而美国国务院(Department of State) 恰好具有既为学生也为教师提供的免费易取的资源。

国务院英语语言项目处(Office of English Language Programs）的项目官员海蒂·豪兰（Heidi Howland）表示，最有效的英语教学项目强调的是人的连接力，它可以将学语言的课堂变成“在人与人之间、文化之间以及国家之间建造桥梁的空间”。她说，这是国务院为英语教师所提供的三个项目的基本指导原则。

通过在线课程提高熟练水平

E-教师奖学金项目（E-Teacher Scholarship Program）是专为非美国公民的英语教学专业人士设计的培训项目，参与者通过俄勒冈大学（University of Oregon）从九门大学水平的在线课程中选修一门。在为期10周时间里，学员将对英语外语教学（English as a Foreign Language）领域中的一些概念和问题进行探讨，与美国的英语语言教学专家建立联系，同时也在国际同行之间建立起专业社交网络。

来自塞内加尔的恩德叶·比内塔（Ndeye Bineta）说，这个项目使她成了一个更好的老师：“[我]选修了在线课程以后，我的学生对英语课的兴趣大大增加了。”

参加项目可以带来的另一机会是，它每年会将优秀学员送到美国进行专业开发交流。

帮助教育工作者获得国际经验

英语教学专家项目（English Language Fellow program）以对外英语教学（Teaching English To Speakers Of Other Languages, 缩写TESOL)领域中的美国教育工作者为对象，候选人必须拥有硕士学位。参加项目的人须承诺10个月的时间，到可能位于世界任何地方的学术机构传授专业知识，同时锻炼自身能力、获得国际经验和学习了解其他文化。

到目前为止，已有1000名以上英语教学专家在80多个国家开展了这一项目。英语教学专家戴维·马斯特森（David Masterson）在乌克兰的塞瓦斯托波尔市（Sevastopol）教英语，在这里，他还举行了教师培训会议，并举办会话俱乐部，使当地居民可以练习英语并了解美国文化和传统。

马斯特森说，他利用音乐帮助学生学习英语词汇、发音和常用短语。他在英语教学专家项目中的经历使他学会自如地给多达150人讲课，而这是他以前从来没有做过的。

把创新教学方法带到世界各地的教室中

英语语言专家项目（English Language Specialist program）招聘英语教学、应用语言学或相关学科中的美国学者和专业人士从事海外教学项目，时间长度从两周至五个月不等。美国大使馆将参加项目的这些学者专家分配到当地的学校和其他机构，他们在那里可以创建英语语言培训项目，包括教师培训、编写教学大纲和教材以及对所在机构的项目进行评估。

参与英语语言专家项目的贾森·莱文（Jason Levine）最近在突尼斯举办了一个教师培训班。他说，他注重展示“有趣的课堂活动如何对教学和学习有益”。他表示，他在英语语言专家项目中的成功应归功于“突尼斯的学生和教师对变化的热情接受”。

英语语言专家项目的候选人必须具有TESOL或相关领域的硕士或博士学位。欲寻找英语语言专家项目的信息，可以浏览国务院交流项目（exchange programs ）网页。

国务院的各种英语教学项目由美国大使馆和领事馆管理，由分布在世界各个地区（located in every region）的地区英语官员负责监督。你也可以与在你当地的美国大使馆（U.S. Embassy）联系，了解附近地区的项目。

如需更多帮助，请访问美国国务院的American English 网站，这是一个提供有关美国英语教学和学习以及美国文化信息的网上资源中心。此外，可以在Facebook和YouTube上关注英语语言项目办公室的动态，也可以通过Twitter获得专项英语项目的最近信息。

Do you teach English? These programs can help inspire your students.

With more than 1 billion people worldwide studying English, finding ways to encourage students of widely differing backgrounds, ages and skills has never been more important.

Fortunately, the U.S. Department of State has free, easy-to-access resources for bothstudents and teachers.

The most effective English-teaching programs emphasize the power of the human connection, which can transform language learning into “a space to build bridges between people, cultures and countries,” says Heidi Howland, a program officer at the State Department’s Office of English Language Programs. That’s the guiding principle, she adds, behind a trio of State Department programs for English-language teachers.

Sharpening skills through online classes

The E-Teacher Scholarship Program, designed for English-teaching professionals who are not U.S. citizens, allows participants to take one of nine online, university-level classes through the University of Oregon. Over the course of 10 weeks, participants explore concepts and issues in the English as a Foreign Language field and connect with U.S. English-language teaching experts while also building a professional network of international colleagues.

Ndeye Bineta of Senegal says the program has made her a better teacher: “As a result of [my] taking the online course, my students’ interest in English classes has increased considerably.”

As an added benefit, outstanding participants are brought to the United States each year for a professional development exchange.

Helping educators gain international experience

The English Language Fellow program is aimed at U.S. educators in the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), and candidates must have a master’s degree. Participants commit to 10-month fellowships at academic institutions around the world, sharing their professional expertise while honing skills, gaining international experience and learning about other cultures.

To date, more than 1,000 EL Fellows have conducted projects in more than 80 countries. EL Fellow David Masterson teaches English classes in Sevastopol, Ukraine, where he also holds teacher-training conferences and hosts conversation clubs for local residents to practice their English and learn about American culture and traditions.

Masterson says he uses music to help his students learn vocabulary, pronunciation and common phrases in English. His EL Fellowship experience has taught him to feel comfortable giving presentations to audiences of up to 150 people, which he’d never done before.

Bringing innovative teaching methods to classrooms worldwide

The English Language Specialist program recruits U.S. academics and professionals in English teaching, applied linguistics or related disciplines to conduct programs overseas ranging from two weeks to five months. U.S. embassies assign participants to local schools and other institutions, where they create English-language training programs that can include teacher training, curriculum and textbook development, and host-institution program evaluation.

EL Specialist participant Jason Levine, who recently conducted teacher training in Tunisia, says he likes to demonstrate “the benefits of teaching and learning through having fun in the classroom.” The success of his EL Specialist program, he says, can be attributed to “the enthusiasm Tunisian students and teachers have for embracing change.”

Candidates for the EL Specialist program must have a master’s or doctoral degree in TESOL or a related field. Information on finding an EL Specialist program is available on the State Department’s exchange programs Web page.

The State Department’s English-teaching programs are administered through U.S. embassies and consulates, and overseen by regional English language officers (RELOs), who are located in every region of the world. You can also check with your local U.S. Embassy to find out about programs near you.

For additional help, visit the State Department’s American English website, an online resource center for teaching and learning about American English and culture. Also, follow the Office of English Language Programs on Facebook and YouTube, and follow the more specialized EL Programs feed on Twitter.