U.S. State Department Grant Provides Funding to CEHD Faculty in Support of Providing Online Training to an International Community of English Language Teachers
January 13, 2026
Joan Shin
Photo Provided
Joan Shin, Associate Dean for Faculty Success and professor in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Education and World Language Education Programs within the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), has been awarded a $238,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State in support of a project that introduces education professionals in the international community to the theory and practice of teaching English as a second language to young learners, three to ten years old. The work performed in this project is part of a suite of programming offered by the Online Professional English Network (OPEN) Program that is funded by the State Department and administered by the nonprofit organization FHI 360. The OPEN Program connects educators, recruited through American embassies around the world, with U.S. English language teaching experts to create an online community and learning experience centered on methods and issues in the field of English as a Second Language.
In this project, George Mason University faculty and researchers provide professional development to a network of English language teachers in other countries through a global online course titled “Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL).” This 8-week interactive course, offered four times during 2025-2026, provides instruction and training based on current methods and evidence-based approaches to teaching English as a second or foreign language to young learners. Content for the TEYL course is developed and delivered by George Mason’s Global Online Teacher Education Center (GOTEC), where Shin serves as director. The mission of GOTEC is to “advance research and pedagogy in online teacher education and professional development around the world that is inclusive, accessible, and culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining.” As Principal Investigator of this project, Shin leads a research team that includes Woomee Kim, Co-Principal Investigator and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at GOTEC, and many CEHD doctoral students and doctoral candidates who serve as instructors in carrying out this initiative.
The TEYL course consists of 14 sections with videos and practical readings which explore strategies for teaching the English language to children in ways that are effective, engaging, and fun. Specific course topics include the characteristics of young learners, classroom management, early literacy, teaching the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), and sequencing activities in teaching, among others. Educators have access to a TEYL discussion forum where they can ask questions about the concepts covered in the course and share their ideas on how the new approach to teaching English could be applied within the context of the local learning environments where they teach. This feature of the TEYL course helps to build a vibrant international community where teachers exchange ideas with their peers on practices they have used in teaching English to young children. In discussing this facet of the project, Shin and Kim explain that not only are the participants learning new research-based practices as presented in the TEYL course modules, but they are also gaining exposure to new ideas from their peers about different approaches to teaching English as a foreign or second language to young learners.
Shin discussed another important aspect of the TEYL online course—namely, how the English language teachers who receive this professional development can share or cascade the new knowledge they acquire with colleagues in their local communities of practice. Those individuals can, in turn, relay that knowledge with colleagues and peers of their own, thereby facilitating a cascading effect. With approximately 25 English language teachers enrolled in each of the fourteen TEYL course sections, Shin estimates that these 350 educators have the potential to cascade the professional development and knowledge they learn and reach hundreds or even thousands of other teachers. She stated, “Because participants in the TEYL professional development program join the online course from their specific local contexts, the program’s impact extends beyond their individual classrooms. As these global educators impart new knowledge and skills within their communities of practice, they create a powerful cascading effect.”
Shin also emphasized that it is important for participants in the TEYL course to think of how they can share or cascade the concepts they learn in ways that will address the unique needs and challenges encountered by educators within their local teaching communities. She explained, "These teachers often navigate challenges including low resources, varying learner proficiency levels, and large class sizes. Throughout the professional development experience, our instructors provide specific strategies for adapting to these environments. Furthermore, peers in the course—who share similar lived experiences—collaborate to offer practical suggestions and mutual support.”
In her other comments, Shin elaborated on how the TEYL coursework delivered by GOTEC helps fill the gap in professional development that exists in some corners of the global teaching community. She stated, “This project is vital because many participants report a lack of professional development opportunities in their local contexts. Over the eight-week program, as educators engage with the content and connect with peers teaching young learners, they actively co-construct knowledge. This process not only builds skills but also fosters significant growth in motivation and confidence. We are providing essential opportunities for engagement and learning to those with a strong desire to advance in their profession.”
Concluding her remarks, Shin acknowledged the collaboration and work of the many CEHD doctoral students and candidates serving as instructors and teaching assistants in support of the TEYL global online course. “These scholars bring extensive knowledge and experience from teaching in various contexts around the world,” she observed. “This global perspective allows them to connect closely with course participants through their instruction and facilitation.”
“Moreover,” Shin continued, “these doctoral students are engaged in rigorous research with GOTEC faculty using data collected through this professional development program. Just as the TEYL course was originally developed using research-based practices, that commitment to inquiry continues through ongoing research during our project implementation.”
Since 2017, Shin and her team at GOTEC have been working with the U.S. Department of State and the OPEN Program to make the professional development provided by the TEYL global online course available to approximately 43,000 English language teachers representing over 140 countries. The current project for 2025-2026 aligns closely with the mission and scope of previous grants received through the State Department. This continuity stands as a testament to the robustness of the program and highlights the sustained global demand for such high-quality professional development content among English language educators.
Please join the CEHD community in congratulating Joan Shin and Woomee Kim on being selected for this latest grant from the U.S. Department of State OPEN Program. Their work in providing professional development to an international community of educators is crucial in improving the teaching of English as a second or foreign language to young learners around the world.