PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
WORKSHOPS for
TEACHERS of  ENGLISH

1 . Managing your class (2 hours)

What does management mean, both inside and outside the classroom? This workshop will focus on managing discipline, learners and L2, space and dynamics, and time and ourselves as teachers. We will discuss each of these classroom management areas and draw on our experience as teachers to establish what best practice might be in terms of managing our learners.

2 . Teaching & correcting grammar (2 hours)

‘Teaching grammar' has become something of a negative phrase in this age of communicative language teaching, but what is the place of grammar today? David Nunan (1991) says ‘grammar enables us to “mean”', so how important is it? This workshop will discuss the importance of grammar, and discuss ways in which we can make our teaching of grammar more effective. Furthermore, we will consider our approaches to mistakes, when to correct, and how, and discuss in what ways feedback for oral errors needs to differ from that given for written errors.

3 .Speaking skills, fluency and accuracy(2 hours)

Do we need to teach speaking skills? Why? What does speaking actually involve, and what do learners need to practise? This workshop will address these questions, and attempt to clarify both the meaning and the importance of accuracy and fluency in spoken language.

4 .Using songs and music (2 hours)

How can songs and music be used to help our learners develop both their listening and writing skills? This workshop will discuss ways of using songs in the classroom, both as a method of developing our learners' skills as listeners, but also as a stimulus for creative writing.

5 .Teaching listening & reading skills to higher level students (2 hours)

This workshop will focus on the receptive skills learners need to develop when preparing for higher level examinations, such as FCE, IGCSE E2L and GCE English.  We will discuss the various problems that learners face in developing these important skills, and talk about how teachers can modify and extend their current classroom practice to accommodate learner difficulties.  There will be ample time for teachers to contribute their own thoughts about teaching listening and reading skills to higher level students, and time will also be allocated for teachers to try out some interesting activities which they can easily transfer to the classroom.

7 . Literature and Language Teaching (2 hours)

This workshop on literature and language teaching is for teachers who want to introduce an element of literature into the language classroom. We will ask the question ‘Why teach literature?' and we will explore different approaches to using literature with all levels and different age groups, and look at the criteria for selecting and evaluating materials for classroom use. Furthermore, there will be time spent on analysing the features of novels, short stories, poems and plays so that these can be used effectively in the language classroom.

8 . Classroom Language Activities for Teenagers (2 hours)

This workshop will look at a variety of activities which will tempt teenagers into learning English in a more meaningful and enjoyable manner. Time will be spent on activities for ice-breakers, skills practice, developing meaningful lexis, and discussion topics, as well as maintaining discipline. All the activities can be used alongside any coursebook in order to supplement specific language teaching and learning.

9 . Teaching Multilevel Classes (2 hours)

All of us need to deal with classes of different levels of language, abilities and knowledge. This workshop will focus on ways to improve student motivation and interest, and discuss how mixed ability classes can be used to advantage in the teaching and learning process. We will try out various practical activities which encourage participation and involvement from all students.

10 . Language – how English works (2 hours)

Teachers of English need to have good production skills, but we also need to know how the language works in order to teach it effectively. So, what is it about language that teachers need to know? This workshop will consider this question and raise teachers' awareness of language through a variety of practical tasks. We will consider the language at phoneme and word level, and then build up to phrase and sentence level and finally consider complete texts.

11 . IELTS (½ day)

This workshop is suitable not only for teachers who are new to IELTS, but also for those who have already had experience in preparing students for the examination. There will be a short overview of the examination and what language skills are assessed, as well as a more detailed look at each of the four papers. There will also be an opportunity to watch a sample speaking test, and to grade sample pieces of writing.

12 . Cambridge PET (½ day)

PET is at B1 level of the Common European Framework, and has been accredited by the QCA as an Entry Level 3 ESOL certificate in the UK 's National Qualifications Framework. This workshop is designed to assist teachers in preparing their students for the PET examination, and will look at various tasks and exercises which will cover all the examination papers. There will be the chance to watch a sample speaking test, and to assess the candidates' performances.

 13 . Cambridge KET (½ day)

KET is at A2 level of the Common European Framework, and has been accredited by the QCA as an Entry Level 2 ESOL certificate in the UK 's National Qualifications Framework. This workshop is designed to assist teachers in preparing their students for the KET examination, and will look at various tasks and exercises which will cover all the examination papers. There will be the chance to watch a sample speaking test, and to assess the candidates' performances.

14 . Revitalise your IGCSE English as a Second Language teaching! (Full day)

A full-day of six workshops, each one focusing on a different aspect of the examination. The workshops focus on practical teaching ideas, and not the examination itself, although reference will be made to the various papers and question types. Teachers will have the opportunity to discuss different activities and tasks which will not only appeal to their learners, but also provide valuable practice in the skills required to be successful at the IGCSE E2L level.