Isela Coronado, BETA, Bolivia

MISSION & VISION OF BETA

The Bolivian English Teachers Association, called BETA is an independent and not-for profit association, founded in 1996. Its mission is to enhance professionalism in English Language Teaching Education promoting professional development opportunities for EFL teachers in Bolivia.

BETA organizes teacher development conventions, workshops, and courses during the year as well as a four-day annual convention - usually in the month of January - with the participation of world-renowned experts. This event, which is acknowledged as in-service training by the Ministry of Education, features papers and encourages and supports the creation and development of local groups throughout Bolivia which organize local workshops and seminars to deal with issues of particular interest to the group members, along with a publishers' exhibition.

FORMATION OF THE BOLIVIAN ASSOCIATION OF ENGLISH TEACHERS

The technical and financial cooperation of the British government would have a finite duration, so the British counterpart suggested that language teachers should be organized through an entity that would not only unite them as teachers, but could also provide them with training opportunities for continuous improvement. That is why in 1996 the English teachers of the different cities decided to found the Bolivian English Teachers Association, BETA, exclusively for pedagogical purposes for the defense and improvement of English language teaching techniques.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE BETA

BETA is totally and exclusively formed by English teachers. The Bolivian English Teachers Association is the academic teaching organization of English teachers of Bolivia per excellence, which is constituted by Born Members, National Directory and Departmental Directory

BOARD OF DIRECTORS SAMPLE

This chart above shows only the last eight conventions, but since 1996 BETA has been working on professional development and has been growing with many opportunities for English Teachers in Bolivia.

BETA CHALLENGES

In Bolivia there are more than 8.000 English Teachers but not all of them are involved in the organization. Some are active members, some are only participants, and some work in other jobs. One of the main goals of BETA is for all English Teachers to be part of the community of ELT with an interest in being updated about the field. Another goal of BETA is to give non-English teachers some textbooks and training courses to provide them with a basic level of English. Because of the new Educational system, many are teaching at the school without any previous knowledge.

The BETA Board is always promoting professional development through training. The purpose is to help English Teachers share knowledge, experiences and abilities. That is why the perspectives and plans of the BETA Board are to participate with international associations to acquire more knowledge and gain more experience to organize successful conventions.

BETA SUCCESSES

The Bolivian English Teachers Association feels very happy to have had the opportunity to work with two important International Associations like TESOL International and IATEFL. Thanks to these affiliations, BETA has also had the opportunity to share with other affiliates groups worldwide where millions of professional people come together to exchange experiences and discover new cultures and values. Besides, BETA is proud to belong to TESOL and IATEFL. They have worked hard for more than 50 years teaching English Language as a Second Language using the latest technological advances to motivate professionals in all countries to improve in the profession. Also, thanks to the American Embassy, BETA has scholarships, Webinars and Massive Open Online Courses.

However, Bolivia still needs to do research and work hard to have a good level of English. Thanks to our collaboration with other countries, we can feel that we are achieving good results. Being a third world country does not take away the effort to learn and be better every day. That is why BETA is working more than ever to be at the height of a new generation with very high objectives and to meet expectations in the teaching of English as a foreign language.

BETA IMPROVEMENT

This year during our 24th Convention, BETA had the opportunity to invest in some experts to promote the Tech Village, technology supporting teaching. It was oriented to show and train English teachers in the use of ICT. It was a great experience to see teachers learn to use new tools to facilitate their work and also to enhance their students’ skills in this 21^st century.

Today, the Bolivian English Teachers Association feels very happy to be part of International Associations because, thanks to them, BETA has had more opportunities to expand their knowledge and exchange, not only thoughts, but also Culture and values. By being in contact with experts around the world, BETA has achieved a high level of English language. BETA is working with some international affiliations, networking with others ELT countries, having free international registrations and practicing English language in real context, etc.

BETA WITH A STEP AHEAD

BETA had an unforgettable international event with 16 countries represented. There were over 600 participants who attended over the 3 academic days. They also spent on day in the countryside to get to know each other.

It was wonderful to see so much collaboration, and we hope that the BETA Convention in Bolivia will continue to be of great benefit to English teachers.