TESOL Course Contents

The TEFL course consists of both theory lessons and teaching practice. In the theory lessons an experienced teacher trainer will introduce a number of different methods and approaches. In these theory lessons you will also learn about the grammar and phonology/pronunciation of English as well as reflect on ways to reconcile TESOL concepts with day-to-day classroom practice. Special workshops will also be run to give you an insight into teaching young learners and teaching Business English. Both theory sessions and workshops are designed so that you take part in dynamic activities and discussions where you are encouraged to actively participate and learn ‘through doing’. We can guarantee you won’t be bored!

TESOL Course Syllabus

Unit 1: Study Skills
(not assessed) – how best to organise your study time.

Pre Module Grammars
Self-assessed tasks with answers provided to help with Unit 2 The Study of English.

Unit 2: The Study of English
Module 1 – grammar-tasks on the understanding of grammar, tense & structure – to be completed with the use of a grammar book.
Module 2 – phonetics – tasks relating to the phonetic alphabet(given), stress & intonation.
Module 3 – lexis – tasks relating to the presentation of vocabulary, compound words, word stems, language appropriacy & frequency.

Unit 3: The Teaching and Learning of ESOL
Module 1 – basic principles – answers from your own experience, the course materials & handbook on
– 1) the blocks which may prevent learning
– 2) motivation
– 3) communicative competence.
Module 2 – reading and listening – tasks based on exploitation of authentic materials i.e. magazines, newspapers, radio broadcasts etc. Module 3 – speaking and writing – tasks based as above but with a more productive bias – getting your students to produce language Module 4 – visual aids – study of all the audio-visual aids available. Production of your own flashcards and aids to be used with a simple flannelgraph.
Module 5 – error – looking at authentic student errors, classifying them, using a correction code, producing remedial exercises and improving your own practice.

Unit 4: Lesson Planning
Module 1 – classroom management – task relating to student teacher relationships and how to achieve genuine communication inside and outside the classroom.
Module 2 – lesson stages and plans – putting all the above into a lesson; timing; warm-up; input; practice and production stages of your lessons.

Unit 5: Teaching Practice
Observation sessions.

Unit 6: Teaching Practice
Lesson Planning. Observed, assessed teaching & feedback sessions.

Observed and assessed teaching practice

The FirstClass INTESOL Teaching Practice Certificate is a graded assessment available to graduates of our Certificate in TESOL course.

The practice takes a well rounded approach to preparing our graduates for life in front of a classroom. We do not just place you in a room full of students and expect you to conduct yourself like a seasoned teacher – you will have the guidance of an experienced trainer in areas such as lesson planning and classroom management and observe the teaching practices of long-standing professionals in various classroom settings. Most importantly, you will be assessed teaching real students and receive constructive feedback and support from your personal tutor. Emphasis is placed on you as an individual and your personal development as a competent and confident EFL teacher.

The Teaching Practice Certificate is observed on premises registered with the Hong Kong Education Bureau. It is structured as a 40 hour assessment. During this period you will be involved in observation, lesson preparation and teaching. By the end of the practice you will have completed at least 6 hours of observed and assessed teaching practice which satisfies the British Council requirement. Upon successful completion, a graded FirstClass INTESOl Teaching Practice Certificate will be awarded to you in conjunction with our local alliance education institutes.

If you are already a teacher in Hong Kong we can arrange for you to undergo assessment at your place of employment. Please contact us if you would prefer this and we will work with you and your school to set this up.

Observation of Experienced Teachers

Apart from learning from your own and your peers’ teaching practice, as part of your TESOL training you will be able to observe experienced teachers deliver lessons to the very students you will be teaching. These will normally be your own trainers and you will then have the privileged opportunity to learn from a professional in the field of TESOL doing what they do best: teaching English as foreign language to a group of non-native English language speakers.