CLIL courses at Cambridge University

There is growing interest across the European Union for teachers able to use another language for teaching their subject, whether it be history, geography, music or mathematics.

We at Primrose Publishing are playing an active part in training teachers how to teach their students successfully through the medium of English and other languages.

In our courses great emphasis is placed on learning what to say when teaching in class, and what teachers can expect their students to say. We have developed special computer programs to help teachers to do this. They provide a wealth of material and a library of useful sentences which teachers need to have at their finger-tips.

Teachers need not be fluent in English, as long as they have a good basic knowledge. The more fluent they are the easier it is to follow the course. Participants can use another language for their work and presentations if they prefer, though not their own mother tongue.

The courses give much help with grammar, pronunciation, intonation and stress, and detailed advice is given on how to start using English in class. Special attention is paid to words and phrases that present problems.

Each evening participants prepare mini-lessons on their subject and then present them next morning to the rest of the group who act as students. Each presentation is followed by questions, friendly criticism, discussion and helpful advice.

The extensive course programme is flexible, taking into account the particular needs and language skills of the participants. They include valuable guidance on intercultural awareness, an explanation of the UK education structure for schools and universities and advice on how to handle a difficult class.

Funding is available from the European Commission for groups of teachers. The funding covers travel, accommodation, full-board and the course fee. Links to the relevant EU web-pages can be provided.

Courses last a week and take place in one of the beautiful colleges of Cambridge University. They are limited to a maximum of 15 participants. They can be held at times of the year to suit teachers.

The teachers who have attended a course have been delighted with what they have learnt and the progress they have made. Already more than 150 teachers from Italy have benefitted from the courses and there are always more that want to come when they hear from colleagues about the courses.

If you have any questions or would like more information about our CLIL courses, please send us an email