“I’m Loving Devon Instead” – a report on a methodology course by Urszula Majdańska Wachowicz

“I’m Loving Devon Instead” – a report on a methodology course for EFL teachers in Barnstaple, Devon, UK organised by SHARING ONE LANGUAGE by a scholarship holder Urszula Majdańska-Wachowicz

The new school year has just started so it is a good time to share with the readers my summertime professional development. Specifically, I will report on a methodology course for EFL teachers I attended in Barnstaple, Devon, UK (July 24th-August 4th 2024). Also, I will explain why “I’m Loving Devon Instead”.

This wonderful trip could happen because I won a scholarship granted by IATEFL POLAND and SHARING ONE LANGUAGE (SOL). The scholarship covered the costs of the methodology course for EFL teachers organised by Sharing One Language (SOL) –  whose mission for more than 30 years has been “to provide support for those teaching and learning English in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe; through the provision of local teacher training workshops and affordable courses for teachers and students in England” (retrieved from: https://www.sol.org.uk/about/our-mission). The  84-hour ELT methodology course called “Good Teaching Practices in and Outside the English Classroom” was run by Fiona Mauchline – Hertford College (University of Oxford), an ELT materials writer, teacher, freelance trainer and conference speaker.

When it comes to the course content, it was useful for pre-service teachers who wanted to learn English teaching methodologies, and for in-service teachers who wanted to revisit some methods and techniques, or improve their practices. Every day we had interactive and engaging sessions elaborating on one good teaching practice, e.g. students as teachers: effective input and the student-led classroom, the safe, rich learning environment, the learning tree, incorporating transferable skills, multiple focus/ sensorial stimuli. I found the negotiation session, which I  understood as COOPERATION, the most inspiring as it is an important language and LIFE skill. The highlight of the course was its last day – the group project and micro-teaching presentations. Each group demonstrated a sample lesson plan (or sample activities) related to our field trips to the beautiful region of Devon. It was amazing to share our ideas, get inspired by other teachers, and learn their points of view on teaching. The group presentations finished with professional feedback received from our trainer.

Practical classes were followed by field trips during which we were asked to do some assignments related to the topics discussed in the classroom. At the same time, we could enrich our knowledge about culture-related aspects. We visited: SAUNTON SANDS & CROYDE, CLOVELLY & WESTWARD HO, LYNTON AND LYNMOUTH, WOOLACOMBE & ILFRACOMBE, TINTAGEL,  HARTLAND QUAY. Alms Houses Tour and Barnstaple Town Tour were on the list, too. The weather was perfect: blue skies, the ocean breeze, and turquoise waters. The pictures attached to this report will never show the true beauty of the places.

As far as accommodation is concerned, we stayed with host families in Barnstaple or nearby. For more than a week, I lived a different life in a different country. What a nice language and cultural experience! My host family were kind, helpful, and very relaxed. I had two lovely roommates Eva and Katja. We hit it off and stayed up late talking and drinking tea (not to mention disputing about scones: cream first, or jam first – that was the question).

As for the organisation, SOL took good care of us. In addition, they treated us to fish and chips one evening and arranged folk evening entertainment.

To sum up, I believe that if you are a non-native English teacher, every trip to an English-speaking country is one of the best things you can do for your professional and language, as well as personal development. I benefited from the course in many ways. Firstly, I looked upon some EFL methods and techniques from a different angle, i.e. the linguistic landscape.  Secondly, I saw many picturesque spots and admired the magnificence of nature which is always a true journey of connection and discovery for me. Thirdly, I experienced living with an English family and could use my English in a natural, informal, and relaxed environment. Lastly, I met teachers from other countries and made new friends.

I  am thankful to IATEFL Poland,  Grenville Yeo (Executive Director and founder of SOL), and the SOL team for granting me this wonderful opportunity and for your mission. I am grateful to Fiona Mauchline for being an amazing and inspiring educator. Her energetic personality and smile made us all feel engaged and eager to learn. A thank you goes to Sue Way and her family for hosting me, and for saying “yes” to taking part in our group project. Many thanks to my “coursemates” from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Serbia, Romania, and Ukraine for being kind and friendly.

Why did I say “I’m loving Devon instead” in the headline?  This line refers to Robbie Williams’ song “Angels” (the video for “Angels” was directed by Vaughan Arnell and filmed at SAUNTON SANDS – the beach I DID like). The song was the background music for one video task we had to prepare. When Robbie sang, “I’m loving angels instead”, we changed the line into, “We’re loving Devon instead” to show how much we loved the place and the experience.  Yes, “I’m loving Devon”. I hope, next year another teacher will love it, too.

BIO

Dr Urszula Majdańska-Wachowicz –  has a PhD in Linguistics, an MA in English, and an MA in Polish and Journalism. A researcher, an English teacher, and a teacher-trainer, Ula works as an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Modern Languages at Zielona Gora University, and as an EFL teacher at I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Bolesława Krzywoustego w Głogowie. She has been a speaker at IATEFL Poland international conferences since 2016. Also, she has run a lot of live lessons online for IATEFL Poland. She is a co-founder and coordinator, with Magdalena Kaźmierkiewicz, of the IATEFL POLAND’s project: FROM PRE-SERVICE INTO IN-SERVICE: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR PROFESSIONALS-TO-BE. Ula represented IATEFL Poland at the ETAI Summer Conference in Israel (2022) and the 45th TESOL Greece Convention (2024). She has presented 45 times at linguistic congresses and TEFL conventions in Poland and abroad. To learn about Ula’s research, visit her ORCID: 0000-0002-3004-082. She has a new research book coming out this year.