Inspirational English teachers win professional development course in Cambridge

20 June 2011

Six English language teachers from around the world have won the 2010 / 2011 Cambridge English competition organised by the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL) and Bell. The winners will all receive professional development courses at Bell Teacher Campus in Cambridge this August in recognition of their creativity at overcoming significant challenges in the classroom.

Cambridge ESOL and Bell launched the competition at the end of last year, inviting teachers from all over the world to submit inspiring English teaching stories about how they overcame a barrier in their profession. With over 2,000 entries received, the judges announced the winners as: Shunichi Sugiura from Japan, Maria del Carmen Ramirez from Mexico, Cigdem Mazlumoglu from Turkey, Sadjia Hamoudi from Algeria, Lu (Eureka) Xia from China and Claudia Rodríguez Bañales from Mexico.

According to the judging panel, the six winning projects were inspirational, using imaginative teaching methodology to engage and motivate their students and introducing real-life situations and English in their teaching.

Cambridge ESOL's Marketing Manager, Simon Wright, who was one of the judges, says:

"The winning teachers all showed a great level of initiative and creativity when faced with difficult challenges in the classroom. With often limited resources, they found a way to make a connection with their students whilst making learning personal, fun and memorable. Teachers of this calibre are a real benefit to the millions of people learning English around the globe."

The projects, ranging from students producing an English language city guide to launching their own 'company' and products, encouraged language learning in all areas of life, not just in the classroom. Will Kinsman, Director of Sales and Marketing at Bell comments,

"The integration and immersion of language learning outside of the classroom is extremely important to students. These teachers have captured their students' imaginations through scenarios, discussions and projects based on reality, increasing their awareness of the English that surrounds them and encouraging them to interact in real life situations."

The competition winners will meet each other and network with teachers from over 50 countries when they participate in a two-week teacher development course at Bell Teacher Campus in Cambridge this August.

Media and press enquiries:

Caroline Davidson
PR and Marketing Executive
Bell International
Hillscross,
Red Cross Lane
Cambridge, CB2 0QU
England
Telephone: +44 (0)1223 275567
Fax: +44 (0)1223 414080
E-mail: caroline.davidson@bell-worldwide.com

Notes to Editors

Cambridge English 2011 was launched in November 2010.

The full list of winners are: Shunichi Sugiura from Aichi Prefectual Toyohashi Nishi Senior School, Japan; Maria del Carmen Ramirez's teaches at a high school in Nochixtian, Mexico; Cigdem Mazlumoglu who teaches at a high school in Istanbul, Turkey; Sadjia Hamoudi from the National Institute, specialising in the Food Industry in Algeria; Ms Lu Xia's from Cambridge English: Business Higher at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China; Claudia Rodríguez from the "Pensamiento Liberal" secondary school in Mexico.

About Cambridge ESOL

Cambridge ESOL offers the world's leading range of certificates for learners and teachers of English - taken by over 3 million people in 130 countries. They help people gain entrance to university or college, improve job prospects or measure progress in English. More than 11,000 employers, universities and government bodies around the world recognise Cambridge ESOL qualifications.

About Bell Teacher Campus Cambridge

Bell Teacher Campus Cambridge offers over 800 teachers of English as a Foreign Language from more than 50 countries the opportunity to live and learn within a campus environment. The campus offers a choice of fifteen courses which include 'From Hamlet to Harry Potter - Using Literature in the Classroom', 'Contemporary English' exploring idioms, slang and colloquial language and 'An Introduction to Using New Technology in the Classroom'. Courses run during July and August each year. For more information, visit Bell Teacher Campus Cambridge.

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All courses take place at Bell Teacher Campus in the grounds of Homerton College which is part of the University of Cambridge.