The American Center in Moscow invites young and experienced English teachers to a series of free weekly professional development workshops dedicated to Project-Based Learning (PBL) and hosted by Virtual English Language Specialist Matthew Schaefer. You can earn an e-certificate if you attend 8 out of 10 workshops in this series on March 21 — May 30, 2023.

About: 

Do you as a teacher sometimes feel that it is hard to engage students in their classes? Do you struggle with motivating them, and the students in turn struggle to see the real-world relevance for learning and fail to develop long-lasting competences?

If so, Project-Based Learning may be the answer. It is a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects.1 Research confirms that PBL can help students be successful in today’s rapidly changing and complex world, by developing a broader set of knowledge and skills as well as improving academic achievement.2 

This Teacher2Teacher Series of 10 free workshops will introduce pre-service and in-service English teachers to Project-Based Learning (PBL) as it is used in teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) and can be implemented in participants’ classrooms, with a focus on practical and actionable advice. 

This series includes 10 weekly 90-minute online workshops hosted on Zoom every Tuesday between March 21 and May 30 at 5:30-7:00 p.m. MSK (see below for the schedule and working outline). 

Register by filling out the registration form at the end of this announcement. While we recommend attending all the workshops in the series, you are free to attend any of them and however many you would like. Participants who attend 8 out of 10 workshops in the series will receive an e-certificate of completion from the Regional English Language Office.

Open to:  

This workshop series is open to all English language instructors, as well as curriculum designers, teacher-trainers, school leaders, and students pursuing a degree in TESOL. 

It is perfect for English teachers who are just getting started with PBL and/or those looking to strengthen the practices that lead to successful implementation of PBL.

Why join:

When done well, PBL has many positive results for students. It can increase student engagement and motivation, improve retention of content knowledge, provide students with real-world applications of learning, and build success skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity.3

These weekly workshops are a great opportunity for you to get expert advice from your peers; share successful practices, useful resources, and innovative teaching methodologies; and spend time with colleagues who understand the joys and challenges of teaching English. 

Where and when:

These workshops are free and take place online via Zoom. The workshops take place every working Tuesday from March 21, 2023, through May 30, 2023, at 5:30-7:00 p.m. MSK.

Schedule and working outline:

Workshop #1: March 21 at 5:30-7:00 p.m. MSK — A Micro-Experience in Project-Based Learning 

Workshop #2: March 28 at 5:30-7:00 p.m. MSK — Activities, Tasks, Projects & Beyond

Considering the spectrum on which classroom activities are on, and what makes something rise above a simple activity or task and become a project to base learning around, as well as the pedagogical foundations of project-based learning

Workshop #3: April 4 at 5:30-7:00 p.m. MSK --  Acronym Soup: what are PBL, TBL, IBL & CLIL?

Understanding the similarities and differences between Project-Based Learning, Task-Based Learning, Inquiry-Based Learning, and Content and Language Integrated learning, and considering what fits into different institutional structures.

Workshop #4: April 11 at 5:30-7:00 p.m. MSK — Selecting Topics & Aligning Projects to Learning Goals

Connecting language learning objectives to creative contexts and project structures to give projects direction and shape while also leaving room for student choice, creativity, and decision making.

Workshop #5: April 18 at 5:30-7:00 p.m. MSK — Opportunities for Assessment in Project-Based Learning

Considering how to create a landscape of assessment that includes moments for self-assessment, peer-assessment, and formative and summative assessment that is flexible to match student-created projects while also guiding learners towards Language Learning Objectives.

Workshop #6: April 25 at 5:30-7:00 p.m. MSK — Designing, Sequencing, Scaffolding and Managing the Stages of PBL

Examining the different stages of working through projects, and how to support learners as they Prepare, Explore, Create, and Reflect.

Workshop #7: May 2 at 5:30-7:00 p.m. MSK — Structuring Project Based Learning with other Teaching Frameworks

Exploring how a course with a long-term project-based learning focus can integrate learning moments and structures from task-based-learning, process writing, vocabulary and grammar instruction, and other instructional frameworks.

Workshop #8: May 16 at 5:30-7:00 p.m. MSK — Encouraging Student Autonomy in PBL

Exploring what skills make learners autonomous in working on projects and discussing how to guide the development of those skills in the classroom, shifting between roles of teaching and coaching.

Workshop #9: May 23 at 5:30-7:00 p.m. MSK — Developing Teamwork skills in PBL

Discussing the challenges and conflicts that often arise in teamwork at different ages of learners, and exploring strategies to support student growth through these challenges.

Workshop #10: May 30 at 5:30-7:00 p.m. MSK — Strategies for Group Decision Making

A deep dive into the skill of group decision making and an exploration of how to offer including choices to teams that hold space for all voices to be heard and included

About the facilitator:

Matthew Michael Schaefer -- Virtual English Language Specialist, Fellow at Institute for Collaborative Learning (Costa Rica) and Educational Consultant at World Learning (United States)

"Hi! My name is Matt Schaefer, and I am so excited to connect with you all working as an English Language Specialist with the American Center in Moscow.

I have been teaching in language classrooms for over 10 years, guiding students ages 2–72 to learn language skills, technical abilities, and develop pro-social habits in public and private institutions of all sizes all around the globe. As a teacher, I use PLAY as an instructional framework, and integrate creative projects alongside imaginative activities that surprise learners and pique their curiosity. Alongside developing my own teaching practice, I have also spent these years jumping between international education projects in the ESOL sphere, working as a TESOL certificate instructor, teacher trainer, curriculum designer and virtual learning consultant. I have created full-time pre-school ESL curriculums, a weekend PBL English program for kids, an extensive online English and Pedagogy course for Teachers, online TESOL certificate course modules, and an afterschool STEAM program for kids, teens & adults.

I was born in California, spent years living in the Costa Rican jungle, and now call downtown San Antonio, Texas home. I always have at least one yo-yo on my desk, and before I ever dreamed of being a teacher I busked for tips as a semi-professional yo-yoer."

Certificates:

Participants who attend 8 out of 10 workshops in this series will earn an e-certificate from the Regional English Language Office. The workshops are hosted every working Tuesday from March 21, 2023, through May 30, 2023, at 5:30-7:00 p.m. MSK. To qualify for an e-certificate, you need to attend 8 out of 10 workshops and fill out an attendance form at the end of each session. 

How to join:

Register to attend this workshop series by filling out the registration form at the end of this announcement. We will send you emails with a join link for each webinar 30 minutes before it begins. Participation is free

While we recommend attending all the workshops in the series, you are free to attend any of them and however many you like. You will receive a join link 30 minutes before each workshop begins. Participants who attend 8 out of 10 workshops in the series will receive an e-certificate of completion from the Regional English Language Office.

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ALL AMERICAN CENTER IN MOSCOW EVENTS ARE FREE OF CHARGE / ВСЕ МЕРОПРИЯТИЯ АМЕРИКАНСКОГО ЦЕНТРА В МОСКВЕ БЕСПЛАТНЫ

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These workshops are hosted on Zoom, so if you are interested in joining, please create a Zoom account beforehand. When registering below, please submit your valid email address to receive a Zoom join link to each workshop 30 minutes before it begins.

To join other AMC Online programs, please check the American Center’s website and TimePad calendar.

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