Host Institution India: University of Northern Colorado

Shayista Shakeel

Ms. Shayista Shakeel teaches English and Social Science at a government high school in the district of Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir. She has a dual master’s in English and education. She is passionate about environmental pollution and undertakes activities with her students to clean water resources and disposal of bio-degradable waste. She has counseled several students who are undergoing depression or addicted to drugs. She coordinates workshops and events focusing on skill enhancement and development of students. In addition, she is a freelance columnist and has authored several articles in local dailies.

Ms. Shakeel’s participation in the Fulbright TEA program is helping her to develop a curriculum based on the model of shared learning for her students. She is learning new teaching methodologies and is sharing her experience and observations with international FTEA participants. Upon return to India, she intends to advocate practice-based learning and inclusive classrooms in schools of her community with the help of knowledge gained during her Fulbright program.

Amandeep Singh Lakhanpal

Mr. Amandeep Singh teaches English at a government school in Andlu village, Ludhiana, Punjab. He has more than 15 years of experience teaching in rural and urban schools. He has a master’s in English and a bachelor’s in education. Additionally, he has completed a postgraduate certificate in the Teaching of English.

As a state resource person, Mr. Singh is involved in developing content for teacher training modules. He has attended international conferences on “English language teaching” in UK and India. He completed a five-week online teacher training course on ‘Shaping the Way We Teach English, the Landscape of English Language Teaching’ organized by the U.S. Department of State and the University of Oregon. He received the prestigious Malti Gyan Peeth Award from the President of India in 2016 for his excellence in teaching. His various appreciation certificates from the Punjab Directorate of Education speak of his contribution to imparting quality education to his students.

The Fulbright TEA program is an opportunity for Mr. Singh to learn new teaching techniques and methodologies used in the American educational system which will further help him serve his community and students in India. His participation in the FTEA program will facilitate in enhancing the English language proficiency of his students. Upon his return to India, he would like to share his knowledge about the U.S. and its educational values with his colleagues and students to make them aware of the best educational practices in the U.S.