The grant proposal by Natalia Mukhina, Senior Lecturer at the MCU’s Department of Teaching English and Business Communication, Engin Ayvaz, Director of the Intensive English Center at Tennessee State University (TSU), and Dr. Kisha Bryan, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Teaching English Language Learners (TELL) program at TSU, has been selected for funding by American Councils for International Education.
Natalia Mukhina, Engin Ayvaz, and Dr. Kisha Bryan have designed the project Integrating Cross-cultural Competence in ESL/EFL Teacher Training Curricula. The project will be carried out in February—August 2022 and will pursue the following aims:
- Analysis of training program at MCU and TSU from the perspective of cross-cultural communication;
- Creation of a platform for university teaching staff to exchange experience and expertise within the scope of the project;
- Development and implementation of an action plan for the introduction and delivery of cross-cultural competencies at MCU and TSU.
The project will contribute to the establishment and development of long-term academic and professional relationships, as well as encourage the virtual exchange program between MCU and TSU. The project participants will be recognized as TESOL members and participate in the TESOL 2022 Convention & English Language Expo on March 22—25. With the partnership, online conferences will be arranged on the cross-cultural approach in education.
In 2021, the MCU’s Institute of Foreign Languages and Tennessee State University launched and completed the project Virtual Collaborative Lesson Planning and Delivery to Promote Reflective Practice in English Language Teaching.