On September 15th, 18 TESOL students from the course "Materials Evaluation and Production for Language Teaching," were led by Dr. Edith Yan, Associate Professor of English Language and Literature Studies at UIC, Dr. Jackie Yeoh, Assistant Professor of ELLS, and Ms. Joanna Wang, the Assistant Instructor, to Dulwich International High School at Zhuhai (DHZH). At DHZH, they met with their mentor teachers, Ms. Louise Coleman, Ms. Leanne Ireland, and Mr. Samuel Elleston, for a collaborative book project.

TESOL students, their mentor teachers and two project advisors having the first meeting at DHZH

The collaborative book project between UIC TESOL and DHZH aims at developing TESOL students' skills and capabilities in material creation and development. The initiative propels students into the realm of practicality, allowing them to collaborate with experienced English teachers to develop and evaluate English language teaching materials in authentic classroom settings, thus gaining invaluable hands-on experience in materials development.

Dulwich International High School Zhuhai (Image sourced from the school website)

During the meeting, Dr. Edith Yan presented the project timeline and elaborated on the various stages of its implementation, ranging from material revision to eventual book publication. Dr. Yan underscored the paramount importance of "practising and evaluating teaching materials within the context of real school and classroom environments."

Dr. Jackie Yeoh stressed to the students the importance of effective communications with their mentor teachers and commended the unwavering dedication of the enthusiastic teachers at DHZH in ensuring this project's success.

Students also expressed their heartfelt appreciation for the invaluable contributions of their previous mentors, Ms. Vidya Ramlogan and Ms. Annie Blevins, who laid the foundation for this collaborative project during "Curriculum Development and Materials Design" in the previous semester.

Material Drafts prepared by TESOL students during “Curriculum Development and Materials Design”

In the upcoming months, TESOL students will work closely with their mentor teachers from DHZH to develop teaching materials that will eventually be submitted to influential academic publishers.

This initiative not only enriches the academic experience of our TESOL students but also underscores the power of partnerships in advancing language education and fostering innovation in teaching materials production.

Reporter: Zeekin Zhou

Photographer: Carina Chen

Proofreaders: Joanna Wang & Edith Yan