Description
Targeted to B1 speakers or above. Read more »
At the B1 CEFR level, learners comprehend the main points of clear texts on familiar subjects and handle most situations while traveling. They can produce simple connected texts, expressing experiences, opinions, and plans in a concise manner.
Teaching English – or any other language – is not easy, especially in today’s fast-paced society. Language teachers need to catch up with their students’ interests to motivate them and at the same time to offer applicable knowledge in the form of up-to-date information, texts, and means of communication.
This course will help language teachers experience how to motivate students to communicate and develop all four language skills. At the same time, it will empower participants to create their teaching materials using their creativity and resources.
The course will mix digital and plug-free activities to meet the expectations and interests of language teachers from different backgrounds regarding available schools and facilities.
During the course, participants will explore a variety of ways to promote all four language skills including CLIL, video, photography, and ICT, as well as everyday items (real-world materials).
Participants will also be given plenty of ideas on how to use a variety of media and sources to engage students providing a motivating language acquisition environment.
Teachers will be encouraged to discuss and share their ideas and assist them in creating their teaching materials and teaching scenarios. Thus, they will end the course having already a lot of content ready for when they return to the classroom.
By the end of the course, participants will have explored and evaluated various language practice activities. In addition, they will be able to select and adapt the methods, techniques, and ideas offered to their everyday teaching taking into account the needs and language level of their students.
Suggested English Proficiency Level: INTERMEDIATE
What is included
Learning outcomes
The course will help the participants to:
- Learn and apply new methods to develop all four language skills;
- Choose the most suitable digital tools to foster students’ communication;
- Learn different techniques and methods to foster reading and listening comprehension;
- Use everyday objects and materials to create original teaching content;
- Develop their ideas on how to implement acquired methods.
Tentative schedule
Day 1 – Course introduction and language skills
- Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities;
- Icebreaker activities;
- Presentations of the participants’ schools;
- Individual orientation and setting goals.
The 4 language skills and the CEFR
- An overview of language skills;
- How to activate passive language skills (listening and reading)?
- The Common European Framework of Reference;
- The communicative approach: what is it all about?
- Discussion: Creating a list of topics to be addressed during the course;
- Learning diary.
Day 2 – Photos, videos, and ICT tools for teaching languages
- Digital tools for language classroom – overview;
- Free and simple tools to gamify grammar and vocabulary;
- Digital tools to foster reading and writing;
- A photo is worth a thousand words!
- Creating a video;
- Using video to foster students listening, speaking, and writing skills.
Day 3 – Teaching with real-world materials
- Teaching materials all around us. Let’s be creative and have fun teaching and learning!
- Exchanging and doing each other’s tasks to discover learning outcomes;
- Feedback: formulating learning outcomes;
- Creating original writing tasks for different levels.
Day 4 – CLIL and the Total Physical Response (TPR) theory
- Introduction to CLIL;
- CLIL: language methods for interdisciplinary teaching;
- TPR and the four language skills;
- The importance of movement in the classroom.
Day 5 – Getting to action
- How to assess? Examples and discussion on rubrics;
- Project: Develop a lesson plan;
- Presenting and sharing ideas;
- Free teaching and learning resources;
- What’s next? – Planning follow-up activities.
Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities
- Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
- Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
- Excursion and other external cultural activities.
