Course dates:
flexible, Riga, Latvia (Levels 1 or 2, in En or in Ru)
autumn or spring, Cantalupa, Piedmont, Italy (Level 1, in En or in Ru)
August-September, near Strasbourg, France (Level 1, in En or in Ru)
The course can also be organised on demand, either as a residential or in-house. Dates and locations of the courses can be changed. Contact us for details.
(deadline for grant applications in your National Agency February 2025, accreditation deadline is 1 October 2024)
Objective:
- Provide the participants with tools for the development of creativity and thinking skills in language education.
Who should attend:
- Language teachers and teacher trainers (any language).
- Policy makers and educational administrators.
- Specialists interested in the development of thinking skills.
Course contents (see detailed programme below):
- Creativity and thinking skills in learning grammar. Developing and testing own grammar rules.
- Powerful thinking when working with a text. Creative works in language learning.
- Learner autonomy. E-resources for teaching language and thinking.
Learning outcomes:
- Participants know practical tasks and technologies for the development of thinking competence in the process of teaching and learning a language.
- Participants understand the difference between thinking and non-thinking tasks in the process of language learning.
- Participants are willing to join the professional community working towards integration of thinking competence in any learning activity.
Facilitators:
Irina Buchinska
The head of the English department in a school implementing the thinking curriculum in language education.
Natalia Kovilina
A teacher, teacher trainer and materials developer. Over 20 years' experience of teaching Russian to various groups of learners. Experience of using the TA for teaching the mother tongue..
Dr. Alexander Sokol
A teacher, teacher trainer, researcher in the field of thinking skills in language education. The author of the Thinking Approach to language teaching and learning.
Preliminary programme:
DAY 1
10:00-16:00 Arrival
16:00-16:30 Welcome coffee & ice-breaking
16:30-18:00 Who are we? Getting to know each other
18:00-19:00 What are we going to do? Course aims and finalisation of the programme
19:30 Welcome dinner
DAY 2
09:00-10:30 What is happening in a thinking lesson? A system of tasks for adults. Part 1
10:30-11:00 Coffee break & country presentations
11:00-12:30 What is happening in a thinking lesson? A system of tasks for adults. Part 2
12:30-14:00 Lunch
14:00-16:00 What are my possible choices for a series of thinking lessons?
16:00-19:00 Individual tutorials (optional) / social programme
19:30- Dinner
DAY 3
09:00-10:30 So, what does it mean to develop thinking skills of learners in a language classroom?
10:30-11:00 Coffee break & country presentations
11:00-12:30 What do teachers and students do in a thinking language lesson?
12:30-14:00 Lunch
14:00-16:00 How will my lessons look like? Towards students accepting the learning problem.
16:00- Cultural activity followed by dinner
DAY 4
09:00-10:30 What are the questions we've come across so far?
10:30-11:00 Coffee break & country presentations
11:00-12:30 How will my lessons look like? Students working with "banks"
12:30-14:00 Lunch
14:00-16:00 What can we learn from each other? What are important conclusions at this stage?
16:00-19:30 Individual tutorials (optional) / social programme
19:30 - Dinner
DAY 5
09:00-10:30 How do learners develop rules in a language lesson?
10:30-11:00 Coffee break & country presentations
11:00-12:30 How do learners test their rules?
12:30-14:00 Lunch
14:00-16:00 What are typical mistakes? Learning from the experience of others.
16:00 -19:30 Individual tutorials (optional) / social programme
19:30 - Dinner
DAY 6
09:00-10:30 Am I ready yet? Finalisation of own lesson plans
10:30-11:00 Coffee break & country presentation
11:00-12:30 How will my thinking lessons look like? Presentation & discussion
12:30-14:00 Lunch
14:00-16:00 What resources can we use for ruther work?
16:00-20:00 Social activity / free time
20:00 Gala dinner
DAY 7
09:00-10:00 What have we learned and what are further steps?
10:00-11:00 How will my action plan look like?
11:00-12:00 What's my evaluation of this course?
Departure
The programme for each course is tailor-made and is finalised based on the composition of the group. Please also note that slight changes are possible depending on course location and season to let all the participants benefit most from what each course venue offers at a specific period of time. Feel free to contact us for more info.
Course price:
We offer a flexible approach to course fees to ensure that you are able to choose the most appropriate option for your needs. If a participant would like to bring their partner along, they are welcome to do so provided that he/she is ready to spend time with the group during social activities, thus benefiting to intercultural exchange. Please contact us for details.
OPTION 1. ERASMUS+ PACKAGE
(best option for partners receiving an Erasmus+ grant and planning long-term collaboration with TA Group)
- Total price per package per participant – EUR 1400
The price includes 7 days tuition and seminar materials, 6 nights accommodation in a twin room, all meals and coffee breaks during the course, social programme during the course, distant support of each participant during a year + organisation support during a year.
OPTION 2. CUSTOMIZED PAYMENT
(The option is for partners interested in a particular course or one of the additional services we offer. You can select any of the services or their combination)
- Course fee – EUR 1250
The price includes 7 days tuition and seminar materials, 6 nights accommodation in a twin room, all meals and coffee breaks during the course, and the social programme during the course.
- Distant support – EUR 250 per year per person (optional)
The price includes online support (answers to questions, comments on reflection, participation in webinars and other online events) during the year following the course.
- Organisation support – EUR 250 per year per person (optional)
The price includes online support for the organisation at the stage of application and reporting, as well as the possibility to have consultation on administrative issues during the project implementation.
OPTION 3. COURSE ONLY
We recommend that all the participants stay in one place and spend most of their time with the group as we believe in the idea of informal learning. We have been organising residential courses since 2009 and our experience shows that participants benefit more when they choose to be together with the group for a week of the course. However, if this option is not possible, it may be possible to stay elsewhere and not take part in social activities and joined group dinners.
- Course fee - EUR 800
The price includes 7 days tuition and seminar materials, as well as lunch coffee breaks.
DISCOUNTS
Each partner organisation participating in the courses is eligible to one of the following discounts:
- 10% discount for each participant that attends Level 1 and Level 2 courses during one year;
- 10% discount for each participant if the total number of participant from one organisation that attend the courses during the year is 10 and more.
CANCELLATIONS
All changes and cancellations must be submitted in writing. The course organiser will confirm the cancellation in writing. Refund of course fees will be as follows:
60 days before the beginning of the course - refund 100%
30 days before the beginning of the course - refund 50%
less than 30 days before the beginning of the course - no cancellations will be refunded
Please note that all refunds will be charged EUR 50 handling fee.
Previous courses:
You can see photos, videos and the participants' feedback from our previous courses.
Photos: Jan 2009, Apr 2009, Sep 2009, Sep 2010, Apr 2011, Sep 2011, Sep 2012, Mar 2013, July 2017
Participants' feedback: Jan 2009, Apr 2009, Sep 2009, Sep 2010, Apr 2011, Sep 2011, Sep 2012, Mar 2013, impressions of an Italian teacher, July 2017 and here
Video fragments from previous courses
Video feedback of former participants (various courses 2014-2016)
Video feedback of former participants (various courses 2009-2013)
The number of places on each course is limited, therefore we are asking you to contact us as soon as possible if you would like to book a place.
