Polotsk college, the affiliate of Vitebsk State University named after P.M. Masherov, held a unique training workshop from Gallery Teachers. It was dedicated to the new methods of teaching English as a foreign language. The leading speaker was a competent lecturer from London, Christophe Graham, a writer, a participant of conferences, a teacher with large international experience. While making his speech he underlined the role of motivation and differentiation in teaching English. He also invited the attendees to cooperate and share experience within Gallery Teachers programme. It must be emphasized, that the unique nature of the training workshop lay in lively discussion, involvement, the exchange of ideas between all participants, and also in the unique opportunity to apply up-to-date experience to the teaching practice of every attendee.   

After the meeting the participants shared their impressions and expressed their gratitude:

Prakapowich Olga Jurjewna, English teacher in Polotsk State Gymnasium №1:

The opportunity to listen to the highly educated speaker of British English was extremely valuable and rare for us, teachers. This contributes to the improvement of our own competence. This meeting is beyond doubt useful to all participants; it may help to remove difficulties, which happen during learning and teaching English. It can also help to look at teaching English from a different, modern, interesting perspective.  

Valentina Golubeva, a member of the Belorussian Council of English teachers Association, a member of Organizing Committee of the seminar, an official in the Institute of IT and Business Administration:

On behalf of seminar hosts, the Institute of IT and Business Administration and international association Gallery Teachers, I’m grateful for perfect realization in holding a workshop in beautiful and ancient Polotsk.

Maja Doronina, English teacher of Braslaw gymnasium:

At the workshop we’ve discussed many topical issues, which may arise at the lesson: how to motivate a pupil, how to assess his work at the lesson, how to work with textbooks, how to make multilevel tasks for the lesson and for the homework, if the class is heterogeneous and multilevel? Christophe Graham’s ideas were very valuable, especially those considering a foreign language teacher to be some kind of a link between a textbook and pupils. They should choose discussion topics according to the interests and personality of the pupils. Learning rate and tempo should be coordinated with the rapidity of material acquisition of an «average» pupil, at the same time setting «advanced» goals should be encouraged and by doing so a pupil will be out of his «comfort zone». To sum up the lesson an activity for the whole class (and not for separate pupils) is much better.

By attending such workshops, every time I become convinced that you must learn your whole life. And you, dear colleagues, are helping us doing so!