Taiwanese Fulbright Teachers Participate in Bilingual Training Education Program

This winter, UC Davis International Programs welcomed 20 primary school teachers from across Taiwan to participate in an intensive, week-long TEFL training program. The custom program, sponsored by the Taiwan Fulbright Commission, enabled participants to develop an integrated approach to lesson planning, materials development and evaluation and assessment in a communicative and contextualized manner.

According to Dr. Nadeau, executive director of Fulbright Taiwan, this program provided essential training to Taiwanese teachers. “They learned the latest pedagogies for effective classroom engagement in bilingual classrooms, as Taiwan strives to reach its Bilingual Nation goal by 2030." Nadeau added that, “The teachers are spirited, dedicated and professional and were enriched by their immersion program at UC Davis along with site visits to bilingual schools and the Yolo County Board of Education.” 

The program also trained teachers in TEFL best practices, including content and language integrated learning (CLIL), which allows students to learn a second language while simultaneously learning a particular subject matter, as well as communicative practice, classroom observations and classroom management. They focused on how to maximize their effectiveness in English classes using the Taiwanese-approved English curriculum, and enhanced their own language skills, strengthening their ability to communicate more confidently in English.

I felt so lucky to be able to come all the way to UC Davis and learn about Teaching English to Foreign Language learners.” Tanya

Representing both rural and urban areas in Taiwan, the teachers benefited from this experiential learning program. “It feels like a dream to come to UC Davis. Not only have I reviewed teaching theories, but I also learned new skills and activities,” shared Jennifer, who valued learning from the other teachers’ experiences.

Participants soaked up the diversity and beauty of the UC Davis campus, appreciated the opportunity to interact with teachers from different backgrounds and acquired practical skills they could apply in their classrooms.

“I felt so lucky to be able to come all the way to UC Davis and learn about Teaching English to Foreign Language learners,” said Tanya, who admired how welcoming Davis is to those with a variety of backgrounds and cultures. “People see the difference in everyone and tried their best to understand and find ways to cooperate with each other.”

Angel added how grateful they were to be a part of the program. “The instructors provided us with abundant teaching strategies in a supportive and delightful way. Not only did they lead us from significant theory to useful practice and resources, but they also facilitated us in overcoming the difficulties we face in reality.”

“I kind of fell in love with walking more than 10,000 steps every day,” said Ariel, who appreciated all the walking, jogging and biking she was able to do around campus. “This beautiful town will certainly be missed by me, and I hope to return one day to stay longer.”