Session Title: 

Business English for a better world

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

This session will examine how we can put core values and global issues at the heart of our business English teaching. We will cover topics such as sustainability and environmental concerns, as well as considering how the way we think, communicate and listen can affect the quality of our business relationships.

 

 

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Target audience: Teachers of business English or general teachers thinking of making the transition to teach BE.

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Session objectives: 

By the end of this session, participants will have:

 

• engaged in topics such as sustainability and environmental concerns
• considered how thinking about, communicating and listening can affect the quality of their business relationships

 

 

Technologies

 

Moodle LMS and WizIQ live classes will be used for weekly webinars. 

 

Link to Business English for a Better World EVO18 LMS.

 

 

 

Week 1: 

14-20 Jan. 2018                          Helen Waldron                     Valuing yourself as a BE trainer

 

- Introductions and overview of sessions 

 

Video session 

How to develop resilience

 

“You can never leave footprints that last if you are always walking on tiptoe” 

 

Leymah Gbowee, peace campaigner

 

Are you a teacher working with business people, dealing with business topics or within a business environment? Are you planning to make the transition from teaching general or young English, to teaching business English?

 

Bridging the cultures of education and business can involve the business English trainer in a conflict of interests, with seemingly unresolvable expectations being placed upon them. 

  

This week’s session aims to:

 

• examine which business strategies and philosophies can be applied to the business English trainer's role
• make you aware of your own strengths as a trainer
• strengthen your sense of identity in what is essentially a management position
• help you develop resilience - the ability to deal easily with difficult situations

 

 

Reflective video task/group discussions in forum

 

 

 

 

 

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Week 2:

21-27 Jan. 2018                    Michelle Hunter                    Putting people at the heart of BE

 

 

Video session          Thinking Partnerships

 

"The quality of everything we do depends on the quality of the thinking we do first. The quality of our thinking depends on the way we treat each other while we are thinking." Nancy Kline

 

This week's session aims to get participants to:

 

• consider the value of being able to think without interruption
• get acquainted with the principles behind Nancy Kline's Thinking Environment
• watch videos discussing Thinking Environment principles and how the 10 Components of a Thinking Environment^® can be applied to the teaching context
• practice giving uninterrupted attention and creating effective thinking partnerships
• discuss how these ideas can work in our own teaching contexts
  

 

 

Reflective video task/group discussions in forum

 

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Week 3:

28 Jan.-3 Feb. 2018          Leadership skills through BE                                                  Ben Dobbs

 

 

Video session:                How can we integrate leadership skills into our BE classes?

 

" Managers do things right, Leaders do the right thing."  Warren G. Bennis

 

Aim:

- To consider how we can use Business English training to develop the leadership skills of participants

 

Objectives:

This week's session aims to get participants to:

•  understand the differences between leadership and management and what this means in practice
• consider what teachers and trainers can do to make the transition from pure language teaching into leadership training
•  observe what linguistic, non-linguistic and functional competences (knowledge, skills and mindset) are required
• understand practical approaches to leadership training and leadership as a soft skill (and therefore the domain of the language and communication trainer)

 

 

Reflective video task/group discussions in forum

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Week 4:

4-10 Feb. 2018              Sustainability and global issues in business English                Valentina Dodge

 

"We do believe businesses should be responsible in every way they can – to protect both people and planet – all along their supply chains." Sophie Tranchel, Divine Chocolate

 

Video session: How to bring sustainability and global issues to BE teaching

 

This week's session aims to allow participants to:

 

• get more acquainted with future-fit and ethical businesses concepts
• watch videos on how companies are becoming future-fit and committed to sustainable business
• reflect on local businesses and their contribution to the community
• discuss how focusing on these types of business models is appropriate for their own BE training contexts
• choose from local businesses or a list of sustainable brands/companies to create a short lesson activity relevant to their local context and business students
• collaboratively draw up a Business English for a better world "seal of approval"  list of "better world" companies / brands/ projects to help other educators looking for sustainable businesses/ ethical projects and models for their own classroom use (ongoing)

 

 

 

Tasks:

Collaborative writing project, discussion forum 

 

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Week 5: 

11-17 Feb. 2018          Social entrepreneurship in business English          Julie Pratten

 

“My dream is to find individuals who take financial resources and convert them into changing the world in the most positive ways.”

Jacqueline Novogratz

 

 

Live video session: How to bring social entrepreneurship into the BE classroom

 

This week's session aims to allow participants to 

 

• consider the role of social entrepreneurship in business
• watch videos of social entrepreneurs and discuss their impact 
• identify local and global social entrepreneurs and their activities and collaborate to create an activity for their BE students
• consider how they can incorporate some of the ideas into their own BE classes.
• reflect on the session and create a short exit video 

 

 

Tasks: Collaborative work, forum discussions, making a reflective exit video

 

 

Join this session

 

Registration starts on January 8, 2018. 

 

To join this group:   From January 8 :   Go to: http://moodle4teachers.org/course/view.php?id=225 Log in the first and each time using one of the following: Facebook, Gmail, or LinkedIn  Enrol in http://moodle4teachers.org/course/view.php?id=225

 

 

 

 

Name (last, first)	Email address	Location (country of residence)	Biodata (not more than 50 words)	Photo
Waldron, Helen	coaching@helenwaldron.com	Germany	Helen Waldron started her teaching career in her late teens when she joined the Liverpool adult literacy programme. After three decades running her own in-company language training business in the Hamburg area, she now also coaches and writes. Helen holds an M.Ed. in Applied Linguistics and is a committee member of HELTA. Recently she has contributed to the Heart ELT project A-Z of Hope and co-authored A-Z of Global Issues (Academic Study Kit.)
Hunter, Michelle	keeptraining.michelle@gmail.com	Germany	"Learner Coach" for in-company and pre-service learners, Michelle has 19 years BE teaching experience. She is a certified business trainer and coach. She holds a MA in Coaching in Education and is co-author of A-Z Coaching activities book and author of Why Coaching in ELT?
Pratten, Julie	juliekacmaz@gmail.com	Turkey/ UK	Julie Pratten has taught for over three decades specialising in BE and soft skills and is the leading author of banking and financial English publications including ‘Absolute Banking English’ and ‘Absolute Financial English’ by Delta Publishing.  Julie is the director of Academic Study Kit, an independent publisher that specializes in user-friendly and engaging resources. Doing things differently in collaboration with others is what inspires her.
Dobbs, Ben	dobbsbenjamin@yahoo.co.uk	UK	Ben Dobbs is an international communication and leadership trainer and coach working with a range of clients internationally. He has delivered training and coaching in numerous countries including Russia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Switzerland, Italy and the UK. He is also a frequent conference speaker on matters of communication, coaching and culture. In coaching, Ben is interested in working with executives, leaders and academic writers and how organisations can establish coaching cultures.
Dodge, Valentina	valentinadodge@gmail.com		Valentina is Learning Manager for English360 where she oversees content, pedagogy, teaching, and academic matters for English360. She works closely with educators, business trainers and school owners on a global scale to help them provide personalised English learning programmes to meet their student and customer needs. She collaborates with and supports English language teachers all over the world to help them publish and share lesson and courses for blended or online delivery. She is based in Salerno, Italy and also runs business English courses for small local companies.