10:34 a.m., Dec. 1, 2008----Suzanne Tierney, an instructor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Delaware, has received a Fulbright scholar grant for a yearlong English language project at Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (UTP) in Panama City, Panama.

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The project, “Enhancing the Instruction of English,” includes assessing the current state of English language instruction at different levels in the Panamanian education system.

Tierney has been studying files at the Ministry of Education, conducting interviews with school administrators, teachers and students, and guest lecturing at local universities for the past three months.

The next phase of the project will address the need for English teachers to receive more training in pedagogical issues to help their students learn better.

“My colleague at UTP, Edith Espino, and I have created a course for in-service teachers of English that will enhance their pedagogical skills,” Tierney said. “We will co-teach this course from January-June 2009. Although it will meet at UTP's main campus in the city, we hope to reach teachers in all provinces via the distance-learning format. We will also make frequent visits to the branch campuses.”

Tierney also will teach a course for students who need to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), a standardized test that is internationally recognized as the best indicator of communication abilities in the English language.

“This experience has enriched my career in more ways than I could have imagined,” Tierney said. “Panama is a language lover's paradise. Although Spanish is the official language and English is considered the language of tourism, you can hear 10-12 different languages in the streets on any given day. This is primarily due to the Panama Canal, which brings people from all over the globe to this amazing country.”

Three of Tierney's former students--Rina Binder-Macleod, a sophomore environmental engineering major from Newark, Del.; Connie Saltzman, a sophomore communications interest major from Warrington, Pa.; and Monica Trobagis, a junior history and international relation major from Acton Mass.--have won alumni enrichment awards that will allow them to spend winter session in Panama and work as her teaching assistants.

“Rina, Connie, Monica and I share a wonderful history that began in an Honors Spanish class at UD in the fall of 2007, and strengthened during the study abroad program that I directed in Chile in winter 2008,” Tierney said. “During that program, the students were engaged in a service learning project that inspired them to become fluent in Spanish. Upon returning to Delaware, they continued to participate in service learning projects, even though they were not enrolled in formal Spanish class.”

Tierney said the trip to Chile taught the UD students that true learning happens when students are engaged in their community and the project in Panama will be another successful service learning experience.

“I look forward to the rest of my time here in Panama, not only on a professional level, but on a personal level too,” Tierney said. “My two sons, Allen and Marcus, are enjoying living here and studying with the Panamanians. During the weekends and holidays we have explored the country and participated in many cultural events.

“I am very grateful to the Fulbright program and the University of Delaware for enabling us to share this wonderful, life-changing experience. Now we truly understand the local motto: 'Panama, se queda en ti,' which means 'Panama, it stays with you.'”

Fulbright recipients are among more than 40,000 individuals participating in U.S. department of State exchange programs each year. For more than 60 years, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has supported programs that seek to promote mutual understanding and respect between people of the United Sates and people of other countries.

Article by Martin A Mbugua
Photo courtesy of Suzanne Tierney