Additional Guidance

Faith, Fellowship, and Growth

Foster faith, fellowship, and growth. Help create an environment where learners can increase their faith, experience fellowship, and grow their capacities. You can do this by calling teachers, providing facilities, and ensuring that learners and teachers have the necessary resources. You could also coordinate with others who can support learners, such as missionaries and other self-reliance groups.

Priesthood Leaders

Counsel with priesthood leaders. Ensure that your program has the approval and oversight of priesthood leaders. Priesthood leaders include those over self-reliance, seminaries and institutes, and missionary efforts. Counsel with priesthood leaders on:

• Setting and tracking goals and successes (see “EnglishConnect Supports God’s Work of Salvation and Exaltation”).

• Improving program outcomes.

• Calling new teachers (see “Teachers”).

• Inviting more learners to participate (see “Inviting and Awareness”).

• Expanding access (see “Location and Frequency”).

• Inviting learners to explore additional Church resources (see “Connecting with Other Church Resources”).

Report to priesthood leaders. Report back to priesthood leaders on the successes and challenges of the EnglishConnect groups.

Ensure legal compliance. Ensure that the EnglishConnect program aligns with the local legal requirements found at englishconnect.org/leader/approved-locations.

Note: EnglishConnect resources are protected by copyright law and should not be modified without permission.

Mission Partnership

Plan to use EnglishConnect to share the gospel. EnglishConnect can become a significant part of a ward mission plan. EnglishConnect groups can:

• Increase finding and teaching opportunities for full-time missionaries.

• Strengthen relationships between members, friends of the Church, and missionaries.

• Help returning members or people being taught by the missionaries become integrated into a ward.

• Help members apply the principles of love, share, and invite (see General Handbook, 23.1).

Member-led, missionary-supported efforts will best help accomplish these outcomes. When members lead EnglishConnect groups, participants are more likely to build friendships with members and share faith-building experiences. Missionaries, mission leaders, and self-reliance committees should counsel together to make EnglishConnect groups a place where sharing and living the gospel is simple and natural.

Invite missionaries to help. In areas where stakes or wards are providing EnglishConnect groups, invite missionaries to help by:

• Attending groups and practicing with participants during activities.

• Practicing with learners between conversation groups.

• Teaching some lessons as needed.

Teachers

Role of Teachers

Teachers play a critical role in inviting the Spirit and fostering faith, fellowship, and growth in EnglishConnect groups. They do not need to be experts in English or have experience teaching. They do not need to speak the same language as learners. EnglishConnect lessons are designed using proven principles of language learning, and teachers will be successful as they lovingly guide learners through the lessons. Teachers help learners come closer to God through learning English.

Teacher Qualities

Good teachers have:

• Enthusiasm, excitement, and passion for teaching English.

• Love and patience for learners and a strong desire to see them succeed.

• A positive and an optimistic attitude.

• Dependability and availability to lead groups.

Call teachers. Because EnglishConnect learners can include minors, local priesthood leaders should interview each potential instructor and review their membership record for annotations before issuing a calling. Groups that have minors must have two adults present and follow Church policies for protecting youth. It is recommended that non-youth groups also have two teachers so they can team teach or cover for each other if one is away or sick.

Train teachers. You can train teachers using EnglishConnect for Teachers and the resources at englishconnect.org/teacher. You should also give teachers a copy of the learner manual and workbook (see “Materials”). Teachers are also encouraged to meet regularly to counsel together, share best practices, answer each other’s questions, and review training materials.

Help learners progress to be teachers. Teachers can identify learners in the group who could prepare to teach a group in the future. Teaching helps learners continue to grow and expands access to the program.

Materials

Provide learners with materials. Learners will need access to EnglishConnect 1 for Learners or EnglishConnect 2 for Learners either digitally in Gospel Library or in print through the Church’s online store at store.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Additional resources are also available to enhance their learning, including workbooks and online activities. For descriptions of all the resources available to learners, see “What are the learner and teacher materials for EnglishConnect?” in the “Frequently Asked Questions” section.

Print Resources

If you provide print resources, local units support this effort with their existing budget. If you need funding, stake presidents should follow the approved process to request funding. Do not charge any participation fees to learners. If learners are expected to purchase print resources for themselves, they can do that through local distribution centers or the Church’s online store.

Note: Manuals may take up to six weeks to arrive.

Provide teachers with materials. Teachers should study EnglishConnect for Teachers in Gospel Library as well as other training resources at englishconnect.org/teacher.

Virtual Lesson Presentations

Teachers can use the EnglishConnect presentation resources to help guide virtual conversation groups. Lesson presentations are available at englishconnect.org/resources/teaching-materials.

Location and Frequency

Decide if you will offer in-person or virtual groups. In-person groups in Church buildings are recommended to provide fellowshipping opportunities. If access to Church buildings is a challenge for participants, consider providing online groups. The “Guide to Leading Virtual Groups” and “Virtual Group Participant Guide” can help leaders, teachers, and learners create an inspiring learning environment online. Virtual lesson presentations are available at englishconnect.org/resources/teaching-materials.

Decide how frequently the groups will meet. Most groups meet once or twice a week, but lessons are written so groups can meet more frequently if desired. Remember that learners need time to complete the personal study activities before each lesson.

Decide when and how long the groups will meet. Choose a day and time that will work best for learners and teachers. Most groups meet for 90 minutes, but groups could meet for a different amount of time if desired.

Decide the duration of the groups and which units they will cover. Many groups are ongoing, meaning they start over with lesson 1 when they finish the manual. Other groups go through the manual once or cover only a portion of the units in the manual.

See the section “Examples” for ways leaders have organized groups.

Registration and Certificates (QuickReg)

Create and manage groups in QuickReg. QuickReg is a Church-approved tool to manage self-reliance groups. Create groups in QuickReg by going to quickreg.englishconnect.org. Then continue to use QuickReg to:

• Advertise groups.

• Change the date, time, and location of groups.

• Print participant certificates.

• Change a learner’s status.

• Conclude groups.

See the QuickReg tutorial at englishconnect.org/leader for training.

Note: To use QuickReg, a member must (1) have a Church calling and (2) have their calling recorded in Leader and Clerk Resources.

Print and award certificates from QuickReg. Teachers and self-reliance specialists can print and award participation certificates to learners who are enrolled in QuickReg.

Inviting and Awareness

Use awareness materials. Promotional materials are available on the Church’s online store at store.ChurchofJesusChrist.org and at englishconnect.org/resources/leader#publicity.

Invite learners. You can use usual communication channels to advertise EnglishConnect groups, such as ministering sisters and brothers, missionaries, ward bulletins, flyers, and so forth. Where authorized and funded by local units, groups can also consider advertising on social media or a local ward or stake web page. Before initiating any of these advertising methods, review local legal guidelines at englishconnect.org/leader/approved-locations.

Welcome learners. Establish a plan for how you will welcome learners when they register for the group.

Invite friends of other faiths. You are encouraged to include people from different faith backgrounds. Always show respect for others’ beliefs while openly sharing your faith that God can help participants learn English.

Consider inviting youth. You can organize groups just for youth, or you can invite youth to attend with adults. In EnglishConnect, the rising generation learns how to receive God’s help to learn English. These lessons can help them have faith that God will help them in all aspects of their lives.

Follow Church policies for protecting youth. Minors (those age 18 or younger and living at home) must have a signed parental consent form before attending the group. Forms are available in multiple languages at englishconnect.org/resources/leader. Additionally, EnglishConnect groups must always follow the Church policy that at least two responsible adults be present at all times during group meetings. These policies must be followed even if the group is meeting virtually.

Progressing to the Next Level

Educate learners on the EnglishConnect and BYU–Pathway Worldwide education and career path. EnglishConnect and BYU–Pathway Worldwide provide a path for learners to obtain new skills in an environment of fellowship and faith. You can find resources at byupathway.org/englishconnect.

Help learners enroll in EnglishConnect 3. See the section “Connecting Learners to EnglishConnect 3 Groups.”

Connect with your local BYU–Pathway Worldwide service missionaries. Discuss ways to support learners as they transition from EnglishConnect 3 to BYU–Pathway Worldwide.

Connecting with Other Church Resources

Connect with additional Church resources. Make plans to connect participants with additional Church resources, such as other self-reliance groups, youth activities, and opportunities to learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ. See the page “Emotional, Educational, and Employment Resources” at ChurchofJesusChrist.org for more information.