Small Group Classes

You will work in the mornings from Tuesday to Friday in a small class at your level. Lessons are from 9.20 – 1.00 with a half hour coffee break. The class size is 4 to 9. You will meet a variety of teachers each with their own teaching style. There will be a lot of discussion, a lot of new vocabulary, and plenty of English grammar. The emphasis is always on communication. We use a wide range of techniques and materials. Resources available include dictionaries, grammar books, readers with CDs, intensive/extensive listening, pronunciation and vocabulary material, on-line material, newspapers and magazines, business English and exam material. Classes are motivating, student-centred, and fun.

Large Group/Whole Community Sessions

These sessions, from 9.15 to 1.00 every Monday are fundamental in establishing a safe and secure environment in which all our students feel encouraged to express themselves. Here we introduce trust and empathy work, voicework, guided visualisation, journeying, relaxation techniques, movement and bodywork, and fundamental ideas in NLP (neuro-linguistic programming).

Many adults can feel vulnerable speaking a language which isn’t their mother-tongue. This part of the course is designed to overcome this and to replace fear of speaking with excitement about speaking English. It can also encourage connection, with self and others, deepen the learning experience, and build clean, clear communication.

Small Group Activity Sessions

These run during afternoons or evenings and could be:

• Language workshops including listening skills, intensive speaking, vocabulary and pronunciation
• Creative workshops including art, singing, storytelling, dance, theatre and drumming
• Complementary health workshops including yoga, movement meditation, massage and yoga dance
• Skills-based workshops including giving effective presentations, negotiating and conflict resolution

Each student also has a weekly one-to-one tutorial with a teacher. This is a time to design a personal study plan, to set learning targets and for individual coaching. This session is also used for allocating resources for independent study and for monitoring individual progress.

Each student has a minimum of 22 taught hours each week.

Please note that courses end on Saturday.

Adult English Course for Teachers

It is open to any teachers, at all levels and disciplines, and people interested in a fresh approach to learning. A high intermediate level of English is required. The course involves:

• Training skills in group dynamics
• Language modules giving you the opportunity to acquire new vocabulary and to work on fluency and specific language skills
• Personal development modules looking at awareness-training, interaction and non-verbal communication
• Workshops in voice work and pronunciation, drama, intensive discussion, and being creative with grammar
• Massage workshop, yoga session, relaxation session
• Guided walks
• Time for reflection, diary writing, integrating
• Social programme including theatre, pubs, local market towns, barbecue, party

Course participants will learn:

• The fundamental principles of Experiential Language Learning
• Some essential techniques for creating a safe and supportive environment
• Techniques for establishing and maintaining a positive group dynamic
• Ways of working with mixed levels
• How to create motivating and rewarding classroom sessions
• How to inspire students to further independent study
• Basic relaxation techniques
• How Neuro-Linguistic Programming can deepen the learning experience
• How different students learn in different ways and techniques for managing this successfully
• Ways to incorporate music and movement into language classes

Each week is made up of 18 taught hours and 15 hours of learning activities

Click the following link for more information about our Experiential English for Teachers Course.

Erasmus+ funding is available for teachers applying for this course.

The aim of the course is to recover our sensual, emotional, mental and spiritual wholeness and live life as totally and intensely as we wish to.

• How can we feel more at home in our own bodies?
• How can we feel safer in the world – and in relationship?
• How can we communicate more openly and honestly – from the heart?

We will explore how most of us share a desire for connection and intimacy, how we can begin to respect ourselves – and then others – a little more. Together we will look at how we can move beyond established patterns which perhaps don’t serve us any longer and then how we can find our  voice and use it to express ourselves more clearly and effectively. Throughout the course there is strong focus on how we can bring more awareness, deeper purpose and love into our world.

Working together we will build a safe container where each person feels confident to express themselves and the group supports and nurtures each contribution.

There will be presentations and reflection sat around the table with language input, group discussions and conversation practice in pairs.

And as always our courses are experiential; we will introduce controlled physical exercises to sharpen our senses and understand a little more our emotional and physical response to different situations.

There will be a maximum of 10 people on the course and we ask for a minimum level of English at Intermediate B1 level to participate.

English and Baking

This new course for 2022 will run from August 14 – 20 and will be practical, interesting, tasty and fun.

This course will be based in our beautiful farmhouse kitchen here at Nab Cottage. There is a large old pine table and granite surfaces for working at, 16^th century stone flags on the floor and an AGA – iconic, good looking and radiating constant warmth – to cook on. We will look at utensils, techniques and recipes and work together to produce breads, scones, biscuits, cakes, pastries and savoury dishes.

The course is suitable for anyone interested in an introduction to the delights of English baking. It is open to all, whether you are a trained chef or a complete beginner in the kitchen. We ask for a minimum level of English at Intermediate B1 level to participate. There will be a maximum of 6 people on the course.