AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIP: TEXTESOL V AND YAKUT TESOL GLOBAL COLLABORATION

A formal agreement between TexTESOL V and Yakut TESOL, signed on 14 July 2008 by Don Weasenforth and Larisa Olesova, to work together for their mutual benefit cemented the partnership between the two affiliates. Seven years later, the two affiliates have completed many projects including online collaborations, partnership presentations at TESOL International Association annual conventions, and teacher travel. Four TexTESOL V board members (Elizabeth Smith, Jayme Lynch, Jey Venkatesan, and Ronda Glasser) have traveled, taught, and led teaching training in Yakutsk over the years. And Evgeniya Yadrikhinskaya from Yakut TESOL has traveled, taught, and presented in North Texas. Below are some of their thoughts about this global partnership.

Elizabeth Smith: My work with Yakut TESOL began with a web-based collaborative project designed to strengthen the speaking skills of my students and the students in Yakutsk, deepen sociocultural knowledge of all the students, and encourage collaboration skills among the students and the Yakutian teachers and me. After the project, Yakut TESOL invited me to teach English at a summer camp in Yakutsk, to which I traveled with my husband and two daughters (ages 10 and 12 at the time). I learned about the history, culture, and language of a remote part of the world where I developed meaningful relationships with many new colleagues. The benefits of my collaborative work with Yakut TESOL were life-changing: I became a stronger teacher, colleague, and citizen of the world. The value of global collaborative projects is tremendous, and I continue to work with colleagues from Yakut TESOL and TexTESOL V to present at TESOL conferences about our work.

Evgeniya Yadrikhinskaya: I had a great chance to visit the USA! It was possible due to the partnership agreement between Yakut TESOL and TexTESOL V. It was my first visit to the USA and any English-speaking country, so I had to know the country, people, and language as much as possible. I visited ESL classes at Collin County College, Richland College, and the Hockaday School. Another thing I’d never done before was teaching Russian as second language. I worked with Dulce DeCastro, a Russian teacher at Collin County College. Both of us made audio and video records. The moment I remember best: the Russian class about Eastern Russia. I made a presentation about our republic and played the khomus. I wish you could see the students’ faces!

I also had a great opportunity to take part in the Second Annual Study Skills Conference at Collin County College and the TexTESOL V Fall Conference. As for cultural experience, my Tex-friends didn’t let me feel bored. We visited the 6th floor museum, Cowtown Opry, and, of course, the rodeo! I want to express the feeling of gratitude for those who made my dream come true: all the members of the Yakut TESOL board and our TexTESOL V partners.

In addition to online collaborations and conference presentations, TexTESOL V and Yakut TESOL will continue to send teachers to each other’s affiliate to teach, learn, and travel. In fact, we are most hopeful that one day this global partnership will also include student exchanges. To learn more about this continuing global partnership, please visit the TexTESOL V website.

TexTESOL V’s Research Journal: Texas English Language Teaching

One unique dimension of TexTESOL V is its publication of an annual peer-reviewed online journal, Texas English Language Teaching (TexELT). The mission of this journal is to present new research and other articles of professional interest to our membership and, through search engines, to similar-minded English language teachers worldwide. The journal debuted September 2012 and accepts articles from ELL professionals working at all levels, preschool through graduate school, and in diverse instructional settings.

We are fortunate to have among our membership Dr. Rita Deyoe-Chiullán, currently a teacher educator in an adjunct capacity at local universities and globally online as an adjunct professor for an online graduate institution.With the support of our TexTESOL V Board, the journal began as a dream that Dr. Deyoe-Chiullán brought to life to serve her own students and colleagues as well as our membership. Because we have been able to call upon a number of members with varied talents and higher education writing expertise, we are able to help develop work of rising scholars as well as tailor the work of experienced scholars to meet the professional interests of our readership.