OPENING THE WORLD TO CENTRAL ASIAN WOMEN
The purpose of the English Program is to increase the English capacity of Central Asian women leaders and future women leaders. By improving their English, the women leaders can more easily reach out to the international community for research, advice, funding, as well as share their experiences with the rest of the world. The English classes are long-distance, one-on-one lessons between the English teacher and student.
The English Program provides both the students and teachers with a unique opportunity to meet online and learn about women from other cultures. AIWR only accepts experienced, certified English teachers as volunteers in this program to ensure that students are getting the best possible education.
The Technology
English Program teachers can make use of a variety of online tools, including WhatsApp, Zoom, and Skype® (www.Skype.com) to provide weekly live English conversation classes for each student. Skype and similar tools offer free computer-to-computer phone and “chat” features that allow students and teachers to speak with each other and send each other instant messages. The English classes have a one-to-one student-teacher pairing so that each student gets the optimal amount of practice and attention from her teacher. Teachers typically provide students with written assignments to complete between their weekly classes.
The Classes
The live classes run for 45 minutes to one hour per class, depending on the students’ needs and teachers’ availability. At the moment, we do not use one standard curriculum for the project, but instead each teacher tailors her classes for her specific student for an individualized three-month course. Each teacher is an experienced ESL/EFL professional who has been screened by AIWR and we are confident in their skills to provide high-quality lessons to their students.
Student Requirements
In order to participate in the English Program, students must be affiliated with and approved by one of AIWR’s local partner organizations. The students must have access to a reliable computer and high-speed internet. Students also need a headset with a microphone. Students must have at least a basic level of English to participate as the classes are not suitable for complete beginners.
Volunteer Teacher Requirements
To apply to become an English Program Volunteer, please e-mail the English Program Volunteer Application as an attachment to Gayle Zilber at [email protected], after you have filled it out and saved your version.