Deadline: Not Specified
IREX is now accepting applications for the 2018 Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program (Fulbright TEA). Fulbright TEA brings international teachers to the United States for a six-week program that offers academic seminars for professional development at a host university. Participants observe classrooms and share their expertise with teachers and students at the host university and at local secondary schools.
This is a Professional Development Opportunity for International Teachers sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and administered by IREX. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. It is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.
About
IREX will build upon almost 50 years of impacting the lives of teachers and students around the world. Through this programs, IREX will support a community of teachers, united across borders, who will ignite student learning and prepare students to thrive in the 21st century.
The U.S. Department of State and IREX announce a program f o r outstanding international secondary level school teachers to come to the U.S. for a professional development opportunity. The Fulbright TEA Program seeks to:
- Enhance teachers’ expertise in their teaching discipline and equip them with a deeper understanding of best practices in teaching methods, lesson planning, and instructional technology.
- Create among educators a more nuanced understanding of the U.S.
- Develop productive and lasting relationships and mutual understanding between U.S. and international teachers and their students.
- Contribute to improve teaching in participating countries and communities by preparing participants to serve as teacher leaders who, upon returning home, will apply and share their experience and skills with their peers and students.
- Make U.S. students more aware of other countries around the world through interaction with international teachers.
Disciplines
- English or English as a Foreign Language
- Social Studies (civics, history, geography, sociology, economics, etc.)
- Math
- Science
- Special Education teachers in the disciplines listed above
Project Activities
- Teacher training: Fulbright TEA participants engage in an intensive six-week professional development program at a U.S. university. They take part in academic seminars on new teaching methodologies, curriculum development, lesson planning, and instructional technology.
- Field experience: Fulbright TEA participants are immersed in an American classroom environment. They have opportunities to observe, co-teach, and share their expertise in U.S. secondary schools, building collaborative, lasting connections with U.S. teachers and students.
- Best practice exchange: Fulbright TEA participants study and observe international best practices in education and share their own professional knowledge with educators and students in the United States.
- Civic and cultural activities: Fulbright TEA participants take part in American cultural activities such as performances, sporting events, U.S. home hospitality visits, and trips to historical sites.
Benefits
- J-1 visa support;
- A pre-departure orientation held in participant’s home country;
- Round-trip airfare to and within the U.S.;
- A Welcome Program at the host university;
- Academic program fees;
- Housing (generally shared with other program fellows) and meals;
- Accident and sickness medical insurance coverage (does not cover pre-existing conditions);
- Transportation to the practicum school (if necessary);
- A daily allowance for incidentals during the university academic program;
- A professional development allowance;
- A baggage allowance;
- An end-of-program workshop in Washington, D.C., and
- The opportunity to apply for alumni small grants for alumni in good standing.
Eligibility
- Current secondary level, full-time teachers of English, English as a foreign language (EFL), math, science, or social studies, including special education teachers in those subjects at an institution serving primarily a local population
- Five years of full-time teaching experience
- Citizen and resident of participating Fulbright TEA country
- Other requirements as indicated in the application
Selection Criteria
- Demonstrated commitment to teaching in the field of secondary education;
- Demonstrated leadership potential;
- Professional and educational experience and achievements;
- Potential for developing long-term linkages between U.S. and home country educational institutions and schools;
- Preparedness (including maturity, flexibility, and ability to function independently) for an intensive U.S.-based training program with very limited free time for personal travel or sightseeing;
- Willingness and capacity to work and live collaboratively with international peers to foster a positive learning community for professional development;
- Articulated ideas for applying program experience to improving secondary education in the home country; • Ability to express ideas clearly and effectively;
- English language skills adequate to manage coursework, attend seminars, and team-teach in U.S. schools (a minimum paper-based or equivalent TOEFL score of 450 is required for Fulbright TEA participation);
- Applicants who have had few or no opportunities to travel to the U.S. will be given priority;
- Preference will be given to applicants who are members of or who work with students from underserved communities or traditionally underrepresented groups including but not limited to women, racial, ethnic and religious minorities, people with disabilities, and the LGBTI community.
- Preference will also be given to applicants who have not previously received a Fulbright grant.
Applicants from the following countries are eligible:
- Algeria
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Bolivia
- Burkina Faso
- Burma
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Estonia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras
- India
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Mali
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Mozambique
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Nigeria
- Panama
- Peru
- Russia
- Rwanda
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Ukraine
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- West Bank/Gaza
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Timeline:
Application Deadline – Not specified
TOEFLTesting/ Selection Interviews -April – May 2018
Notification of Finalists – September 2018
Pre-Departure Orientation Cohort I – November – December 2018
U.S. Program Dates Cohort I – Late January – March 2019
Pre-Departure Orientation Cohort II – July 2019
U.S. Program Dates Cohort II – September – November 2019
Application
Complete the online application. Got Questions? E-mail: [email protected]
For more information, visit Fulbright TEA