Center for Professional Learning Launches Holistic Language Pedagogies Project

Childhood Education International is excited to welcome 59 educators – 46 from Ukraine and 13 from the United States – to the Center for Professional Learning’s new Holistic Language Pedagogies Project.

The project kicked off last month and aims to bring together educators from Ukraine and the U.S. to learn a variety of holistic pedagogical approaches as part of an active community of practice. The educators are secondary and tertiary level language educators who come from 19 regions across Ukraine and from eight U.S. states.

Belonging & Resilience

Project participant Tetiana Korol from Poltava, Ukraine, expressed her excitement for the project. She believes that the professional development opportunity will offer an opportunity for Ukrainian educators to improve their English language skills and “give them a feeling of belonging, which matters a lot.”

Indeed, during this unprecedentedly challenging time in Ukraine, a sense of belonging can foster solidarity and resilience among educators, providing them with a support network to navigate teaching in a context of conflict and displacement. The feeling of belonging also cultivates a shared purpose, empowering educators to continue their vital roles in shaping future generations.

Project participants will explore a new topic each month. Topics will include content- and language-integrated learning, social-and-emotional learning, technology in the language classroom, play-based learning, and asset-based pedagogies. Through engagement with these topics, educators will cultivate new skills and strategies to bring to their classrooms while also gaining access to new tools and resources, as well as building their professional networks.

Two-Way Exchange

The bilateral nature of this project is what makes it truly unique. Ukrainian education professionals will receive support, encouragement, and understanding from their American colleagues. Meanwhile, U.S. teachers will learn about their Ukrainian counterparts, experiences teaching during wartime, and Ukrainian culture and customs. Both groups grow professionally from webinars and workshops they engage in together..

Participant Susan Wahling from Virginia said she finds “working with educators in other countries and cultures very fulfilling and humbling.” Whaling, who has taught English virtually to students in Morocco for the past two years, hopes to share her experiences with other educators and to learn from them.

Project Timeline

Biweekly project webinars and workshops began this month and will continue through June. Project participants will then take part in an intensive virtual exchange during the month of July.

This project is funded by the U.S. Department of State through the Kyiv RELO (Regional English Language Office).

Contact us to learn more about this project and our other work.