The Via Lingua approach to professional teacher training
An appreciation of group dynamics
Our trainers are aware of how groups function and the stages they need to go through in order to work effectively. This is so important in determining how successful individual trainees will eventually be on the course. Effective groups do not happen by chance; the style and process which are utilized by the trainer directly influence success.
Interactive learning
Training sessions are managed in such a way that you will take an active part in your own education. Sessions are characterized by interactive activities where you will be required to consider situations / concepts / questions through performing a set of tasks. The cycle of "doing", "reflecting", "hypothesizing" and "testing" is employed in all aspects of the course.
Academic rigor
The ideas and concepts which are explored with trainees should be firmly grounded in an awareness of established pedagogical research and practice. Reference will be made during the sessions and in recommended reading tasks to the theoretical base underpinning the content of input sessions.
Pragmatism
Trainers provide you with practical guidelines, tips, strategies, materials and models which can be practically utilized in the classroom.
Modeling
Trainers model teaching approaches and activities which you will be able to replicate in the TEFL classroom. This may be in the form of instruction giving, the use of pairs and small groups, the management of feed-back sessions or strategies for introducing and exploring areas of grammar.
Opportunities for practice
Many of the input sessions will provide you with the opportunity to test out new ideas and insights through peer teaching activities.
Our Philosophy = Your Success!
- You are in charge of your own learning. You learn when you participate actively in the learning process. By doing this, you create your own understanding of new information and add it to what you already know.
- You learn better when you have to work together with other students to accomplish a task. Your trainer knows that everyone has a different way of doing things and plans opportunities for you to demonstrate your learning.
- You learn more deeply when you have to interact with other students and share the new information you’ve learned. You interact when you listen or speak to someone, read what they’ve written, or write to them.
- You won’t know if you’ve learned the new information well until you have to “do” something with it…solve a problem, develop a new way of doing something, or create an intellectual product.
- You are the center of learning. The trainer plans a learning activity and guides you through it, step by step, until you can do it yourself. The trainer is there to help and support you, to encourage you and give you feedback. Nobody can teach you; only you can learn.
- You learn best when you have to judge the work you and other students have created and think about the process you went through to create it.
You are the center of Via Lingua’s approach to learning how to teach English. Everything we do is designed to help you, the student, achieve success.