US Embassy supports language teaching at Ruhuna University

The US Embassy along with the Ruhuna University launched a two-week training program for the English Teaching Unit staff of the University. The program aims to introduce American TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of other languages) standards which would help improve the new Bachelor of Arts Special Degree syllabus at the University.

Dr. Jill Robbins of George Washington University in Washington, DC is leading the workshop. The program was opened by Deputy Vice Chancellor Senior Professor Gamini Senanayake, Professor R.M. Ranaweera Banda and Dr. E.A. Gamini Fonseka.

Professor Senanayake stressed the importance of English as a communication tool and its role in improving the quality of undergraduate programs in Sri Lanka. Dr. Robbins outlined several contemporary approaches to language learning such as cooperative learning, learner-centered teaching, and constructivist education and emphasized how these techniques are instrumental to achieve long-term goals in English Language Teaching.