The University of Toledo
08/06/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/06/2024 01:23
UToledo STARTALK Program Hosts Teacher Workshop Training
UToledo STARTALK Program Hosts Teacher Workshop Training
The University of Toledo's STARTALK program recently hosted a week of teacher training for critical language teachers.
Announced in 2006 by former President George W. Bush, STARTALK is a program of the National Security Language to expand and improve the teaching and learning of strategically important world languages not widely taught in the United States.
The University of Toledo's STARTALK program recently hosted a week of teacher training for critical language teachers.
The STARTALK-UToledo program was competitively selected to provide teacher training for critical languages of Arabic, Chinese and Korean, as identified by National Security Language initiative. A total of 33 teachers from around the country participated in on-campus and online sessions, the latter of which continue through Saturday, Aug. 10.
"The STARTALK program is vital to UToledo as it highlights our commitment to providing high-quality teacher training in critical languages," said Dr. An Chung Cheng, chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures and director of the Asian Studies Program/Institute in the College of Arts and Letters. "Being the only Ohio university selected to host this training underscores our leadership in this area and our dedication to supporting educators who will impact students across the nation."
By hosting the program, Cheng said, the participating teachers gain pedagogical content tailored to their needs and also experience UToledo's campus.
Playing host to the program was a worthwhile challenge for UToledo's STARTALK team, said Dr. Gaby Semaan, associate professor of Arabic and director of Middle East Studies, who served as the Arabic instructor for the STARTALK Program.
"During the STARTALK on-site workshop, our team of instructors and staff put in long 12- to 14- hour days, which was undeniably exhausting," Semaan said. "However, the immense satisfaction of witnessing the participants' professional growth and hearing their heartfelt expressions of development as teachers made every moment worthwhile."