Today, 30 English teachers from across Madagascar completed the American English Training of Trainers (AE TOT) workshop that took place from April 21-23 in Antananarivo. The AE TOT project is funded by the U.S. Embassy and implemented by the non-profit association Lanja Omena Vokatra hAharitra (LOVA).
During the workshop, participants learned how to use the American English teaching and learning materials developed by the U.S. government and available at americanenglish.state.gov. The American English website provides a wide range of free teaching resources – including lesson plans, audio books, video content, online courses, and printable games and activities – that are designed to enrich English teachers’ instructional methods and, ultimately, to increase student engagement and learning. This extensive resource center has been carefully curated by English teaching experts for use in low-tech, non-native English-speaking classrooms worldwide.
Following the three-day training, the 30 AE TOT participants will lead workshops in their respective school districts and regions to show other English teachers how to use the American English resources in their classrooms. In total, at least 210 English teachers across Madagascar will benefit from this AE TOT workshop.
Building upon the success of the first AE TOT workshop held in 2021, this second iteration will continue to grow a nationwide network of talented, expert English teachers-trainers equipped with the skills and resources to lead American English workshops for educators around the country. The 28 participants from the first iteration have already trained 260 Malagasy teachers in the Analamanga region in American English methods and materials.
The AE TOT workshops feature in-person and virtual workshops by American and Malagasy English teaching experts including three American educators currently working in Madagascar on U.S. Embassy exchange programs. Two future iterations of the AE TOT program will be conducted in major urban areas around the country.
Since 2017, the U.S. Government has worked like “mpirahalahy mianala” with the Government of Madagascar and Malagasy educators to improve the teaching and learning of English in Madagascar. This initiative is shaped by the belief that English can open a wide range of local and global opportunities for Malagasy students and professionals wishing to pursue their studies and advance their careers.
In 2017, the U.S. Embassy began a collaboration with the Ministry of National Education, which ultimately resulted in the revised national curriculum for English at the high school level. The U.S. Government has also provided high quality professional training to more than 2,700 English educators around Madagascar, helping improve their methods and resources for teaching English at the high school and university levels, as well as at English clubs and other educational forums.