Resources

English Language Teaching and Learning Resources

English Language Development Programs and Resources offered by the Public Affairs Section

The PAS maintains a collection of English language methodology and textbooks that can be checked out by English teachers for up to two weeks. Teachers are encouraged to visit the Information Resource Center at the 4th floor of Ak Altyn Hotel. This Center provides information about the US to teachers, scholars and government representatives. To make an appointment to use the Center, call the Public Affairs Section.

Low-Cost English Teaching Materials: Teachers and students can buy English teaching and American studies, books, cassettes, and videos from the Public Affairs Section of the Embassy, or any of the American Corners in the regions: Mary, Dashoguz, Turkmenabat and Turkmenbashy. Public Affairs Section is a designated distributor and offers these materials at a very reasonable price. Ask the Educational Assistant of the Public Affairs Section for a list of titles and prices.

Useful Internet Links: We have compiled a large collection of websites of interest to teachers and students.

Forum Magazine: The English Teaching Forum, a journal for English teachers outside the United States, is published four times a year (January, April, July and October). In Turkmenistan, it is distributed by the Public Affairs Section and American Corners. There is also an on-line edition of the Forum at http://exchanges.state.gov/education/engteaching/ 

Submitting Manuscripts to Forum: To be considered for publication, manuscripts should be typed, double-spaced, and have margins of at least three centimeters. They should also be accompanied by a statement indicating whether they have been submitted for publication elsewhere. Anything written for submission to Forum should be sent to the following address:

Editor, English Teaching Forum
304 4th Street SW, Room 312
Washington, DC  20547
USA
Fax:  202-401-1250
e-mail:  etforum@eca.state.gov

Language & Civil Society Electronic Journal: Language & Civil Society is another on-line journal for English teachers available from the homepage of the English Language Programs Office at http://exchanges.state.gov/education/engteaching/ . The content in these volumes is related to some aspect of building or maintaining a Civil Society, topics that affect students' personal professional lives on a daily basis. Through these materials students will work toward a greater understanding of a global civic society and improve their communicative competence in English. The first four volumes of the electronic journal consist of Civic Education, Peace Education, Environmental Education, and Business Ethics. Each volume contains background information on a specific issue, classroom-ready activities related to the issue, and references to more resources for teachers to go to for more information or for design their own activities.

English Language Programs Website: English Language Programs Office of the US State Department, RELO Headquarters, maintains a website at http://exchanges.state.gov/education/engteaching/ . This site provides information on all the Office’s programs. It is where you can read the Forum and the Civic Education Journals on line. It also provides a link to TESOL affiliations worldwide and to many TEFL resources on the web.

ELT Professionals: The State Department's Office of English Language Programs in Washington, DC, with the support of Congressional funding, has developed three programs that can bring ELT professionals to universities and other educational institutions in Central Asia. If your institution is interested in hosting the Fellow, is willing to work with the RELO (in Uzbekistan) and the Public Affairs Section in Turkmenistan, and can share some of the Fellow's costs with these offices, please contact the Public Affairs Section.

1. English Language Fellows: The English Language Fellow Program recruits qualified EFL teachers to teach English in universities and institutions teach for one year according to the needs of the host institution. Fellows are Americans with an M.A. degree in TEFL/TESL.
2. Senior English Language Fellow: The Senior Fellow Program recruits American EFL teacher trainers or ESP instructors with an M.A. or Ph.D. degree in TEFL/TESL and considerable experience in teacher training or ESP, some of which was overseas. They can be posted at the Ministry of Education or at teacher training institutions to conduct a variety of activities including training sessions on methodology, curriculum development, textbook analysis, and testing. ESP specialists can teach English at advanced levels to professionals in such fields as business, economics, law, finance, and medicine.
3. Short-term English Language Specialists: The English Language Specialist program recruits American academics in the field of TEFL/TESL and Applied Linguistics for short-term assignments (two to six weeks) overseas or as speakers for video or teleconferences with overseas audiences. Specialists may work on curriculum projects, teacher training seminars, textbook development, English for Special Purposes, program evaluation or other well-defined short projects. Institutions or organizations interested in inviting a specialist may request a specific scholar; if they do not, then the Office of English Language Programs contacts and recruits an EL Specialist from among well-known academics in the field. (The Office of English Language Programs will provide funds for the specialist's travel and honorarium, but food and housing for the specialist must be provided by the host institution and/or the U.S. Embassy.)