East Asia/Pacific - Former Fellow Highlights

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EL Fellow Benjamin Clarke Conducts Outreach Workshop at Zhejiang Dongfang Vocational and Technical College
Benjamin Clarke
EL Fellow in Wenzhou, China
Wenzhou University
Cycle AY 2009-2010
On April 20, 2010 EL Fellow Benjamin Clarke was brought to Zhejiang Dongfang Vocational and Technical College to conduct a workshop relating to Western culture and its implications for business relationships.  He was warmly welcomed by both students and faculty of the college at the well-attended event.
Clarke gave some background information relating to popular Western ideas about customer service and then engaged the workshop participants in interactive learning tasks.  These hands-on tasks were designed to illustrate the main points of the lecture while offering students a chance to practice their oral English skills.
Professor “Daniel” Wu was Clarke’s host and main organizer of the event.  He teaches in the English for Business department at the Zhejiang Dongfang Vocational and Technical College. He invited Clarke based on recommendations from students at Wenzhou Universitywhere Clarke serves as a faculty member

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EL Fellow Abigail Hoyle Leads Workshop on Teaching Math and Science in English
Abigail Hoyle
EL Fellow in Jakarta, Indonesia
Universitas Indonesia/RELO Center
Cycle AY 2009-2010
From May 3-4, 2010, EL Fellow Abigail Hoyle led a workshop on teaching math and science in English at the Lembaga Bahasa Internasional FBI, Universitas Indonesia, Depok. Abigail facilitated the workshop alongside Universitas Indonesia lecturer and teacher trainer Ibu Meutiati A. Ranthy, M.Ed. They led input sessions about interactive teaching, basic principles of teaching other subjects in English (giving instructions, student-centered versus teacher-centered instruction), and material adaptation.
There were three input sessions as well as peer teaching sessions to practice and utilize new techniques.  Participants were divided into groups of five and each group conducted a team teaching episode of 30 minutes. After each group, there was a 30-minute feedback session led by the facilitator.  An “active learning” approach was used, which encouraged teachers to serve as facilitators and the learners as active participants.

The purpose of this seminar was to equip teachers with the tools necessary to present subject materials in English. In turn, this will enhance the overall quality of secondary-level English teaching in Indonesia, as well as better prepare students for English use at the University and/or professional level on a global scale.  They were encouraged to give workshops and informational meetings to their colleagues at their schools about what they had learned.

An estimated 40 teachers attended the 2-day workshop ranging from secondary-level educational institutions, including SMA (equivalent to high school), SMK (high school vocational), and SMP (middle school). All were math or science teachers from the following courses: various math disciplines, physics, chemistry, biology, and general science. The participants all asked thoughtful questions throughout the input sessions and showed interest in learning more about the resources presented in the workshop. They all agreed that they would like to attend the next workshop, and that it should be held more frequently.
H. Douglas Brown Presentation
Julianne Reynolds
EL Fellow in Gorontalo, Indonesia
Gorontalo State University
Cycle AY 2009-2010
On April 20, 2010 EL Fellow Julianne Reynolds gave a forty minute presentation on H. Douglas Brown’s book Principles of Language Learning and Teaching to about fifteen Universitas Negeri Gorontalo lecturers and fifty-five students. The goal of the presentation was to familiarize participants with the content of the book and to distribute free copies of the Indonesian translation of the book donated by the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta. Chapter five on Learning Styles and Strategies was summarized in a PowerPoint presentation and a one page handout. Participants were invited to peruse the table of contents, a chart on left brain and right brain dominance in Chapter five, and, most importantly, the discussion questions and list of suggested readings at the end of each chapter. Furthermore, the glossary of SLA terms and the bibliography at the book of the book were pointed out as useful resources for teachers and last semester university students writing their theses. The presentation finished with a Q&A session in which participants showed a great interest in learning more about learning styles and strategies and how to accommodate different learning styles in their classrooms. Participants were thankful for the presentation, the free books and especially for the chance to be able to study some of the current trends in SLA on their own. Several teachers mentioned they were particularly grateful for the discussion questions at the end of each chapter, as these questions provide a good model of how to liven up teacher-centered language theory classes.
ELF Benjamin Clarke and Son Elijah Featured In Wenzhou Daily Newspaper
Benjamin Clarke
EL Fellow in Wenzhou, China
Wenzhou University
Cycle AY 2009-2010
On November 14, 2009, one of Wenzhou’s top newspapers, The Wenzhou Daily News, featured English Language Fellow Benjamin Clarke and his son, Elijah.  Benjamin Clarke has been gaining recognition in the community for his efforts in English language teacher training and materials development.  His son, Elijah, is also one of the few foreign children to attend local Chinese schools. 

Elijah has been enthusiastically welcomed at the Ouhai Experimental Primary School, and his desire to learn more about Chinese language and culture has been warmly received by the local community.  His father, Benjamin Clarke, believes that a sincere desire to engage in and learn from the local community is essential to the ELF public diplomacy mission. 

Clarke also believes that the presence of children sends a very positive message to the local community.  “When we bring our children with us and allow them to engage in a local community it shows the local people that we trust them, admire their culture and sincerely desire good relations with them.” said Clarke.