Lake School of English: Home > Courses > Short Courses > Teacher Refresher Secondary
Teacher Refresher Secondary
Improve your teaching, update your English, make new contacts and enjoy yourself!
These intensive 2-week courses have fixed start dates in January, April, June, July, August and November and are on the EU Comenius-Grundtvig LLP database.
These courses are ideal for overseas teachers of English to secondary school students and adults, who would like to refresh their teaching methodology and to make friends and contacts from other parts of the world.
Courses in July and August 2010 will be held in the beautiful, modern premises of Oxford University Business School 2 minutes' walk from the Lake School building in Park End Street. If you're a summer course participant please check this link for important information about your course at the Oxford University Business School venue.
| Hours per week |
21 + weekly cultural / social activities |
|---|---|
| Maximum class size | 14, 12 average |
| Minimum age | 21 |
| Language level | Intermediate or above |
| Course Code | For those applying for EU funding, the LLP database course code is UK-2009-970-010 |
Your course includes:
- 21 hours per week
- Creative ideas to make your classes more lively and interactive
- Practical activities for motivating large classes
- Language improvement sessions
- A guided tour of Oxford
- A guided tour of Christchurch College or Punting on the River Thames
- One social evening with tutors per week
- A visit to a local school (dates permitting)
- A visit to or a presentation by an Oxford publisher, when possible
- Experienced guest tutors in English language teaching
- An end-of-course certificate outlining the sessions and hours attended
Course tutors and guest trainers
Our friendly, approachable tutors and guest trainers have substantial experience of teaching English as a foreign language and teacher training. They will adapt the content of your course to suit the needs and interests of the group, so that it is useful, relevant and enjoyable.
The Secondary/Adult Teacher Refresher Courses were originally developed by Sue Kay, author of the highly acclaimed Reward Teachers' Resource Packs and co-author of Inside Out, the well-known young adult course from Macmillan.
Lake School was great! I learned a lot, met friendly and interesting people, had fun and went to a lot of places. I enjoyed the lessons, they were helpful and motivating, the teachers are great, interesting and have a great sense of humour. I can't wait to try out everything in my classes!
Skadi Jaeschke - Germany - Secondary Teacher Refresher Course
Course content
All participants are required to fill in a Pre-Course questionnaire. The Course Co-ordinator plans the course to meet the special requirements of the group. The course content is outlined and discussed on the first morning, and is then adapted as appropriate.
The methodology sessions on the Secondary Teacher Refresher Courses are practical and communicative. They include a wide range of activities for dealing with reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation in large, mixed ability classes. Popular sessions include Blended Learning, Multiple Intelligences and Classroom Challenges. Personal language development is also an important element of the course and based on the needs of the participants. Language improvement sessions to refresh and update your language are dynamic and interactive. Topics include grammar awareness, pronunciation, collocation, phrasal verbs and idiomatic expressions.
Where requested and where possible, school visits in the local community are arranged. Some groups on summer courses also choose to attend an outdoor Shakespeare production in Oxford Castle or an Oxford University College garden. Course participants at other times of year often enjoy attending plays or concerts in theatres and music venues across the city.
Comenius-Grundtvig Funding, Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP)
Teacher Refresher Courses at the Lake School of English are eligible for EU funding and can be found on the Comenius-Grundtvig database. The course reference is UK-2009-970-010, the course title is 'Refresher Course in Practical, Creative Methodology for overseas English Language Teachers'. This course reference is valid until 2012.
The LLP deadline is 30th April 2010 for all courses taking place between September and December 2010. Don't delay, ask us for a pre-registration document and make your LLP Comenius-Grundtvig application in good time.
Under the Comenius-Grundtvig programme, grants are provided to teachers of foreign languages including English, to improve the quality of teaching and the pedagogical skills of language teachers. Grants are provided to teachers from: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey. Your National Agency will assess your application. If you would like to apply for Comenius funding, contact your local national agency.
Follow-up resources and support
Each participant will take away a CD of practical activities they can use in their classrooms and share with their colleagues.
All teachers on our Professional Development Courses are invited to join our webspace where you can share teaching ideas, classroom questions and thoughts on English with colleagues and friends.
The Lake School of English, 14 Park End Street, Oxford OX1 1JQ
