In order to improve the English communication motivation of elementary and middle
school students, National Chung Cheng University (CCU) organized the "English
Language Teaching Assistant Program (ELTA)" with the subsidy from the K-12
Ministry of Education's National Education Administration (MOE). This year marks
the third year of the program. On January 16th, the Graduate Institute of Education of
CCU, held an ELTA On-site Workshop to enhance the professional competence of
ELTA assistants and increase the motivation of Taiwanese students in learning English,
cultivating a new generation with a more international perspective for Taiwan.
MOE stated that the goal of the program is to recruit foreign university students
studying in Taiwan to serve as English teaching assistants in public elementary and
middle schools. In the 112 academic year (2023), nearly 200 foreign students were
arranged to serve in public elementary and middle schools in central Taiwan
(including Miaoli County, Taichung City, Changhua County, Yunlin County, Nantou
County, Chiayi County, and Chiayi City). ELTA teaching assistants from different
countries including the Americas, Asia, Europe, Africa, and other countries, provide
students with a diverse learning perspective.
MOE mentioned that in order to let students speak English confidently in a relaxed
environment, the ELTA program provides a variety of English activities, including
English picture books, board games, and so on, to enhance students' learning
motivation. Sheng-Yao Cheng, director of the Graduate Institute of Education of CCU
and the host of the program, stated that every student has the opportunity to go out and
to see the world with their own eyes. Through ELTA teaching assistants, students can
not only experience the joy of communicating in English, but also cultivate a crosscultural worldview. Thereby enhancing motivation for English communication and
shortening the distance between students and the world.
On that day, Fang-Hui Wu, a teacher at Jiangcui Junior High School in New Taipei
City, prepared a variety of rich and interesting English activities, inspiring the active
participation of ELTA assistants. Dr. Wu also invited Dr. Greg Gaiera, a teacher from
Humboldt County, California, USA, to broaden the horizons of the English courses
from a worldview perspective. In the afternoon session, Assistant Professor Gamble
Jeffery Hugh from the National Changhua University of Education shared the
strategies of classroom management and operation and brought the workshop to a
perfect conclusion.