FY-05 SUMMER ENGLISH TEACHING INSTITUTE -

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 004505

SIPDIS

SECSTATE FOR ECA/A/E/AF EBERELSON, ECA/A/L JCONNERLEY,
INFO AF/PD LMING

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO OEXC SCUL OIIP SF
SUBJECT: FY-05 SUMMER ENGLISH TEACHING INSTITUTE -
RESULTS REPORT / MPP: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
(EDUCATION/ENGLISH TEACHING)



1. BACKGROUND: The U.S. Department of State Summer
English Teaching Institute (SETI) is a fully sponsored
six-week program for South African teacher-trainers
involved in English language education. Since it's
inception in 1986, over 500 South African English
teachers and teacher-trainers from the Department of
Education, universities and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) have come through the program hosted
by different universities in the United States. The
University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) hosted this year's
program from June 17 to July 31, 2005, with five weeks in
Philadelphia, and the last week in Washington, D.C.
UPenn offered intensive training on developing content-
based instructional materials in three thematic areas:
Entrepreneurship, Civic Education, and HIV/Aids.


2. THIS YEAR'S PROGRAM: The SETI-2005 group found the
UPenn program to be well organized and efficiently
delivered. The mornings were spent in lectures, and the
afternoons either in the computer lab, the library, or
visiting organizations involved with Entrepreneurship,
Civic Education, or HIV/AIDS. Participants generally
found the academic content to be relevant, timely, and
effective in addressing curriculum and social justice
considerations in South Africa. Teaching English through
content-based instruction is a valuable way of using
cross-curricular material as well as getting educators to
work with the curriculum documents in a way which allows
them to become more knowledgeable about their subject.
Backward design resonates with the Design Down process
which Education Specialists are advocating in South
Africa. Furthermore, the Blackboard Teaching system was
an amazing example of how learning and teaching can be
enhanced utilizing new technology.


3. CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS: The SETI-2005 participants
agreed that UPenn and the Department of State went to
amazing lengths to ensure their exposure to as much of
American life as possible. They were impressed by the
home stays, which illustrated the daily life of
Americans, and made them realize that they were not that
different. They were deeply impressed by an eatery in
Philadelphia that employs HIV positive people and offers
counseling sessions to anyone who wants to stop by and
talk. They praised the White Dog Cafe, a restaurant
linked to the Enterprise Center in Philadelphia that
teaches students how to start a business. Highlights of
the cultural aspect included a concert by the
Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra; "West Side Story"; and
"Crowns." It was great to be accompanied by the UPenn
teaching assistants around Philadelphia. A group visit to
the cinema to watch the movie "Crash" highlighted the
racial prejudice that exists in people world-wide, but
also demonstrated that there is hope for people to
transform. The Live 8 and Philadelphia Freedom Concerts
were other highlights.


4. LIVING HISTORY: The history of America's independence
and various social and civil struggles became a reality
for them when they visited institutions such as the
National Liberty Museum and Constitutional Centre. New
York and the somber reality of ground zero, the
seriousness of the United Nations, the solidity of the
New York Stock Exchange, the excitement of seeing the
Statue of Liberty, the euphoria at being on the top of
the Empire State building was balanced by the wonderful
hive of activity in Little Italy, Chinatown and Harlem,
where they enjoyed both Italian and African American
cuisine. In Washington they visited the White House, the
Vietnam War Memorial, The Holocaust Museum, and the
Smithsonian Institute.


5. RESULTS: All in all, participants said their six
weeks in the United States of America was a life changing
experience in the sense that they met new friends,
challenged their assumptions about Americans and their
fellow South Africans, pushed the boundaries of their
intellect, gained a deep sense of the intrinsic qualities
which bind people despite their differences, and came
home determined to use this knowledge to enhance their
personal and professional lives. They were all eager to
participate in future developments with other SETI alumni
and look forward to SETI's 20th anniversary in 2006.


6. CHALLENGES BACK HOME: Like many previous SETI groups,
the 2005 participants expressed frustration with their
South African schools and Department of Education offices
for showing little interest in what they had learned and
failing to facilitate opportunities for them to share and
implement what they brought back.


7. RECOMMENDATIONS: The 2005 group recommended that
future groups be more careful about time management and
get started on the projects much earlier. The week before
presentation of the final product was extremely traumatic
and stressful. They also urged the U.S. Embassy to seek
a memorandum of understanding or other agreement with the
South African Department of Education regarding the
Department's commitment to involving SETI alumni in
curriculum design, in-service training and materials
development on their return.

HARTLEY