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Professional!Certificate!in!English!Language!Teaching!(PCELT)!
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A"program"linking"international"certification"with"MENA"best"practices"""
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Overview!
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The!Professional!Certificate!in!English!Language!Teaching!(PCELT)!program!provides!a!
unique! and! valuable! professional! development! opportunity! for! English! language!
teachers!in!the!Middle!East!and!North!Africa!(MENA)!region.!AMIDEAST!has!partnered!
with!the!World!Learning/SIT!Graduate!Institute!to!design!and!deliver!a!program!that!is!
flexible! enough! to! address! the! real! needs! of! teachers! across! the! region,! while! at! the!
same! time! providing! the! rigor! required! by! individuals! and! institutions! seeking! a! topM
quality! certificate! program.! Strengthening! the! capacity! of! cohorts! of! English! language!
teachers! to! deliver! effective! English! language! instruction! has! the! potential! for! longM
lasting! and! broadMreaching! effects! on! teachers! and! students,! educational! institutions,!
and!generations!of!English!language!learners.!!

Background!

Among! the! identified! needs! of! students! in! the! Middle! East! and! North! Africa! (MENA)!
today,! transferable! job! skills! and! global! cultural! competence! represent! critical! gaps,!
with! English! language! proficiency! being! at! the! heart! of! this.! The! severe! shortage! of!
qualified! English! language! teachers! has! long! been! recognized! as! a! critical! challenge! in!
meeting! the! regionMwide! need! for! proficient! English! speakers.! As! this! need! intensifies,!
largely! due! to! the! link! between! international! communication! skills! and! economic!
growth! opportunities,! the! preparation! of! English! language! teachers! for! all! levels! of!
education!has!become!a!national!and!regional!priority!in!the!MENA.!

Many! English! language! teachers! in! public! and! private! schools! have! neither! the!
pedagogical!expertise!nor!the!language!fluency!to!deliver!quality!instruction!that!equips!
students! with! the! language! skills! they! need! to! compete! successfully! in! today’s! job!
market!or!to!pursue!subsequent!education!at!institutions!where!English!is!the!primary!
language! of! instruction.! In! addition,! training! and! professional! development!
opportunities! for! these! teachers,! including! through! teacher! certification! programs,! are!
seriously!limited!throughout!the!MENA!region.!!

In! response! to! this! need,! AMIDEAST! and! the! World! Learning/SIT! Graduate! Institute!
have! created! a! partnership! to! launch! PCELT,! a! program! that! is! both! grounded! in!
international! standards! and! uniquely! suited! for! the! complex! and! varied! needs! of!
teachers! throughout! the! MENA! region.! PCELT! was! launched! in! 2012! through! a! pilot!
phase,!to!be!followed!by!gradual!rollMout!throughout!the!region.!!

Program!Description!

PCELT! is! a! 120Mhour! program! that! provides! current! and! aspiring! English! language!
teachers! with! the! knowledge! and! skills! they! need! to! be! wellMinformed,! reflective!
professionals!in!their!respective!teaching!contexts!–!from!primary!school!to!university.!

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A! major! emphasis! throughout! the! program! is! the! fostering! of! ongoing! teacher!
development! and! the! preparation! of! participants! to! share! resources! and! ideas! with!
other! teachers! at! their! schools! and! professional! communities! beyond! their! PCELT!
experience.!!
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Professional!Certificate!in!English!Language!Teaching!(PCELT)!
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Program!AtAaAGlance!
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Number!of!Hours! • 120!hours!
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Class!Size! • 10M12!participants!
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Delivery!Options! • Intensive:!4!weeks!(30!hours/week)!
• SemiMintensive:!10!weeks!(12!hours/week)!
• NonMintensive:!16!weeks!(7M8!hours/week)!
• Other:!By!arrangement!
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Components! • Modular,!competencyMbased!curriculum,!with!
input!sessions!and!workshops!on!key!topics!
• Teaching!practice!with!real!students!M!for!teacher!
evaluation,!selfMassessment,!and!peer!
observation!
• Group!lesson!planning!and!feedback!sessions!
• Components!adapted!to!individual!groups!of!
participants!and!their!specific!teaching!needs!
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Content!Focus! • Foundation!in!international!best!teaching!
practices!in!TESOL!
• Training!topics!and!application!relevant!for!EFL!
teachers!in!MENA!region!today!
• Professional!community!building!
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Training!Approach! • Based!on!an!experiential!learning!approach,!with!
ongoing!emphasis!on!teacher!reflection,!critical!
thinking,!and!informed!decisionMmaking!
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Assessment!Means! • Teacher!reflection!assignments!
• Lesson!planning!and!peer!feedback!
• Teaching!Practice!lessons!(6!each)!
• Readings!and!learner!case!study!
• Teacher!portfolio!
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Entry!Requirements! • University!degree!
• English!language!proficiency:!high!intermediate!
• Ability!to!commit!to!rigorous!program!
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Expanded!Possibilities!

AMIDEAST! and! World! Learning/SIT! Graduate! Institute! plan! on! building! on! the!
experience!of!the!core!PCELT!certificate!to!further!meet!the!needs!of!English!language!
teachers! in! the! region! through! more! specialized! programs.! This! could! include! shorter!
certificates! in! such! critical! areas! as! Teaching! Young! Learners,! Teaching! Business!
English,!Teaching!English!for!Specific!Purposes!(ESP),!and!Teaching!Academic!Skills.!

PCELT!Partnership:!AMIDEAST!and!World!Learning/SIT!Graduate!Institute!

PCELT! is! coMbranded! by! AMIDEAST! and! the! World! Learning/School! for! International!
Training! (SIT)! Graduate! Institute! through! a! strategic! partnership.! AMIDEAST! has! a!
recognized! name! in! education! and! English! language! teaching! in! the! MENA! region;! an!
established! network! of! training! programs! in! twelve! countries;! experience! developing!
quality!training!programs!for!teachers!of!all!levels!in!the!public!and!private!sectors;!and!
longMstanding! relationships! with! ministries! and! decisionMmakers! involved! in! national!
English!language!policies!and!initiatives.!

World! Learning/SIT! is! one! of! the! oldest! private,! nonprofit! international! education!
organizations!in!the!world.!It!has!been!training!teachers,!particularly!language!teachers,!
since! 1966! and! draws! on! the! expertise! of! faculty! at! the! highly! regarded! Masters! in!
Teaching! (MAT)! program! in! the! SIT! Graduate! Institute.! The! PCELT! curriculum! is!
partially! based! on! SIT’s! internationally! recognized! Best! Practices! Teacher! Training!
Certificate—a!program!model!in!growing!demand!worldwide.!!

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