", "Motivation" and "Working with large groups".

Please let me know how the workshop has affected your teaching by filling out my Workshop Follow Up Survey by clicking here. Thanks for your hospitality and enthusiasm!

After an intense week of making role plays, watching authentic films, creating blogs and devising tasks, Anabella, Alicia and I went for a picnic in relaxing Nombre de Dios to eat Durango's delicious gorditas ... mmmm.

MEXTESOL 2007 in Boca del Rio

2008-03-13T14:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you who didn't attend MEXTESOL 2007 in Boca del Rio, Veracruz from Nov. 8-11th, it was a blast! With characteristic festivities and informative presentations, this national conference of Mexican English teachers was a wonderful opportunity to learn new ideas and meet up with colleagues from all over Mexico. It also gave me a chance to catch up with people who work nearby like the TOEFL team from IIE, James and Jesus (pictured above in the exhibitor's hall). Click here to view Neil Anderson's plenary presentation "From Egg Crate to Omelet" or Click here to see Humberto Roman's blog (MEXTESOL Aguascalientes) on TOEFL tips (which I found very useful). I was especially amazed to see the Durango contingent led by Guille Gonzalez who travelled by bus to attend. That's dedication! For me, it was great to see all of you once again.

Teachers and Coordinators at Relaciones Culturales in Monterrey Get Motivated

2008-03-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

Ten teacher coordinators and trainers at Relaciones Culturales in Monterrey worked together with the Fellow from Monday to Friday Oct. 22-26th, 2007 in a workshop entitled "Developing Oral Proficiency in the Communicative Classroom". They reviewed new techniques for developing oral fluency, accuracy and assessment in addition trying out some strategies for effectively using authentic film in the classroom. Results from the workshop evaluation indicate that they preferred the Collaborative Routines and Lesson Planning sessions and that they would like to learn more about Collaborative Learning and Rubrics. Please let me know if the workshop was useful to you by filling out my Workshop Follow-Up Survey here.

On Friday afternoon 73 of Relaciones Culturales' teachers attended the Fellow's presentation "Taking Over the Reins: Motivating Teachers and Learners" and participated heartily with their thought-provoking questions.

The Fellow's visit ended in a conga line around the school at the "Jurassic Party" with the quick-witted, fun loving staff of Relaciones Culturales.

Thanks to all of you for your hospitality and enthusiasm but especially to Tere who put it all together! See you soon!

Guanajuato 'Asesores' and Secondary English Teachers Get Learner-Centered

2007-11-07T10:18:00.000-08:00

In the middle of October 2007, 63 primary level English 'asesores'(advisor-trainers)and secondary English teachers from the state of Guanajuato gathered together for a workshop on techniques in learner-centered instruction. Organized by Guanajauto SEG coordinator Mario Montero, the first group met for 18 hours from Oct. 15-17th at the Centro de Capacitacion (CENCAP) in Acambaro, Guanajuato.

The second group met from Oct. 18-19th for 8 hours in Leon.

In addition to learning how to structure cooperative classroom routines and apply multiple intelligence theory to class room activities, participants showed great warmth and community spirit by participating in bonfire sing-alongs and endlessly telling jokes. Ever creative and enthusiastic, the group made wonderful group chants and stories.

Results from the original workshop evaluation indicate that they preferred learning new activities that can be applied directly to the classroom. They said they will apply Multiple Intelligences and Cooperative Learning in their own classes and they'd like to learn more about Bloom's Taxonomy and Multiple Intelligences.

Many of the asesores said they would replicate some of the ideas from the workshop in their own training sessions. (Please let me know if you have! Click here to fill out the workshop follow-up survey. This information will guide me in creating more useful workshops.)

I will always remember the great time I had with you in Acambaro. Teachers like you are the reason I love teaching! Thanks to all of you and to Mario, a really motivating coordinator!

Hidalgo SEP Teachers Focus on Fluency

2007-10-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

On Sept. 24th-26th, forty-six primary and secondary teachers gathered for a workshop entitled “Developing Learner Fluency” at the SEP offices in Pachuca, Hidalgo.
The group proved to be a pro-active crowd that dove into the many activities offered by "EXCELLENT" Canadian teachers Kevin Batdorf and Troy Gariepy on the first two days and by English Language Fellow Brigitte Miller on the last three.
These experienced teachers learned different ways to exploit role play, oral fluency games, how to implement cooperative learning with a reading jigsaw and interactive "routines". Finally, they discussed the implications of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence theory on teaching and how to apply it effectively in the classroom. The workshop's opening and closing ceremonies, which were organized by SEPA Ingles coordinator Juan Luis Lopez Lugo and his staff, were attended by the vice-minister of education and other SEP officials.
According to the workshop evaluations, 92 % of the participants found the topic and the activities very interesting and useful. The favorite parts of the workshop were the activities themselves and the part on “Multiple Intelligences”. Participants wrote that they will try to apply these activities and “role play” in their own teaching. Finally, they hope to learn more about multiple intelligences, role play, group work, evaluation, fluency and songs. Other comments included, ““the topic was based in the curriculum – it is practical and easy to apply in classrooms”, “ none of the teacher’s wanted to go home when it was over despite the fact it was payday, because they enjoyed it so much” and “I learned great new ways to work with my Ss and reinforced others”.
Thanks for all of your enthusiasm. Please leave comments here to let me know how these activities work in YOUR classrooms! - Brigitte

Escuela Normal Superior de Chiapas gets motivated with Cooperative Learning and Multiple Intelligences

2007-10-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

On September 22nd and 23rd, 2007 64 English teachers and students attended the workshop entitled “Motivating Learners with Cooperative Learning and Multiple Intelligences" at the Escuela Normal Superior de Chiapas (ENSCH)in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas. The event was organized by Maestro Enrique Sanchez Manchinelly and facilitated by English Language Fellow Brigitte Miller. Despite the diverse English levels of the group and the fact that the workshop followed the regional MEXTESOL convention, many dedicated Chiapan teachers participated admirably anyway.
In the first session on Saturday from 4p.m.- 8p.m., participants discussed what motivates teachers and learners. Then they practiced cooperative learning: what it is and how to organize it effectively by participating in a reading "jigsaw".
In the second session on Sunday morning from 9a.m.- 1:30p.m., participants learned about Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence theory. Then they interacted in some cooperative, multiple-intelligence activities that can be used in their own classrooms.Some products of these activities were the multiple intelligence chants and their cooperative learning word webs.
According to the workshop evaluation, 97% of the participants found the activities interesting and useful. Their favorite parts of the workshop were "Multiple Intelligences" and the interactive activity "Who Am I?".
The workshop ended with some words of encouragement from the ENSCH director Maestro Jose Raul Davila Ramirez and the distribution of certificates of participation. Thanks to Enrique and the hard-working teachers of Chiapas for making this event happen. Good luck.

"Four Skills, One Way?" the South-East Regional MEXTESOL convention in Tuxtla Gutierrez is a great success!

2007-10-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

More than 120 English teachers and students as well as presenters from abroad and all over Mexico participated in the South-East MEXTESOL Regional Convention on Sept. 21-22, 2007. The event was held at the City Express Hotel in Tuxtla and included plenary presentations by Dr. Wanda Griffith from the University of Austin, Texas; Dr. Louisa Greathouse Amador from the BUAP in Puebla and English Language Fellow Brigitte Miller from the U.S. Embassy's Office of English Language Programs. There were also concurrent sessions with dynamic workshops conducted by Dr. Ruth Roux from La Salle University in Tamaulipas, Octavio Aguilar Faviel from UNICACH and Edson Adir Marin Salguero from UAEM in Toluca to name just a few. The presentations covered practical topics including: oral fluency activities, writing, assessment, pronunciation and the four skills as well as theoretical concerns such as: cooperative learning, motivation, emotional intelligence and student-centered teaching.
In the closing ceremony participants expressed their enthusiasm for the event which included many interactive sessions and finished with a book raffle. The conference was admirably organized by MEXTESOL Chiapas Chapter President Edith Martinez Pelaez, Vice President Geraldine Montoya Robles and CELE Coordinator Diego Gamez Espinosa from the UNICACH. Bravo to the whole MEXTESOL Chiapas team and a big thank you to UNICACH who very generously sponsored the event. See you next year!

Have a good break and see you next year!

2007-06-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

FRIENDS & COLLEAGUES,
I'm happy to announce to you that my contract as a Senior English Language Fellow here in Mexico was renewed. So, I hope to see more of you during the 2007-2008 Academic Year.
During the 2006-2007 Academic Year I had the opportunity to work with more than 700 teachers and 250 students in ten states (Mexico State, Chihuahua, Baja California Sur, Mexico D.F. , Durango, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Aguascalientes & Veracruz). It has been an amazing experience and I'd like to thank you for your hospitality, hard work and insight throughout our collaborations.
I hope that most of you will relax and enjoy a well-earned summer vacation! If I don't hear from you before, I hope to see you at the national MEXTESOL convention in Veracruz next November.
Until then, take care.

Brigitte

Participate in the final webchat on "Technology and Classroom Activities" this Thursday, June 14th!

2007-06-11T09:16:00.001-07:00

A webchat is an opportunity to ask questions online with an English teaching expert. The last one for this series is next Thursday at 4pm. So, if you're on the computer Thursday June 14th at 4pm - log in! You don't have to ask questions you can just read responses. There are usually a lot of good ideas and internet resources mentioned too! - Brigitte

The following web chat (and information) was put together by Jose Manuel Villafuerte from the Office of English Language Programs. Thanks for all your hard work, J.M. !

Date: June 14, 2007
Time: 4 p.m. Mexico City time
Presenter: Judie Haynes
Topic: Technology and Classroom Activities
Language: English
Link: http://usinfo.state.gov/usinfo/USINFO/Products/Webchats/haynes_14_jun_2007.html
Participation:
The first thing you need to do, is register. To do so, go to http://webchat.state.gov/?tid=unsecure.register, enter your e-mail address and screen name, then submit.
To log on, go to http://webchat.state.gov type your e-mail address and click submit. Click to agree on the terms of use. From the list of upcoming webchats, select the one you wish to join. You will enter a page with four tabs at the top: About, View discussion, Submit question or comment, and Logout.
There are three ways to participate:
1. You can log on before the web chat and submit a question or comment in advance. Use the Submit question or comment tab.
2. You can log on to participate on the actual webchat at the scheduled date and time. Each web chat lasts for an hour. Use the View discussion tab to see what's going on and the Submit question or comment tab to participate.
3. You can view the transcript from the webchat afterwards.
Feel free to pass this information on to others. We sincerely hope you find this series useful!

Best regards,

Jose Manuel Villafuerte
Office of English Language Programs
U.S. Embassy Mexico

"Learner-Centered Instruction" for Students and Teachers in Ixtapaluca!

2007-06-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

Sixty-three secondary English teachers and supervisors from 4 different sections in Ixtapaluca participated in a 15-hour 3-day workshop on “Learner-Centered Instruction: Using Authentic Materials, Multiple Intelligences and Tiered Projects for Mixed-Ability Classes” from May 30th- June 1st, 2007.
The workshop, organized by local English teacher Paula Valdez and the SEP of the State of Mexico, Ixtapaluca, which aimed to improve English teaching techniques and motivation in the region, included some memorable moments when teachers performed their jazz chants and teacher Ruben sang and played “Stand By Me” on the guitar while other teachers filled in a cloze listening exercise.

In addition to facilitating the workshop for the teachers, the Senior English Language Fellow Brigitte Miller had the opportunity to visit seven secondary school classes where she spoke with the students about their reasons for studying English and ways they can practice outside of class.
The students were enthusiastic, asking all sorts of questions such as; “What would you do if you were president of Mexico?”, “What do you hate?”and What’s your favorite food? (chocolate, of course).
One highlight of the trip was seeing teacher Gabriel Garcia’s students perform “Summer Loving” from the musical “Grease”. Watch out John Travolta!

The Fellow was also interviewed in English by the local TV channel about the purpose of her visit to Ixtapaluca.
The teachers’ feedback on the workshop evaluation indicates that their favorite part was the Multiple Intelligence activities, that their least favorite part was the sound [not loud enough] and that in the future they’d like to learn more about Multiple Intelligences and Bloom’s Taxonomy. They suggested that future workshops include more activities and materials that can be directly applied in the class room with the students.
Teachers, thanks for all your suggestions – I look forward to implementing them when I see you next year!
Thanks to all the supervisors, directors, teachers and students who gave me such a warm welcome in Ixtapaluca.

Collaborative Teaching and Learning at the MEXTESOL Regional Conference in Xalapa, Veracruz

2007-06-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

On May 26th, 2007 the MEXTESOL Xalapa Chapter hosted their regional conference at the Universidad Veracruzana, Humanidades Auditorium with four presentations on English Teaching, various publishers and a raffle.
The conference, organized by local chapter president Aurora Varona and the MEXTESOL committee, which took place from 9a.m. – 3 p.m. on a rainy Xalapa Saturday was attended by approximately 42 English teachers and students.
The presentations opened with Senior English Language Fellow Brigitte Miller’s workshop “Collaborative Teaching and Learning: From the Local to the Global” then, Professor Oscar Narvaez Trejo’s presentation on “Affectivity in Language Learning”, Professor Adriana Abad Florescano’s talk on “English Language Levels and Certification in Mexico” and closed with Senior English Language Fellow Russell Barczyk’s presentation “Technology and Cooperative Learning: From Bahrain to Mexico”. For more information, see Russell's blog at http://techmextesolxalapa.blogspot.com/

Hope to see you in Veracruz for the MEXTESOL national conference in November, 2007!

"A Universe of Ideas" at Aguascalientes' Academic Week

2007-06-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

The team from the Office of English Language Programs (OELP) from the U.S. Embassy went on a road trip to support the 8th Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes’ Academic Week “A Universe of Ideas” at the request of the Language Department Director Luis Humberto Rodriguez. The event was a dynamic affair which included, in addition to numerous sessions on various aspects of English teaching, various social gatherings such as a city tour and dinner. The Academic Week (from May 17th to 18th, 2007) was well-attended and meticulously planned by a student committee from the BA in ELT program. Kudos to them!
As for the OELP team, Regional English Language Officer (RELO), Kay Davis facilitated a thought-provoking workshop on reading and brain-based learning entitled “Reading Isn’t Always Boring”, Senior English Language Fellow, Brigitte Miller gave her presentation “Taking Over the Reins: Using Collaborative Reflection to Reach Personal Goals” to a hall of 180-200 students and professors, while RELO Assistant, Jose Manuel Villafuerte gave an informational session on U.S. Embassy offerings for English teachers and students. In addition to the OELP team, there were presenters from Aguascalientes and from as far afield as Florida. What a success!

SEP Teachers Get Together and Get Motivated in Guadalajara

2007-06-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

On May 16th forty-five SEP teachers and supervisors participated in a two-hour workshop on motivation and reflective teaching organized by Alfredo Manriquez and Lynn Roche from the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The teachers, who were from primary, secondary and high schools in Guadalajara, participated with enthusiasm and expressed interest in attending more workshops.
As one participant summed up, “ You can’t give anything to someone else, if you don’t have it before – you can’t motivate someone if you’re not motivated yourself” or as another one stated, “It’s important to change and to work in teams”.

Academic Week in Pachuca, Hidalgo

2007-06-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

On May 9th approximately 120 students and professors from the BA in ELT program at the Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Hidalgo in Pachuca attended a one and half hour plenary presentation entitled “Taking Over the Reins: Using Collaborative Reflection to Reach Personal Goals” facilitated by English Language Fellow Brigitte Miller. The participants reflected on issues of student and teacher motivation and collaborative teacher development. The Academic Week was well-organized by coordinators Bertha Paredes and Hilda Hidalgo who also took the Fellow on a tour of their amazing Self-Access Center where students can practice their English through games, movies, computer tasks and karaoke.

Professors from the Universidad Autonoma de Tlaxcala Discuss “Multiple Paths to Success: Building Motivation and Differentiating Instruction"

2007-04-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

Nineteen professors from the Facultad de Filosofia y Letras participated in a workshop on Multiple Intelligences, Differentiating Instruction and Student and Teacher Motivation from April 18th through 20th, 2007 at the Universidad Autonoma de Tlaxcala.
The workshop, organized by Ary-El Ramirez Castillo, was enthusiatically received by the participants who shared their varied knowledge on the topics. Notable, was the depth of knowledge of the group as a whole and their collaborative work style.
The workshop evaluations revealed that the participants' favorite part was the discussion of Multiple Intelligences and the practical activities (in particular, creating tiered projects using Bloom's Taxonomy and Multiple Intelligences). Their least favorite aspect was the short amount of time for each topic. According to the evaluations, they'd like to learn more about Multiple Intelligences and Bloom's Taxonomy and their suggestions for the presenter are that she include opportunities for the teachers to apply these techniques to their own materials.
The facilitator was very impressed by the experience and insight of the participants and looks forward to future collaborations.

Sector 1 Teachers from the State of Mexico Create Blogs with Visiting Fellow

2007-04-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

On March 28th, the enthusiastic secondary teachers from Sector 1 in the State of Mexico, organized once again by Victor Hugo Rivera - http://teachingismorethanaprofession.blogspot.com/ and Diana Castañón, got together again to create blogs for their classes with visiting Senior English Language Fellow Russell Barczyk. Check out what they did by visiting Russell Barczyk's blog at http://mexicoefltech.blogspot.com/

EDOMEX Teachers Prepare for M.A. TESOL

2007-03-27T16:26:00.000-07:00

Experienced teachers and trainers from all over the state of Mexico gathered at the Escuela Normal de Atlacomulco for an academic skills course "Topics in TESOL" in order to prepare themselves for next year's M.A. TESOL course in San Diego, California.
The participants met over the course of four Saturdays (16 hours) in February and March to analyze and reflect upon academic articles in Second Language Acquisition, Methodology, Curriculum Development and Issues in Assessment. The goals of the course were to simulate the skills, topics and tasks implemented in American graduate TESOL programs.The participants, as a whole, were extremely well-prepared and motivated as they actively discussed, presented and wrote about these very theoretical topics. Also impressive, was the way in which the participants applied their teaching experience to the theories they read about.

Feedback from the course evaluations indicates that they enjoyed the group discussion and presentation activities the most. Many of them were most surprised by the enthusiasm and knowledge of their peers. Their favorite topic was far and away "Assessment" (when they evaluated their own tests for reliability, validity and practicality). "Methodology" and "Curriculum Development" were also quite popular. Their suggestions for improving the course are to include more listening and note-taking tasks and feedback on their work. Despite the heavy reading load (including articles by Larsen-Freeman,Brown and Graves among others), the participants cite that the readings and the group discussions, which allowed them to share their insights, were the most helpful part of the course.
Some notable participant products were their "Methodology" group presentations", the group mind maps of curriculums for imagined courses and their test evaluations and suggestions for alternative assessments. The facilitator was extremely impressed with both their enthusiasm and professionalism.
The course ended with reflective essays on the learning experience and tacos to help digest all that reflection!
Good luck on the GRE and the rest of your preparation courses!

Collaboration at CUAAL on a new task-based English curriculum

2007-03-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

Nine senior teachers from the UJED (Universidad Juarez del Estado de Durango)language center, CUAAL collaborated with the Senior English Language Fellow, Brigitte Miller to revamp their general English curriculum. Over the course of five days, from March 5th to 9th, in the quest for a dynamic, more learner-centered curriculum, this team developed and implemented needs assessments of students and teachers, developed an outline of their new approach, defined the syllabus structure and started designing themes and tasks that reflected students' responses and the competencies of the Common European Framework. The process was a considerable learning experience for everyone involved. Feedback from the CUAAL teachers indicates that what they liked most was listening to the multiple view points and the collaborative nature of this project. They found that the two most helpful tasks were creating the needs analysis and defining the syllabus structure and the two most difficult tasks were articulating the program philosophy and writing goals and objectives. Thanks for all your dedication and hard work Kay, Roxana, Tico, Cecilia, LuzMa,Carmen, Rosa Maria, Gabriel and David!

New TEFL Curriculums for ByCENED

2007-03-15T22:41:00.000-07:00

From February 19th to March 2nd, the Escuela Normal, at the request of English Dept. Coordinators Guille Gonzalez and Alicia Porras developed two new English Teaching curricula with the cooperation of the U.S. Embassy sponsored Senior English Language Fellow. The "Diplomado" in English Teaching at the Secondary level has been designed to update in-service secondary English teachers in methodologies consistent with the reform such as: Communicative Language Teaching, Muliple Intelligences and Learning Strategies, Reflective Teaching and CALL (computer aided language learning). The second project is an Add-on in English Teaching to the BA in Primary Education. This course includes English Language training as well as pedagogical training in teaching English to young learners. Both of these courses will be conducted in English. Bravo! It is hoped that the English students at the primary and secondary levels will soon feel the effect of this collaboration. Thanks must go to Guille and Alicia who so graciously received the Fellow.

Two English Language Fellows Facilitate "Cooperation" and "Integration" at the ByCENED Academic Days in Durango

2007-03-15T22:04:00.000-07:00

Twenty seven Durango secondary teachers participated in the Academic Days at the ByCENED (Escuela Normal)on March 1st and 2nd that were facilitated by English Language Fellows Brigitte Miller and Alison Camacho. On the first day, teachers participated in cooperative learning activities such as jigsaw and round robin toss and defined the essential elements of good learning tasks.
On the second day, participants practiced integrating skills in dynamic ways in groups of their favorite cartoon families. The Academic Day was beautifully organized by the ByCENED English Dept. and Academic Coordinators and included a heartfelt speech by the director Elisa Magallanes at the opening ceremony . Participants received certificates of attendance.

Secondary English Teachers from the State of Mexico "Keep it Real!"

2007-03-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

On February 14th and 15th, 37 secondary English teachers from the State of Mexico participated in a workshop at the Escuela Normal Superior de Mexico on integrating authentic tasks and materials into their lessons. The workshop, enthusiastically organized by Diana Castañón of the Escuela Normal, included techniques in how to integrate authentic materials from a variety of sources such as: radio broadcasts, documentaries and print texts from the internet, popular music, feature films and local magazines. On the first day, participants practiced classroom techniques by performing role plays with authentic menus and writing love letters according to the instructions of a traditional scribe from Santo Domingo quoted in the Inside Mexico English language magazine.
Day two was technology day, where participants learned about "jigsaw viewing" of a film clip and some even created their own blogs.These can be viewed at http://englishsector1.blogdiario.com/.
Great job everyone! According to the workshop evaluation the participants' favorite activities were using songs and video.

Interestingly,some participants favorite part and others' least favorite part of the workshop was speaking English.

Almost everyone said they wanted to learn more and get more practice with "technology", "blogs" and video.

Well, Sector 1, you're in luck because you're going to have a follow up workshop with Senior English Language Fellow Russell Barczyk on March 28th.

Best of luck! It was so much fun working with you and getting to know you afterwards at the cafe. Ojala, I'll see you soon!

Secondary School Teachers from Baja California Sur Share Their Experiences in a Crash Course on "The ABCs of ELT".

2007-01-30T14:11:00.000-08:00

Fifty-five secondary school teachers from all over Baja California Sur gathered together at the SEP office in La Paz for a 35 hour workshop on "The ABCs of ELT: The Basic Skills of English Teaching" and the new educational reform, from January 15th-19th, 2007.
The participants discussed and demonstrated the following: Cooperative Learning and Task-based learning, How to Lesson Plan and Write Specific Objectives, Techniques in Classroom Management, Techniques for Developing Fluency: Role play and Educational “Games”, Using Rubrics for Formative Assessment and Collaborative Reflective Teaching. According to the workshop evaluations, the favorite topics and activities were the Cooperative Learning/ Interactive Activities and Role play and the least favorite topic was “Rubrics” (possibly because of the black out!).The participants would like to have more workshops on educational games, role play and fluency activities. One suggestion for the presenter was "Get a bell!"
Highlights of the week were: when the teachers shared their interesting (and sometimes frightening!) classroom management stories and tips, the "Pizzeria" role play, the very imaginative (and gruesome)collaborative picture stories, and the inspiring support for each other demonstrated during the discussion of reflective teaching and peer observation.

Recognition should go to Maestro Raul Villafan who, with unfailing energy and humor, organized the workshop and added to our classroom management discussion the excellent,"Old-West style, gun-slinging cell phone" technique. The workshop closed with a ceremony that included comments by the Secretary of Education, certificates and gifts for participants and facilitators alike.
You guys are proof that collaborative learning works with large groups! Don't give up!

Trainers and Trainees work together on the ABCs of ELT at the Escuela Normal Superior de BCS in La Paz

2007-01-30T13:05:00.000-08:00

Twenty one teachers, trainees and trainers participated in a workshop from January 8th to 12th, 2007 at the Escuela Normal Superior de Baja California Sur entitled "The ABCs of ELT: The Basic Skills of English Teaching". Participants learned about writing clear lesson plans that demonstrate specific measurable objectives, tried out routines and techniques for implementing controlled, communicative classes in a motivating, collaborative atmosphere and learned how to assess their students in a valid and formative manner using rubrics. Finally, they set personal goals and collaboratively made plans for their own professional development.
The benefits of working collaboratively were amply displayed by this group of very mixed abilities which developed into a family by Friday. According to the comments on the workshop evaluation, the favorite activities were the fluency games and collaborative activities, as well as the Classroom Management problem-solution discussion. The least favorite part was having to quickly finish the discussions. Topics that the participants are interested in learning more about are: Learning Strategies, Classroom Management and Assessment and more educational games.

Other highlights of the week were: the caring way the experienced teachers (you know who you are) helped the trainees, Luis as the dove in the interactive "Zoo are you?" activity, the hilarious answers to "Why have you got a monkey in your bag?" and the Academy Award winning problem-solution role plays.
The workshop ended with a closing ceremony in which the participants and the facilitator received certificates from the director of the Escuela Normal. Thanks go to Maestra Alma for organizing this workshop at short notice. The positive energy of this group can be summed up by the following comments from participants: “I liked very much the way you made us mingle. It was an exciting experience” and “I like the nice environment you and the colleagues create. Now I’m motivated again to go back to school and work harder and become a better teacher”.

Good luck to all of you!

Chihuahua English Teachers Get Motivated With New Techniques

2006-12-18T16:41:00.000-08:00

Twenty-six Mexican high school English teachers from all over Chihuahua participated in a week-long training session entitled,"All for One and One for All: Student-Centered Teaching Methodologies to Develop Students' Fluency, Skills and Motivation" presented by the Senior English Language Fellow for the Secretariat of Education and Culture of the state of Chihuahua.
The lively teachers spent six hours each day from December 11th-15th, 2006 collaborating in groups, inventing chants, performing role plays, analyzing tasks, developing listening lessons, discovering their learning styles and strategies, and setting professionals goals. Particularly memorable were the very creative "Multiple Intelligence" chants that each group came up with.
The training ended with a posada that included tamales,coke, gifts and certificates of participation to recognize all the hard work of the teachers.

Teacher Trainers Learn "How to Successfully Advise Trainee Research Papers” in Atlacomulco

2006-12-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

On November 29th and 30th, 2006, the Senior English Language Fellow presented a workshop in Atlacomulco in the State of Mexico to 17 teacher trainers from 5 different "Escuelas Normales" (Atlacomulco, Tenancingo, Neza, Atizapan and Amecameca). The workshop, developed to improve skills in advising teacher trainee research papers, included the following topics: pre-writing techniques for developing their students’ writing fluency, using rubrics for formative writing assessment, how to effectively cite sources and establish a plagiarism policy and finally, strategies for advising research papers.
The English Fellow was very hospitably received by the Escuela Normal de Atlacomulco and the participants. The workshop participants actively demonstrated a willingness to apply new techniques and asked many questions. According to their workshop evaluations, their favorite topics were: "pre-writing techniques" and "rubrics". Each of them received a certificate of attendance in recognition of their hard work.