Lorraine Faulds is a trainer at In'to Languages and has been supporting teachers in bilingual education for about 12 years. She helps them improve their English language skills and works with the CLIL (Content & Language Integrated Learning) methodology.
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Teaching confidently in English with the Classroom English e-learning programme
“I speak English well, but I still get stuck in class from time to time.” A recognisable experience for many teachers in bilingual education (TTO). They have a perfect grip on the content of their subject, but their language skills limit their ability to teach in English as freely as they do in their mother tongue. And this in turn affects both their self-confidence and their pupils' learning experience.
“What appeals to me personally about bilingual education is that it forces teachers to shape their classes more consciously,” Lorraine explains. “To explain something in English, you have to think critically about the language you use to capture certain concepts in language. What you are doing, in a way, is looking at the material from the perspective of the student, which gives a lot of insight into the learning process and the guidance students need.”
English for the classroom
One of the ways Lorraine helps teachers do this is with the Classroom English e-learning programme. This programme is aimed at developing precisely those language skills that TTO teachers need to teach well in English. “It's largely about self-confidence,” says Lorraine. “Some teachers doubt whether they can convey their material in English as clearly and with the same level of nuance as in Dutch. Others struggle with everyday things like: what do you say to get a loud group to be quiet? How do you give constructive feedback that encourages pupils to participate? Practising these things helps people gain more self-confidence. When you no longer have to struggle with your language use, you can be more authentic in front of the class and you can use CLIL didactics more effectively.”
Flexible and personal
The e-learning programme offers a practical solution to support busy teachers in this process. Because, as Lorraine knows, it is often complicated to organise a training programme for teaching teams. “Schools are willing, but they have to deal with overcrowded schedules. So we developed this e-learning programme, which offers the needed depth and interaction, but is much easier to schedule. Moreover, this method is also suitable for smaller groups, for whom on-site training is often too expensive.”
The e-learning programme allows us to help teachers in a more flexible and very targeted way
Teachers can follow the different modules independently and receive detailed individual feedback. “This not only makes it possible to fit this programme into busy schedules, it also allows us to help teachers in a very targeted way. For example, we ask teachers to regularly record a snippet of their class so we can give them tips for their own teaching situation and personal bottlenecks.”
Experience it yourself
When several members of a teaching team take the e-learning programme at the same time, we organise online sessions in which participants can discuss the material together. Lorraine: “We also use these moments to let teachers experience certain teaching activities from the student's perspective.” A big plus, says participant Mignon Dietz-Pemberton: “Because Lorraine integrated CLIL activities into our sessions, we were able to see for ourselves how CLIL works in practice. It wasn't just theory and abstract concepts; she made sure we got to work with the material ourselves in a meaningful and practical way. As someone who learns by doing, this approach works incredibly well for me. Being able to experience first-hand how CLIL works made the learning process both fun and valuable.”
Targeted practice with classroom skills
What topics are covered in the programme? “In addition to general language development, we focus on a specific aspect of teaching in each module,” Lorraine explains. “For example, how to guide students through a task, or how to engage them more actively in class with targeted questions.” The e-learning programme is suitable for beginning TTO teachers, but also for those with more experience. “It is perfect to prepare teachers for a certification audit, for example. Thanks to the activities at different levels, there is enough challenge for everyone.”
The most important thing I learned is how to encourage my students to speak English in class
“The exercises were spot-on and incredibly useful,” says participant Coen Kok, who, like Mignon Dietz-Pemberton, teaches at Zadkine College in Rotterdam. “The most important thing I learned is how to encourage my students to speak English in class. I now know better how to direct and guide them in a more subtle way. As a result, everyone feels safer to make mistakes, and the overall classroom atmosphere is nicer.”
Valuable addition
“It is impressive every time to see how teachers apply what they have learned in the modules to their teaching practice,” Lorraine says. “I often see the penny really drop for a teacher when their students or pupils respond well to the adjustments in language use, even if these are sometimes very small. But what gives me the most satisfaction is that teachers not only teach their own subject more confidently, but that they also discover that teaching in English really has added value – both for the student and for themselves.”
More support for TTO teams
In'to Languages has 35 years of experience training teachers in bilingual education. Would you like to go deeper or are you looking for training on the basics of CLIL? Browse through our development workshops for teachers. We also offer the Classroom English Observation Service, in which an expert watches your class and gives you a personal feedback report.
