TESOL TEFL course
Description

This is a long page and so has a table of contents. Click on the links in the "Contents" shown below to view the relevant sections.

Contents

Overview

During the four week, 150 hour course, you will learn the principles of successful English teaching and start developing the practical skills you will need to teach effectively.

The EBC TESOL TEFL course includes 16 hours of teaching practice, 8 hours observing experienced teachers and the completion of 10 written assignments.

Teaching practice is observed and critiqued. You will deliver prepared lessons to non-native English speakers and your class peers. You will get feedback so that you know how you are progressing and help you prepare for the moment when you go solo in your teaching career.

You will be taught how to communicate effectively using different methods and media. The EBC training style demands active and pro-active student participation. Your ability to work in a team is essential.

We don't prohibit the use of the learner's foreign language in class, but we will not encourage you to use it. An essential part of our TEFL TESOL teaching method is the ability to explain and teach in English supported by classroom aids, body language etc.

Your final grade is based on 3 key areas:

  • Teaching practice performance;
  • Successfully completed written assignments and lesson plans;
  • Professional development.

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What do you learn?

Introduction to TEFL

  • Language analysis and usage
  • EFL teaching theory and practical application
  • Classroom management
  • Lesson planning and evaluation

Learning versus teaching

  • What's the difference?
  • The learning cycle
  • Types of students
  • What teaching models have influenced current teaching methods?

The lesson structure

  • How to present material
  • How to present key points
  • How to present explanations and instructions
  • Guidelines on effectively presenting explanations and instructions

What do we know about language learning?

  • What elements are necessary for language learning in a classroom?
  • How to effectively use: engage, study and activate techniques in lesson sequences

Planning lessons and didactic material usage

  • What are the aims of a plan?
  • What should be in a plan?
  • How to plan effective lessons
  • Different lesson components explained
  • How to select and order lesson components
  • Lesson planning and management tips
  • Sample lesson plans
  • The lesson planning promise
  • Effective use of didactic materials

What are the best kinds of lesson?

  • How to evaluate lesson effectiveness
  • How to define evaluation criteria

Classroom interaction

  • Interaction, meaning and concepts
  • Patterns of classroom interaction
  • Social aspects of classroom interaction
  • Initiation – response – feedback
  • How to implement and use interactive teaching strategies

Asking questions

  • Reasons for questioning
  • How to construct effective questions
  • How to successfully elicit answers
  • How to concept check

Feedback

  • What is feedback?
  • Approaches to the nature and function of feedback
  • How to correct mistakes
  • How to tactfully deliver feedback

Testing and assessment

  • Why test?
  • The value of assessment and correction for learning
  • How to construct successful and meaningful tests
  • How to administer tests
  • How to establish assessment reference criteria
  • How to establish assessment grades

Classroom discipline, what to do if students:

  • Keep using their own language
  • Are uncooperative
  • Don't want to talk
  • Don't understand what they are listening to
  • Finish their work before the others?

Teaching vocabulary

  • How to present and explain new vocabulary
  • Classroom activities that stimulate vocabulary use

How to teach grammar?

  • Understanding grammar in general
  • Understanding grammatical structures
  • Understanding grammatical meaning
  • How to present and explain new grammatical structures
  • Classroom activities that stimulate grammar use

How to teach reading

  • What is reading?
  • How do we read?
  • How to teaching reading
  • What do reading activities look like?
  • Classroom activities that stimulate reading

How to teach writing

  • Why do we write?
  • Differences between written and spoken text
  • How to teaching writing
  • What do writing activities look like?
  • Classroom activities that stimulate writing

How to teach speaking

  • How to practice oral fluency
  • How and when to correct errors during fluency exercises
  • How to resolve common speaking activities problems
  • How to use role play and related techniques
  • What do speaking activities look like?
  • Classroom activities that stimulate speaking

How to teach listening

  • What is really involved in real-life listening?
  • Common attributes of real-life listening situations
  • How to simulate real-life listening in the classroom
  • What do listening activities look like?
  • Classroom activities that stimulate listening

Student motivation and interest

  • The importance of motivation
  • Characteristics of motivated students
  • Different kinds of motivation
  • Fluctuations in student interest
  • How to effectively use motivational techniques

How to teach pronunciation

  • Long and short vowel sounds
  • Diphthongs
  • Different qualities of and pronunciation of vowels
  • Plosive consonants
  • Difficult sounds e.g. W, G, J. CH etc.
  • Intonation and its effect on phrase/sentence meaning
  • How stressed and unstressed syllables vary the rhythm of words and phrases

The teacher's behaviour, role and responsibility

  • The characteristics of a good teacher
  • How to communicate success and its rewards
  • How to communicate failure and its penalties
  • How to make authoritative demands
  • How to structure teacher language
  • How to manage teacher talking time (TTT) versus student talking time (STT)

How to perform concept checking

  • What is concept checking?
  • Vehicles for concept checking
  • How to concept check vocabulary
  • How to concept check grammar

What difference does age make to language learning?

  • Is age a factor?
  • Do children learn more quickly than adults?
  • Basic ideas behind teaching children
  • Basic ideas behind teaching adolescents
  • Basic ideas behind teaching adults

Planning a syllabus

  • What is a syllabus?
  • Things to think about when planning a syllabus
  • What does a student need to learn?
  • Common characteristics of a syllabus
  • Types of syllabuses
  • Using the syllabus

ESP/Business English

  • Defining ESP areas of specialisation
  • Analysing needs
  • English language teaching tree
  • ESP teaching techniques

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How do you learn?

Your study programme is divided into two main sections:

  • classroom based training;
  • teaching practice.

Classroom based training

You will be taught language analysis and usage, theory and practical application, classroom management and lesson planning/evaluation through the following:

  • Seminars and lectures;
  • Trainer demonstrations;
  • Group role-playing exercises.

Teaching practice

Your teaching practice is composed of the following:

  • Eight, one hour teaching practice classes given to groups of non-native English speakers;
  • Supervised group teaching practice;
  • Peer group teaching;
  • Feedback.

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How are you assessed?

The course is continually assessed on three main themes:

  • Teaching practice performance;
  • Successfully completed written assignments;
  • Professional development.

How is the assessment performed?

Your written work and teaching practice work will be reviewed by your course trainer and the course moderator.

You will receive regular feedback from your course trainer so that you know how you are progressing. The feedback may require you to take corrective action. You are expected to act upon the feedback you are give.

Progress Metrics

Individual student performance metrics will be gathered in the following key areas:

  • Teaching practice;
  • Practical teaching assessment including lesson planning, execution and the ability to give constructive lesson feedback;
  • Written work that demonstrates practical knowledge of:

    • The English language system;
    • TEFL theories and methodologies;
    • Understanding of learners, their needs and their capacities;
    • Evaluation, monitoring and assessment;
    • Materials preparation and lesson planning;
  • Written work must meet acceptable content, style and presentation standards for a teacher of English;
  • Professional attitude to everyone associated with the course.

In order to graduate the candidate must successfully complete all written and practical teaching requirements.

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Course written assignments

  • 8 complete lesson plans including post-lesson notes;
  • An essay on the theory and practice of motivation in the classroom;
  • A one to one assignment showing an extended study plan designed to meet the specific learning needs of a non-English speaker. This is a special exercise designed to get you used to teaching Business English.

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"The course met my expectations. It was worth both my time and money."

Lynda King (USA)
"I though the course was excellently taught and I was extremely happy with my progress from the start to the finish of the course."

David Knapman (UK)
"This course is definitely worth every penny. I feel confident of my teaching skills after taking this course."

Kristen Wegner (USA)
"EBC TEFL came through in all regards. I feel confident in my ability to teach. They were also honest about language teaching in general in terms of what to expect. The staff was 100%. It is hard to imagine a group of people more dedicated to their jobs."

Brendan Mardesich (USA)
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