Seventeen English teachers and trainers arrived at the TOEIC® Propell workshops last month with little idea what to expect. It was the first time either they or we at AMIDEAST’s English4Success Division had experienced Propell and in fact the first time ETS had ever offered Propell for TOEIC in the United States.
 

The workshops proved a very interactive experience that got rave reviews. The two days, one focused on TOEIC Listening & Reading and the other TOEIC Speaking & Writing, were quite different from each other, but both provided participants who in many cases were familiar only with academic English tests such as TOEFL the opportunity to come together to share best practices for teaching English, and specifically the types of English needed for on-the-job communication and TOEIC test preparation.
 

One point that became clear during the first day’s activities was that the two sets of skills are the same.  TOEIC testing doesn’t require vocabulary specific to a particular industry or idioms used only in particular countries but focuses on assessment of fundamentals showing how ready students are to succeed and grow in any workplace anywhere. So for the bulk of the day teachers concentrated on sharing and learning about a variety of activities designed to effectively teach the skills they initially had generated in a brainstorming session as the most essential for such success:
 

We look forward to sharing some of the creative ideas and idea sources that teachers then shared in our future blog posts….
 

The second day of Propell was a little different. Because the TOEIC Speaking & Writing test is new to the U.S. and different from the typical testing paper-based or interview-based experience, more time was spent on covering test specifics as well as ETS research and design investments that make the test particularly objective, valid, and reliable. Participants were thoroughly familiarized with the test so they could speak confidently to their students about what the test involves and get them ready to do their best. Sharing and introduction of activities to improve workplace speaking and writing skills were also part of the day.
 

Participants went home with certificates of completion, an activity workbook only available to those taking Propell Teacher workshops, new teaching ideas, and a new community of peers with whom they can continue to share ideas for effective workplace English instruction.
 

Especially because of that interactive, community building element, we’re looking forward to future Propell workshops. None are expected to be held immediately but they will be when ETS believes there is sufficient demand. To move forward that happy day, if you would be interested in participating in such workshops please let us know. You can write us at toeic@amideast.org or comment through this blog.