COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Refresher Course for Language Teachers is a practical course that explores ideas, techniques and resources for language teaching and learning, where the primary focus is on the development of the students’ communciative competence. Teachers look at ideas for designing engaging, collaborative real-world tasks to help develop the students’ communicative competence across all language skills, and deepen their knowledge of the target language system. We explore the task-based method that underpins this approach and look at a framework for developing task-based lessons. Teachers will develop lessons and teaching materials appropriate to their teaching context. The course also introduces teachers to a range of digital resources to support students in independent study, and becoming lifelong language learners.
WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?
The course is open to teachers working in both English Language and Foreign Language Education, and is suitable for both experienced and novice teachers who want to explore new ideas, get a fresh perspective, or deepen their understanding and practice of truly communicative language teaching.
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicants must have minimum level of B2 level of English, as outlined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
COURSE AIMS:
The aim of this course is to help teachers:
- Explore fresh ideas and techniques for developing engaging, communicative lessons,
- Select and design resources to support students in their communication and in their language development,
- Design tasks which are pedagogically underpinned by a task-based approach,
- Plan and deliver a variety of task-based lessons with confidence.
COURSE CONTENT:
The Refresher Course for Language Teachers offers a real alternative for teachers who feel that their teaching relies too heavily on a grammar-focussed syllabus, and who want their students to be more motivated and engaged in their language learning, and to better use the target language in real communicative situations, both inside and outside the classroom.
This course focuses on Task-based learning, a learner-centred methodology which puts communicative language use at its core. Focusing on real-world tasks it provides a robust methodology that gives learners the freedom to use language communicatively and gives teachers principled techniques to work on the development of their students’ language.
The course begins by exploring the core concepts of a task-based approach. Throughout the course teachers apply the principles of the methodology to the design of engaging, collaborative tasks based around topics and texts. Teachers look at how to sequence tasks into a lesson framework and also consider how the task-based approach can be used with different student groups, such as Beginners, Exams classes, or those studying English for Specific Purposes.
Importantly, teachers also consider how to focus on language within the communicative framework of a task-based lesson, and look at ways of ensuring their lessons provide a good balance of opportunities for real, communicative language use, and development of students’ knowledge of language form.
Teachers will be introduced to free online tools and resources which they can use to support their students in independent language learning and communicative target language use.
COURSE MODULES:
- Core Pedagogical Concepts of the Task-based Approach
- Lesson Planning for the Communicative Classroom
- Designing Tasks and Materials: Working with Texts
- Designing Tasks and Materials: Working with Topics
- Language Work in a Task-based Lesson (Vocabulary, Grammar, Pronunciation)
- Digital Tools for Exploring Language Independently
COURSE OUTCOMES:
By the end of this course teachers will have:
- Researched a task-based approach to language teaching and learning and considered how it can be used as a framework for developing communicative skills-based lessons.
- Worked with other teachers to develop and deliver a task-based lesson.
- Explored activities to raise students’ awareness of language features for communicative competence (vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation) and give them practice in these.
- Developed a portfolio of tasks and resources for use in their own teaching context, and resources to train their students to become independent language learners and users of the target language.
METHODOLOGY:
The Refresher Course for Language Teachers combines course input from our trainers with group discussion and collaborative work. Teachers are encouraged to share ideas and experiences, and are given the opportunity to collaborate on different types of tasks in order to create their own resources and put the theory into practice. Teachers should finish the course with a portfolio of materials and lesson ideas that can be used in their teaching context, or for the purposes of training other teachers in this methodology.
INCLUDED IN THE COURSE:
- Lessons: 20 hours tuition
- Course materials included
- Interactive discussions with other teachers
- End-of-course certificate
OTHER INFORMATION:
If minimum number per course are not met, we will offer participants a combination of General English development and Teacher Training Development as an alternative. Therefore:
- For courses with 9 particpants or more we will offer the full course as indicated.
- For courses with 5-8 particpants we will offer 20 hours General English and 10 hours of Teacher Training Development in the afternoons.
- For courses with 1-4 particpants we will offer 20 hours General English and 5 hours of Teacher Training Development in the afternoons.
Przykładowe zajęcia dodatkowe:
bilard *, bowling *, cycling *, ice scating *
art and craft workshops, board games, city tour/walk, conversation practice, cultural activities, guided city tours *, guided museum tours *, orientation tour, pub and restaurant evenings, school party, sightseeng
Moher Cliffs *, Guiness Storehouse *, Jameson Destillery *, St Patrick Cathedral, Dublin Castle *
* zajęcia dodatkowo płatne
Uczestnicy kursu
