No. 4 - April 2022
Purpose-driven
teaching
Armenia Barranquilla Bogotá Bucaramanga Cali Cartagena Manizales Medellín Pereira
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Content 3. This is my story
Alumni in Action No. 4 Purpose-driven teaching Editorial committee Daniel Alejandro Valderrama Suárez Yennifer Lombana Claudia Rodríguez Alumni Affairs Team Centro Colombo Americano Bogotá Nelson Suárez English Teaching Programs Coordinator Embassy Bogotá John Alejandro Arias Academic Director Centro Colombo Americano Manizales Ana María Carmona Academic Support-Social Programs Centro Colombo Americano Medellín Design Marketing & Comunicaciones Centro Colombo Americano Medellín
José Miguel Londoño. BNC Pereira Lorenzo Gómez. BNC Medellín Juan Carlos Moreno. BNC Medellín 10. Community service project From volunteering to teaching Edier Gómez 18. Guest Columnist: Professional Development Opportunities for Educators through the U.S. Department of State Kate Bain 24. Cultural Programming Cultural agendas BNCs Colombia
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This is my story
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José Miguel Londoño BNC Pereira
This is my history. I joined the Access program when I was 13 years old. I was told that I would have the opportunity to learn English ought to a program that was supporting low income children. That was the first time I felt the motivation to learn something without thinking on having good grades. I performed so well during the course that earned a scholarship to continue with my learning process. Right after I graduated from the program, I decided to start my bilingual education degree. Even though it was a challenge, I must admit that it was worth the effort. Now, I am working as an English teacher, and my job is always acknowledged by my students. It seems like they’re motivated to learn as I was 10 years ago.
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Una oportunidad que transforma vidas Lorenzo Gómez, BNC Medellín
Mi caminar por el colombo empieza en el año 2013 cuando llega a mi colegio la oportunidad de participar en el proyecto Learn English, Teach English; el propósito de este programa era formar maestros de inglés desde la escuela normal superior de Medellín. Ese año yo cursaba el grado 10 y la verdad esta oportunidad la veía más como algo para pasar la tarde y estar con mis amigos, sin embargo, en ese entonces no veía el impacto que tendría en mi vida formando mi proyecto personal el cual sería, años más tarde, dedicarme a la enseñanza. A inicios de 2015 logré obtener mi certificado B2 y continué con los cursos avanzados para obtener mi certificación de C1. En el año 2016 la gran oportunidad de ser parte del colombo ya como docente aparece y es esa oportunidad la que me ha dado todo lo que he
alcanzado en el ámbito profesional. He tenido la oportunidad de trabajar con varias poblaciones desde niños hasta adultos, en todos los programas que el colombo americano Medellín ofrece, además he tenido el privilegio de participar en los proyectos sociales de CHOP y English to Fly, lo cual me encanta pues me veo reflejado en esos jóvenes, ya que una vez yo estuve allí. Tuve además la oportunidad de viajar a los Estados Unidos y tener una inmersión cultural de un año, lo cual no solamente me ayudó con mi inglés, sino que también me amplió la visión de ciudadano del mundo conociendo diferentes culturas y haciendo al menos un amigo en cada continente. Gracias al Colombo Americano me he formado para ser una persona profesionalmente integra, pero más que eso, una persona sensible, tolerante e inclusiva frente a las diferencias que nos hacen humanos, una persona con un alto sentido de pertenencia frente a la institución y con la responsabilidad social de crear en mi aula un espacio donde los y las estudiantes sean totalmente escuchados, aceptados y valorados. Un espacio donde el aprendizaje del inglés sea el mediador de la cultura de nuestro país y la cultura del mundo que habitamos.
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The man I am today
Juan Carlos Moreno, BNC Medellín
If I had to talk about the impact that the MLK program has made in my life, I just would not be able to find the words to illustrate how my life has changed with my participation in the program. However, I could say that MLK was the beginning of the construction of the man that I am today, but who is Juan Carlos Moreno Perea?. Well, Juan Carlos is a black man who has been deconstructing and reconstructing himself, is a black man who believes that education needs to be reframed through ethnic approaches in order to decolonize it, a black man who considers himself as a feminist, and a man who is resigned to understand that the only thing he can bring to that cause is respect and empathy, a man who also understands that feminism must be intersectional, agreeing with what the Combahee River Collective states: “If black women were free, that means everyone would be free because freedom for them necessitates the destruction of all systems of oppression”.
I joined the MLK program in 2014 with a high expectation, since the former fellows in Quibdó were involved in leadership initiatives, and were making a great impact in our community. Therefore, being born and raised in areas where black people live, which is the pacific coast, has made me feel more responsible for helping change the realities of this population in the country, who usually live under precarity with unmet needs. However, nowadays, I understand that it should not only be the responsibility of black people but the responsibility of society as a whole. I believe that in Colombia after the “abolition” of slavery things have changed in favor of black people, but there is a long way to go, and education is showing us now a template that still portrays us as inferior and incapable, so this struggle should be everyone’s responsibility. For some years, I was part of a national program called PLAYLEE (playing and learning English). The main goal of that project was to teach English to kids from disadvantaged areas of Quibdó through games and help them become leaders. Throughout my time at PLAYLEE, we were able to serve 50 students. Through the supplemental English classes provided, 60 percent of the students were able to reach A2 level in English and later were able to join some of the social programs that the Colombo Americano of Medellin offered.
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As an MLK student, apart from enjoying the content that my teachers would bring every weekend to class, I would pay close attention to the materials and the strategies used by them so that I could replicate them later in my teaching practices because I am really passionate about teaching. In 2018, I joined the Colombo Americano de Medellin again, but this time was as a teacher, and my background in the program was very useful to understand how to teach at the Colombo, especially in the social projects such as MLK, CHOP, and English for Girls. At the Colombo, I had the chance to work for almost four years, and the most wonderful experience was working with those social programs. They made me believe in the importance of understanding the students’ lives in order to have better success in the teaching and learning process.
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All of my volunteer experience led me to accept a professional role in a very special social program called SUCCESS which was led by the Colombo Americano of Medellin. This program provided English teaching to low-income- students in various cities throughout Colombia in order to gain the skills to guide tourists. While serving in the Amazons, I faced several difficulties with student retention and motivation. Inspired to not lose even one student, I started going door to door to recruit students and bring them back to the classroom. MLK has opened the doors of a world that was unknown to me, and working at that prestigious institution helped me gain the skills to nowadays be a candidate for a master’s degree in Latin American studies with a specialization in education at the University of Florida in the U.S, where I attempt to make visible the contribution of black scholars in the intellectual fora in Latin America.
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Community service project
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From volunteering to teaching Edier Gómez
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Guest Columnist Kate Bain
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Professional Development Opportunities for Educators through the U.S. Department of State Kate Bain
Greetings to all of you, Alumni in Action readers and contributors, my dear colleagues! It is an immense honor for me to have been invited to contribute to this month’s edition, “Purpose-Driven Teaching.” Many of you may know that I spent two years teaching and teacher training in the wonderful country of Colombia; it was one of if not the most enjoyable, rewarding, and growth-filled periods of my life. I think about the amazing Colombian educators, students, and friends I met there every day. I hope to travel there again sometime soon and see you all.
The purpose of my article is to share the opportunities and resources you as educators have through the U.S. Department of State’s Office of English Language Programs. Many of you have taken advantage of one or all of these programs and resources; many of you are learning about them today. Either way, I hope that they will be valuable tools as you continue your professional development journey and cascade the knowledge and ideas you learn to others in your communities and schools. I’ll share information about American English(AE) resources, AE webinars, the Online Professional English Network (OPEN) Program Global Online Courses and Massive Open Online Courses, English Teaching Forum, and AE social media content. So let’s get started!
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American English Resources The American English website is a hub of content and materials for English language learners and educators worldwide. Take a look at our comic book resources, our audiobooks, our collection of songs, a number of games, and teaching technique articles and strategies! For hard copies of materials, email your Regional English Language Officer or local U.S. embassy, who may have some materials to share with you! American English Webinars American English Live Teacher Development Webinars have been produced and shared by our office for over ten years! You can find them these days on the American English for Educators Facebook page. Our next series starts on May 11, 2022 with the presentation, “SocialEmotional Learning for Multilingual Learners: Fostering Growth” Earn digital badges for each session and a certificate from your RELO if you attend four out of six sessions!
The Online Professional English Network (OPEN) Program The OPEN Program creates and shares online courses for thousands of teachers and other professionals worldwide. Reach out to your RELO to ask about being nominated for one of our prestigious Global Online Courses, with direct instruction from U.S. university professors and interaction with other teachers from around the world. Earn a certificate with the U.S. institution name and logo as well as the State Department seal for these courses. You can also take one of our Massive Open Online Courses anytime enrollment is open! Digital badges and certificates are also available for these courses.
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English Teaching Forum English Teaching Forum (ETF) is a peerreviewed journal published quarterly by the Office of English Language Programs. This year, ETF is celebrating its 60th year of publication! This journal is written by teachers for teachers, with articles that showcase practical ideas you can use in your classroom. Take advantage of the learning in the articles, or consider submitting your own article to this journal, published online and in-print through U.S. embassies around the globe. American English Social Media Do you follow us on Facebook and YouTube? Every day, we post tons of great English learning content on the American English at State Facebook page. We also share professional development graphics and discussion prompts for educators on the American English for Educators page! Our YouTube channel has hundreds of videos for learners and teachers that you can use at any time. We have over 4 million people who follow these social media platforms. Join them today! Wrapping Up In short, there are many resources and opportunities for you to take advantage of through the U.S. Department of State’s Office of English Language Programs. Thank you for the opportunity to share a few with you. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors in a crucial field - education.
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Cultural agendas BNCs Colombia
Armenia
Cali
Bogotá
Manizales
Medellín
Pereira