Panamanians attend Arkansas teacher training program

The training will focus on improving the English language skills of the teachers themselves.
The training will focus on improving the English language skills of the teachers themselves. | File photo

The University of Arkansas' Spring International Language Center is hosting 45 Panamanian English teachers for eight weeks of teaching training.

The program was initiated by the Panamanian government's Panamá Bilingüe program that sends 2,000 teachers to English-speaking countries to improve their skills. At the end of the training, participants will go back to Panama with certificates in Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

"The vision is to completely change the way English is taught in their country," Spring International Director Leyah Bergman-Lanier said. "It's great to be a part of that."

The training will focus on improving the English language skills of the teachers themselves, in addition to providing new teaching methods and leadership instruction.

"We are really trying to give them the tools and materials they need to train other teachers in their home country," Spring International Teacher Training Coordinator Rochelle Keough said.

With 155 Panamanian students, the University of Arkansas has the most Panamanian students out of any higher education institution in the U.S.