During my Peace Corps service, I will be working with local teachers in my community and sharing pedagogic strategies through the means of co-teaching and professional workshops. Below is my project description from Peace Corps:
"The Practical English for Success (PES) program supports the mission of the Colombian government to strengthen the teaching of English in public primary and secondary schools (Colombia Bilingual 2025) through a pedagogic emphasis in the co-planning and co-teaching with local teachers. TEL Volunteers promote participatory teaching methodologies centered on students and the creation of bilingual communities of practice in schools using strategies based on innovative communication and technology. The design of study plans and curriculum with faculty is driven by local/departmental needs and intended to strengthen English as a means to enrich one’s life. Volunteers do not replace teachers in the classroom but rather strengthen their capacity through the promotion of didactic techniques for the teaching of English as a foreign language.
Each Peace Corps volunteer is assigned a local organization or institution where they commit to building the capacity and knowledge of their counterpart staff and contribute to the goals of that organization. A partner organization may be a school, a small business, an educational center, a cooperative, a nonprofit or an association. Volunteers in the Teaching English as a Foreign Language program are assigned to one or more schools where their focus is to assist local English teachers to improve their own English language abilities and to expand their teaching techniques and skills. Volunteers co-plan and co-teach with their assigned English language teachers on a daily basis."