Other Information

All of our teacher development courses are eligible for ERASMUS+ funding

Course Overview

English today is a rapidly-changing patchwork of accents, dialects, slangs and regional variations.  This is a reflection of a constantly evolving cultural landscape.

This 50-hour course looks at the varieties of English used around the world, and specifically in the UK, and the factors that influence language change. We will look at changes in British social and cultural life, literature, music, film and television. You will gain greater understanding of different varieties of English and how these can shed light on identity, class and subcultures. We will also explore methodological and practical approaches to teaching contemporary English and cultural / intercultural awareness through a variety of techniques and resources.

What will the course include?

The course will include content drawn from some or all of the following areas, depending on your contextual and personal needs and priorities:

• Recent developments and changes in English
• The role of the media, the internet and social networking
• Language and social class
• Current political and social issues
• Popular culture and subcultures
• Contemporary British literature
• Discourse analysis, with particular reference to contemporary spoken and written texts
• A look at regional dialects and accents
• International Englishes
• Developing language awareness
• Designing materials for language awareness

Time will be built into the course for reflection and for you to consider how to adapt ideas from the course to the classroom in your own professional context.

As a course participant, you will receive a pre-course questionnaire, which should be returned prior to the course. This is to ensure that the areas of most relevance to you are integrated into the course content. 

All NILE’s courses involve a significant element of English language improvement and/or development of language awareness.

How long is the course?

The 50-hour course provision includes intensive tuition by trainers who are experts in the fields of English language teaching and methodology, as well as opportunities for reading and research and a guest lecture from a well-known figure in the field of ELT.

Classes are held from Monday to Friday and take place as detailed in the course-specific timetable but within the hours 0915 – 1715.

What approach is used?

Classes will be practical and ‘hands-on’, but with reference to relevant theory

• Courses are participant-centred and entail involvement in tasks and activities which boost confidence and provide memorable learning contexts
• Tasks will be used to illustrate the key course objectives through procedure as well as content