Professional Development

This course is designed for Overseas Teachers of English (or those about to enter the profession) whose first language is not English.

Fees & Dates

2010 Application for Enrolment Form for Teachers applying for Comenius/Grundtvig funding

2010 Application for Enrolment Form

This course is eligible for EU Socrates Comenius-Grundtvig Funding through the Lifelong Learning Programme.

You can choose to study for 1 or 2 weeks – each week is an independent unit, starting on a Monday. To join this course, you need to have a level of English at B2 on the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework for modern languages (Upper-Intermediate) or higher. You will be asked to do a pre-course language test to determine your level of English. You will also have a brief interview with a member of the College staff on arrival to further help us assess your level of spoken English.

You can study for 20 hours or 25 hours per week. Each week, the full-time 20-hour course comprises 15 hours of class tuition in a group (including 30-minutes break), and 5 hours of varied activities including observation of OHC classes. The 25-hour course also includes advanced English language skills practice and a look at some of the latest teaching materials with an educational publisher. Trainees can also attend Oxford House Club seminars.

The central objectives of the Professional Development Course are:

• to help trainees focus on professional practice and knowledge
• to enhance trainees’ professional status, both within their teaching institutions and within the profession as a whole

Specific objectives include:

• fostering an in-depth awareness of latest theory and practice in the specialist ELT areas of IT, literature, business and UK culture
• promoting professional collegiality
• fostering an awareness of learner autonomy and independence

The Professional Development Course syllabus includes library research, project work, autonomy and independent learning, teaching with IT, observation of teaching, staffroom collaboration and continuing professional development (CPD).

Examples of syllabus content include activities for teaching English literature, conducting a cultural awareness survey, adapting to different learning styles and needs, promoting learning outside the classroom, teaching with internet and intranet, analysing didactic business English materials, career development and portfolio-building.

All course participants receive a pre-course bibliography which they can refer to prior to the start of their course (although the reading of these texts is not a requirement to complete the course).

Participants who are already practising teachers are also invited to complete a brief selection of self-observation sheets to encourage them to analyse their own classroom performance in their own teaching situation, prior to the start of their course. These self-observation sheets are submitted to the Course Director at the start of the course, helping him or her to gain more insight into the teachers’ backgrounds and to better anticipate the teachers’ needs during the course.

On completion of your course, you will receive an Oxford House College certificate, with details of the course dates, the number of course hours, and details of topics covered. In addition you will receive a detailed and personalised report from the Course Director, with suggestions for further professional development.

Funding Your Course

For further information about Comenius-Grundtvig funding and National Agency contact details in your country, click here.

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