KETNET Branch Activities

KETNET Ferizaj

KETNET Gjakova

Since its establishment in July 2013, Gjakova branch has planned and conducted bi-monthly teachers’ meetings where we discuss classroom-related topics, as well as other issues such as how to become a member, where to get website information readily available, etc. In every meeting teachers shared warm ups they found useful in their lessons, different activities or other topics related to professional development. 

Being active, showing enthusiasm and the good will to help each other, six teachers have been awarded from the branch to attend an English Teachers’ Conference in Elbasan, Albania. This conference was on 7 and 8 February 2014. Leonora Sahatqiu, Arjeta Bakalli, Arjeta Kumnova, Qendresa Shehu, Fitore Gexha and Vlora Tafarshiku participated in this conference and then posted their reflections from the conference on the KETNET Facebook page for other teachers to read and discuss during next meeting.

The Shaping the Way We Teach English Massive Open Online Course with the University of Oregon is open for registration. We plan to enroll. We believe that this free online course will provide a great opportunity to interact with English Language teachers from all over the world. 

KETNET Gjilan

KETNET Gjilan branch was formed in December 2, 2012.

Since then, the branch has offered 5 workshops and meetings for teachers and students of English.

This branch, last year in December, organized a seminar on writing project proposals, which was delivered by Senior English Language Fellow in Kosovo, Dr. Stephanie Drotos. 

Another activity, organized by KETNET Gjilan branch in April of 2013, was the gathering of high school students and teachers where they were informed about the Kosovo Youth Exchange Program. There they met officials from this program. 

On February 22, 2014, KETNET Gjilan hosted a Teachers’ Luncheon. Almost 30 teachers and also Municipal Education Directors from Vita, Novoberda, and Kamenica attended. On the same date we organized the branch elections, where the new branch leadership was selected. 

In addition to meetings, KETNET Gjilan was also tasked with managing the US Funded, English Access Microscholarship Program, where 40 high schools students receive free English classes on weekends.

On March, 22 KETNET Gjilan hosted another Teachers’ Luncheon in Pozharan, for teachers of Vitia municipality. Teachers from this region were very satisfied with this organization.  Also present were the Senior English Language Fellow and the representative from Sidi Education, Arian Krasniqi.

The most recent branch activity was organized on May 22, 2014 at the Didactic Center in Gjilan. Teachers participated in a teachers’ lounge/quiz bowl. This quiz bowl covered questions from the New Kosovo Curriculum Framework and were chosen from the Ministry of Education’s Teachers’ Guidebook for Improved Practice 3. Teachers were encouraged to read it before participating in the quiz.

The winning team (with 5 members) earned a prize; the branch agreed to pay the entrance fee for each of them to the KETNET conference in June in Prishtina.

KETNET Peja

On June 11, 2013, sixteen teachers and new KETNET members from the Peja Region along with KETNET Treasurer Naim Shaqiri and Senior ELF, Stephanie Drotos, met at Hotel Dukagjini to discuss forming a branch of KETNET. We reviewed the Branch Charter and voted to establish Peja Branch. Elected were: Arbnora Katanolli President, Shaban Shatri vice president and Burhan Beqiri, who later resigned, as secretary- treasurer.

On June 7-8 20013 approximately 50 English language teachers from Peja, Klina and Istog Municipality took part in the KETNET Annual Conference where they received their ETPDP certificates.

On 12 October , 2013 KETNET Peja hosted ELF Stephanie Drotos. With 2 assistants from the Peja Region, Liridona Demaj and Liridona Burupaj, she led a workshop “Doing Projects” to help English teachers prepare grant proposals. Around 30 English teachers took part in the workshop.

On February 17, 2014, Peja branch held the first competition for ESL students in grades 3-6.  Istog and Peja Municipalities took part in the competition which provided an occasion to meet with other students and at the same time create relationships with the surrounded areas.  25 students took part,  Many said that it was a joyful competition. Kids were rewarded with English language books. The host of this occasion was Shaban Shatri. The competition was held at the Peja Didactic center.

In April 2014, 6  English teachers from Peja took part in the webinar, “Shaping the way we teach English.”

Additionally KETNET Peja sponsored 2 teacher s to attend English Teacher conferences in Albania.

KETNET Prizren

2013-2014 Activities

1.  KETNET Prizren Meeting - Elections: 
New Management:
President: Ergin Gashi
Vice President: Kushtrim Sulaj
Secretary-Treasurer: Nderime Hasani
 
  2.  Webinar 13. KETNET Prizren hosted "Shaping the Way We Teach English" Webinar 13 for the 3^rd time in row. Lots of ELTs and ELTs are interested to take part in the sessions. Webinar 11 certificates were issued to teachers, and we are waiting for Webinar 12 certificates from RELO Budapest soon.
 
  3.  Supporting KYEP Program (Kosovo Youth Exchange Program). In April 2013, the representative from "Cleveland Council on World Affairs," Madeline Rife, asked us to promote their program to all our ELTs. We met and assisted Madeline who came to Prizren with another US Citizen, Hanna. We assisted with their presentation at AC Prizren and showed them around the city with our VP Kushtrim. We agreed to support and promote their program in future, too.


4.  Hiking with the Native Speaker. Our Branch, in cooperation with the US ELF Program, has organized several hiking trips with ELTs and ELTs from our region who enjoyed practicing their language skills with our ELF Christina Nichol who offered a lot of professional support to us. 
  
5.  A visit to Prizren Municipality Chairman, Kujtim Gashi. We visited the municipality, promoting KETNET Prizren with our ELF Christina Nichol. We continue to promote KETNET with the local authorities and different NGOs.
  
6.  Vice President Kushtrim Sulaj, in April 2014, took part in the ELTA National Conference in Tirana, supported by the ELF Program. Two others from our region also attended: Selim Tahiri and Sejdi Berisha attended ELTA National Conference.
  
   7.  The Branch supported American Corner Prizren and its coordinator in different events and activities. 
    
8.  KETNET Prizren has finalized the English Teacher Directory and is in in charge of its maintanence. Through the use of the directory, we are able to easily contact over 1000 ELTs from throughout Kosovo in order to notify all teachers about different seminars, training, events, etc.