Research
Faculty Workshop and Keynote Conference Presentation: Bangladesh Outreach, 2024 – Prof. Patrick Dougherty
Dr. Patrick Dougherty, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of International Liberal Arts, recently visited Bangladesh for a series of activities, including a conference presentation, keynote address, and conducting teacher training workshops. Here is his account of his activities.
From October 29th through November 11th, 2024, I was in Bangladesh and involved in programs and events that spanned everything from teacher training to giving a keynote address at an international conference.
Faculty Workshop: Ideas for Effective Classroom Practice:? Collaborative Learning Techniques and Classroom Assessment Techniques
My work began with a workshop conducted on October 31st with 50 faculty members from different disciplines at Southeast University in Dhaka. The title of the workshop was Ideas for Effective Classroom Practice: Collaborative Learning Techniques and Classroom Assessment Techniques.?I followed this that same day with a presentation to the students and faculty in the English Society of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University regarding the use of English in modern careers.
Hybrid Conference: 18th annual Teachers Helping Teachers- Bangladeshi English Teachers Association teacher development conference (THT-BELTA 2024)
Afterwards, from November 1st– 4th, I helped facilitate the 18th annual Teachers Helping Teachers- Bangladeshi English Teachers Association teacher development conference (THT-BELTA 2024).?Our theme this year was “Teaching English in the 21st Century.”
Over the four days of the program, which took place in Dhaka and in the city of Barishal, four-hour travel from the capital, we conducted an online session for 140 faculty and in-person sessions at Independent University, Bangladesh, and the University of Barishal, each with capacity crowds of 50 and 60, respectively.?Our audiences were a mix of in-service and pre-service primary and secondary teachers as well as university faculty.?Our workshops and presentations at THT-BELTA programs are focused on practical teaching tips, advice, and wedding theory with practice.?For example, one of the four workshops I conducted dealt with encouraging critical thinking in the language classroom and another offered teachers suggestions of quick, five-minute, language learning lessons that they could employ as ice breakers or if they had a few minutes left in one of their classes.
Invited Talk: The Importance of Teacher and Family Collaboration?in pursuit of meeting the needs of students with cognitive and physical disabilities.
After finishing the THT-BELTA 2024 teacher development program, I traveled seven hours northwest of Dhaka to visit a special needs school in the Naogaon region near the Indian border. The Ambati Buddhi Protibondhi o Autistic Biddaloy school for special needs was founded by one of my Bengali colleagues to serve families in his home district.?On November 6th I had the opportunity to meet with teachers, students, and parents at the school and gave a talk on the importance of teacher and family collaboration in pursuit of meeting the needs of students with cognitive and physical disabilities.
Keynote Address: The Beautiful Exchange:? The Benefits of Volunteering for Teacher Development Facilitators
The final portion of my visit had me attend and give a keynote address at the Innovation and Transformation for Development (ITD) 3rd Annual International Conference hosted by Green University outside of Dhaka.?My November 10th keynote was titled, The Beautiful Exchange:? The Benefits of Volunteering for Teacher Development Facilitators.? It was based on studies I’ve done of Teachers Helping Teachers volunteers over the past fifteen years and spoke about what facilitators gain from the experience of volunteering their time to conduct teacher development workshops.?
In my own case, and in the two weeks of intense work that occupied my time in Bangladesh this year, I can say that the benefits to me personally were great.? It was an energizing two weeks.