Teachers to learn English language teaching techniques in Norwich

PALMA
SIXTY primary and secondary school teachers from the Balearics are travelling to Norwich at the end of next month to attend a course on teaching through English.

The two-week course is part of a training programme designed to increase the number of teachers in the region's schools who are able to give non-language classes, such as art or music, through English.

The teachers taking part in the programme are currently learning some of the latest methods in CLIL (content and language integrated learning) during a two-week course in Palma, organised by members of the Centre for Teaching Training.

Of the 60 teachers who were chosen to take part in the course, 29 of them had to take an intensive 100-hour, five-hour-a-day course to improve their English language oral skills.

The teachers come from schools across the Balearics, Montserrat Garcia told the Bulletin, and will be using CLIL to teach a range of different subjects in the new term starting in September.

Among the subjects that will be taught through English will be arts and crafts, music, PE, science and maths.
Garcia who has organised the content of the two-week course along with her colleagues said that the teachers taking part had gained a lot from it. “They were very grateful because of the variety of speakers that they have heard,” she said. “They have considered it very positive.” Some of the leading educational experts working in the field were among those who gave lectures during the course.
At the end of July, the 60 teachers will travel to the Norwich Institute for Language Learning, which provides specialist training for teachers.
Over the last decade CLIL has become an increasingly important part of the programmes that the institute offers. It is now one of the leaders in the field of CLIL.

During the teachers' two weeks in Norwich, they will learn different techniques and methodologies to help them teach their subject through English such as learning how to organise educational material and balance content with language.

A pilot CLIL programme was introduced in the Balearics a number of years ago but this method of teaching is still very much in its infancy.
However, with all levels of Government keen to improve the English language skills of the Balearic population, it is likely that many teachers on the islands will be interested in taking part in subsequent courses that are made available.