Hamline Professor Emeritus Ann Mabbott Selected by U.S. Department of State for Prestigious English Language Specialist Assignment
St. Paul, Minn. -- The U.S. Department of State announced the selection of Ann Mabbott, a recently named emeritus professor from Hamline University, for a month-long English Language Specialist project focusing on teaching English language educators in Spain. The project starts in October.
Mabbott is part of a select group, as one of approximately 80 U.S. citizens each year selected to serve on an English Language Specialist assignment.
Mabbott will have a busy October in Spain. She is slated to deliver two plenary sessions at two different bilingual education conferences, as well as conducting intensive workshops for pre-service English teachers in several different cities.
Once the work in Spain is over, she will still be a specialist and will accept future assignments around the world.
As a Professor of Education at Hamline University, Mabbot specialized in working with teachers who have English learners (immigrant and refugee students) in their classroom. She was a recognized expert in her field and was invited to speak nationally and internationally.
She notes that her new role will benefit from her work at Hamline, “The English Learner in the Mainstream (ELM) federal grant that Hamline has now was written by Michelle Benegas and me, and in part I will be sharing our work with the grant.”
The English Language Specialist Program is the premier opportunity for leaders in the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) to enact meaningful and sustainable changes in the way that English is taught abroad. Through projects developed by U.S. Embassies in more than 80 countries, EL Specialists work directly with local teacher trainers, educational leaders, and ministry of education officials to exchange knowledge, build capacity, and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions, and communities in the United States and overseas.
Since 1991, the English Language Specialist Program has sent hundreds of TESOL scholars and educators abroad to promote English language learning, enhance English teaching capacity, and foster mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries through cultural exchange. On assignment, EL Specialists may conduct intensive teacher training, advise ministries of education or participate in high-level educational consultations, and offer plenary presentations at regional, national or international TESOL conferences. These projects are challenging and those selected represent the best of the U.S. TESOL community. In return, the program provides professional development opportunities to help participants experience different cultures and build skills that can greatly enhance their TESOL careers back home.
English Language Specialists are counted among the more than 50,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. The Specialist Program is administered by the Center for Intercultural Education and Development at Georgetown University.
For further information about the English Language Specialist Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit our website, contact us by telephone at 202-632-6452, or e-mail [email protected].
###