Register for the new workshop series: “Weekly language workshops for teaching in English”

The workshop series “Weekly Language Workshops for Teaching in English,” is designed to support instructors who teach their subjects through English by addressing both practical skills and common challenges. The sessions will take place on Mondays from 12 January to 16 February from 16:00- 17.30 CET. 

Throughout the series, participants will exchange ideas, experiment with useful language and techniques, reflecting on how to enhance clarity and confidence in their EMI classrooms.

The first session will begin the series by discussing and exploring participants’ experiences, highlighting key difficulties in using English as a medium of instruction. Afterward, the next sessions will focus on essential teaching practices, including improving classroom fluency, giving effective feedback in English, assessing the quality of students’ academic writing and guiding students in developing strong presentation skills. 

The program will conclude with an open session to address remaining questions and explore additional concerns not covered in earlier workshops in the series.

Schedule of sessions:

• #1 Workshop – Teaching English

Date: 12 January

During this introductory workshop, participants will share their experiences and challenges of teaching through English. Together, they will identify common themes and practical approaches to building confidence and effectiveness in English-medium instruction (EMI) contexts.

• #2 Workshop – Fluency

Date: 19 January

Explore practical strategies to speak more confidently and naturally in the classroom. This session will help participants build fluency, reduce hesitation, and communicate clearly with their students in English.

• #3 Workshop – Giving feedback

Date: 26 January

Learn how to give clear, supportive, and constructive feedback in English. This workshop focuses on useful language, tone, and techniques to encourage student improvement and motivation.

• #4 Workshop -Assessing students’ writing

Date: 2 February

Gain insight into what constitutes effective academic writing in English and how to recognise it in your students’ work. This session will focus on key criteria such as clarity, structure, and appropriate academic style.

• #5 Teaching presentation skills

Date: 9 February

Discover effective ways to help students plan, structure and deliver presentations in English. This workshop will offer language support for guiding students toward academic public speaking.

• #6 Reflections and next steps

Date: 16 February

This concluding session will provide an opportunity to revisit key themes from the series and address remaining questions or concerns. Participants can share insights, discuss specific challenges, and plan how to apply what they have learnt in their own teaching.

About the workshop leader and the material

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Dr Ruge will conduct all the sessions, using material developed by her and Caroline Allen.

Dr Ruge has been teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) at institutions of higher education for almost 40 years. In this role, her responsibilities have included designing courses in a wide variety of subjects, selecting appropriate teaching materials and creating activities that facilitate a student-centered approach to foreign language acquisition. She currently works at the Language Centre at Leipzig University.

Dr Allen studied secondary education in England and moved to Germany in 2013. After several years of teaching business English, she shifted her focus to English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Her PhD examined how English courses can be designed to meet the specific needs of learners in medical contexts.

She now teaches at Leipzig University, where she develops and delivers ESP courses for students in the natural sciences, and her work centres on helping learners build confidence and become the English speakers they aspire to be.

Contact: wp11arqus@uni-leipzig.de