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The Language Teacher
January 2004
Pilgrims in England: An experience extraordinaire
Paul Doyon
Asahi University
Joyce Cunningham
Ibaraki University
Perspectives
. . . with Joyce Cunningham & Mariko Miyao perspectives@jalt-publications.org
Have you ever considered taking a teacher training course? Are you looking for new ideas in your classes? There are many excellent schools to choose from, and Pilgrims is one that Paul Doyon and Joyce Cunningham both enjoyed last summer. First, Paul relates some of his experiences at Pilgrims. Then Joyce writes to us about some aspects of the class she took. The co-editors invite you to submit 700-word reports of interest to JALT members in English, Japanese, or both.
I volunteered for C.A.N. H.E.L.P. Thailand a few years back and had such a rewarding experience assisting Thai English teachers in their professional development that since then I have been thinking seriously about getting into teacher training. Besides, after 15 years of professional language teaching, it seems like the next logical step. When I found a course on the Internet offered at Pilgrims in Canterbury this summer called Skills for Teacher Trainers, I jumped at the opportunity. I sent in my registration form, bought a plane ticket for England, and before I knew it I was on my way.
The twinkling, peerless, and ludic Paul Davis taught our course. Interspersed among his bouts of ludicrousness, we picked up many gems of wisdom. The course itself covered language awareness, methodology, activities/techniques, and inter/intra personal relationships and awareness. Thus, we examined language and ways in which it is taught; teachers' varying styles of teaching; how students best learn; and the relationships between teachers, students, and material. For me, the gem of the course was the idea that a lecturer is an expert in a field, that a teacher is an expert who also understands methodology, and that a humanistic teacher, besides having both of the above attributes, also has a very involved and meaningful relationship with his or her students. This is really the key to good teaching.
In the class were three Germans, five Spaniards, one Russian, one Pole, one Briton, and me, an American. It was a really nice crew, and we all got along quite well. All and all, it was an excellent course. We gained not only a lot of new knowledge but also many new friends. Another bonus was the unexpected opportunity to meet and get to know better someone I knew from JALT and Japan, Joyce Cunningham.
Paul Doyon
As for me, I took a course 2 summers ago on multiple intelligences, taught by Mario Rinvolucri, a JALT99 plenary speaker. Besides teaching an area I was fascinated with, I had heard really good things about Mario and really wanted to study under him. In 2 short weeks, I learned many practical techniques for my classroom such as whisper and distance dictations, metaphorical writing, teaching through the arts, and integrating music and movement. That was such a great experience that I couldn't resist returning this past summer for the NLP for Teachers course. And yes, I was lucky enough to have Mario again. Once more, his classes were chockfull of useful activities. We used metaphors and storytelling, explored our maps of reality, practised being better listeners and creating rapport, used an eye-accessing chart, and learned about our own and others' sub-modalities. As we were a mixed class, Mario wisely challenged three of us with NLP training to teach a few topics he wanted covered using NLP techniques.
Joyce Cunningham
The U.K. is absolutely brilliant in the summer. It is so inviting to get out of the heat and humidity of Japan and breathe the fresh, clean, crisp air in Kent, England. Kent University, which sits high up on a hill above the picturesque city of Canterbury, with its rolling knolls and abundance of beautiful trees, is a wonderfully relaxing place to take a teacher-training course. So if you want to do something different next summer, why not consider going to England and attending a course at Pilgrims? It's like taking a vacation with the added bonus of learning something new at the same time. Apart from the excitement of travelling, sightseeing, and experiencing the culture of another country, becoming a student once again is an opportunity not to be forsaken. Pilgrims is located about 2 hours south of London in the quaint, old, walled town of Canterbury, famous for its magnificent cathedral. Some of the 2-week courses offered at Pilgrims include Creative Drama for the Language Classroom, Methodology and Language for Primary Teachers, Secondary Teaching, Certificate in Teaching English to Business People, The Lexical Approach, and Spoken Grammar.
Taking a Pilgrims course means getting to know and learn from leading professionals in the field such as Mario Rinvolucri, Tessa Woodward, Paul Davis, Bonny Tsai, and Sheelaugh Deller, just to name a few.
We might be there again next year for their 30th anniversary, and maybe we will see you there. For more information, check their website at www.pilgrims.co.uk.
Reported by Paul Doyon, Asahi University, and Joyce Cunningham, Ibaraki University
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