I find infinite pleasure in participating teacher training sessions and spending my holidays studying how to become a better teacher.
When I don't have classes, I quickly try to go back to being a student.
The people I meet along my way are always capable of teaching me something new and giving me some insights both for my future lessons and my entire conception of life.
But without further ado, this is what I've enjoyed besides the academic training as a teacher (newest to oldest):
Inclusive practices in performative approaches to language and intercultural learning (University of Padua, Department of Linguistics)
The course offered both a miriad of conversational experimental approaches and many new connections which will certainly bring along the future occasions to study the subject a lot more in depth.
Course on Drama for Language Teaching - Level 2 (Online)
Seminar “Psychology 102 for ELT (Online)
Course on Drama for Language Teaching - Level 1 (Online)
This course explored an extensive range of activities designed to integrate drama elements into English teaching lessons. The course offered surprising data and a lot of good food for thought - to be obviously experimented in future lessons.
Intensive English course and CLIL for Teachers offered by Europass Teacher Academy (Ireland)
The aim of the course was learning the CLIL methodology (teaching ESL through other subjects) and planning academic lessons in English. The scope of this methodology can be soft or hard, depending on the demands of the schools.
Expert Track course “Introduction to Psychology” (offered by Monash University)
The course consisted in broaching a wide range of topics that constitute what may be considered the backbone of an analysis of learning itself. In fact, the last folder (out of six) of this course was dedicated to the psychology of learning and the conditioning of the learners’ responses to various stimuli.
Seminar “Psychology 101 for ELT" (Rome)
The course was focused on the construction of virtuous group dynamics in class, the enhancement of students’ motivation and engagement, and the making of a proper environment surrounding the class-experience.
Expert Track course “Educational Neuroscience: Research-Led Teaching Approaches” (sponsored by Central Queensland University)
The course explored the biological process of learning, the neuroplasticity of the mind in relation to the teaching environment that surrounds it, and the role of the teacher as neuroplastician in their creation of the lesson.
Seminar “Celta Essentials” (Rome)
The seminar allowed CELTA-qualified teachers to gain a wider view of the teacher’s possibilities in contrast with the usual academic approach (explanation - repetition).