Training for your career, not just one lesson

The perfect blend of principles and practice

If you're teaching languages and looking to get more from your professional life, then Lexical Lab's CPD courses can give you the route to develop your career. Unlike other teacher training, we're not going to give you one-off tricks and games. And we're not going to give you endless (and sometimes contradictory) theory which leaves you feeling inadequate or unsure where to go. Lexical Lab teacher development provides you with clear, proven principles and practical techniques that will be of use every day of your career. Our training will gives you the mindset and tools to confidently take you forward. Want to show students why your lessons are worth more? Want to become a director of studies and shape your school's direction? Want to start creating materials that offer something unique to your clients? That's what you'll be able to do with Lexical Lab's training behind you.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Important information and course introduction

  • 2

    Understanding the problems of teaching & studying a language at low levels (approx 120 minutes)

    • Beliefs about learning and teaching (10 mins)

    • Teaching and learning survey (10 mins)

    • Difficulties for low level students (40 mins)

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    • Teaching the alphabet and choices (20 mins)

    • Choices in teaching and learning (15 mins)

    • Supporting learning or not. Traditional v Spiral syllabus (30 mins)

    • Class management and adapting material (15 mins)

    • Task and points for discussion
  • 3

    How can I help students engage in real communication if they don't know grammar?

    • Working from dialogues: intro and outline

    • Russian two ways: grammar to conversation or conversation with grammar

    • Dialogue building in action

    • Integrating dialogue building with a coursebook

    • Messaging: from dialogues to chunking and individualised practice

    • Task and points for discussion
  • 4

    Students struggling to say sounds and match sounds to words: what do I do?

    • Feel my pain: intro and outline

    • Getting students to repeat and making sounds visible

    • Phonics and reading

    • Helping students hear outside a listening lesson

    • Focus on hearing in the listening lesson

    • Task and points for discussion
  • 5

    How can students express themselves? Adding value to coursebook exercises.

    • Elementary is not beginner: intro and outline

    • Making the most of grammar exercises

    • Making the most of a vocabulary exercise

    • Giving the students a voice: individualised portfolios

    • Giving students a voice: Single word answers to whole class one-to-one

    • Whole class one-to-one in action: reformulating and noticing

    • Giving students a voice: other vocabulary choices

    • Task and points for discussion
  • 6

    Further reading, links and feedback

    • Thanks and further study

    • Feedback
  • 7

    What words should I choose and how do I teach them?

    • Words are more important than grammar: intro and outline

    • How vocabulary choices and examples can better enable communication.

    • What do I do with mixed levels and what if I can't translate?

    • Presenting vocabulary up front

    • Collocation and grammaticalised lexis

    • Putting it all together: presenting words with grammar

    • Task and points for discussion

Start learning now

See how you can address the problems of low level learners and enable greater communication.

Book now £80

Our participants love our courses!

5 star rating

Great course

Angela McClenaghan

An in-depth examination of teaching at low levels, especially enjoyed the focus on adapting materials and building up materials and dialogues with students.

An in-depth examination of teaching at low levels, especially enjoyed the focus on adapting materials and building up materials and dialogues with students.

Read Less
5 star rating

Super as all courses provided by Lexical Lab

Mariola Kwiatkowska

I find this course extremely useful. I have already implemented some solutions. A lot of stuff to think about, great tasks. Thank you so much, Andrew

I find this course extremely useful. I have already implemented some solutions. A lot of stuff to think about, great tasks. Thank you so much, Andrew

Read Less

What's included

You get 8-12 hours of carefully structured self-study material that explains the theory and clear principles of learning which inform our highly practical ideas for all classes and settings..

  • Monitored discussion board to share your ideas and ask questions

  • Certificate on completing each course

  • Discounts on future Lexical Lab training, including lesson observation and coaching