A SENIOR high school teacher of Silliman University received a scholarship grant from the Philippine-American Educational Foundation sponsored by the United States.

Deo Mar Suasin was among the four fellows chosen for the 2023-2024 Philippines Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program.

He will begin the program at the University of Pennsylvania in August this year.

The program aims to strengthen foreign language instruction in US colleges and universities while providing scholars the opportunity to increase their English language proficiency, refine their teaching skills, and extend their knowledge of the culture and customs of the US.

Under the program, scholars are also expected to work as Filipino-language teaching assistants in their host university for one academic year or an equivalent of nine months.

They also will have the opportunity to take classes on teaching methodology and other topics, such as American studies, and are expected to participate in programs at their host university and share the Filipino culture with their colleagues and students.

Suasin said participating in the program is a great opportunity to introduce the Filipino language and culture to others.

“Teaching English and Filipino is not that different since these two are both languages, and the concepts and skills taught are basically the same; the main difference is just the medium of instruction,” he said.

“However, since culture plays a significant role in language teaching and learning, it is also important to consider the context and culture of the students in the US who will be studying the Filipino language,” he explained.

Funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State, the FLTA is a full scholarship program for early-career English language teachers.

It is open to Filipino citizens based outside Metro Manila who teach the English language with no more than seven years of teaching experience; or those who are training to be English teachers.