Andhra Pradesh Developing English Language Teaching

This project was designed as a pilot to a large-scale, state-wide teacher development project for the state to support English language teacher development and included training of primary teachers in four districts: Chittoor, Kurnool, West Godavari and Vizianagaram.  

The project objectives were to: 

• equip selected master trainers with training and mentoring competencies to ensure an effective delivery of English training courses to primary teachers 
• develop the fluency and confidence of the spoken English of the master trainers to enable them to conduct training programmes in English effectively  
• build a sustainable infrastructure of self-access English materials to support the Continuing Professional Development of teachers.

In the pilot phase, master trainers were identified and trained directly by the British Council. This cohort of master trainers further trained primary government school teachers across the four districts (Chittoor, Kurnool, West Godavari, and Vizianagaram) of Andhra Pradesh during the first year, 2014 -15. Key activities of the project were: 

• Training of master trainers with to develop their knowledge and skills in using interactive, learner-centred, activity-based teaching methodologies, and implementing them in their teaching. They also acquired training and mentoring skills so that they could effectively support other trainers and teachers. 
• Primary schoolteachers participated in a five-day course. The aim of the course was to develop their knowledge and skills to use interactive, learner-centred and activity-based teaching methodologies and implement these new techniques in their classrooms. 
• Carrying out monitoring and evaluation activities to measure the project’s impact and outcomes. 

• 120 master trainers were trained directly by the British Council over ten days 
• 1,250 teachers were trained by master trainers in Chittoor district over a five-day teacher training course focusing on developing English communication skills
• The trained master trainers and teachers were observed to be better able to reflect on their own performance, evaluate their own teaching sessions and undertake activities to contribute to their own Continuing Professional Development.

Before the training I was very shy and did not speak in English but I feel more confident now. I can give instructions in English 

The day release model is best as in the rest of the week we can try activities in class and discuss challenges