STEP Program – Strategies for Teaching English Pronunciation
Colorado Chapter of Partners of the Americas
Former Teaching Readiness Improvement Pedagogy (TRIP) Program
Dorly Piske, M.A., M.S.
Program Coordinator
The Colorado Chapter of Partners of the Americas is pleased to share the Strategies for Teaching English Pronunciation (STEP) program, formerly known as the Teaching Readiness Improvement Pedagogy (TRIP) Program. This annual initiative brings English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers from public schools in Latin America and the Caribbean to Colorado, offering them the opportunity to enhance their teaching skills and pedagogical practices while living with and interacting with host families and participating in community events.
The TRIP Program was launched in 2015 as a collaboration between the Colorado Chapter, the former Minas Gerais Chapter of Partners of the Americas in Brazil, and Aims Community College. The program was paused in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In July 2024, the Colorado Chapter successfully resumed the program, welcoming EFL teachers from Colombia (Barranquilla) and Brazil (Goiás and Minas Gerais). In the month-long exchange, participants completed 130 academic and English-language immersion hours by attending classes, visiting sites, and attending events in Colorado (Greeley and Denver) and Wyoming (Cheyenne and Laramie). Part of the training included access to the self-paced foundational Color Vowel® Basics course and in-person workshops to practice Color Vowel® Approach techniques. This revitalized effort was supported by the U.S. Department of State, Community Playthings, Partners of the Americas, the Goiás Chapter in Brazil, and the Universidad del Atlántico Student Chapter in Barranquilla, Colombia.
With major changes in funding availability, the annual in-person program was no longer feasible in 2025. However, to ensure the program's continuity, a new approach was implemented: an online pilot program in collaboration with Color Vowel®/ELTS (English Language Training Solutions). While visiting Brazil in the fall of 2025, Dorly Piske, a program coordinator and a ColorVowel®-trained teacher, offered in-person introductory ColorVowel® workshops to 50 English teachers at various locations (Minas Gerais, Brasilia, Goiás, and Santa Catarina). Fundraising efforts made it possible to offer scholarships to a select cohort of workshop participants to attend the 5-week online Color Vowel® Level 1 Training and Certification free of charge in the spring of 2026.
Program Committee
Dr. Tom Griggs, Ph.D., M.A., M.Ed.
Dr. Abi Paytoe Gbayee, Ph.D., M.A.
Dorly Piske, M.A., M.S. (Committee Chair)
More information: step@colorado-partners.net
Teacher Testimonies
“This is the best course I've ever had in my life because it made me see things so differently. This course gave me a new pair of ears. Today I see, and I hear things [about spoken English] that I didn't notice before. This completely changed my confidence in pronunciation, and that's a gift. I want to move away from the ‘repeat after me’ method. And it's not about being perfect, it's about being clear and having a physical connection to the English language (multi-sensory approach).” [Alyne]
“Doing the Color Vowel® Level 1 was an incredible experience in many ways. The Color Vowel® Approach is very helpful to better understand how spoken English works. This is very helpful in learning pronunciation and building confidence to speak. After being trained in this approach, I can't think of going back to teaching pronunciation as before, because it is so much simpler and easier to understand and apply. It's a game-changer for me! [Pauliana]
Brazil 2026 Edition
Fundraising efforts are underway, and applications for the 2026 online program with Color Vowel®/ELTS will soon be open through the Association of Basic Education Workers of Piauí, Brazil (ASSEBEPI) to qualifying public school teachers who participated in the 2025/2026 ACCESS for English Teachers program in Brazil. This new edition of the online Color Vowel® Level 1 Training and Certification is set to run from August 22 to October 31, 2026.
We encourage interested Partners of the Americas’ chapters and affiliates to contact us for more information on implementing this impactful program.
