Seminar of Teaching English as a Foreign Language
(TEFL - Fachseminar Englisch)
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
(1) Tell me - and I forget.
Teach me - and I remember.
Involve me - and I learn.
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
US patriot, inventor, publisher, writer; Founding Father of the US
(2) If the teacher is wise, he does not bid you enter the
house of his wisdom,
but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind.
Khalil Gibran (1883-1931)
Lebanese painter, poet and philosopher
What does this mean for teaching in the language classroom?
And what does this mean for teacher training in our seminar of TEFL?
Under the influence of communicative theories great emphasis has been placed on learner-centred teaching, that is teaching which makes the learners needs and experience central to the educational process. In this framework, it is students needs which should drive the syllabus, not some imposed list; it is the students learning experiences and their responses to them which should be at the heart of the language course. The measure of a good lesson is the student activity taking place, not the performance of the teacher (You dont need the language practice, they do.). The teacher is no longer the giver of knowledge, the controller, and the authority, but rather a facilitator and a resource for the students to draw on.
Jeremy Harmer: The Practice of English Language Teaching. Longman 2001
With reference to these basics the following principles are to be held fundamental for the seminar of TEFL:
(1) learning by doing
i.e. practising the advertised approaches and methods in the seminar
(2) curriculum as a process
i.e. joint planning of the programme of our term according to requests of participants
(3) cooperation (of trainees and trainers)
i.e. is seen as a condition for successful training and development of resources
YOU ARE WELCOME!
Events & Opportunities
England Exchange
Take the excellent opportunity to improve your skills in English, to encounter different modes of teaching and learning, and to experience the British educational system at first hand.
Take part in the Rhineland-Palatinate Study VisitPogramme of Trainee Teachers in England
…also possible in France & Spain…
BBS-Fremdsprachentag
Exchange your ideas and experience when it comes to foreign language teaching with different trainee teachers at vocational schools at the Fremdsprachentag which is held every 2 years at different locations in the Rhineland-Palatinate region.
Links:
Council of Europe (CEFR): http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/CADRE_EN.asp