Enlightening Future Education and Empowering Teacher Professional Growth: A Recap of the CELE Summer Teacher Training Programmes
As Teacher's Day approaches, reflecting on this fruitful and inspiring summer, the Centre for English Language Education (CELE) at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China concluded its innovative summer teacher training programmes with a focus on "Empowering Teacher Professional Growth" and highlighting the internationalization of education. This summer, we witnessed the transfer of knowledge, educational innovation, and the beginning of new dreams together.
2024 TESOLPRO Teacher Training Programme – Leading the New Trends in Education
From July 29 to August 2, the 4th session of the TESOLPRO Teacher Training Programme, jointly hosted by the 21st Century English Education Media and the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, was successfully held. English teachers and education researchers from across the country participated in this training.
During the five-day course, participants vigorously explored how to apply cutting-edge global educational practices in the Chinese local educational context and experienced the charm of teaching artistry. Teachers not only met peers from various regions but also discussed the future directions of English education. From Understanding the Learner and Adjusting Materials to Language Analysis, Teaching Reading, and Teaching with Digital Technologies, each lesson was tailored to the practical needs of teachers and incorporated international teaching concepts, providing substantial benefits. This training laid a solid foundation for teachers' future educational research and career development.
In addition to intense learning schedule, the programme included a local visit to the Ningbo Museum and Art Centre, allowing teachers to explore the historical and modern city of Ningbo and integrate these experiences into their daily teaching. To date, the TESOLPRO Teacher Training Programme has been successfully held for four years and received high recognition and praise from participants.
EMI Teacher Training programme for ZCMU– Exploring the Internationalization of Medical Education
In August, the University of Nottingham Ningbo China welcomed 36 teachers from 15 colleges and departments of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. Hosted by CELE, this three-week training combined offline teaching and online live lectures to help teachers enhance the internationalization level of their education and teaching.
The training closely addressed the unique needs of medical education, incorporating classroom teaching, case studies, and cross-cultural communication. It provided in-depth and highly specialized English proficiency courses for the participants. Through systematic teaching skills training, cross-cultural communication enhancement, and practice-oriented teaching strategies, participants not only improved their ability to teach full-English medical courses but also learned how to bridge cultural boundaries and communicate better with international students.
Notably, the program innovatively integrated mindfulness and coaching courses to support mental and physical well-being, enhance self-awareness, and improve communication skills. This part of the curriculum provided more humanized teaching insights and added a warm, motivational touch to the educational process, receiving widespread praise from the teachers.
With CELE's strong background and global perspective in professional English education, the EMI Teacher Training Programme for ZCMU not only injected new vitality and inspiration into medical education but also represented a successful exploration and practice of the internationalization path for medical education, signalling a future of greater openness, inclusiveness, and efficiency in the field.
2024 Rural English Advancement Programme – Illuminating Hopes for Rural Education
Across this summer, CELE welcomed a special group of participants—both new friends visiting the campus for the first time and old friends who had completed an 8-month online learning journey with us. From August 12 to 16, 27 rural English teachers travelled great distances with a thirst for knowledge and dedication to education to participate in a five-day professional development training programme.
Recognizing the unique challenges of rural education, the program team designed a series of courses tailored to the actual needs and levels of rural teachers. The curriculum covered vocabulary building, reading enhancement, listening training, writing exploration, and grammar consolidation, striving for comprehensive and in-depth coverage. Rural teachers valued this precious opportunity, actively participating in class, interacting enthusiastically with teachers, and discussing teaching methods.
A highlight of the programme was a day dedicated to micro-teaching practice, where rural teachers transitioned from listeners to presenters, showcasing their new knowledge through engaging micro-teaching demonstrations. Other teachers and foreign instructors, as audience members, were inspired by their teaching enthusiasm and provided real-time feedback to help refine teaching strategies and deepen teaching understanding.
The 2024 Rural English Advancement Programme was not only an exchange of knowledge and skills but also a touching and growth-filled experience. We believe that after these five days of learning and practice, rural teachers will return to their educational frontlines with renewed determination and enhanced skills. They will use their knowledge to illuminate the dreams of rural children and infuse rural education with new vitality and hope.
(Ending)
The power of education lies in its continuous transfer of new knowledge and its courage to try new methods. CELE remains focused on the latest developments in education, committed to helping teachers enhance themselves and promote their professional growth. The successful conclusion of the summer teacher training programmes marks another solid step forward in teacher education. It not only provided valuable learning opportunities for teachers but also offered a journey of personal growth and reflection.
We believe that each participating teacher will bring back the knowledge, skills, and passion for education acquired here to their work. They will continue to light the beacon of knowledge for their students with a more professional attitude, guiding them towards a brighter future. We look forward to more such moments of gathering in the future, where each exchange and moment of sharing can spark new thoughts and inject new vitality into the field of education.
