NLP in the Teaching Environment

Target Audience

This course is for all educational professionals, and teachers of all age groups and subjects (not only language teachers) and is open to all those who want to better understand how knowledge of NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) can be of benefit in communicating with others, whether students, parents or colleagues, and whether inside or outside the classroom, and whatever the language spoken. You will learn about the history, theory and practice of NLP, and develop some skills for applying it judiciously in your professional life. 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 which will 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

By the end of the course participants will:

• be able to understand NLP from a range of perspectives
• have advanced their own teaching methods and contexts and develop teaching skills
• have exchanged pedagogical information and knowledge in a multi-cultural context
• have gained a knowledge of the key principles of NLP, using hands-on experiential methods
• have increased confidence in applying the methodologies and theories of NLP
• have advanced their own language skills
• have developed a practical ability in the use of NLP strategies

Methodology

The sessions will identify situational contexts that are perceived to be difficult when teaching or managing other situations and other communication skills that need attention; they will cover real life and real professional examples of areas where improvements are needed. Other personal targets and ways of addressing these as well as any aspects of NLP and the ethical issues relating to using NLP that are of particular interest.

The sessions will demonstrate and train NLP activities from both the teachers’ and their learners’ point of view and will follow an interactive approach, providing participants with their own experiential learning of the activities and methodologies. There will be Input sessions in the form of hands-on workshops, allowing analysis, problem-solving, and role-play in pair work as well as group work, maximizing learning. Participants will be asked to reflect on the activities, inviting discussion with regard to their own professional/pedagogical knowledge and skills, teaching methods and work contexts, giving thought to how NLP can be applied to their own situations professional development. Both teaching and learning will be further explored, analyzed and discussed, and participants will also introduced to key resources related to the further development of their teaching skills and personal professional development, enabling the participants’ use of NLP in real situations.

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. They are also encouraged in this session to 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