Overview

This course is of interest to anyone interested in how we learn a second language – teachers, parents, educators and linguists. The emphasis is on interactive and stimulating exercises to find out about language, and language teachers are encouraged to suggest materials, topics and issues for discussion.

Your tutor is Dr Charles Hohmann, who was born in Alexandria (Egypt) in 1947. He studied English, French and Spanish languages and literatures at the universities of Fribourg, and the Universidad de Chile (Santiago), where he also held a post as a lecturer in Applied Linguistics for several years. From 1982 - 1986 he worked as an assistant for literary studies at the English department of the University of Zürich. In 1987 he joined Unisys as an IT Instructor and became Educational Manager in that company in 1988. Since 1993 he has taught modern languages and computing at Institut Montana (Switzerland).

Course Structure

Day One: How to learn or teach a foreign language (L2) efficiently

Differences between acquiring an L1 and learning an L2. The learner as his own teacher. What is an interlanguage? Contrastive analysis.

Day Two: Human learning and learning styles

Learning and forgetting. Visual and auditory styles. Language aptitude. Learning strategies: can they be trained?

Day Three: The role of personality and sociocultural factors

Inhibition and anxiety as obstacles to language learning. Strategies leading to success: risk-taking, empathy and motivation. The role of cultural stereotypes and attitudes.

Day Four: Theories of second language acquisition

Different ways of learning an L2: Communicative, Cognitive and Natural Approaches.

Day Five: Testing progress

Identifying and describing errors. Evaluation and testing procedures. Review / Summary

Accommodation

Students stay in Wadham College, one of the most traditional Oxford University colleges. Located right in the centre of city, Wadham is near all the famous colleges and museums, which makes it ideal for an inspiring study break! The Wadham College website contains practical information about your stay.

Excursions – Oxford Based

Included in the course fees, is a full schedule of sightseeing activities and social events in the city of Oxford. For a sample timetable go to www.oxford-royale.co.uk/tours2007.html and view the Corpus Christi timetable.

Excursions - Outside Oxford

Students wishing to travel outside Oxford, can visit places of historic interest, such as London, Hay-on-Wye, Bath and Blenheim Palace. These tours are an additional cost to the standard programme.

Application

You can either book online or you can download a paper application form and send it back to us.

If you require any support, please either email us or give us a call on +44 (0) 845 130 60 21.

Deposit

There is a booking deposit of £395.00 to accompany your application. Confirmation of your place will be sent to you once your application form has been processed.