Other Information

All of our teacher development courses are eligible for ERASMUS+ funding

Course Overview
This course will give you an insight into the dynamic relationship between language, methodology and materials. During the course you will learn how classroom practice is shaped by our changing understanding of language and learning and also see how this knowledge emerges in teaching materials. This course will encourage you to rethink your teaching and make positive and principled changes to all areas of your classroom practice in the light of contemporary theory and also give you a clear understanding of factors related to materials design. Not only will the course increase your understanding of contemporary ELT methodology, it will help you evaluate and select the methodology and materials best suited to your learners. You will also improve your knowledge and use of written and spoken English.

Who is the course suitable for?
This course is aimed at ELT professionals who are interested in:

• improving their understanding and command of contemporary written and spoken English
• raising their awareness of how language, materials and methodology interact in the teaching of English

Participants should have a minimum language level corresponding to B2 on the Common European Framework

What will the course include?
All course participants receive a pre-course questionnaire, which should be returned prior to the course. This is to ensure that the areas of most relevance to participants are covered.
The three main strands of the course will be carefully integrated and will include attention to some or all of the following, in line with participants’ needs and interests:

• Personal language development
• Pedagogic grammar
• Grammar at discourse level
• Vocabulary extension work
• Language change
• Language and culture
• Materials evaluation
• Basic principles in materials design
• Multimedia materials
• Recent developments in methodology
• Issues in language learning
• The changing role of the teacher

Time will be built into the course for reflection and for participants to consider how to adapt ideas from the course to classrooms in their own professional contexts.
All NILE’s courses involve a significant element of English language improvement and/or development of language awareness.

How long is the course?
The 50-hour course provision includes intensive tuition by trainers who are experts in the fields of language, materials and methodology, as well as opportunities for reading and research and guest lectures from well-known figures in the field of ELT.
Classes are held from Monday to Friday and take place as detailed in the course-specific timetable but always within the hours 0915 – 1715.

What approach is used?

•  Classes will be practical and ‘hands-on’, but with reference to relevant theory.
•  Courses are participant-centred and entail involvement in tasks and activities which boost confidence and provide memorable learning contexts.
•  Tasks will be used to illustrate the key course objectives through procedure as well as content.

Facilities and resources
NILE course participants have free access to an extensive ELT library and a modern suite of computers with a broadband Internet link. The NILE course venues have a wireless (Wi-Fi) environment. Each course has a Moodle online learning environment where course materials and views of course participants can be shared digitally. This is kept active for at least six months beyond the course so you can keep in touch with fellow course participants.