History and Overview of Language Coach Workshops

History
With fourteen participants and three presenters, our first LCW met in Caliraya, Philippines in February 2000. For the first two years the workshops were co-sponsored by two other organizations and the Institute for Cross-Cultural Training (ICCT). Beginning in 2002, the workshop became an ICCT course. Through March 2008, we have offered a total of twenty-five workshops (Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, Switzerland, Bolivia, Hungary, and Wheaton, IL), usually with 15-35 participants and three or four presenters per workshop. Upcoming workshops.

Philosophy
We believe that becoming an effective coach is a multifaceted process—a process that involves applying abilities you already have to the context of helping people learn a new language and culture, and it's a process that involves acquiring some new knowledge and skills in order to help on-field workers learn more quickly, more effectively, and with less frustration.

At each workshop we have a number of participants who are new to the role of working with language and culture learners. Therefore, we assume no prior knowledge of a topic (e.g., how to learn pronunciation, how to assess listening ability), we make it our goal to define new discipline-specific vocabulary and concepts, and we take care to ensure that each session builds carefully on previous sessions.

We also assume that participants come with felt needs—specific problems to solve and issues to discuss. Our goal is to address these needs in two ways:

1. In the workshop (through the sessions, individual meetings with the presenters, and interaction with other coaches);

2. Through resources to use after the workshop is over. These include:

• a notebook of workshop materials (about 250 pages);

• a CD-ROM, "Resources for Language Coaches," with more than 6000 pages of articles, materials, lists of web sites and other items; and

• a CD-ROM, "Resources for Second Language Learners," with more than 2000 pages of learning materials, articles and lists of web sites for those learning a second language.

• a CD-ROM with workshop materials from the current year and past years, beginning with 2004.

We want all participants to gain the basic knowledge needed to make significant strides in improving their learning programs and/or assessment procedures. This includes having the confidence and the ability to make many smaller adjustments as well as the necessary foundation for making long-term development decisions.

Future Workshops
We anticipate continuing to offer two or three overseas workshops each year.

The workshop may be taken for non-credit or for two semester hours of Wheaton College graduate credit. Those who wish to earn credit should let us know well in advance as there will be additional forms to complete.

If you are interested in arranging a workshop for your area, please contact us.