BOSTON, Dec. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Demonstrating a shared commitment to providing quality professional development for English-language teachers, National Geographic Learning (NGL), Mexican assessment company Review Quality, and five of Mexico's State Secretaria Educacion Publica (SEPs) are working to improve English-language instruction in several states across northern Mexico. The teachers are using ELTeach™, an online professional development, assessment and certificate program developed by NGL in collaboration with US-based Educational Testing Service (ETS).
More than 3,000 public school teachers have participated in the program as part of the Mexican government's broader initiative to evaluate and improve its English-language and English teacher education curriculum. English teachers from the Mexican states of Coahuila, Hidalgo, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas were selected to participate in the program.
The teachers enrolled in either the ELTeach: English-for-Teaching program or the ELTeach: Professional Knowledge for ELT program. Upon completion of the course, all participants have the opportunity to take either the Test of English-for-Teaching (TEFT™) or the Test of Professional Knowledge (TPK™) assessments, developed by ETS. Once the assessment is completed, they also receive a detailed score report and a certificate from NGL and ETS.
"English-for-Teaching has given us the necessary tools to teach English using a language that can provide the class with the appropriate pace, the one that can engage learners in the teaching and learning process," said Beatriz Reyna Nieto, a SEP English coordinator in Sinaloa.
Dennis Hogan, General Manager of National Geographic Learning, expressed similar enthusiasm for the partnership.
"We are delighted to be collaborating with the SEPs to help Mexico achieve its English-language education goals," said Mr. Hogan. "Since its release in 2012, more than 17,000 English teachers in 24 countries have successfully improved their teaching skills using ELTeach. These teachers, and the teachers and trainers in Mexico, are joining a global community of teachers that are more confident and skilled in teaching English in English and in the use of technology for learning."
Edgar Paredes Sincel, a teacher from Los Mochis in Sinaloa, noted that ELTeach helped to bring him "back to the basics" of teaching English to his students.
"As a teacher, you take things for granted," added Sincel. "So [ELTeach] helped me to understand that if you want to have a successful class, you have to go back to the start, where the kids are starting."
ELTeach is an online program supporting teachers of English through coursework and assessments in English-for-Teaching and Professional Knowledge for ELT. The program is designed to ensure that teachers of English have the language and professional knowledge necessary to implement their national English curriculum successfully and confidently. It helps teachers to build professional confidence through learning and practicing language and concepts in the context of what they already know.
For more information on ELTeach, please visit elteach.com. To view other products from National Geographic Learning, visit NGL.Cengage.com.
About Cengage Learning and National Geographic Learning
Cengage Learning is a leading educational content, technology, and services company for the higher education and K-12, professional and library markets worldwide. National Geographic Learning, part of Cengage Learning, is a provider of quality core and supplemental educational materials for the PreK12, adult education and ELT markets. Cengage Learning and National Geographic Learning distribute a variety of content from the National Geographic Society to the academic and library markets worldwide. www.cengage.com.
About ETS
At ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and postsecondary education, and by conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually — including the TOEFL®, TOEIC® tests and GRE® tests and The Praxis Series® assessments — in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org
About Review Quality
Review Quality is a company dedicated to assess and measure the knowledge of English-language, through the TOEIC® test; since 2012, we are ETS Country Master Distributor in Mexico for its TOEIC products: the TOEIC® and TOEIC Bridge™ tests, ETS (Educational Testing Service) being an international leader in the development of products and services that foster academic and professional learning worldwide. www.toeic.mx
Media Contact:
Madeline Struebing
Cengage Learning
617-289-7813
[email protected]
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SOURCE Cengage Learning
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