More good news!

I received a second email from my regional office, this time about an event in Sumatra, where I'll be working. What cool work! Alright Heather, you can do it too! Here's the description:

On May 10-11, 2008, RELO Assistant Kun Herrini and English Language Fellow Coordinator for Indonesia, Jeff Kealing, conducted the first-of-its-kind workshop for 40 secondary and tertiary level instructors of English from North Sumatra, including Banda Aceh, at the recently launched Learning Center at IAIN Sumatra Utara in Medan. This two-day event focused on "Methods and Strategies in Teaching English" with a particular emphasis on interactive classroom management on the first day and "Assessment and Action Research in English Teaching" on the second day. Workshop participants expressed eagerness and willingness to apply their newly acquired active teaching and learning techniques.
Significance: The Learning Center, which opened on July 4, 2007, provides useful resources for English teachers in the area. The content of the workshop was new to most participants. who have largely relied on standardized government texts for their language classes. The event itself provided a blueprint for future ELF-sponsored teacher training workshops in Medan.