Course description
Why Bell Teacher Academy (BTA)
• Two intensive weeks in Cambridge dedicated to advancing professional knowledge and exchanging ideas with colleagues worldwide.
• Each morning is devoted to your chosen course, while afternoons offer workshops, cultural talks, and expert-led plenary lectures.
• Participants join a truly global teacher community in the inspiring surroundings of Bell Cambridge
Courses Available:
• Contemporary English: Trends, Tools & Teaching – language upgrade (idiomatic/colloquial English; current pronunciation & grammar shifts) + high-impact classroom techniques.
• Creative Teaching, Creative Learning – refresh your classroom practice and develop strategies to boost creativity for you and your learners.
• Teach & Talk: Empowering English for Educators – build your confidence, accuracy, and range for inside/outside the classroom; take away ready-to-use speaking/listening tasks.
• CLIL – English as a vehicle for powerful learning (Primary) – principles, materials design and assessment in English-medium contexts, with language development built in.
• Inspire, Engage, Empower (Young Learners 5–11) – practical methodologies to raise engagement and motivation in primary classrooms.
• Engaging the Modern Learner (Secondary 12–17) – techniques tailored to teenage learners; discussion, group work and interactive tasks.
• New for 2026 . Next-Gen EFL: Empowering Teachers and Learners with AI and digital tools
What’s included in your 2 weeks
• 40 total hours: 30 hours of your chosen course + 4 workshops + 2 cultural talks + 2 plenaries. (See the components table on p.3 of the sample timetable.)
• Workshops (you pick 4): topics range from classroom management for teens, AI & creativity, low-prep speaking activities, Shakespeare’s language in today’s English, and more (Tues/Thurs each week, 13:30–15:00).
• Cultural talks (you pick 2): e.g., British Music, Scotland’s Gifts, Culture Shock vs Culture Adventure, The Great North–South Divide (1 hour each).
• Plenary lectures: weekly talks by well-known figures in ELT (recent speakers include Jeremy Harmer, Silvana Richardson, Adrian Underhill).
• Social programme highlights: punting on the River Cam, Cambridge Shakespeare Festival, CUP bookshop reception, London day trip transport included.
Additional sample activities include pub evening, Grantchester & museum visits.
A typical week
• Mon–Fri mornings: your chosen course (09:00–12:30).
• Afternoons: workshops, cultural/plenary talks, and time for lesson-planning or networking.
• Evenings: optional social events; Friday often features a social activity or farewell drinks.
• Saturday: full-day trip to
Your trainers
Our team combines decades of international teaching, training and authorship:
• Clare Henderson – longtime Bell trainer; IELTS test writer; IATEFL presenter; runs our Contemporary English course.
• Françoise Votocek – senior teacher & CELTA trainer since the 1990s; deep experience across CLIL, TKT and exam classes.
• Anna Evans – CELTA/TKT trainers with creative-teaching specialisms and international experience across four continents.
• Brian Hart – CUP author (Think, English in Mind); former Academic Manager at Bell Cambridge.
• Course Director: Andy Hockley – international consultant and trainer; co-author of From Teacher to Manager (CUP); specialist in project and academic management; experienced plenary/workshop presenter.
Accommodation.
single, private-bathroom rooms in residences with easy transport links to Bell Cambridge.
Nationality & professional mix
Each summer we welcome a diverse, international cohort of teachers from state schools, private language schools, universities and vocational colleges—ideal for peer exchange and networking.
Listening, Speaking, Pronunciation, Reading, Writing, Vocabulary, Grammar and Activities
Bell does not hold classes on the holiday dates above. The school does not compensate for these holidays, so make sure to choose your start date accordingly.
Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.
