Peter Beech - English Teacher Trainer

UNNC

I am currently Teacher Training Coordinator at the Centre for English Language Education, University of Nottingham Ningbo China. In addition to training on a variety of courses for in-service teachers, I also run teacher development activities for the teachers at the UNNC-affiliated High School.

My teaching at the university comprises undergraduate EAP classes and modules of the MA TESOL including Applied Linguistics for TESOL and Developments in Language Teaching Methodology.

Teacher Training

As Director of Anglo-Hellenic Teacher Training, between 2004 and 2014 I ran over a hundred four-week TEFL certificate courses, training more than a thousand teachers. The course is a combination of input sessions on teaching methodology and language awareness, and guided lesson planning, observation and feedback. I also ran in-service training courses for clients throughout Greece.

 

Examining

From the inception of the Greek State Certificate in Language Competence in 2003 until 2014, I served as a consultant with the Research Centre for Language Teaching, Testing and Assessment at the University of Athens. I was involved in the KPG primarily as a trainer of oral examiners, running training and standardisation seminars and observing examiners during exams. I was also involved in the development of materials for listening comprehension.

Teacher Development and Education

From January 2015 to February 2016, I worked in Malaysia on a teacher development programme sponsored by the Ministry of Education.

Prior to that, I worked at the University of Reading on a teacher development programme spoonsored by the China Scholarship Council.

From 2009 to 2014, I worked part-time with New York College in Athens lecturing on the University of Greenwich BA in TESOL and MA in ELT Management.

I taught on the undergraguate courses:

  • Introduction to English Language Teaching

  • Methodology and Practice of Language Teaching
  • Practical Teaching
  • Language Teaching: Design and Practice

    • At postgraduate level, the module which I taught was:

  • Current Methodologies in Communicative Language Teaching

    • I also supervised MA dissertations.

    As an Associate Lecturer with the UK Open University, I tutored part-time for fifteen years on MA courses in TESOL and Applied Linguistics..

    I have a long-standing interest in open and distance education, and also taught on several related course for the OU, including a module of the MA in Online and Distance Education: Understanding distributed and flexible learning.

     

    Research Interests


    My academic interests are centred on ways to make teaching more effective through the application of SLA research findings in the development of classroom methodology. I am particularly concerned with the role of the teacher as researcher and with the effective design and implementation of classroom research. This is the area in which I supervise Master's dissertations.

    My own Master's dissertation was An Investigation of the Problems that Young Learners of English Have Using Bilingual Dictionaries.

    Presentations
     

    A former Board member of TESOL Greece, I was the founding coordinator of the TESOL Greece Learning Technologies SIG, and have given numerous professional presentations in this area. I have also given presentations throughout Greece as an invited guest speaker at events organized by PALSO, the Federation of Greek Language Schools, and QLS, the Panhellenic Association of Accredited Quality Language Schools.

    I am an active member of IATEFL and of the Teacher Trainers and Educators SIG, and have presented several times at the annual IATEFL conference in the UK.

    Publications
     

    I have published numerous articles in ELT publications including:
     

  • IATEFL Issues
  • TESOL Greece Newsletter
  • ELT News
  • ELT Review

    • I also regularly contribute reviews of newly-published methodology titles to IATEFL Voices.

    Below are articles selected for inclusion in the peer-reviewed journal IATEFL Conference Selections.

     

     

    Peer observation in teacher development.
    In B. Beavan (ed.) (2007) IATEFL 2006 Harrogate conference selections.
    Canterbury: IATEFL
     

    In my end is my beginning: Trainee teachers’ personal aims.
    In B. Beavan (ed.) (2008) IATEFL 2007 Aberdeen conference selections.
    Canterbury: IATEFL

    Bringing exam tasks to life: Things we’ve tried that work.
    In B. Beavan (ed.) (2009) IATEFL 2008 Exeter conference selections.
    Canterbury: IATEFL