Thomson ELT and TESOL to Provide Online Teacher Training

Boston, MA, 05/02/2006, Thomson ELT, a leading provider of materials for English language teaching and learning throughout the world and part of The Thomson Corporation (TSX: TOC; NYSE: TOC), announced this week plans to provide online training for teachers with Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL), a global education association headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, in the United States. As part of this collaboration, Thomson ELT will be able to provide TESOL certificates of completion to participants in Thomson’s ELT Advantage Online Courses for Teachers for selected courses reviewed by TESOL. Thomson ELT will provide a platform for TESOL to produce teacher training courses online. The platform will also be used for TESOL live events and seminars. Both Thomson ELT and TESOL will jointly promote these educational programs.

It is estimated that as much as 20 percent of the world’s population is actively engaged in English language learning at any given time, representing more than one billion learners annually. The vast majority of those who speak English daily are non-native speakers of the language, many of whom need and seek additional training. The enormous demand for English language learning prompts an urgent need for qualified teaching professionals, many of whom have come from other professions or disciplines.

"With the dramatic growth of English language education, we have seen a corresponding growth in the demand for training, support, and professional development for English language teachers. Thomson ELT is committed to providing high quality resources in this important area and is delighted to be able to work with TESOL here" said Dennis Hogan, president of Thomson ELT.

"This agreement will help TESOL meet two key goals in its strategic plan; expanding professional development opportunities and facilitating organizational sustainability and growth. This exciting new development will assist TESOL to better serve its members and the profession worldwide through the continued growth of TESOL’s online professional development programs" said Jun Liu, president of TESOL.

"Our online teacher training initiative enables teachers around the world to receive professional development at their convenience from experts in English language teaching. It also provides a unique opportunity to share the learning experience with teachers from other countries and environments, which in itself offers numerous benefits" commented Hogan.

About The Thomson Corporation and Thomson ELT

The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com ), with 2005 revenues of $8.70 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to more than 20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate e-learning and assessment, scientific research and healthcare. With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson has approximately 40,000 employees and provides services in approximately 130 countries. The Corporation’s common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC). Thomson ELT is a leading provider of materials for English language teaching and learning throughout the world. It publishes under the brands of Thomson, Thomson ELT, and Thomson Heinle. You can learn more about ELT Advantage and Thomson ELT by visiting us on the web at elt.thomson.com.

About TESOL

Founded in 1966, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL) is a global education association with more than 14,000 members and 97 affiliates in over 140 countries. TESOL is recognized as a nongovernmental organization (NGO) of the United Nations Department of Public Information. TESOL’s mission is to ensure excellence in English language teaching to speakers of other languages. For more information about TESOL, visit http://www.tesol.org.

Contact Information

Adam Gaber

Senior Director, Public Relations

Thomson Learning

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