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CU scholar Rai Farrelly is partnering with English language teachers in Ukraine this semester through a U.S. Department of State program

In some of Rai Farrelly鈥檚 first meetings with her new colleagues, they warned her that the air raid sirens might go off while she鈥檚 observing their classes.

If that happens, she recalls them telling her, they鈥檒l run down to the bunker in the basement and hope that a nationwide effort to increase internet capacity in subterranean locations has reached their schools and universities. And then they鈥檒l pick up where they left off, because students are still eager to learn, and her colleagues鈥� job is to teach them.

Farrelly, a teaching associate professor and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) director in the University of Colorado Boulder Department of Linguistics, is virtually partnering with educators in Ukraine this semester through the .

The Ukrainian educators are part of the State Department鈥檚 and work with either teenagers in after-school programs or undergraduate students training to be teachers in any subject because 鈥淯kraine has a plan to start teaching all their content in English coming up very soon,鈥� Farrelly explains.

In her role as an (ELS), Farrelly will observe classes and partner with teachers in Ukraine on strategies and methods for teaching large, mixed-level English classes. Farrelly鈥檚 TESOL students at CU Boulder also will partner with English language students in Ukraine via virtual conversation sessions.

鈥淥ur realities are worlds apart,鈥� Farrelly says, 鈥測et we'll be connected online and building community together.鈥�

Educational collaboration

Farrelly, whose teaching experience has taken her around the world鈥攆rom Armenia to Tanzania, where she co-founded to help support students from rural areas who are pursuing post-secondary education鈥攓ualified as a State Department ELS several years ago.

To qualify as an ELS, an educator must have a master鈥檚 or PhD in TESOL or applied linguistics and the ability to partner with teachers and students around the world either in person or virtually. The program, which is organized through U.S. embassies and regional language officers around the world, focuses on 鈥渄elivering and maintaining quality English language programs overseas and promoting mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries.鈥�

During the COVID pandemic, Farrelly accepted virtual ELS positions in South Korea and then Panama.听

Last semester, her pedagogical grammar class at CU taught English through a virtual cross-cultural exchange with learners at a language school in Arequipa, Peru.

鈥淚 have a really nice relationship with colleagues at this school, and they were like, 鈥楻ai, send your teachers,鈥欌�� Farrelly says. 鈥淏ecause of that, we have had three CU students teach there, so this program really opens up doors, and I鈥檓 going to be working with them again this semester.鈥�

The teachers in Ukraine with whom Farrelly is collaborating this semester have mentioned many of the challenges that English language teachers worldwide face: how to scaffold instruction in classes that contain everything from absolute beginners to intermediate-level speakers; when and how to correct pronunciation and grammar; how to group students during oral exercises; how to invite participation in a way that helps students feel excited to speak.

To help her support the teachers in Ukraine, Farrelly is even arranging a Zoom session with the 14-year-old daughters of three of her friends 鈥渟o I can do a playful interview on the gender dynamics in class and what their teachers do in a U.S. class to make it comfortable for them,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the concerns that my colleagues in Ukraine have expressed, that 14-year-old boys won鈥檛 work with girls and how can they get them to work in groups.鈥�

Seeing people as people

Farrelly says her experiences working with English-teaching colleagues around the world鈥攊ncluding in Indonesia and Russia鈥攈ave taught her the vital importance of a 鈥渃ommunity of practice and what it means to work closely with teachers who 鈥榮peak your language,鈥欌�� she says.

One of the biggest and most pervasive challenges in the TESOL field is the incorrect notion that anybody who speaks English can teach it. 鈥淒ecades ago, anyone could step off a plane, and if you looked like me and talked like me, you could get a job,鈥� Farrelly says. 鈥淢eanwhile, teachers in those countries who go through pedagogical training, who get degrees in teaching English, weren鈥檛 getting jobs.

鈥淓ven now, there are a lot of short TEFL or TESOL certificates you can get online. Meanwhile, I鈥檓 the director of the TESOL program at CU, and my students are taking five or six courses with me to earn a TESOL certificate. There鈥檚 a depth and breadth of proper preparation that goes beyond how to teach a language. It鈥檚 about understanding individual differences, personalities, motivations, culture, how your (first language) influences acquisition, classroom management, curriculum design. There鈥檚 so much that goes into it that鈥檚 beyond simply speaking English.鈥�

In her ELS role, Farrelly says a significant focus is teacher mentoring and teacher development: 鈥淚鈥檓 such a huge fan of collaboration, especially among teachers,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o much of what I鈥檝e done is grounded in working with teachers, and I never want teachers to see me as this expert outsider who鈥檚 coming in and telling them what to do. I just like approaching teacher development collaboratively and creating bonds with people. I love the relationships you form with other teachers鈥攖hose connection moments where you鈥檙e like, 鈥極h, my gosh, I鈥檓 dealing with that same issue!鈥� And the next thing you know, ideas start forming.鈥�

The fact that Ukraine is a country at war and that geopolitics add a complicated layer to Farrelly鈥檚 collaboration with teachers there鈥攊n fact, she doesn鈥檛 mention her previous experience with teachers and students in Vladimir, Russia鈥攗nderscores the importance of global partnerships, she says.

鈥淚t helps you see people as people and humanizes everyone,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the main aims of State Department programs. It鈥檚 access for learners and mentoring for professionals, but it鈥檚 about bridging those gaps and promoting cross-cultural understanding. It doesn鈥檛 matter where you鈥檙e from, at the end听of day we can all find so many commonalities.鈥�

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