Syllabus

Menu

The syllabus and course structure of the Standard TESOL course is very similar to the Trinity CertTESOL with the exception of the Foreign Language module and more counseling time required by Trinity College London, UK.

Like in the Trinity CertTESOL course, the Standard TESOL course has modules in NLP, Multiple Intelligences Theory and Task-based Learning.

These are some of the topics in both syllabi:

  • Approaches to languages teaching: Grammar Translation, Direct Method, Audiolingual Method, Communicative and Task-based Learning.
  • Communicative approach: Main goals, Role of the teacher, Characteristic of the teaching/learning process, Student-Teacher interaction, How evaluation is accomplished, How to respond to student’s errors, Techniques and materials.
  • Grammar seminars include theoretical and practical topics such as : Parts of  Speech, nouns, pronouns,  adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, verbs, articles, tense and aspect, adverbials, nominal and adjectival clauses, conditionals, reported speech, passive voice, modal verbs, comparative and  superlative, gerunds and infinitives.
  • Phonology seminars include theoretical and practical topics such as: Phonology vs Phonetics, vowels & consonants (IPA Chart), organs of speech, manner of articulation, place of articulation, minimal pairs, stressed and unstressed syllables, word stress & sentence stress, intonation, assimilation, elision and phonemic  transcription.
  • Lesson Planning : Presentation stage: Presentation of new material:
    The P-P-P framework, what learners need to know about a new item of
    language, presenting dialogues, other ways of presenting new language:
    The Test-Teach-Test technique, Grammar analysis,Generative contexts/situations.
  • Lesson Planning : Presenting Functions: The importance of context in the interpretation of meaning; Steps in presenting functions.
  • Lesson Planning : Presenting Grammar: Steps in presenting grammar; different techniques to present grammar.
  • Lesson Planning: Practicing Stage/Drilling:The importance of oral practice, Mechanical Drills, Meaningful Drills, Communicative Drills, Hands-on Workshop.
  • Lesson Planning : Production Stage: The importance of the productive stage, the problems of the learners, types of  less- controlled practice, communicative production, group work , hands-on Production stage workshop.
  • Lesson Planning workshop: Presentation, Practice and Production  stages in a lesson.
  • Introduction to NLP: What is NLP, Types of learners: The auditory, visual and kinaesthetic learner,How to apply NLP to teaching English, NLP practical activities.
  • Teaching skills – Speaking : How to motivate students to speak; Speaking techniques and games; Integrating speaking to other skills.
  • Teaching skills – Listening : Types of listening activities; Pre-listening tasks;ways to help students understand a listening piece; Steps in a listening lesson; Hands-on Listening comprehension (Workshop).
  • Teaching skills – Reading: Types of texts; Types of reading activities: scanning, skimming, intensive and extensive reading. Ways to motivate students to read; Pre-reading activities; Hands-on reading comprehension (Workshop).
  • Teaching skills – Writing: Types of writing ( paragraph writing, descriptive paragraphs, essays, etc. ;How to motivate students to write; Writing for examinations.
  • Classroom Management: How to organize the space, materials and students to create a pleasant and effective environment for learning; Use of the whiteboard, OHP, Flannel board, etc..;Behaviour; Role of the teacher.
  • Correcting students’ mistakes: Techniques to correct students’ mistakes in conversation and in writing.
  • Multiple Intelligence Theory: The theory; Planning activities taking into account the 8th Intelligences; Hands-on workshop.
  • Using ESL textbooks: Communicative approach , Task- based Learning and thematic oriented textbooks; How to choose a textbook; How to exploit a textbook.
  • Using authentic material: How to exploit songs, newspaper articles, news, movies, flyers, brochures; Integrated skills.
  • Learner’s Problems: Pronunciation, grammar and syntax mistakes made by Asian , Latin and South American & European Students.
  • Teaching vocabulary: How to introduce new vocabulary and idioms; ways to practice the new vocabulary so that it becomes memorable.
  • Task-Based Learning: Description of the TBL framework; Steps in a TBL lesson;TBL activities.
  • Brain-based Learning Theory and Suggestopaedia: Principles; Types of learners; Activities.
  • Foreign Language (Trinity Courses ONLY): Trainees will be taught 4 lessons on an foreign language.The aim of this module is to observe the different approaches used by the tutor and how to teach true beginners of a language using a variety of techniques learned in the TESOL course.
  • Job opportunities: CVs, Cover letters, Jobs in Canada & Abroad.
  • 10 hours of observation.
  • 10 hours of teaching practice with ESL students of at least two different levels.