Implementing National English Curricula for Multilingual Societies – A Project for South and Central Asia

On Monday, September 17th Meridian welcomed a group of 12 education administrators and researchers from south and central Asia for the International Visitor Leadership Program, “Implementing National English Curricula for Multilingual Societies.” The program’s theme centered on the many components, considerations, and steps involved in successfully implementing English language and English medium curricula at a national level. During this three-week program, the participants explored the best practices in spearheading ESL teacher professional development programs and observed practical technological tools for classrooms that augment English language teaching.

The participants first convened in Washington, DC before traveling to Miami, Florida and Chicago, Illinois. The group concluded their program in New York city where they reflected on their newly gained understanding of how curricula in English is implemented, the varied forms of teacher training they were exposed to, and the many methods of immersing students in a bilingual education.

In Washington, DC, Ms. Suzanne Matula, Special Programs Academic Coordinator at Georgetown University English Language Center, delivered an outstanding presentation on the latest trends and developments in English language teaching, which was followed by observations of Intensive English Program classes and a lively discussion with the faculty. The group lauded the meeting with staff from the Center for Applied Linguistics who shared useful information on new developments in K-12 language curriculum and methodology and resources for English Language teachers. A visit to Miami, Florida provided insight into incorporating bilingual education through content instruction. Their program in Miami came to a close with a deeply moving community service project at Touching Miami with Love, an afterschool program supporting disadvantaged children. The participants shifted their focus to examining state level support of English language learning in Chicago, Illinois, where a visit to the National Louis University (NLU) National College of Education demonstrated best practices in how to integrate STEM education with ESL. Many of the participants hope to replicate NLU’s system in their own countries. New York city demonstrated the challenges and exponential benefits of multilingual education programs. The NYU English Language Learners (ELL) Think Tank provided inspiration in how to bring together all stakeholders to help ELLs from immigrant families receive the best education possible to fit their needs.

The immense impact of these meetings was made evident when one participant proclaimed, “The support that state and local authorities provide to ELLs made me realize that the country really embraces diversity and strives to create and sustain social cohesion by respecting different cultures and languages. I truly became firm in my position that multilingualism has tangible benefits in an increasingly globalized world.”

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