Opportunity

The Suzhou Education Bureau is looking for a UK partner to deliver an interactive one-week training course for around 35 teachers for English in primary and secondary schools in Suzhou, China in early January 2019.

Requirements for the training programme

The overall aim of the training programme is to develop local school teachers’ capabilities in terms of drama in education (DIE) or theatre in education (TIE), in order to maximise student engagement, raise student attainment, and help students to discover the joy of language learning through drama/theatre work.

The training course is expected to

• develop participants’ understanding of the practice of drama in education or theatre in education in the UK.
• demonstrate appropriate strategies for engaging primary and secondary students in active, playful drama work.
• provide professional support for Chinese English teachers to develop new and innovative teaching approaches in the context of drama/theatre, and through the inclusion of practical and engaging demonstrations that can be replicated in a classroom setting in China.

The programme should include:

• introduction of the UK’s drama/theatre in education teaching methodologies and pedagogies
• sample cases and teaching programmes of UK curricula incorporating drama/theatre in education for engaging children at different age groups (students aged 6-11, 12-15 and 16-18) in drama work
• suggestions for useful facilities and resources for language lessons on- and off-campus
• advice on creating an inspiring environment for pupils to enjoy and develop an interest in language learning and explore their creativity
• videos of lessons accommodating DIE/TIE being delivered in UK schools (optional)

Other details:

• Length: one week (preferably 28 January to 1 February 2019) – negotiable
• Number of trainers: one trainer from the UK (please note: the trainer must be a qualified teacher with at least five years of relevant professional experience. Prior experience of delivering training in an international context is desirable)
• Number of trainees: 30-35 primary and secondary school English language teachers   
• Format: face-to-face lecture-based training with practical sessions.

Action Required:

UK institutions interested in this opportunity should send a draft proposal including a detailed programme and breakdown of relevant costs as well as a short CV of the designated trainer to ies.china@britishcouncil.org.cn by Friday 28 September 2018.

Please note that the British Council will charge 20% of the final programme cost as a management fee. This management fee includes liaison between the UK trainer and the Chinese partner, pre-training set up, on-site support, and post training follow-up upon requests.