English in the Primary classroom (5 – 11yrs)

Fast Facts

Target Audience

Primary level and Kindergarten teachers of English and other languages, who would like to refresh their teaching methods and techniques. Participants need to be at a minimum B1 level of English.

Preparation

After registration, participants on this course programme will receive:

• A pre-course questionnaire to enable trainers to learn about the participants’ teaching backgrounds
• Information about the Europass Mobility Certificate
• A recommended reading list to prepare participants for various aspects of the course
• Information about York to prepare teachers for their cultural experience

Objectives

• To enable a better understanding of Primary Language Teaching and expand and build on previous knowledge, using a range of practical methodologies
• To introduce new teaching methodologies and accompanying techniques, using hands-on experiential methods
• To help teachers reflect on their own teaching methods and contexts and develop teaching skills
• To introduce an awareness of technology and ICT in the classroom today
• To exchange pedagogical information and knowledge in a multi-cultural context
• To further develop participants’ own language skills
• To experience the cultural heritage of York

Methodology

Sessions demonstrate current Young Learner EFL approaches, methodologies and techniques. An interactive communicative approach is applied, which provides participants with their own experiential learning of the activities and methodologies. Input sessions are in the form of hands-on workshops and involve brainstorming, analysis, problem-solving, and role-play, both in pair work and group work. Teachers are asked to reflect on the activities, inviting discussion with regard to their own pedagogical knowledge and skills, teaching methods and contexts, and on adaptation of activities to their teaching and learning situations. Both teaching and learning are explored, analysed and discussed, further enabling the participants’ use of their communication skills in English. Participants are actively involved in the sessions to maximize their learning and to experience activities from their learners’ point of view.

Follow Up

The course ends with an evaluation session, where teachers are asked to reflect upon the value of the knowledge gained on the course, create a Personal Development Action Plan, and select activities which they would like to try out in their own classes. They are invited to join the York Associates Community, which allows networking and contact with the trainers and fellow colleagues, and with participants from other courses.

Sample Course Programme