ACELT Diaries offers a breadth of online learning

Founded in 1981, the Ateneo Center for English Language Teaching (ACELT) develops programs for teachers of English in multilingual settings who want to build expertise in teaching and training in the different language skills. An outreach center of the English Department of School of Humanities, ACELT conducts seminars, conferences, certificate courses, and other activities. But the challenges of teaching during a pandemic were many. There was no playbook on how to proceed, but ACELT knew that education goes beyond the classroom. The center worked feverishly to shift to online instruction, and thus, the ACELT Diaries was launched.

“The ACELT Diaries is a weekly YouTube show that tackles current issues and trends in English Language Teaching in the Philippines,” says Dr. Cecilia A. Suarez, executive director of ACELT. “It aims to help teachers make principled decisions as they respond to the needs of their pupils or students. Teachers can expect various topics on teaching language (teaching oral communication skills, teaching reading and viewing, teaching writing, and teaching grammar), and teaching literature (fiction, poetry, and drama).”

It premiered last 13 September 2021 on ACELT’s YouTube Channel, with new episodes being uploaded every Monday at 6 pm (PHL time). The show tapped faculty members from the Loyola Schools and its partner public schools to facilitate the conversation. These are Dr. Isabel Martin (Ateneo) and Mr. Ramil Magno (Bagong Silangan High School), Ms. Devi Paez (Ateneo) and Ms. Angel Taguba (Western Bicutan National High School), Dr. Marianne Perfecto (Ateneo) and Mr. Dan Henry Gonzales (Ateneo), and Ms. Ines Bautista-Yao (Ateneo) and Suarez.

Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, transitioning to a virtual learning platform affords ACELT the opportunity to reach more teachers, Suarez says.

“A huge opportunity for us is to create a community of English language teachers that understand the challenges and context of their multilingual students. The ACELT Diaries team hopes that every English language teacher will find our discussion and sharing in our YouTube Channel helpful in creating a learning environment that is inclusive, responsive, and meaningful.”

Subscribe to ACELT’s YouTube channel and follow ACELT on Facebook. To know more about ACELT, visit their website. You can also reach them at acelt.soh@ateneo.edu or call/text 09201121200.