UNO-Pakistan Excellence and Achievement (TEA) English Language Teacher Exchange
Pakistan Excellence and Achievement (TEA) English Language Teacher Exchange is funded by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan. The project is designed “to promote the development of English language skills, knowledge of current English Language Teaching (ELT) pedagogies, and the leadership skills of a select number of Pakistani high school English language teachers through a blend of classroom and field experiences. This will include community engagement activities and opportunities to network with English language teaching peers at the University of Nebraska Omaha.”
In partnership with Vision Building Future (VBF), a Pakistani NGO, UNO will be achieving project goals by the end of 2021. VBF is assisting UNO with the selection of 50 teachers from across Pakistan who are eligible to participate in this program in 2020. This will be followed by the third Cohort of an additional 25 participants in 2021.
The eligibility criterion is developed in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, and VBF. All participants will be visiting UNO and will stay in Omaha for six weeks attending lectures on pedagogy, leadership, professional development, technology, and teaching management systems in addition to other fundamental skills that will improve their teaching skills.
Objectives for the Project
- Provide participants with a quality academic exchange experience that will strengthen mutual understanding and people-to-people ties among all US and Pakistani participants and build long-term self-sustaining relationships and linkages between US and Pakistani institutions
- Deliver academic activities that will improve participants’ skills in English language, ELT pedagogy, leadership and communication, and individual or joint project development
- Offer cultural experiences that will expose participants to a diverse cross-section of US citizens; provide participants insight into American values, culture, and way of life; and present participants with opportunities to speak to Americans about their home country
- Develop and introduce participants to the UNO-Pakistan Academic Exchange website, the DOS International Exchange Alumni space, and social networking sites so that upon their return home they can access information online; maintain contact with other program alumni, UNO students and faculty, and community members; and continue collaborations on joint projects.
- Encourage participants to share their U.S. experiences, awareness of cultural diversity, and mutual understanding to students, other faculty and scholars, families, and community members
- Help participants to adapt their own curriculum to incorporate lessons principles and concepts learned in TEA
- Inspire participants to share what they learned in TEA to influence pedagogy in their home communities
- Foster increased collaborations and sustained linkages among UNO and Pakistani institutions and encourage interprovincial collaboration through follow-on programming.
Project Components
The project has the following two components:
1. Academic Component
The UNO TEA program will provide Pakistani high school English language teachers the opportunity to develop English language skills, knowledge of current English Language Teaching (ELT) pedagogies, and leadership and communication skills that will serve them in their academic and professional careers.
2. Cultural Program
The cultural component will provide participants with first-hand experiences with the lessons learned in academic classes. Participants will have opportunities to experience Midwest American culture, see many of Omaha’s hallmarks, learn about local history, and watch civic engagement in action in the Omaha community. In addition, three-day cultural programming in Washington, D.C. will be arranged, including a half-day visit to the Office of English Language Programs at the U.S. Department of State.
