Regional English Language Office (RELO)

The Regional English Language Office (RELO) assists the English teaching community in the host country to develop the language competency of professionals and students. It tries to ensure that there is an English competent cadre of professionals, students and officials who can participate directly in dialogues with their counterparts in the international community, participate in international exchange and research programs, and work with multinational companies and organizations that would like to do business with the host country.  

Key Activities

1. Working with host country Universities with faculties and departments engaged in pre-service teacher education, American literature, study of the U.S., applied linguistics, linguistics, and other related fields.

2. Working with professional teachers of English organizations and institutions at all levels of education in such areas as teacher professional development through national, regional, and local workshops, seminars, and conferences; program assessment; and materials and information dissemination (e.g., via the RELO web page).

3. Working with the host country Ministry of Education assisting with such activities as in-service training, curriculum development, assessment issues and development, language policy issues, and trainer training, as well as classroom observation and assessment.

RELO Grants

Aside from the general programs mentioned earlier, the RELO also contributes funds to various programs and projects such as:

• Access Microscholarships Program for providing English language study to non-elite, economically disadvantaged youth ages 14 to 18.  The current grant is given to an institution to work with migrant worker children in vocational schools.
• Grants to teachers’ organizations in the region to assist with their regional and national teacher professional development programs.
• A small grant program to fund research in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and related fields at key universities.
• Travel supplement grants to major conferences for teachers, professors and program administrators who are presenting new ideas and research.

A Resource Collection

The RELO has developed a resource collection of state-of-the-art professional materials for teachers and graduate researchers to use.  The collection is located in the RELO Resource Center in the American Center for Educational Exchange (ACEE) in the Jing Guang Center.

References

• Bureau of Education and Culture
• U.S. Embassy Beijing RELO