The 2022 Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) Program – Media Literacy Cohort

Application Deadline: March 22, 2022

The Embassy of the United States in Tashkent is pleased to announce the 202 Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) Program – Media Literacy Cohort

Program Overview

The Fulbright TEA Media Literacy Program will bring international secondary-level teachers to the United States for a six-week program in January 2023 or in September 2023.  Topics of seminars include recognizing bias/propaganda, stereotypes, and misinformation; strategies for improving students’ critical thinking, analytical, and communication skills; how media literacy promotes civic engagement/ the role of media in society; fostering cyber safety and digital citizenship in the classroom; and technology training. Teachers will be placed at a competitively selected university.  The program will include content-specific coursework with a focus on media literacy and critical thinking.  Sample seminar topics are listed above.  The program will also include a practicum of at least 40 hours with a U.S. partner teacher of English, social studies, history, civics, communications, journalism, math, or science in a U.S. secondary school near the host university to actively engage participants in the U.S. classroom environment.  Cultural enrichment, mentoring, and support will be provided to participants throughout the program.

Please note that the program will provide participants with practical resources they can use in their teaching, as well as skills to train trainers in media literacy.

After returning home, teachers who successfully complete the program will be eligible to apply for small grant awards for essential teaching materials, follow-up training for other teachers, collaborative projects between participating American schools and their home schools, and other activities that build on the exchange experience.

The TEA fellowship is fully funded and provides:

• J-1 visa support;
• A pre-departure orientation held in the participant’s home country;
• Round-trip airfare to and within the U.S.;
• A Welcome Program at the host university;
• Academic program fees;
• Housing (generally shared with other program fellows) and meals;
• Accident and sickness medical insurance coverage (does not cover pre-existing conditions);
• Transportation to the teaching practicum school (if necessary);
• A daily allowance for incidentals during the academic program;
• A book/professional development allowance
• A baggage allowance;
• An end-of-program workshop in Washington, D.C.; and
• The opportunity to apply for alumni small grants for alumni in good standing.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:

• Be current secondary-level*(including academic lyceums and vocational colleges), full-time teachers of English, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), social studies, civics, history, global studies, media studies, communications, journalism, law, and (new this cycle) math or science at institutions serving primarily a local population are eligible for the program
• Have completed at least three years of full-time teaching by the start of the program;
• Be citizens of and residents in Uzbekistan;
• Have earned a Bachelor’s degree;
• Demonstrated oral and written English language proficiency
• Experience or demonstrated interest in the field of 21st century media literacy and critical thinking
• Have experience or demonstrated interest in the field of media literacy and critical thinking
• Earn a minimum score of 45-46 on the TOEFL iBT. Important: applicants are NOT required to take the test at the moment of application submission. TOEFL tests will be arranged for selected semi-finalists in May, 2022;
• Demonstrate a commitment to continue teaching after completion of the program; and
• Have submitted a complete application.

*Secondary-level teachers include both middle and high school teachers serving students between approximately 12 and 18 years of age. Teachers responsible for teaching additional grade levels must teach middle or high school students more than 50% of their work time in order to be eligible for the program.

The Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) Program-Media Literacy Cohort promotes diversity in the classroom and in learning. The Fulbright TEA Program supports inclusion and strongly encourages teachers with disabilities to apply. Applicants who have in the past three years traveled to the U.S. for exchange programs such as Study of the United States Institutes (SUSI) or International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) for professional development are not eligible for the Fulbright TEA program. Please note, however, that applicants who have participated in online programs such as Online Professional English Network (OPEN) online courses or Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are eligible. Please note that preference will be given to applicants who have not participated in these programs or another Fulbright program.

Educational administrators (such as representatives or officials of the Ministry of Education) and school administrators who do not teach at least fifty percent of their time, full-time teacher trainers, university faculty, private English Language tutors, and teachers from schools primarily serving expatriates are not eligible.  Applicants must reside and work in the country of citizenship at the time of application and of program participation.

Applications NOT meeting the above eligibility requirements will NOT be forwarded to the Selection Committee.

Fulbright TEA reserves the right to verify all the information included in the application. In the event that there is a discrepancy, or information is found to be false, the application will immediately be declared invalid and the applicant ineligible.

How to Apply

The online application is available at: https://fulbright.irex.org

Please click here to view online application instructions IREX-Fulbright TEA OAS Applicant Guide (PDF 1 MB).

Please upload into the online application system:

1. Fully completed online application. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed;
2. Institutional Support and Reference Form completed by your supervisor at the school where you are employed; English translation must be provided.
3. Leave Approval Form signed by your school director, where you are employed.
4. Supplemental documents: a copy of the photo and information pages of your passport copy, resume etc.

Application Deadline

Applications must be submitted no later than March 22, 2022, 18:00.

Questions about the Fulbright TEA Program

Please email your questions to: TashkentEnglish@state.gov with “Fulbright TEA Media Literacy” in the subject line of all emails or call us at (+998-78) 140-2432