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
OVERVIEW
The Colorado Chapter of Partners of the Americas is pleased to share the Strategies for Teaching English Pronunciation (STEP) program dedicated to supporting public school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Brazil through online professional development focused on the teaching and learning of spoken English.
BACKGROUND
This program replaces an earlier month-long in-person summer program (2015-2020; 2024) based in Greeley, CO, for EFL teachers from various countries in Latin America. The last in-person edition (July 2024) 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. Part of the training included access to the self-paced foundational Color Vowel® Basics course and hands-on workshops on Color Vowel® Approach techniques facilitated by Dorly Piske, a Color Vowel®-trained teacher.
In the fall of 2025, while in Brazil, Dorly Piske offered in-person introductory Color Vowel® workshops to 50 EFL teachers at various locations (Minas Gerais, Brasilia, Goiás, and Santa Catarina).
Program Committee
Dr. Karen Barton, Ph.D., M.A.
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
In partnership with Color Vowel® and English Language Training Solutions (ELTS), an online pilot program was developed. Fundraising efforts made it possible to offer scholarships to a select cohort of workshop participants to attend the intensive 5-week online Color Vowel® Level 1 Training and Certification free of charge in the spring of 2026.
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]
Fall 2026 Edition
After a successful pilot program, the full-fledged online STEP program is ready to be launched this fall, offering the Color Vowel® Level 1 Training and Certification. It is set to run from August 22 to November 7, 2026, in partnership withColor Vowel®/ELTS.
Applications for the 2026 online program is open until August 1, 2026. The opportunity is being announced through the Association of Basic Education Workers of Piauí, Brazil (ASSEBEPI) to qualifying public school EFL teachers who successfully completed the 2025/2026 Access for English Teachers program in Brazil.
Fundraising efforts are underway to offer the training free of charge to a new cohort of teachers. Scholarship awards will be announced August 10, 2026.
We encourage interested Partners of the Americas’ chapters and affiliates tocontact us for more information on implementing this impactful program.
