English Teacher Training builds capacity to enhance students’ learning

“In my opinion, the Creighton Teacher Training Course is a wide-open door opportunity for me to improve my teaching abilities, learn more strategies, and get new skills that will benefit students as a result,” says Ronald, a JWL English Language Facilitator who just embarked on the Creighton University English Teacher Training in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Teaching English to speakers of other languages is a professional discipline. Jesuit Worldwide Learning’s Global English Language programme is offered to students in over 30 countries and more than 90 community learning centres. Our English Language facilitators are often recruited from the local community, and opportunities like this help them to become more effective facilitators.

Each year, since 2018, 50 English language facilitators like Ronald have had the opportunity to enrol in the English Teacher Training (ETT) programme, offered by Creighton University’s (USA) Intensive English Language Institute (IELI). Over the years, it “has received overwhelmingly positive feedback for the information and ideas presented to participants that they are able to use to further their students’ learning”, says Jill Fox, IELI Director, co-creator and co-facilitator of the ETT.

“I found this course very applicable to my classroom because I deal with children who fluently and dominantly speak their indigenous mother tongue language,” says Ann, a JWL English Language Facilitator and ETT graduate in Guyana. “Having to go through this course made me discover ways of how I can deal with them in the classroom paying special attention to their first language and culture.”

The latest intake, which began on 30 September, includes facilitators from Central African Republic, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Sudan, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand.

Over the next seven months, they’ll be introduced to methodologies for teaching English as an International Language (EIL) to speakers of other languages and – through course readings, discussions, lectures and reflection – examine the beliefs and principles of a Jesuit education. Furthermore, participants will cover curriculum development, effective classroom management, use of technology, and how to create a student-centred classroom.

The programme, Jill highlights, also opens up opportunities to for intercultural and inspiring exchanges: “Participants also get the benefit of discussions with other teachers in sites near and far to their own, to get even more tried-and-true ideas, share frustrations, and discover commonalities with other teachers near and far.”

It is also a rewarding and eye-opening experience for its instructors: “Learning a bit of the hardships that many participants and their students have worked through or are still working to overcome to achieve an education to improve their lives is humbling, and I’m grateful that I can play a small part in them achieving their goals.” 

“The phrase ‘Be more to serve better’, attributed to St Ignatius of Loyola, resonates deeply with me. Consequently, one of my primary objectives this year is to explore innovative teaching methods and enhance my skills to deliver a higher quality of education to my students,” says Stheffanny, an English Language Facilitator and ETT participant from Guayaquil. “Each new strategy, idea, and approach represents a valuable opportunity for growth. This is why I view the Creighton Teacher Training programme as an invaluable opportunity for educators to broaden our expertise.”