English Language Coaching is a learner-centered, solution- and resource-oriented offer designed to support academic staff in developing their English language skills. The coach’s role is to help the coachee identify specific goals, create a personalized action plan, and provide ongoing support throughout the learning journey. In essence, language coaching is an ongoing dialogue between the coach and coachee, aimed at improving one or more aspects of the coachee’s language proficiency.

Who Can Participate?

English Language Coaching is available to all academic staff at Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg who are non-native English speakers.

Format

Coaching sessions are conducted one-on-one – either in person or online – and are fully confidential. While the primary language of instruction is English, sessions may switch to German when it supports the learning process.

Structure of the Coaching Process

• The process begins with a diagnostic conversation to explore the coachee’s motivation for language coaching and assess their current level of English proficiency.
• Based on this, the coachee is guided in setting personalized goals, which may encompass any aspect of English use in academia – from presenting and publishing, to academic small talk, conversations with staff, teaching, and giving feedback.
• Together, the coach and coachee establish a time frame for the coaching process, deciding how long they will work on these goals, how frequently sessions will take place, and identifying relevant resources and methods to support the coachee’s progress.
• Following the initial session, coach and coachee meet regularly to work collaboratively toward achieving the set goals.
• The coaching concludes at the end of the agreed time frame. However, it can be extended if the coachee wishes to continue developing existing goals or set new ones.

Your Coach

Tim Dittmann is a bilingual English-German speaker and a certified English Language Coach with over a decade of experience teaching English as a Foreign Language at German universities. As a published author, academic editor, and seasoned conference speaker, Tim brings a deep understanding of the demands of using English in higher education, equipping his coachees with the tools and confidence to navigate academic communication effectively.

Interested?

Contact Tim via Email: [email protected] 

English as a Medium of Instruction/Teaching in English can be defined as “the use of the English language to teach academic subjects (other than English itself) in countries or jurisdictions where the first language (L1) of the majority of the population is not English” (Macaro, 2018, p. 19).

In response to the growing demand for Bachelor’s and Master’s programs in English at the UOL, the Language Center has developed Teaching in English to support and empower lecturers with the tools and confidence to teach their subjects in English. This program aims to enhance lecturers’ academic English proficiency, to broaden their teaching capabilities, and to enable them to better address the needs of diverse student groups.

The Teaching in English program consists of two components: Essentials and Advice

Teaching in English - Essentials

This course aims to prepare instructors who are new to using the English language to teach academic subjects for the demands of the English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) classroom. Participants will be introduced to characteristics of EMI in German higher education, as well as practice the language needed to successfully navigate challenging communicative situations with regards to teaching and interactions with students. Observing and analyzing EMI teaching, identifying best practices in EMI, and simulating teaching situations in English will be additional foci of the course.

• The EMI classroom
  (characteristics of EMI, participants, challenges)
• Language for Lectures
  (different lecture styles, introducing & ending a lecture, signposting, coherence and cohesion)
• Language for Seminars and Practical Sessions
  (structuring seminars/sessions, giving guidance, using questions to guide learning, answering students’ questions, setting up groups and tasks, explaining procedures, setting goals and expectations, ending group discussions/tasks)
• Language For Feedback
  (advising students on strengths and weaknesses, giving constructive and targeted feedback, organizing feedback, politeness)
• Observation of EMI teaching
  (observe an instructor (ideally from your field) and analyze their EMI teaching, discussion of the observed)
• Simulation of EMI teaching
  (participants prepare and present a small EMI lesson)

Teaching in English – Essentials is an offer of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in cooperation with the Language Center of the UOL. For more information and registration visit https://uole.de/lehre/hochschuldidaktik/termin/termin/teaching-in-english-essentials 

Teaching in English - Advice

This offer is for instructors experienced in using the English language to teach academic subjects (English as a Medium of Instruction/EMI) who are looking for ways to improve their English language abilities with regards to their teaching. Limited time and opportunities often make it difficult for experienced university instructors to receive support in devolving their EMI abilities. By adopting an individualized, learner-centered approach, this offer can directly address the specific needs of a single participant and provide expert advice and feedback on one’s use of English in classroom.

Teaching in English - Advice consists of the following three components:

• 45 minutes preparatory meeting between the instructor and the participant to discuss the participant’s motivation, their past experiences with English and teaching, as well as the participant’s goal(s) for the observation
• 90 minutes of observation of a participant’s teaching in English by the instructor
• 45 minutes of feedback on the observation during which the instructor will provide advice on how the participant can develop their English language skills further

Teaching in English – Advice is an offer of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in cooperation with the Language Center of the UOL. For more information and registration visit https://uole.de/lehre/hochschuldidaktik/materialien-und-unterstuetzung/teaching-in-english