Language Upskilling for primary school teachers - Spanish course

Course tutor name:  

CEFR entry level:  

Delivery:  

20 hours online 
(2 hours per week, 10 weeks)   

4-hour in-person workshop: 
Saturday 17 May (in-person in UL)  

Day of course delivery:

Course dates :  

 Week 01: Monday 31st March 

Week 02: Monday 7 April 

Week 03: Monday 28 April 

Week 04: week starting 5 May (TBC)

Week 05: Monday 12 May (online) + Saturday 17 May (in-person) 

Week 06: Monday 19 May 

Week 07: Monday 26 May 

Week 08: week starting 2nd June (TBC)

Week 09: Monday 9 June 

Week 10: Monday 16 June 

Total course duration (in hours):  

Course textbooks:

Takeaway material (worksheets, photocopies, etc.):  

Slides, worksheets (digital material) 

Photocopies (face-to-face workshops) 

Learning outcomes in focus:  

• Enhance teachers’ linguistic competence in Spanish, focusing on the development of skills at A2.1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
• Enable teachers to use Spanish in the classroom, facilitating communication with peers and instructors in both structured and spontaneous contexts in a variety of basic everyday topics.
• Foster confidence in teachers to actively use Spanish in teaching, with an emphasis on modelling authentic language use, giving instructions, and engaging students in meaningful language practice.
• Equip teachers with knowledge of the cultural aspects of the Spanish-speaking countries and demonstrate how to integrate cultural content (e.g., traditions, customs, and societal contexts) into language lessons, enhancing the language learning experience beyond linguistic competence.
• Encourage teachers to view language learning as a lifelong journey, promoting continuous professional development in language acquisition and teaching methodologies as well developing their own personal learning strategies.
• Prepare teachers to implement MFL learning outcomes within the broader curriculum context, including cross-curricular links with literacy, numeracy, and other subject areas.
• Support teachers in adapting their language teaching practices to meet the diverse needs of primary school students, including differentiated instruction and inclusive teaching strategies. 
• Support teachers in developing their own plurilingual and pluricultural competence so that they can use their understanding of one language to comprehend texts in another language, mobilise their repertoire in different languages in order to explain a problem or to ask for help or clarification, switch between languages in conversations to aid understanding and communication, incorporate cultural elements into language learning for a more immersive experience.

Proposed methodology:  

 Classes will be interactive, and activities will be varied giving intensive practice in all language skills with an emphasis on speaking and listening. Active participation in the classroom will be expected. Material used in class will be drawn from a variety of sources, including the textbook and online resources. Self-directed learning in the form of strengthening activities will be highly encouraged.  

Sample of activities:  

Listening comprehension, reading comprehension, oral practice, role-plays, games, songs, grammar and vocabulary activities, pronunciation exercises, etc.