ISLAMABAD: The Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) Program sends outstanding secondary school teachers from around the globe to the United States to further develop expertise in their subject areas, enhance their teaching skills, and increase their knowledge about the United States.

The United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) hosted the pre-departure orientation for 40 teachers participating in the Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) Pakistan Program in Islamabad on February 5, 2015.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the TEA Program for Pakistani teachers has been implemented since 2012, providing an opportunity for outstanding Government secondary school teachers of English to participate in a six-week professional development training program in the United States.

The program is designed to enhance teachers’ expertise in their teaching discipline and equip them with a deeper understanding of best practices in teaching methodologies, lesson planning, and the use of technology in teaching, creating among educators a more nuanced understanding of the United States and to develop productive and lasting relationships and mutual understanding between American and Pakistani teachers and their students.

Forty teachers were selected this year as finalists; the participants spend one week in Washington, DC, meeting with U.S. Government representatives and learning about American education and culture. A five-week collaborative training program follows at selected U.S. universities, where Pakistani teachers observe current teaching methods in practice. The TEA Program prepares participants to serve as teacher leaders, who upon returning to their home country will apply and share their experience and acquired skills with their peers and students.

INP