In the News
Erin Watters presented at inaugural conference - November 2023
November 27-28, Erin Watters flew to Oran, Algeria to present at the First International Blended Conference on Integrating Content and English Language Blended Instruction in Algerian Higher Education (ICLHE Algeria) as a representative of Plumeria Global Education Group. She presented on "Strategies for Supporting English Language Learners in a Content-Based Course" and served as a mentor for the "Practical Student-Centered Learning Tools for Language Support in Content-Based Courses" workshop.
Press Release: Margot Harris Selected by U.S. Department of State for Prestigious English Language Specialist Project - October 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: ECA Press
Date: October 24, 2023
Telephone: 202-632-6452
Margot Harris Selected by U.S. Department of State for Prestigious English Language Specialist Project
The U.S. Department of State announced the selection of Margot Harris of Third Spaces for an eight-week English Language Specialist project focusing on the Teaching of English for Security Purposes in Morocco at the Royal Gendarmerie. Ms. Harris is part of a select group, as her project is one of approximately 240 that the English Language Specialist Program supports each year.
With over thirty years of experience in the field of English language instruction, consultation, and professional development, Ms. Harris has shared her expertise in service to Baltimore city’s students and teachers as well as supported several other projects both virtually and in countries around the world. In this her third English Language Specialist assignment Ms. Harris is asked to train a cadre of officers and non-commissioned officers to be designated as internal English language instructors for the Moroccan Royal Gendarmerie in current TESOL Methods with a focus on teaching English for Security Purposes.
The English Language Specialist Program is the premier opportunity for leaders in the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) to enact meaningful and sustainable changes in the way that English is taught abroad. Through projects developed by U.S. Embassies in more than 80 countries, English Language Specialists work directly with local teacher trainers, educational leaders, and ministry of education officials to exchange knowledge, build capacity, and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions, and communities in the United States and overseas.
Since 1991, the English Language Specialist Program has supported in-country, virtual, and mixed projects in which hundreds of TESOL scholars and educators promote English language learning, enhance English teaching capacity, and foster mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries through cultural exchange. 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. In return, the program provides professional development opportunities to help participants experience different cultures and build skills that can greatly enhance their TESOL careers at home.
English Language Specialists are counted among the 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. For further information about the English Language Specialist Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit elprograms.org/specialist, contact us by telephone at 202-632-6452, or e-mail ECA-Press@state.gov.
Teaching Teachers in Japan - July/August 2023
Third Spaces educators are once again presenting two weeks of exciting workshops in collaboration with Portland State University and Osaka City Education Center. The TESL Training Online Program For Elementary and High School Teachers with the International Special Programs is in full swing. Last week, teachers participated in workshops on Second Language Acquisition, Using Games for Student Engagement, and Fostering a Positive Language Learning Environment. This week, we're diving into English Immersion in the Classroom, Digital Language Learning, Co-teaching Techniques, and Student-Centered Learning. It's a pleasure to work with PSU and the Osaka teachers again.
Third Spaces on the Move - May 2023
Third Spaces has had a busy first quarter! At the beginning of the year and as part of her Fellowship, Erin Watters created and introduced several short courses and activities. Currently, she is running the Professional Communication Workshop Series for the Kyambogo University campus community. This series consists of four short courses including Professional English, Writing Skills, Speaking Skills, and Presentation Skills. The group meets weekly for 90-minute sessions with more than 60 enrolled participants. Those completing all the short courses will receive a certificate.
In February, Erin collaborated with Tanzania-based English Language Fellows Mindy Olson and Lakshmi Kambampati to present to a full house an interactive workshop on Critical Thinking in the Classroom at the TELTA and Zapelato 2023 Annual Conference in Zanzibar, Tanzania. This workshop had a fantastic turnout and led to an invitation to present locally in Dar es Salaam.
In March, Wendy Trakes traveled to Utah to attend the National Council for Historic Education annual conference, where she presented a poster on our Modular Self-Paced Training courses and collaborated with educators and historians at the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Consortium’s annual meeting. Her attendance was funded by a TPS travel grant through Waynesburg University.
On May 2-3, 2023, Erin presented with her colleagues Dr. George Kasule and Dr. Richard Watuulo, about Professional Learning Communities for Educators in Uganda, and conducted a workshop with Mr. Hillary Bamukunda on how to develop a driving question with learners when working in project-based learning (PBL).
Coming up on June 20-21, 2023, Margot Harris will head to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the Teaching With Primary Sources (TPS) Eastern Region Conference. She will be presenting our Modular Self-paced PD Training (MSPT) pilot project poster and connecting with other TPS educators.
TPS Project Complete - March 2023
Our educator team has successfully completed our first Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Regional Grant project. The pilot program, which ran from July 2022 through March 2023, introduced Modular Self-Paced Training (MSPT) for high school teachers in collaboration with Maryland's Baltimore City and Montgomery County School Districts. The grant project aimed to promote teacher awareness of strategies and tools they could use to effectively integrate primary sources from the Library of Congress into their high school social studies classrooms. After months of hard work, the modules for the pilot course 'Integrating Library of Congress Primary Resources into High School Social Studies Lesson Plans' are now live and available to everyone. We're grateful for the opportunity to offer tools that expand teachers’ skill sets through globally-accessible quality professional development training.
Check out the lessons on our courses page.
Third Spaces presents HOTS Workshop in Zanzibar - February 2023
On February 25-26, 2023, Third Spaces’ Erin Watters teamed up with Tanzania-based English Language Fellows Mindy Olson and Lakshmi Kambampati to present a HOTS workshop on Critical Thinking in the Classroom at the TELTA and Zapelato 2023 Annual Conference in Zanzibar, Tanzania. This year’s conference theme was Integrating 21st Century Skills in an English Language Classroom.
TPS Project Update - December 2022
After months of hard work, our Teaching With Primary Sources project is moving into the next phase. We are excited to report that the modules for our pilot course Integrating Library of Congress Primary Resources into High School Social Studies Lesson Plans are now live and being tested by participating Maryland Public School teachers!
Third Spaces Welcomes Taiwan Country Representative
- September 2022
Third Spaces is excited to welcome Betty Huang as our in-Country Representative for our new Representative Office in Taiwan!
Ms. Huang has a background in international business and marketing, and is also a co-organizer for the largest language exchange event in Taipei. She will be the first point of contact for our Taiwanese clients and support Third Spaces in delivering the highest quality EFL Teacher Training, Exam Prep services, and Curriculum and Material Development services to educational organizations throughout Taiwan.
To find out more, contact us at taiwan@thirdspacesinc.com.
Third Spaces supports Steve Jackson Games - July 2022
Third Spaces has teamed up with Steve Jackson Games to provide editing support for new games and publications.
To see what Steve Jackson Games has to offer, visit http://www.sjgames.com/
Press Release: Erin Watters Selected by U.S. Department of State for Prestigious English Language Teaching Fellowship - July 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1 July 2022
U.S. Department of State
English Language Programs
Contact: ECA-Press@state.gov; Outreach@elprograms.org / 202-687-6044
Erin Watters Selected by U.S. Department of State for Prestigious English Language Teaching Fellowship
The U.S. Department of State announced the selection of Arizona resident Erin Watters of Third Spaces LLC for a 10-month fellowship project training teachers and teaching English in Uganda at Kyambogo University. Watters is one of only 200 U.S. citizens selected for the 2022-2023 English Language Fellow Program.
Watters is an experienced educator and administrator with a demonstrated history of successful projects in higher education. She has a BS in Business Administration Management with 20 years of experience in business and an MA in TESOL with over a decade in education and training. Recently, Watters served as an English Language Fellow at École Normale Supérieure in Constantine, Algeria (2018-2020), as a Virtual Fellow for Algeria and Morocco, and as a Specialist in Peru, developing and conducting various workshop programs to support teachers in motivating learners in online courses and finding the most effective methods to incorporate technology into teaching.
At Kyambogo University, Watters will work in the Department of Teacher Education, conducting classes, supporting the development and redesign of short courses, and providing support for proposal writing, academic writing, and thesis advising.
The English Language Fellow Program is the premier opportunity for experienced teachers of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) to enact meaningful and sustainable changes in the way that English is taught abroad, and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) with funding provided by the U.S. government. Through projects developed by U.S. Embassies in more than 80 countries, Fellows work directly with local teachers, students, and educational professionals to improve the quality of English language instruction offered at prestigious universities and other academic institutions.
Since 1969, the English Language Fellow Program has sent thousands of TESOL scholars and educators abroad to promote English language learning, enhance English teaching capacity, and foster mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries through cultural exchange. On assignment, Fellows teach English, conduct teacher training, develop resources, and organize events and conferences. These projects are challenging and the teachers selected represent the best of the U.S. TESOL community. In return, the program provides professional development opportunities to help participants experience different cultures and build skills that can greatly enhance their TESOL careers back home.
English Language Fellows are counted among the more than 50,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. The Fellow Program is administered by the Center for Intercultural Education and Development at Georgetown University.
For further information about the English Language Fellow Program (http://elprograms.org) or the U.S. Department of State, please visit our website (http://eca.state.gov/us/program/english-language-fellow-program), contact us by telephone at 202-632-6452, or e-mail ECA-Press@state.gov.
TPS REGIONAL GRANT PRESS RELEASE - June 2022
THIRD SPACES is proud to announce that it has been awarded a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Regional Grant to introduce a Module Self-Paced Training (MSPT) for high school teachers. In collaboration with Maryland’s Baltimore City and Montgomery County School Districts, this unique pilot program runs from July 2022 through March 2023. The Library’s TPS Regional program promotes the widespread, sustained and effective use of primary sources from the Library of Congress by increasing access to the Library and to TPS program resources.
The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, is the world’s preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Founded in 1800, the Library seeks to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, which bring to bear the world’s knowledge in almost all of the world’s languages and America’s private sector intellectual and cultural creativity in multiple formats.
The TPS Regional program grants awards to organizations and collaborations of organizations that design and deliver projects using Library of Congress materials for specific educational goals in formal or informal settings. Learn more about the Library’s TPS program and other resources available to teachers at www.loc.gov/teachers.
Third Spaces is a women-owned small business dedicated to expanding educational opportunities through globally-accessible quality professional development and equitable solutions.
For more information go to thirdspacesinc.com.