PROJECT: Implementing a multiplicator programme on teaching English as a foreign language focusing on individual needs of students at a vocational college The Alice Salomon Berufskolleg (ASBK) provides full-time courses as well a part-time vocational courses focusing on nutrition, education and health for 2700 students from 54 nations with different educational, social and ethnic background. The staff consists of 150 teachers with a high commitment to meet the individual needs of students. This leads to consistent teacher training, which is an essential feature of our school development programme. Inhouse and offsite teacher training modules are organized by a coordinator for teacher training. Especially in the English department a constant training of teachers is necessary in order to successfully improve the speaking ability as well as the reception skills among the diverse group of learners. For this reason we intend to implement a multiplicator program for assuring the quality of teaching English focusing on the special needs of our students. Following objectives shall be achieved: 1. Level: Personal objectives of the involved English teachers: - New teaching ideas - Authentic teaching materials - Improvement of English language skills - Exchange with teachers from other European countries - Increase of cultural knowledge as well as personal and teaching skills 2. Level: English Teaching staff: - Better means of exchange with professional English teachers (e.g.: exchange of actual, job-related authentic materials, advice) - Implementation of regular training modules (focus on: teaching skills, methods, individual needs, inclusion, advice for reducing the number of early school-leavers, job-related scenarios, dealing with students with special needs/learning difficulties because of health or mental problems, disabilities, difficult social background, problems caused by immigration or refugee) - Providing a computer-based pool of methods/materials - Developing cooperation with external partners (e.g. English teachers at German/European colleges, student exchange programme) - European cooperation in English teaching (e.g. assistant teachers, international school programmes) 3. Students - Current, authentic, realistic and job-related teaching materials shall initiate communication and rise the intrinsic motivation of students to speak English as a foreign language - Understanding different cultures (within Europe and world-wide) - English as a means of communication within the global professional world, which helps students to gain long-live flexibility, mobility and independence - Professionalisation in terms of advice, support and guidance for students with special needs/learning difficulties - Less early school-leavers We intend to nominate 5 English teachers who shall cover a wide range of trainings to share their knowledge with the English teaching staff of our various departments after the successful completion of the courses. Three of our English teachers (health and care as well as education department) are supposed to attend a training focusing on Scotland and Ireland in order to gain a huge variety of new teaching methods enhancing the creativity of students. Furthermore they are going to deepen their background knowledge on these parts of the UK. One English teacher (international classes for students with special needs because of immigration or refuge) is intended to participate in a teacher training for students with learning difficulties (“Teaching English to students with learning difficulties”). Another member of the English staff (vocational training: hotel and catering industry) aims to attend a special training for vocational colleges in Great Britain to learn about the educational system as well as to get to know current job-related vocabulary. With all these procedures we hope to enhance the implementation of a multiplicator programme. This will serve to establish a forum for teachers of English -teaching in different departments- to exchange various methods and materials. Hereby we intend to meet the constantly growing needs of our diverse and demanding students even more successfully.