Foreign college students are recruited as English language teaching assistants to boost English learning in elementary schools of Taiwan

To increase students' desire to communicate in English, the K-12 Education Administration, Ministry of Education promotes the ELTA (English Language Teaching Assistant Program) and hires foreign college students who come to Taiwan to study in elementary and junior high schools as English language teaching assistants. Students may speak English fearlessly and comfortably in a casual setting with the help of engaging instructional strategies like picture books and board games.

Part-time English Language Teaching Assistant Recruitment.Photo provided by Ministry of Education

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Before attending the school to serve, foreign college students are requested to participate in the program must complete 18 hours of orientation classes to learn about Taiwan's educational structure and cultural setting. Different nationalities' English language teaching assistants often take their own creative courses to learn with the students.

In Lisin Elementary School in Yilan County, Sinh Thi Thu Nguyen, a foreign English language teaching assistant from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, helped Taiwanese students understand Vietnamese culture and campus life. She also created English posters with Taiwanese students to introduce Taiwanese features to Vietnamese students.

A foreign English language teaching assistant from Gambia chats happily with the students.Photo provided by Hsinchu English Resource Center

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To manage English and international classes, Kaohsiung Municipal Dingjin Elementary School integrated three English language teaching assistants from Peru, Indonesia, and India. To encourage students to participate in activities and speak in English, the assistants employed touch TVs and digital teaching tools.

The English Language Teaching Assistant Program will continue to be implemented, and more schools are welcome to join, according to K-12 Education Administration, Ministry of Education. This is done to foster a diverse learning environment for elementary and junior high school students and increase opportunities to speak English. To help students learn English more effectively, provide a vibrant and engaging classroom atmosphere.