Ambassadors for Inclusion - creating an Inclusion in ELT module

Our focus is to advance inclusion practices and attitudes in Initial English Language Teacher Education (IELTE) at PRESETT level in Higher Education in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in line with the Inclusive Education in HE in UZ good practice guide. We will build on work done with same partnership in year 1 of AELLCA funding. To do this involves 2 stages: 1. A competitive application process will be implemented to appoint six ‘Inclusion in ELT Ambassador’ roles – three from each country drawn from universities recognised as based in rural and in socio-economically deprived areas. 2. The six Ambassadors will participate in a three-day long, co-design ‘sprint’, drawing on Google Sprint methodology, held at Urgench State University to develop an Inclusion in ELT module and plan its incorporation in PRESETT curriculum in their HE institutions in KZ and UZ. Key to the success is to appoint education leaders e.g. English language teacher course directors, as ‘Ambassadors’ who are passionate about inclusion in IELTE; hence the rigorous selection process proposed. This project builds on our previous AELLCA project by creating a more sustainable and inclusive approach to reform in PRESETT by using knowledge and skills from our Inclusion in ELT workshops as a springboard for ambassadors to create their own Inclusion in ELT module for PRESETT. It aims to address the gap in purposeful education for females, rural students and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. It addresses three challenges related to the call: a) a need for curriculum advancement by modernizing the PRESETT curriculum b) improved initial teacher training by designing and incorporating into curricula an inclusion in ELT module, and c) creation of engaging learning environments for diverse English language learners by supporting the development of teacher educators’/ambassadors’ inclusion knowledge and skills.