Continuing Professional Development

CIFLTE periodically offers workshops on research methodology, language acquisition, and/or best instructional practices.

Enhancing English-Medium Instruction in Taiwan

TC Newsroom

Twenty-one Taiwanese university professors gained insight in English Medium Instruction during a professional development program at Teachers College

Nearly 8,000 miles away from home, 21 Taiwanese educators joined Teachers College faculty for a two-week professional development intensive. Hosted by TC’s Center for International Foreign Language Teacher Education (CIFLTE) in partnership with National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), faculty from 12 universities across Taiwan gained an immersive experience in English Medium Instruction (i.e. the use of English in teaching academic subjects, other than English itself, in countries or jurisdictions where English is not the first language.). 

In its first year, the two-phase TC-NTNU EMI initiative includes two-weeks of in-person training at TC, and two-months of exploratory practice research. The program will culminate in an October symposium in Taipei during which participants will demonstrate their capacity to apply EMI insights and create innovative practices in their local contexts.

“The TC’s approach to teacher education lies in its commitment to, and embodiment of, the symbiotic relationship between research and practice,” says ZhaoHong Han, Professor of Language & Education and the program’s director. “Through a state-of-the-art curriculum, the TC-NTNU EMI Professional Development Program offers an educational experience that is conceptual, practical and future-oriented.”  

Han, who also serves as director of CIFLTE, designed the curriculum and led sessions alongside lecturer Sarah Chepkirui Creider, doctoral students Ashley Beccia and Liza Ostolaza, around four major themes: learning and needs assessment; EMI in the 21st century; pedagogical strategies; and EMI as an art, craft, and science. The curriculum aims to prepare students with a “glocalized” understanding of pedagogical practices that foster functional competence in EMI students — specifically, the ability to skillfully manage domain-specific communicative tasks.

With participants from a wide array of disciplines, the program’s interdisciplinary lens was a highlight for many attendees. 

“The opportunity to learn from the dedicated faculty at Teacher College's CIFLTE and to engage with 20 Taiwanese professors across a wide range of disciplines was truly enriching,” wrote Yueh-Nu Hung, Associate Professor at National Chung Cheng University. “I was immersed in thoughtfully designed activities that deepened my understanding about my students’ EMI learning experiences…I finished the program feeling intellectually recharged and professionally inspired.” Click here for the full report.

More news report about the TC-NTNU EMI Program:

美國哥倫比亞大學拜訪臺師大 開啟雙語合作新篇章

臺師大聯手美國哥倫比亞大學 打造臺灣獨家EMI教師培訓計畫

TC-NTNU EMI Program Launches: Advancing EMI Instruction Through Global Collaboration

TC-Tunisia Foreign Language Teacher Education Project

Columbia Global Centers

TC-Tunisia Foreign Language Teacher Education Project was a two-year initiative that was designed by Columbia's Teachers College, in collaboration with Columbia Global Centers | Tunis, the U.S. Department of State, and the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education.

The goal of the project, which began in February 2021 and lasted until December 2022, was to build up the capacity of Tunisian educators and support young learners throughout Tunisia.

Columbia University and the Ministry of Higher Education developed a national English language curriculum model to train and equip two cohorts of 30 university teachers in ten graduate schools spread across the country.

As part of this project, participants received four professional development modules which equipped them with in-depth knowledge in planning and assessment, teacher education, integration of knowledge and practice, and more; these valuable tools helped them serve as mentors for future English teachers in elementary school. 

The program’s first year came to a close in December 2021, and a virtual graduation ceremony was held to commemorate. The second cohort for the program in Tunis started in January 2022 and ended in December 2022.

In 2022, participants of The TC-Tunisia Project (TCTP) were finally able to meet in person for a field trip around Tunisia and participated in a roundtables workshop at Columbia Global Centers | Tunis. On November 3, 2022, a reception held at Le Central marked the end of the program.

The TCTP 2022 field trip was a two-week program conducted in person in Tunisia, with a two-fold goal:

a) to complement the virtual program by providing in-person instruction to participants in their immediate, local contexts; 

b) to gauge the impact of the virtual program on participants’ instructional practices, as part of TCTP’s accountability plan.

The field trip took place from October 24 to November 4, 2022. A four-member delegation from Columbia University’s Teachers College, led by Professor ZhaoHong Han, Director of TCTP, arrived in Tunis on October 23, 2022, to implement the two-week program.

During the second week of the field trip, the TC delegation hosted, at Columbia University Global Centers | Tunis, four roundtables respectively on the themes of a) The Current Curriculums for TEYL and for Preservice Training of Teachers of TEYL in Tunisia; b) The Infrastructure for TEYL in Tunisia; c) TEYL Professional Development in Tunisia; and d) Evidence-based Practices (School-based Research; Teachers’ Exploratory Practice). Each roundtable featured two or more presentations by participants of TCTP. About 25 participants gathered together in Tunis for two days and engaged in spirited discussions on the issues surrounding the four themes. And in between the roundtables, the TC delegation advised second-cohort participants on their on-going capstone projects.

The TC-Tunisia Project (TCTP) was concluded on November 3rd, 2022 with a reception hosted by Columbia Global Centers | Tunis with the presence of the US Embassy of Tunis, the TC delegation, and the participants who took part of the program.

The hard work and accomplishments of TC-Tunisia Project participants were celebrated on December 7 and 8 during the second annual TC-Tunisia Symposium on Teaching English to Young Learners. Spanning two days, this symposium featured six presentations on Day 1, and five presentations, including a keynote talk, on Day 2.

Members of the 2022 cohort, project faculty and staff, and representatives from project stakeholders gathered on Zoom on Friday, December 9, to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of the project participants. The graduation ceremony kicked off with a warm welcome, as well as tear-jerking remarks, from project director Professor ZhaoHong Han. After viewing a documentary of the cohort's journey through the year, a panoply of speeches were delivered by representatives from the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia, Columbia University Global Centers | Tunis, and Columbia University's Teachers College; project instructors Dr. Vivian Lindhardsen, Donna Brinton and Dr. Sarah Creider; project participants Najah Ghozlani. Cyrine Kortas, Basma Bouziri, Gouta Chater, Yagouta Beji, and Salma Ghaoui; among others.

This bittersweet occasion marked not the end of the TC-Tunisia Project but the opening of a new chapter for those involved in the project.

To capture the journey of these participants during the 2022 iteration of the TC-Tunisia Project, Ashley Beccia, Project Assistant, created a documentary. The 50-minute video contains myriad precious moments from the year, ranging from Professor Han's opening remarks at the orientation session in January, to questions posed by instructors in the four learning modules and participants' thoughtful responses, and congratulatory remarks shouted in unison at the graduation ceremony in December. To view The 2022 TC-Tunisia Project Documentary, please click here. 

If you are interested in learning more about the workshops held and articles related to the TC-Tunisia Project (TCTP), please take a look at the links below:

• Newsletters
• 2021 Documentary
• 2022 Documentary
• Article from the TC Newsroom
• Article from Columbia Global Centers | Tunis 

How to Receive More Information

Send your inquiries to ciflte@tc.columbia.edu.