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Inter American Partnership for Education |
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The Inter-American Partnership for Education (IAPE) is a Clinton Global Initiative Commitment that aims to transform English language instruction in Mexico's most underserved public schools by training, empowering, and supporting a dedicated network of innovative and dynamic English language educators. IAPE is a partnership of Worldfund and Dartmouth College's Rassias Center for World Languages and Cultures and is underwritten by Bécalos, Compartamos Banco, Credit Suisse, and Nextel de México. IAPE receives additional generous support from participants' home institutions. The IAPE Teachers' Collaborative involves over one hundred hours of pedagogical training at Dartmouth College, followed by three years of mentoring and supporting colleagues in Mexico. Our newer program, the IAPE Intensive English Program, is offered in Mexico and involves eighty hours of intensive English instruction and twenty hours of pedagogical training.
The Rassias Method®
IAPE features the Rassias Method.
- The Rassias Method was developed by world-renown language professor John A. Rassias (view interview) at Dartmouth College in the 1960’s.
- The Rassias Method is a rigorous, interactive, and highly effective system for teaching languages that banishes inhibitions and fosters authentic communication. It is based on the premise that students speak to learn rather than learning to speak.
- The Rassias Method has trained more than 165,000 Peace Corps Volunteers in languages, as well as countless numbers of students and teachers throughout the world.
Commitment
The goal of both IAPE programs is to create a community of innovative and committed English language educators who will work together to transform English instruction in Mexico's most underserved schools. Toward this end, IAPE and its teachers make a commitment to each other. IAPE provides and maintains the IAPE Virtual Community Forum to provide teachers with follow-up support from program staff and fellow IAPE teachers. IAPE also offers periodic follow-up workshops to IAPE participants in Mexico. In turn, participating teachers agree to continue to teach English at public institutions in Mexico for at least three years and to actively engage in the IAPE Virtual Community. Participants in the IAPE Teachers’ Collaborative make the additional commitment to provide mentoring and support to colleagues. This support can take many forms, including offering workshops at their home institutions and/or serving as teaching assistants during IAPE Intensive English programs. Upon successful completion of the three-year program, participants in the IAPE Teachers’ Collaborative and their home institutions are eligible to receive a certificate of completion.
IAPE 2008 Clinton Global Initiative Video
OCTOBER 2008
"Mr. Rassias said 'get rid of all those crusts you have!', and we did.
The result was a group of teachers who rediscovered their love for their students and for their jobs.
I feel very grateful for having been part of this!"
— Maricruz A., Escuela Normal Superior de México
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