Teacher Training Centre: Training for IH Teachers and Other Teachers

1. Ongoing professional development for IH Riga teachers


IH Riga is committed to teacher development and our aim is that IH Riga will increasingly become a popular destination for both newly-qualified teachers and those with previous teaching experience.


Newly-qualified teachers often need a lot of day-to-day support as well as regular input to enable them to develop into effective teachers. Whereas, experienced teachers are looking for a little more challenge and the opportunity for responsibility and Professional Development. Our aim is to provide for both types of teachers. The input and training on offer therefore, is various, and there are plenty of opportunities for teachers to start getting involved in the giving of input as well as receiving it. We provide…

An induction period

Teachers arriving in Latvia at the start of the school year follow a program of orientation covering administrative systems, local knowledge, specialised teaching areas and survival Latvian lessons.


Fortnightly  input sessions

These are led by experienced teachers. There are activity-based, language awareness and methodology sessions throughout the year, and there is usually a choice of sessions to cater for both newly qualified and more experienced teachers [see below for more details].

Observation and feedback

Observation is a regular part of teacher development. Such observations are based on the needs of the teacher. Official observations are carried out by experienced members of staff, and peer observations are also encouraged

2. Courses for all Teachers of English

International House Riga offers a number of teacher training opportunities every year to IH teachers and teachers outside the school. Depending on teachers' needs we run training courses and a full seminar programme throughout the year.

CELTA


In July each year we run a Celta course: Cambridge ESOL Certificate in Teaching English to Adults. This is an intensive introductory course in teaching English to adults. It lasts 120 hours. This course is led by international trainers who have trained on such courses around the world. More information 

In-House training throughout the year


Our in-house training is led by our very experienced team of teacher trainers: the Academic Director, Robert Buckmaster, and the Senior Teachers: Katerina Kazanowska and Michael Man.

This year we are running two courses for teachers.

The first is a 14 hour Language Awareness Course. This will take place on Tuesday afternoons roughly every second week from 1 to 2 pm.

The session topics are:
What is language? What is grammar?
Tense and Distance
Conventions of the sequence: tells and asks; Do
Be 1
Have + done
Be 2 [The Passive]
Modal Verbs Traditional
Modal Verbs new
Future Forms
Conditionals and Reported Speech
Conventions of the verb sequence
Nouns
Other Conventions
Review


The second is a Proficiency level language course for teachers. This will run on Wednesday afternoons from 1 to 2 pm.

For more information about these two programmes please contact Robert: robert@ihriga.lv


Last year [2010/11] we ran this series of seminars, about once every week:
  • IT in the Netlab 1
  • Learning Styles
  • Using the Laptop
  • Young Learners: Warmers, fillers and stirrers
  • Music and Video
  • Teacher beliefs
  • Speaking Skills and how to develop them
  • Using Word
  • PowerPoint
  • Poems and Music
  • Web Quests and Projects
  • Total Physical Response and Drama and Games
  • Teaching reading to Very Young Learners: alphabet +
  • Using the internet to source resources
  • New perspectives on Teaching
  • Different ages: what to expect and how to maximize their learning
  • Using Word Clouds
  • Podcasts for listening practice

In the past we have run specialised course for teachers including:

The International House Certificate in Teaching Young Learners

A course for teachers who want to develop their awareness and skills for teaching teenagers and young learners: 40 academic hours (note: fee rate  does not apply for this course). This course can now be taken as an on-line course with a local tutor. Please contact us for more information.

The course is aimed at English teachers who would like to develop their skills for teaching young learners. You may already have skills and experience in this area or it may be an area you wish to teach in more in the future. As a teacher of young learners you have an extra responsibility as the way you teach and the learning environment you create have an effect on the way the children will learn and view language learning for the rest of their lives. Knowing what young learners are like, what they need and how best to approach teaching them, along with a whole host of practical ideas will certainly make your job an easier and less daunting one.

The course is held on-line with a local tutor who will observe your lessons at IH Riga and give your detailed feedback on your teaching.

The online course costs 350 GBP. More information  here.

The local tutor part of the course costs 150 Lats.

The twenty sessions are entitled:
  1. Teaching Young Learners - An Introduction
  2. Classroom Management
  3. Child Development
  4. Planning for Young Learners
  5. Clarification of New Language
  6. Materials
  7. Practising New Language
  8. Different Approaches
  9. Use of L1
  10. Dealing with Mixed Ability
  11. Error Correction
  12. Speaking and Listening
  13. Teaching Very Young Learners
  14. Reading and Writing
  15. Teaching Adolescents
  16. Testing and Assessment
  17. Dealing with Parents
  18. IT and Video
  19. Using games in the YL classroom
  20. The ‘extras’ of teaching YLs
Course Participants will receive an International House Young Learner Certificate on completion of the course. This certificate is recognized as the world leader in the field of Young Learner Training.

Delta Module One Course

A preparation course for the Cambridge Diploma in Teaching English to Adults [Delta] examination: 24 academic hours.

Senior Teacher Management Course

An extensive introduction to management course for Senior Teachers and Assistant Directors of Studies who are thinking about moving into management: 16 academic hours. The course will focus on the development of teaches' knowledge of management principles including managing, observing and developing teachers; the culture of language schools and time management and professional development.

The International House Language Awareness Course

A course for teachers who want to develop their awareness of grammar and lexis: 28 academic hours.


The course is suitable for you if you are an English teacher or would like to train to be one. You need to have a good level of English and be interested in understanding the way in which English grammar works in more detail. The course is made up of 14 sessions each lasting 90 minutes, each focusing on a different area of grammar. The whole course will last 28 academic hours (1 academic hour = 45 minutes). The trainers take participants through a series of tasks designed to increase their understanding of the particular area to help them deal with the language point and learner problems. Session titles include:
  • Describing language
  • Tense
  • Auxiliaries
  • Modal Verbs
  • Will and Would
  • Future Forms
  • Forms with Have
  • Forms with Be
  • The Verb Form
  • Conditional Sentences
  • The Noun Phrase
  • Language as Lexis
Course Participants will receive an International House Language Awareness Certificate on completion of the course. International House schools are recognized throughout the world for the quality of their teaching and training

Cambridge Proficiency Exam Preparation Course

A course for teachers interested in developing their linguistic proficiency and gaining an internationally accredited qualification: 56 academic hours



We can also run specialist courses eg for the Teaching Knowledge Test depending on demand.

TKT at International House Riga


International House Riga can offer you a special course preparing for the TKT exam. This course will run subject to demand and can be adapted to your needs.

 

There are two options for the course:

 

Extensive: One or two face-to-face meetings per week.


Intensive: One week, 40 hours.

Seminar Fees 1 academic hour fees: Ls 4.50 to be confirmed.

Courses have different fees.

Please contact robert@ihriga.lv for more details about training at IH Riga