Georgia Project background
Outline of the course and rationale The main objectives of the project were to:
Description of the partners The PRELIM project paired The English Teachers Association of Georgia (ETAG) with Languages United to design and deliver a remote language improvement course.
1. Improve the speaking and writing English language proficiency of teachers with low proficiency level 2. Improve teacher confidence and willingness to participate in future professional development
ETAG is a not-for-profit teachers’ association, established in 1995, with 350 members. It has eight branches across the country and runs a variety of courses for its members. As well as providing benefits to members, it also aims for non-members to benefit from its work. It is an associate of IATEFL and TESOL.
This team included representatives from Languages United, ETAG and, importantly, a teacher representative. Learning point: The inclusion of a teacher representative, who had been in a similar position to the intended CPs, proved to be key to the project’s success.
Website: www.etag.ge/
To avoid potential participants being discouraged from applying, one-to-one interviews were conducted in their L1 by ETAG. The interview and a questionnaire in L1 established the applicants’ availability to participate, the technology available to them and aspects of the classes they taught at school. The applicants themselves were asked to identify their skills that they felt needed to be improved, and the ETAG interviewers estimated their English language level.
Languages United is an independent language school based in Bath, UK. It provides English courses for adults and juniors, both at its school and online. Before starting PRELIM, Languages United had worked with other teachers’ associations to deliver professional development training. Website: https://www.languagesunited.com Key features of the context The course was to be focused on a small cohort of English teachers (20) with language levels of A2–B1, living in a rural area of the country. An area of Western Georgia, Imereti, was identified where a local coordinator could help with identifying potential participants.
Learning point: For courses aimed at CPs with low English levels and low confidence, initial communication in L1 avoids barriers to participation. A participant agreement was signed by each participant to confirm their commitment to the course and their consent/data privacy agreement. Learning point: Early indication of the commitment required from students and their agreement to this reduces the drop-out rate.
Course Participants Gender
19 Female 1 Male
English Level
A2–B1
Average years of experience teaching English
8
Level of English being taught
Primary/Middle school
Participation in previous ETAG training
3
Partnered Remote Language Improvement (PRELIM) project report
97
