Language Games for all language classes

  • Enrich your teaching effectiveness with fun activities
  • Develop your own criteria to select the suitable language games
  • Adjust, produce, apply and evaluate the appropriate language games
  • Exchange teaching experiences, ideas and materials with experienced colleagues
  • Learn all the possible practical problems in organizing language games and how to overcome them

Language Games for all language classes

  • Enrich your teaching effectiveness with fun activities
  • Develop your own criteria to select the suitable language games
  • Adjust, produce, apply and evaluate the appropriate language games
  • Exchange teaching experiences, ideas and materials with experienced colleagues
  • Learn all the possible practical problems in organizing language games and how to overcome them

In this teacher training course you will learn:

  • To select the language games suitable for an efficient course
  • To cope with different practical problems in organizing language games
  • To help your students familiarise themselves with a playful way of learning and have fun while learning a language and simulate real life
  • To adjust, produce, apply and evaluate appropriate language games

Course Details

Overview

This teacher training course deals with the myths on language games and the communicative activities that are out of the box of the traditional language teaching methods. It also offers to the trainee teachers some real examples of how to organize a successful language game, be it an ice breaker or a vocabulary or a grammar game. We also learn how to cope with practical problems when using language games. 

At the end of the seminar, participants are expected to have acquired the skills that will enable them to:

 –  select the language games suitable for organizing an efficient course

–  adjust, produce, apply and evaluate appropriate language games

–  cooperate with each other and exchange teaching experiences, ideas and materials about language games

–  cope with different practical problems in organizing language games through the exchange of experiences and ideas with their colleagues

Intended for 
  • Language teachers of Greek or other languages with no or little language teaching experience
  • Practitioners who have experience in teaching Greek or other languages in non-formal contexts, i.e., NGOs or wishing to teach a language they know or Greek as L2
  • Experienced language teachers of Greek who feel they need to upgrade their practical skills
  • Directors of foreign language schools who plan to add Greek as L2 and design curricula for different learners’ groups
  • Other educational or managerial staff, of language organisations, assistant or shadow teachers
Methodology

The course is based on the principles of participatory adult education using participants’ experiences and fostering the exchange of their ideas, proposals and materials. Its focus is not merely on the didactic aspect of teaching adults but also on participants’ social and cultural knowledge gained through education and teaching different target groups in Europe. During the course the following techniques will be used: working in subgroups and pairs, role play, lectures, guided conversation, brainstorming, language and educational games, experiential activities.

 

The course includes a face-to-face or video recorded observation session of a Greek language lesson for adults. Participants will have the opportunity to assess a teaching session of Greek in a specific context by applying the techniques of observation, interviewing and group discussion.  Participants will share their learning experiences at the end of the session.

 

Participants will be given hand-outs, original materials, lists of intercultural activities and websites relating to teaching tools and the promotion of the Greek language and culture. Since a variety of educational tools and equipment enable participants to enrich their educational experience, video, audio, objects (realia), diagrams, photos and games will also be used during the course.

 

Preparation

Participants will be given information about the official examinations for the Certificate of Attainment in Greek and about the institutional framework of non-formal education for non-Greek students. They will also be given articles on the teaching of Greek as a foreign language to adults as well as lists of the most recent publications of didactic materials. 

 

Prior to course start-up, participants will be asked to describe the institution they work for, the basic characteristics of their students and their own professional backgrounds. They will be required to bring and present samples of the didactic material they use. They will also be given some information about the course trainers, organizers and organizing institution and about the other participants. 

 

All necessary information regarding the venues (Santorini, Athens) and travel to get there will be sent by e-mail and post by the course organizers.

 

Follow-up

Upon completion of the course, participants will be encouraged to form a network to act as a meeting point where they can exchange didactic materials, proposals and useful ideas for promoting language learning in different European countries.

Content
  • Presentation of the participants and their organizations
  • Presentation of the seminar programme and the trainers (educational contract)
  • Ice-breaking games for all language levels (part a)
  • Ice-breaking games for all language levels (part b)
  • Myths about language games – debate
  • Language games for vocabulary enhancement
  • How to select suitable language games
  • How to organize a language game – principles
  • Teaching grammar to all levels through language games
  • Language games for reviewing knowledge – developing all language skills (PART A)
  • Coping with practical problems when using language games
  • Language games for reviewing knowledge – developing all language skills (PART B)
  • Coping with practical problems when using language games
  • Visit to a Greek language school for adults: observation of the course venue, discussion with administrators and trainers, discussion of  the games used
  • Reports:  presentation of participants’ remarks, thoughts and   conclusions
  • Evaluation of the seminar – Farewell activities – Creating a communication network

 Tuition Fee:  660€/person. 

Trainers

Ifigenia Georgiadou, MA, Director of the Hellenic Culture Centre, Teacher Trainer,  35 years’ experience in teaching, external expert – evaluator at the National Organization for Certification of Qualifications & Vocational Guidance (EOPPEP), at the State Scholarship Foundation (IKY) and the Institute for Lifelong Learning (INEDIVIM), author of the books “Play & Laugh- Language Games for Teaching Greek as a Foreign Language”, Kaleidoscope -textbook series for learning Greek, EUROLTA Master Trainer (Certified Instructor of Teacher Trainers).

Nikos Konstantopoulos, MA, adult educator, responsible for distance education at the Hellenic Culture Centre, 20 years’ experience in teaching and material production, EUROLTA Teacher Trainer (Certified Instructor of Teachers and adult educators), trainer in Greek sign language

Dates

The Language Games for all languages classes face-to-face course takes place for 7 days, from 28 September to 4 October 2024 in Santorini.

Certification 

Our Centre issues a Certificate of Attendance for the teacher training courses held, to be submitted to private or public organisations and calls. The Hellenic Culture Centre is an officially recognized as a Lifelong Learning Centre and a language school by the Greek Ministry of Education and Religions (EOPPEP code number 2101782/ 2018 and 2308668/2018).

Working language

Greek (or English) is the working language in this course. French can be used at a certain point too. You may be accompanied by your own interpreter from English or Greek and we are happy to welcome teachers of all languages.

CANCELATION POLICY
  • Fees are fully refundable for cancellations by registration deadline (at least 20 days before the beginning of the online course or 40 days before the beginning of the face-to-face course)
  • For late cancellations (after the registration deadlines) fees are not refundable. However
    • 50% of the deposited fees can be used for  registration in any other teacher training course of  the Hellenic Culture Centre within one year’s time
    • 50% of deposited fees are not refundable