Senior Instructor Raichle Farrelly selected by U.S. Department of State for English Language Specialist Project

Linguist Raichle Farrelly of the University of Colorado Boulder will join a two-month English language specialist virtual project focusing on promoting global citizenship and emerging trends in English language teaching in the Republic of Korea, the U.S. State Department has announced. 

The project’s events, which began this week and continue through Aug. 21, are hosted by Gangwon International Education Institute and the Korea Association of Teachers of English. Farrelly’s project is one of approximately 200 that the English Language Specialist Program supports each year. 

Farrelly has nearly 20 years of experience in the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). After earning her PhD in linguistics at the University of Utah, she worked as an assistant professor in the MA TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Program at the American University of Armenia and in the MA TESOL Program at Saint Michael’s College. 

In 2019, she joined CU Boulder as a senior instructor in linguistics and the International English Center, and as the director of the TESOL Program.

Farrelly will lead a workshop for more than 200 English teachers, supervisors and professors in the Republic of Korea. In light of changes in the field due to the pandemic, the project will explore emerging educational trends of English language learning. 

Topics include expanding global connections through virtual exchanges, increasing students’ media, digital and critical literacy, incorporating social justice themes into the curriculum, and expanding online teaching skills. 

Farrelly will also deliver a keynote lecture on global citizenship education during the English Education Forum hosted by Gangwon International Education Institute. 

That session aims to build a global citizenship knowledge base and to extend that to practical classroom approaches for raising awareness about global issues, promoting perspective-taking, increasing media and digital literacy, cultivating empathy through storytelling, and taking action for change. 

The English Language Specialist Program is the premier opportunity for leaders in the field of TESOL to enact meaningful changes in how English is taught abroad, the State Department says. The program is sponsored by the department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. 

In 2021, the English Language Specialist Program celebrates its 30th anniversary. Since 1991, more than 800 English language specialists—representing American educators from all 50 states—have encouraged critical thought and knowledge, celebrated their cultural diversity, and showcased their professional and civic engagement strategies. 

During their projects, English language 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, the State Department says. In return, the program provides professional development opportunities to help participants experience different cultures and build skills that can enhance their careers at home. 

English language specialists are among 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.