# Academic Communities of Cultural Enrichment

Comunidades Académicas de Enriquecimiento Cultural (Academic Communities of Cultural Enrichment) is designed to train public school teachers within Mexico City to teach English as a foreign language, with the purpose of strengthening the intercultural and educational links between Mexico and the United States and empowering Mexican professionals with new skills and know-how in order for them to improve their professional and personal lives. Since its foundation, more than 642 teachers have graduated from the course, benefiting a total of 78,540 students. The program is a joint project between The American School Foundation, A.C. (ASF) and the Secretariat of Public Education (Secretaría de Educación Pública, SEP), with the support of Fomento Educacional, A. C.

##### Summary: The American School Foundation, A.C.

##### Date Granted: 2016

##### Website: www.asf.edu.mx

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Interview

ASF Academies English The Community Cultural Enrichment Academies program has been in existence since 2005. The program is a collaborative project between the American School Foundation, A.C., and the Secretary of Public Education (SEP), with the support of Fomento Educacional, A.C. Through the program, instructors and professors from the American School Foundation carry out a series of courses to train and coach English teachers from public schools in Mexico City.

Professor at the American School Foundation, tells us about her participation in this program. Can you tell us a bit about the Community

Cultural Enrichment Academies program?

The program’s aim is to offer professional training to English teachers from public schools in Mexico City. Thanks to our corporate sponsors, these academies allow the American School Foundation, A.C. to provide its experience in education to the SEP and to its students and public school teachers.

Our sponsors, leaders in their global sectors, are a vital bridge for improving the opportunities of Mexico City’s public school teachers. These academies have become a reality thanks to each of our sponsor’s donations, supporting efforts to improve the education given in the ASF’s academies.

The SEP has accredited these courses so that the teachers can receive teaching credit from the National Mixed Teaching Commission. Through the Federal Educative Services Administration of the Federal District (AFSEDF), the SEP recruits and grants approval to the teachers who will participate in the program. The AFSEDF recognizes the importance of contributing to the formation of individuals who can respond to present time requirements; in other words, citizens who can develop these necessary competencies in order to face a globalized world. Within this context, the teachers in the program become fundamental actors since they are the ones in charge of the formation and development of their students.

The Academy is directed towards SEP teachers who teach English as a foreign language as part of the SEP’s middle school program within their system. It takes into consideration the present English language program. Part of the idea is that the teachers require theoretical and methodological support in order to play an active part in the implementation of the ESL programs, and that the teachers will also benefit from the program with activities that strengthen their English-language knowledge and skills.

The course’s objectives include:

- Familiarization of basic concepts in order to approach the study of culture and its teaching in language classes.
- Exploration of a variety of specific cultural themes (historical, pop-cultural and social aspects, artistic expressions in song, stories and film) and its contextual use in the classroom.
- Tuning of methodological aspects in order to support their work with culture: motivation, evaluation and group dynamics.
- Reinforcement of their own language capacities including reading, oral and written comprehension, with reference to cultural themes.

What has been your experience working with FEAC?

We consider the support we have received from FEAC fundamental to the execution of this project. It has not only benefited an important number of teachers, and played a positive role in their teaching and professional work, but has also left its mark on each of their students and colleagues. FEAC´s contribution is an incentive and impulse for all of the teachers who take part in the Academy since it allows them to grow in their educational practice, receive high-quality preparation and share their teaching experiences in a framework of comradeship and collaborative learning.

What has been experience of the students involved?

The students leave content and with great enthusiasm to put in practice each of the strategies that are proposed to them throughout the course. For them, it is an opportunity to grow personally and professionally being able to share with their colleagues from other institutions not only in the academic space but also the teaching experience.

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