Projects - Global Online Teacher Education Center (GOTEC) | College of Education and Human Development

Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) Global Online Course

OPEN Program (2024-2025)

Funded by the U.S. Department of State, Office of English Language Programs
Administered by FHI 360
Principal Investigator: Joan Kang Shin
Co-Principal Investigators: Anna Evmenova and Jered Borup
Postdoctoral Fellow: Woomee Kim
Graduate Research Assistants: Dildora Khakimova and Bilgehan Ayık
Instructors: Virginia Doherty, Kendra Staley, Michelle Siembida, and Vinita Jaiprakash Abichandani

GOTEC was awarded a one-year professional development grant from FHI 360 for the U.S. Department of State’s OPEN Program to deliver an 8-week Global Online Course (GOC) called Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL). This online course introduces English teaching professionals around the world to the most current methods and evidence-based approaches to teaching young learners (3-10 years old) English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL). The program will offer 21 sections of an 8-week TEYL GOC in 2024-2025 to approximately 525 English language educators.

This is a continuation of the Teaching English to Young Learners Global Online Course and MOOC project, which has served over 42,630 teachers from 135 countries since 2017.

For a playlist of TEYL course videos, click here.

Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) MOOC

OPEN Program (2024)

GOTEC was awarded a five-month professional development grant from FHI 360 for the U.S. Department of State’s OPEN Program to deliver a 5-module Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) called Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL). This MOOC introduces English teaching professionals around the world to the most current methods and evidence-based approaches to teaching young learners (3-10 years old) English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL). The MOOC was offered February 1 – June 30, 2024 with a total of 5,631 participants from 28 countries.

The project began on February 1, 2024 and ended on June 14, 2024. The MOOC was offered between April 15 - May 27, 2024 with a total of 5,631 enrolled learners from 145 countries. GOTEC Academic Team prepared the MOOC with revisions from 2019 iteration, selected alumni facilitators among High Performing Alumni from previous TEYL GOC iterations in order to support MOOC participants on the discussion board, and monitored the interactions among the alumni facilitators and course participants throughout the duration of the course. The final delivery report was submitted on June 14, 2024.

Turkmenistan, Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) Global Online Course

OPEN Program (2024)

Funded by the U.S. Department of State, Office of English Language Programs
Administered by FHI 360
Principal Investigator: Joan Kang Shin
Postdoctoral Fellow: Woomee Kim
Graduate Research Assistants: Dildora Khakimova and Bilgehan Ayık
Instructor: Virginia Doherty

GOTEC was awarded a one-year professional development grant from FHI 360 for the U.S. Department of State’s OPEN Program to deliver an 8-week Global Online Course (GOC) called Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL). This online course introduces English teaching professionals in Turkmenistan to the most current methods and evidence-based approaches to teaching young learners (3-10 years old) English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL). The program will offer 1 section of an 8-week TEYL GOC in 2024 to approximately 25 English language educators.

This is a continuation of the Teaching English to Young Learners Global Online Course and MOOC project, which has served over 42,630 teachers from 135 countries since 2017.

For a playlist of TEYL course videos, click here.

Program for the Development of Inclusive Education in Greece (2023-2024)

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between The American College of Greece (ACG), George Mason University (GMU), and The American Community School (ACS)
Principal Investigator: Joan Kang Shin
Co-Principal Investigators: Anna Evmenova and Jered Borup

The purpose of this program is to develop a comprehensive professional development program for teachers across the Primary, Secondary, and Higher Education sectors in Greece, with a primary focus on inclusive learning and teaching, special needs education, and universal design for learning and teaching. From September 2023-2024, the program aims to make a lasting impact on the educational landscape in Greece by promoting inclusive learning environments and enhancing the skills of teachers to cater to diverse student needs. GMU will support and provide initial recommendations for the preparation of a needs analysis to identify specific challenges and requirements related to inclusive education. Approximately 150 teachers and academics from ACG, ACS, and selected public schools will participate in a kickstart workshop. Experts from GMU and the research team will conduct observations and gather feedback to further identify specific needs and challenges. A Train the Trainer Workshop will introduce the developed resources and LMS toolkit to up to 100 teachers who will act as mentors in their respective schools. Experts from GMU will participate in person in this workshop, providing instructions and recommendations to ensure the effective use of the toolkit.

Tajikistan Secondary School English Teachers (TSSET) Professional Development Program (2022-2023)

Funded by the U.S. Department of State, Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan
Administered by American Councils for International Education
Principal Investigator: Joan Kang Shin
Contributing Faculty: Rebecca Fox, Anna Evmenova, and Jered Borup
Graduate Research Assistant: Dildora Khakimova

George Mason University was awarded a 11-month training grant from American Councils for International Education for the U.S. Department of State, Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan for the Tajikistan Secondary School English Teachers Professional Development Program (TSSET).

A team of four Mason faculty and one doctoral student will develop all protocols and surveys for collecting initial, baseline data of public school teachers’ English language capabilities and teaching skills in Tajikistan and write a Context Analysis Report to support the needs assessment for this project by American Councils. The academic team in GOTEC will adapt their 11-module online professional development program on Google Sites called Teaching English Through English (TETE) focused on enhancing teachers’ English language capabilities and teaching skills. The GOTEC academic team will also assist in preparing 2 Coaches and 6 Core Trainers to cascade the TETE professional development program to Region Peer Mentors and secondary school English language teachers across Tajikistan. By the end of the TSSET Program 4,440 English language educators (40 Core Trainers, 400 Regional Peer Mentors, and 4,000 Secondary School Teachers) will be trained in English language teaching practices using GOTEC's TETE Program. Research and reporting to assess the effectiveness of the professional development program on Tajik public school teachers’ growth will be conducted and reported.

Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) Global Online Course

OPEN Program (2022-2023)
Funded by the U.S. Department of State, Office of English Language Programs
Administered by FHI 360
Principal Investigator: Joan Kang Shin
Co-Principal Investigators: Anna Evmenova and Jered Borup
Postdoctoral Fellow: Woomee Kim
Graduate Research Assistants: Thuy Tu and Hyejin Yoon
Instructors: Woomee Kim, Morgan Nixon, Virginia Doherty, and Kendra Staley

GOTEC was awarded a one-year professional development grant from FHI 360 for the U.S. Department of State’s OPEN Program to deliver an 8-week Global Online Course (GOC) called Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL). This online course introduces English teaching professionals around the world to the most current methods and evidence-based approaches to teaching young learners (3-10 years old) English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL). The program will offer 16 sections of an 8-week TEYL GOC in 2022-2023 to approximately 400 English language educators.

This is a continuation of the Teaching English to Young Learners Global Online Course and MOOC project, which has served over 38,000 teachers from 114 countries since 2017.

For a playlist of TEYL course videos, click here.

Transmodalising with Technology in Science (Project TTS)

Spencer Foundation Small Research Grant Program (2022-2023)
Funded by Spencer Foundation
Principal Investigator: Sujin Kim
Co-Principal Investigators: Kathleen Ramos

GOTEC was awarded a two-year grant by the Spencer Foundation called Transmodalising with Technology in Science (Project TTS). TTS research will help science and ESOL teachers to build instructional capacity by integrating infographics as well as multilingual students’ home language and cultural resources in science instruction. TTS team will provide teachers with ongoing support in designing and implementing TTS-informed science lessons with their multilingual learners to enhance students’ STEM learning experiences and outcomes.

English for Media Literacy for Educators MOOC

OPEN Program (2022)
Funded by the U.S. Department of State, Office of English Language Programs
Administered by FHI 360
Principal Investigator: Joan Kang Shin
Co-Principal Investigators: Anna Evmenova and Jered Borup
Postdoctoral Fellow: Woomee Kim
Graduate Research Assistants: Heather Andrews

GOTEC was awarded a three-month professional development grant from FHI 360 for the U.S. Department of State’s OPEN Program to deliver a 5-module Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) called English for Media Literacy for Educators (EML-E). English for Media Literacy for Educators (EML-E) is an exciting MOOC designed to introduce the theory and practice of teaching about media literacy in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom for students of various ages and levels of English proficiency. MOOC dates: September 19 – October 31, 2022.

For a playlist of the EML-E course videos, click here.

Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) Global Online Course

OPEN Program (2021-2022)
Funded by the U.S. Department of State, Office of English Language Programs
Administered by FHI 360
Principal Investigator: Joan Kang Shin
Co-Principal Investigators: Anna Evmenova and Jered Borup
Postdoctoral Fellow: Woomee Kim
Graduate Research Assistants: Hyejin Yoon
Instructors: Woomee Kim, Morgan Nixon, and Virginia Doherty

GOTEC was awarded a one-year professional development grant from FHI 360 for the U.S. Department of State’s OPEN Program to deliver an 8-week Global Online Course (GOC) called Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL). This online course introduces English teaching professionals around the world to the most current methods and evidence-based approaches to teaching young learners (3-10 years old) English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL). The program will offer 10 sections of an 8-week TEYL GOC in 2021-2022 to approximately 250 English language educators.

This is a continuation of the Teaching English to Young Learners Global Online Course and MOOC project, which has served over 37,800 teachers from 114 countries since 2017.

For a playlist of TEYL course videos, click here.

Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) in Saudi Arabia

OPEN Program (2021-2022)
Funded by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia
Administered by FHI 360
Principal Investigator: Joan Kang Shin
Co-Principal Investigators: Anna Evmenova and Jered Borup
Graduate Research Assistants: Hyejin Yoon and Thuy Tu
Instructors: Woomee Kim, Morgan Nixon, Heather Andrews, and Lilly LePelche

GOTEC was awarded a ten-month training grant from FHI 360 for the U.S. Department of State’s U.S. Embassy to Saudi Arabia to deliver a 5-week Global Online Course (GOC) called Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL). An academic team of three faculty, four doctoral students, and two adjuncts will offer seven sections of TEYL GOC in Fall 2021, plus five weekly synchronous webinars to 200 English teacher supervisors in Saudi Arabia. In 2022, the academic team will mentor the 200 supervisors as they cascade the TEYL course as a MOOC to 5,000 English language teachers across Saudi Arabia.

Advancing Content-Integrated Education for English Learners with a STEM Focus (Project ACE-STEM)

National Professional Development Program (2021-2026)
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition
Principal Investigator: Sujin Kim
Co-Principal Investigators: Kathleen Ramos and Joan Kang Shin

GOTEC was awarded a five-year grant by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition, National Professional Development Program 2021 called the Advancing Content-Integrated Education for English Learners with a STEM Focus (Project ACE-STEM). ACE-STEM will provide a rigorous, evidence-based, and innovative professional development program to enhance Northern Virginia teachers’ content-integrated instruction with a focus on STEM. Partnering with Prince William County Public Schools, the second largest school district in Virginia with increasingly diverse EL populations, ACE-STEM will support 60 cohort teachers to obtain Virginia ESOL add-on endorsement through ESOL coursework; provide additional support for STEM-enhanced instructional capacity building for teachers through Saturday Workshops and Summer Institute programs; extend PD opportunities to 60 preservice teachers and 80 non-cohort educators through Summer Institutes; and enhance family literacy development by supporting school-community based literacy programs.

Strengthening of English Language Secondary Education in Uzbekistan

English Speaking Nation Program (2019–2022)
Funded by the U.S. Department of State, Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan
Administered by American Councils for International Education
In collaboration with the Center for International Education
Principal Investigator: Joan Kang Shin
Contributing Faculty: Rebecca Fox, Anna Evmenova, and Jered Borup
Graduate Research Assistants: Dildora Khakimova, Woomee Kim, Kelley Webb, and Hyunsun Chung

George Mason University was awarded a three-year training grant from American Councils for International Education for the U.S. Department of State, Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan for the English Speaking Nation Program. A team of four Mason faculty and two doctoral students developed and implemented an initial, baseline assessment of Uzbek public school teachers’ English language capabilities and teaching skills and wrote a Context Analysis Report submitted to American Councils and the US Embassy in Uzbekistan. A team of four Mason faculty and four doctoral students developed an 11-module online professional development program using Google Sites called Teaching English Through English (TETE) focused on enhancing Uzbek public school teachers’ English language capabilities and teaching skills and provided 17 instructional webinars through Zoom. A team of three Mason faculty and one doctoral student developed and implemented a two-week “Training-of-Trainer” program for 250 Core Trainers and Resource Peer Mentors in Uzbekistan to support these teacher leaders to cascade the TETE professional development program to approximately 15,000 English language teachers across Uzbekistan. Research and reporting to assess the effectiveness of the professional development program on Uzbek public school teachers’ growth will be conducted and reported.

For a playlist of the TETE course videos, click here.

English for Media Literacy for Educators MOOC

OPEN Program (2020-2021)
Funded by the U.S. Department of State, Office of English Language Programs
Administered by FHI 360
Principal Investigator: Joan Kang Shin
Co-Principal Investigators: Anna Evmenova and Jered Borup
Graduate Research Assistants: Woomee Kim and Heather Andrews

GOTEC was awarded a seven-month professional development grant from FHI 360 for the U.S. Department of State’s OPEN Program to deliver a 5-module Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) called English for Media Literacy for Educators (EML-E). English for Media Literacy for Educators (EML-E) is an exciting MOOC designed to introduce the theory and practice of teaching about media literacy in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom for students of various ages and levels of English proficiency. The MOOC was offered May 3 – June 13, 2021 with a total of 6,584 participants enrolled and a completion rate of 72% (of active participants).

For a playlist of the EML-E course videos, click here.