This event brought together more than 1,000 teachers from the public and private sectors.
Santo Domingo. – The U.S. Embassy and the Instituto Cultural Domínico-americano (ICDA) opened the Annual Conference for Teachers of English with the theme “Reaching New Heights in English Teaching”, with the attendance of teachers from various public and private educational institutions in the country.
The opening ceremony was led by the Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. of the U.S. Embassy, Bryan Larson; the Executive Director of the National Institute for Teacher Education and Training (INAFOCAM), Andrés de las Mercedes, the Vice Minister of Education, Jorge Adalberto Martínez, the secretary of the ICDA Board of Directors, Lucy Threan de Lamarche and the Executive Director of the ICDA, Ramón Sosa.
During her welcoming remarks, Mrs. Lucy Threan de Lamarche expressed that “we feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to interact with you in this traditional annual event that gives us the opportunity to come together as a community of training and professional development in all modalities of English language teaching”.
Meanwhile, in his speech, Mr. Bryan Larson stated that “there is no more important role than being a teacher. Teachers are a beacon of hope for each of the students they teach. That is why we at the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo are so committed to teacher training. Together we can benefit young Dominicans by offering them the opportunity to improve their English language skills and open the door to new opportunities for their future and the future of the country.
Jo Kozuma, Coordinator of International Education Partnerships at the University of Florida, was in charge of the opening plenary entitled “Revisiting, renewing and reshaping your perspective as a teacher”, while Darragh O’Grady, Academic Consultant at National Geographic Learning presented “Where do I go from here? Professional development for teachers who have seen it all” as the closing plenary.
The conference also featured several workshops and concurrent sessions presented by national and international expert speakers on topics related to changes in teaching styles to adapt to the new competencies and ways of learning of this generation.
During the last year and a half, the U.S. Embassy in conjunction with the Instituto Cultural Domínico Americano has trained more than 1,500 English teachers nationwide in the teaching of English, with a communicative approach, evaluation and reflective teaching practice. In addition, a teaching guide was created to support English teachers entitled “American English Guide” with lessons developed for each function of the national curriculum.
About the conference
The Annual English Teachers Conference has been held in the country since the 1950s, strengthening the pedagogical work in favor of cultural and educational development, which has been led by the Instituto Cultural Domínico Americano since its founding in 1947. Since its inception, the ICDA has been the leader in English language teaching in Dominican society, implementing quality, variety and innovation in all its academic programs.
