4 week intensive onsite TESOL course

This is a 4-week residential TESOL course leading to the internationally recognised Certificate in Educational Studies in TESOL held at our centre in Barcelona, Spain.

>>Course Aims

For the INTESOL Certificate of Educational Studies in TESOL, the overall aim is to provide a thorough TEFL / TESOL course, which includes a balance between the theory and methodology of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), and to thoroughly prepare you for teaching in any overseas environment.

>>Who Can Apply

To be accepted onto the course you don’t need to have prior teaching experience or teaching qualifications. This is an initial teaching qualification in the specialized field of TEFL / TESOL. If you do not hold a univerity degree, you should hold qualifications for entry to tertiary level education (e.g. A levels, High School diploma, etc), although exceptions are made with those candidates who demonstrate their suitability for the course through the questionnaire questions in the application form. Non-native English speakers will be accepted onto the course on equal terms to native English language speakers provided that they demonstrate a high command of the language. Applicants need to be at least 18 years old.

>>Pre-Course Task

Once you have been accepted on the TEFL / TESOL course and you have paid your deposit we will send you a pre-course task consisting of a grammar workbook covering the most essential aspects of the grammar of English with corresponding exercises so you can practice in preparation for the course.

Here is some recommended literature so you take full advantage of the course:

• The Practice of English Language Teaching, J Harmer, Longman (this is the set book for the course)
• Learning Teaching, J Scrivener, Heinemann
• Teaching English Pronunciation, J Kenworthy, Longman

Please note this is merely a list of recommended reading for those willing to start ahead. The different concepts in the recommended literature will be introduced and revisited often during the course.

>>Arrival and Orientation

On arrival, you will be given a welcome pack consisting of all sorts of practical information on how to get about in the city (map, public transport timetables, places of interest, local doctors who speak English, hairdressers, restaurants and shops where English is spoken, essential and emergency telephone numbers, cell phone information, etc). Plus our student coordinator will always be there to help you with their extensive local knowledge.

>>An Intensive Course

The INTESOL Spain TEFL / TESOL course is both intensive and demanding. There is lot to be learned about teaching and learning in just four weeks. We are highly committed to producing the best teachers possible and we will be working with you so that your teaching meets the highest of standards. This means that during the course you will be mainly concerned with lesson planning and different areas of the course. So, time for sightseeing may be limited. You will also need to sleep and eat properly to be able to cope with the stress of working long hours. Therefore we recommend you leave any plans concerning extensive tourism until after the course. Having said this it is our experience that if you follow our recommendations you will be able to enjoy both the course and the city life. Very often trainees comment that despite the hard work they found the course to be an invaluably challenging and rewarding learning experience.

>>Weekly Schedule

This will normally consist of input sessions in the morning and early afternoon followed by teaching practice where as well as teaching yourself you will observe other trainees teach. This will allow you to learn from peers. After teaching practice a critique session is held where both trainees and trainer sit together, exchange constructive criticism and reflect on the different lessons they observed. The onus is on reflection as we believe this to be the most important component of the TEFL / TESOL course. What really matters, more than a good performance in the classroom even, is for you to be able to reflect on your own and others’ teaching experience and learn from it for your future development.

A typical weekly schedule may look like this:

10.00 am – 12.30 pm: Input sessions
12.30 pm – 13.30 pm: Lunch
13.30 pm – 15.00 pm: Input sessions
15.15 pm – 16.30 pm: preparation for teaching practice
16.30 pm – 18.00 pm: Teaching practice
18.00 pm – 19.00 pm: Critique session

>>Course Outline and Contents

The TEFL / TESOL course consists of both theory lessons and teaching practice. In the theory lessons an experienced teacher trainer will introduce you a number of different methodologies and approaches in TEFL / TESOL. In these theory lessons, called ‘input sessions’, you will also learn about the grammar and phonology/pronunciation of English as well as reflect on ways of reconciling theory and methodological principles 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 and how to adapt the general methodological principles to these specific situations. Both input 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’. So, we can guarantee you will not be bored. Additionally, you will receive input on ‘professional development’ and you will learn about career paths in TEFL / TESOL as well as ways of keeping abreast of new developments in the TEFL / TESOL world (symposiums, conferences, workshops, ELT magazines and websites, literature, etc).

The main components of the course are:

1. Study skills
2. The Study of English

• grammar
• pronunciation: phonetics, stress, rhythm and intonation
• lexis

3. The Teaching and Learning of ESOL

• basic principles: motivation, leaning styles, communicative competence
• reading and listening skills
• speaking and writing skills
• visual aids
• errors and error correction
• teaching young learners
• business English
• testing

4. Lesson Planning

• lesson stages and plans
• lesson delivery
• classroom management

>>Classroom Practice

You will complete a minimum of six hours’ teaching practice observation and feedback with real foreign language students, which is observed by the trainer. This will be followed by feedback by the tutor and trainee. You will be graded on different aspects of your teaching performance, and receive an overall grade for the lesson. This practical side of the course will enable you to learn from first-hand experience about the particularities of the TEFL / TESOL classroom and about Teaching English as a Foreign Language. It will also equip you with the technique and teaching tools needed to become a versatile TEFL / TESOL practitioner and deal with a range of different teaching situations and environments when teaching English abroad.

>>Observation of Experienced Teachers

Apart from learning from your own and your peers’ teaching practice, as part of your TEFL / 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 TEFL / TESOL doing what they do best: teaching English as foreign language to a group of non-native English language speakers.

>>Unknown Foreign Language Course

As part of your TEFL / TESOL training you will be asked to step in the shoes of a ‘foreign’ language learner and take a three-lesson course in a language unknown to you. This will give you the opportunity to see things from a student perspective so that you can identify a number of needs you will need to cater to when teaching your lessons. The unknown language experience is often an eye-opener which sensitizes trainees to learner needs and develops their empathy towards the way students feel in the EFL/ESL classroom. Trainees on our courses frequently comment on how much they learned from this experience, which they regard as one of the strongest aspects of the TEFL / TESOL course.

>>Assessment and Grading

The theoretical components of the TEFL / TESOL course are continually assessed - there are no written examinations. You will be set tasks throughout the course, which are submitted for assessment by your tutors. These tasks are graded and returned with comments and guidance for your development. The course sessions are always conducted in small groups with on-going support and instruction, helping to ensure your successful completion of our course.
At INTESOL we pride ourselves on personalized support and small groups; and we are constantly available to offer individual support and coaching. These two things together mean that your success on the TEFL / TESOL course is virtually guaranteed.

Upon successful completion of the course, trainees are awarded a certificate with one of the following grades:

A1 - Distinction
A2 - Excellent
B1 - Very good
B2 - Good
C - Pass

>>Course requirements

In order to earn your Certificate of Educational Studies in TESOL candidates need to pass both the theoretical and practical course components of the TEFL / TESOL course. In addition full attendance is required. This means you need to attend all scheduled input sessions and teaching practice slots. Exceptions can be made in case of illness certified by a doctor, in which case trainees normally have to make up for missed inputs or teaching practice. This is normally arranged between the trainee and trainer or course director always with the trainee’s and the school’s best interests at heart.

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