Within the HERMES workpackage "Professional Development courses" we will organise this year a workshop for teachers of English, at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa - Centro Regional das Beiras, from 19^th to 24^th May, 2004.

Viseu is a regional centre with 80,000 inhabitants in Northern Portugal in the lovely mountainous region between the Serra da Estrela and the Serra do Caramulo. Further information on Viseu is available at www.viseu.net, and on the university at www.crb.ucp.pt. Viseu can be easily reached by bus or train from Lisbon.

The workshop aims at the increase of competence in teaching oral competences, which play an essential role for students of agricultural and natural sciences learning a foreign language. Of course, reading publications in a foreign language is also important, but the oral communication with partners in foreign countries gains on importance. In the course we will show the efficient use of video in language teaching as well as other innovative methods to improve language teaching, as e.g. the use of global simulations (integration of a fictitious conference, village or company into the language class), of projects and case studies (the students are to find a solution for a given authentic problem). Although the HERMES group is working on LSP language teaching for students of agricultural and natural sciences the content of the training programme is transferable to other disciplines (e.g. business studies) and for general English language classes.

This professional development course offers - apart from the theoretical presentation of the methodology in the mornings - a practical training in the afternoons, in which the participants have the opportunity to work with 'real' students of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa - Centro Regional das Beiras. This practical element is considered to be essential for understanding the advantages of the teaching methods presented.

The timetable attached gives you further information on the content of the workshop.

The fee for the workshop will be 50 euro for the training programme. Please note: We will allow a further discount of 10% to every institution that registers more than one participant on one or two of this year's HERMES workshops!

Accommodation costs will be approximately 31 in a nearby hotel (single room with private bathroom; including breakfast). The surrounding area offers various possibilities for lunch and dinner (not included in the course fee).

In order to register, please fill in the registration form and send it to Tübingen. As soon as we have the necessary number of registrations, we will send you a confirmation and ask you to transfer the fee.