ATTSW offers a STAT approved training course to gain an internationally recognised qualification as an Alexander Technique Teacher. Our course has a focused, but friendly atmosphere – working with other students developing their AT Teaching Skills is extremely beneficial, as well as being fun.
Gunda Fielden, our Head of Training, is supported by a core team of highly experienced teachers. Learn more about our teachers here. As well as this, the school regularly links up online or as a residential for exchanges with an exciting and diverse range of senior teachers and Heads of Training from around the world.
Our Curriculum:
The school year is made up of three terms of 12 weeks with one week half term break. Per week, there are 14 hours of class time, as well as an individual lesson – over the course of each year, each student will receive around 30 individual lessons with Gunda – an invaluable asset to their development. Sometimes, a school week will be replaced with a residential intensive, joining other Alexander Technique Schools (Dates for these are confirmed nearer the time).
The general structure encompasses handwork and handwork related thinking, activities and concept building, theory work, anatomy study, voice work with focus on the activity of ‘communication’ and working on yourself with thinking work / directed activities.
Outline of your development
1st year students will mainly work on their own use in the vicinity and stimulus of the ‘pupil’, with handwork as an opportunity to stop/inhibit and direct and observe their own responses, whilst beginning to build greater awareness of spacialising. The teachers will frequently move the students’ hands for them or the ‘pupil’ will move while the student learns to ‘move with them’, maintaining contact with the hands and prioritising their own Good Use. They will begin to work with hands on, slowly learning how to direct the ‘pupil’.
2nd year students will continue this work, while learning about more specific handwork sequences. They will greatly further their direction skills whilst continuing to focus on their own use and inhibition.
3rd years too will continue all this, with further learning refining sequences and coordinating communication with, and observation of, the pupil – developing high quality handwork skills, good use and non end-gaining. In the final two terms they will work with practice pupils, under supervision.
Our directed activities cover daily movement, such as walking, writing, reading, carrying, lifting objects, chopping vegetables, washing up – all areas in which the Technique can play an instrumental role in well being – and learning about how the Technique comes to play in these activities is instrumental in learning how to help your future pupils.
Voice work is something Gunda is very passionate about, and the development of breathing and ‘natural effort’ in speaking is a part of the students training, to help discover their natural voice – and to teach them how to do the same for others as a teacher.
The Anatomy study and focus on engineering of the body will be an ongoing aspect of the course, as well as study of Alexander’s books, the major concepts of the Technique, and many other writings from significant AT Teachers and those who have studied the mind-body. The deep understanding our students are left with of the working of the human body in this way provides a fundamental background to the Alexander Technique that will carry through into every aspect of the students learning and teaching.
There are no exams during the course, the student is assessed in an ongoing way involving internal and external assessors. Some written work and reading is expected as well as a continuing engagement with and exploration of the Technique in the student’s daily life.
On satisfactory completion of the three year course (minimum 1600 hours) a certificate is awarded and the student graduates to become a teaching member of STAT.
In some exceptional cases the course can be undertaken spread over 4 years.
The Benefit Of Our Location
Because ATTSW is located in the beautiful south west of England, the training also takes some activities outdoors. We have a choice of lovely beaches, estuary walks and the wild and stunning Dartmoor to engage with. In particular some of the individual lessons and group classes will be walking sessions – and occasionally running, swimming and riding. Discussion work can often take place in such beautiful settings – for example, sitting together in nature can create a very enjoyable and productive environment. (Because we work with this from an Alexander Technique perspective there is never any expectation around how and to what level the students engage with potentially physically demanding activities).
Pricing
The cost of the training course is £415 per month, coming to a yearly total of £4980 – this includes all facets of the course, including the weekly individual lessons with Gunda.
The school offers a bursary for people whose finances have been severely impacted by the Coronavirus crisis or who unexpectedly encounter financial difficulty at any point during the Training Course. Typically this is a reduction of around £200 a term. For more information on this contact Gunda directly.
People who are considering training are invited to join in with the school for a morning and recommended to take an individual lesson with Gunda.
For all Enquiries, contact Gunda
Alexander Technique Training South West 