Introduction
In this series of 12 blogs, I have given you an insight into the reasoning behind the inlingua method and materials as well as a brief introduction to some inlingua techniques. I have highlighted some of our products and given a few additional tips for language trainers along the way. In this final blog in the series, I would like to focus on how we train our language trainers to ensure a standardized teaching method throughout our language centers worldwide.
Prior to the Academy
B
efore the inlingua Academy, the teacher-training was presented by our Method and Materials Consultants travelling world-wide to our centers to conduct live training courses in an individual center or area. This was very time-consuming and costly for the language centers. Although there was the benefit of direct physical contact with the new language trainers, training could, in most cases, only be done once or twice a year which meant untrained language trainers would have to wait and the centers’ Director of Studies would have to try to train new trainers themselves to keep the ball rolling. With the high turnover of staff in the language teaching industry, this could lead to a certain amount of gaps or misinformation being handed down. How could I ensure a standard and reach all the language centers in the world?
Eventually, with the increased use of technology and sophisticated software being developed it became obvious that some sort of distance learning approach would be possible.
Running parallel to this was the further development of the inlingua methodology and material to match. It was necessary to preserve the original method that had been the backbone of inlingua language training for almost 50 years, but at the same time bring in the enhanced method to include further reading, listening and writing skills without compromising our basic principles.
A sophisticated Learning Management System (LMS) needed to be developed that not only covered the theory, but gave demonstrations by video, self-checking and testing. Trainer- guided discussions and tasks would have to be included as well as some sort of benchmark in the form of a recorded or observed lesson. After creating a prototype, this was developed into the inlingua Academy LMS.
The Basic Training course 1/3
To preserve the
‘Holy Grail’ of the inlingua method, the first course new trainers encounter on the inlingua Academy is based on the inlingua method as it was done traditionally. This is an important course as it explores and teaches some of the techniques used in the inlingua classroom. Trainers are obliged to study this course for at least eight hours, and this should be done over a period of a few days as there is a lot to take in. Most centers use this course as part of their induction process and new trainers are gradually introduced to live training with the assistance of the center’s Director of Studies or Head Language Trainer in parallel. The Basic Training course is also available in German.
The Basic Training course 2/3
The
second course in the current basic training is focused on how the micro-skills of reading and listening have been integrated in the latest inlingua material. This course involves trainers in discussing targeted topics and sharing their views or experiences as well as having them do tasks and quizzes as they progress. They are already encouraged to think ‘why’ they are doing something in the class as much as ‘how’ to do it.
The Basic Training course 3/3
This course completes the basic training and covers different contexts such as one-to-one lessons and business learners. The course is assessed by the trainer submitting a video of them conducting a lesson. It can also be assessed at the center by an experienced trainer or Director of Studies (DoS) filling in specific feedback forms. The trainer needs to have completed the basic training online her/himself as a minimum.
Further courses
Additional course on the Academy include training for the Virtual Classroom (courses being revised at present), The Advanced inlingua Language Trainer Certificate course, The Train-the Trainer course (for DoSs) and two courses dealing with further English language teaching topics.
Check out the inlingua Academy here
Don’t miss our next series of blogs on The Faces of inlingua.