Training courses for primary teachers

Are you looking for teacher development specific to primary English language teaching?  

Below, you’ll see the range of courses offered at present and in the future. Click on the button below each course to find out more information.

Are you ready to make change?

For many people, the disruption caused by the pandemic changed our whole perception of education.

Children and teachers were thrown into emergency remote teaching, and in some cases, children were out of school for over a year. When schools reopened, some of us asked ourselves whether education, and in this case, English Language Teaching, would change, however things have been slipping back to the way they were before.

But the world has changed, and with it, our children. I believe that now is the time to reconsider what we’re asking children to learn and how this happens.

We need to ensure our children are ready for the challenges the future will bring. And we need to make sure that everyone has the same opportunities for learning.

 English for all children

🌱Inclusion means making sure we ensure our lessons cater for all learners and their needs.

🌱It means ensuring that all children have the same opportunities to learn.

🌱It means creating the right conditions in which all learners can thrive.

🌱It means providing a safe space for everyone to learn in.

Inclusive approaches

Inclusive approaches are flexible and can provide ways for all learners to shine.

My training courses will help you understand the benefits of different approaches and choose the right one(s) for your learners.

Inclusive Approaches for Primary Teachers

Inclusive Approaches for Primary Teachers product image

 

 

 

 

What is inclusion? How can we ensure our English programmes are inclusive? In this  course, we’ll explore the key principles of inclusivity through the Inclusive Pedagogies Framework, with a focus on learner needs and wellbeing and a glimpse into different learner-centred approaches suitable for the primary classroom.

6 week course

Inspiring Inquiries Training Pathway

Inspiring Inquiries Course in Inquiry-based learning for ELT

This course takes a deeper look at Inquiry-based learning, one of the approaches in the Inclusive Pedagogies Framework. This comprehensive course will give you a thorough understanding of how Inquiry-based learning works, including types of inquiry, planning, adapting to your curriculum, assessment, and more.

6 week core course plus additional modules

Is it for me?

If you’re a young learner teacher with a desire to change your teaching approaches, the answer is yes!

You might also be a teacher trainer or director of studies looking for alternative approaches to share with teachers or trainees.

The courses and resources on this site are aimed at English Language Teachers but teachers of CLIL or other subjects are also welcome!

Your students are aged between 6 and 12

Both courses and resources are designed for primary learners, although the general theory can also be adapted for early years or even secondary students. The resource packs offer suggestions for language content from pre-A1 to A2 level, which are suitable levels in terms of linguistic aims for this age group. However, there is really no upper limit to the level of language that can be used during an inquiry or project!

You work in a primary school, language school or offer private lessons

The training courses are designed to be flexible and work with teachers around the world in a variety of contexts. At each stage in a course, you will be asked to apply what you learn to your particular teaching situation. You will be supported in adapting inquiry-based and project-based approaches so they work best for you.

You have students who struggle and you think would benefit from a different approach

Inclusion is at the heart of the approaches in my courses and resources. Flexible approaches such as inquiry-based learning can be well suited to neurodiverse learners who may find a standard mainstream classroom environment challenging. Learners with dyslexia, AD(H)D, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and autistic learners all have different strengths that can be allowed to shine when we use different approaches in the classroom.

You think current methods are outdated and you’re looking for change

What is the objective of education? Why are our students learning English? If, like me, you believe that primary education should equip children with the skills they need to navigate the world of today – and the future – you may feel disillusioned with current methodology, which teaches to the test and is heavily weighted towards the accumulation of knowledge. But change is possible. Let’s work together to start changing education from the perspective of ELT with small steps that we can implement straight away!

You have a desire to learn!

If you’re here, it’s because you have a love of learning. As teachers, learning is our business and it is inevitable that we want to continue striving for ways of improving our ELT programmes. However, it’s important that you have the time and motivation to really engage with the course content for best results. You’ll be encouraged to take part in group discussions, move from theory to practice and consider how you can implement what you learn in the course. Participation is key.

If you (like me) are an ELT geek teaching primary-level learners I’m sure you’ll find the information and ideas Michelle presents to be very valuable and immediately applicable to your teaching context. What I found most helpful was Michelle’s personalised responses, comments and suggestions on my reflections and posts in our online course community, as well as those of my other course participants. At a time in which frankly, there are so many professional development opportunities available online it can become a little overwhelming to identify which areas you want to focus on and which courses would be most beneficial for you. Having such personalised feedback and suggestions to help me personally,  in my teaching context with my classes was a unique opportunity and helped my reflections to become real changes to my teaching practice. It’s rare to find a course that is so well-tailored to your individual needs, while catering for a group and Michelle provides exactly this. The course has pushed me to continue investigating and implementing differentiated activities in the YL English language classroom and providing student choices, as well as adapting materials to make them more accessible and more personalised for the students I actually teach. It has also developed my appreciation of learner well-being and ways in which I can go about trying to nurture and support young learners’ emotional needs.

Vicky Anderson

English language teacher in a private language centre in Spain

I saw Michelle speak at her TESOL-Spain conference session entitled “English for all: exploring inclusive approaches to ELT”. I particularly enjoyed her discussion of how enquiry-based learning can engage and challenge all students. The concrete examples of enquiry-based projects were particularly useful for me, as they helped me connect the theoretical framework with my classroom experience. I found Michelle’s talk both practical and inspiring, and I highly recommend her as a teacher trainer.

Lauren Hamilton Sáez

English Teacher & Writer, Freelance

I loved the way Michelle started her session with self reflection by sharing her past errors and for showing they are part of the process of becoming a great teacher. In the workshop, Michelle talked about neurodiversity and the different challenges we may face in the classroom with our students, which was both useful and inspiring. It’s clear how much she loves teaching and she seems to be always learning and trying out new ideas. I would definitely recommend Michelle for teacher training and I’d love for us to collaborate on a course together someday.

Sandra Rodrigues

Teacher trainer / Primary English teacher