TEFLnow Course in Teaching English to Young Learners
Unit i 1
YL 001
Unit i 1 Welcome to TEFLnow’s Teaching English to Young Learners course. This Introductory unit aims to give you an overview of the company, the course and the possibilities you will have on completion of it. TEFLnow is one of the most successful providers of onsite and online TEFL training in the world. It is our mission to train teachers to a high standard of knowledge and awareness. We believe that we are at the forefront of TEFL teacher training and endeavour to be ahead of the market in all aspects of our courses. There are many young learner English courses available on the market;; you may well have researched them already. If so, you will have seen that most of these courses approach the subject in the same way. This is not unusual, as many businesses develop through imitation of successful products, adding their own individual touches here and there. Our course aims to be different. We feel that our courses and the material within them should challenge and question the norms of thinking. We aim to develop critical and analytical thinkers, who will decide on their methodologies after careful consideration of a range of theories.
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Unit i 1 Course contents Unit 1 Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Aims and objectives Course duration and structure General terminology What is a young learner? Course assessment Prospects Unit 1 task sheet
Unit 2: Teaching and learning Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Learning and developmental theories Native language and second language acquisition Adopting an approach The learning environment Skills Maturation Unit 2 task sheet
Unit 3: Course development Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Level testing and Needs analysis Limiting factors Syllabus design On course assessment of students Examinations Course evaluation Unit 3 task sheet
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Unit i 1 Unit 4: Materials and management Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Authentic and non authentic material design Lesson planning Using book resources Using the Internet Classroom management Webliography of materials Unit 4 task sheet
Unit 5: Teaching themes Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Songs, chants and music Games Stories Art and crafts Seasonal activities Drama and movement Putting it all together Unit 5 task sheet
Unit 6: Professional development Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Cultural issues Finding employment CV/resume Additional qualifications Associations and organizations General EFL webliography Unit 6 task sheet Supplement and evaluation
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Unit i 1 Aims and objectives
Target group This course is designed for practicing or intending teachers of English. It is assumed that participants will have completed either an online TEFL certificate or an onsite TEFL course and that they intend to be able to specialize in the teaching of English to young learners, now or in the future. Participants are not expected to have any specific experience at this level.
Aim: To give participants the opportunity to study ideas and methodologies, relating to the teaching of English to young learners, in an EFL setting.
Objectives: After the course participants should be able to: Q
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Discuss using standard industry terminology, the role of teaching English to young learners Have an understanding of the general role of a young learner English teacher, in a variety of settings Create a teaching syllabus Have realistic ideas for individual lessons and how to deliver them to a range of target groups Be aware of how to find or create teaching material Be able to create and apply assessment procedures, pre-course, on-course and post course Be aware of professional development opportunities
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Unit i 1 Course duration and structure
Duration
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Structure
You may work at your own pace through the course but there is a maximum time limit of six months and you could not expect to finish the course in less than three days.
The course has six units which aim to cover as many and theoretical aspects as possible within the time frame.
The course has five units which aim to cover as many practical and theoretical aspects as possible within the time frame. In the second unit is about teaching and learning, it follows a progression from general learning and child development theories, to language acquisition theories of both L1 (native language) and L2 (second language). After adopting an approach to teaching, we will then consider the creation of the optimum learning environment and how this may change with the maturation of our students. Finally we look at the types of skills our students need to learn. In the third unit we look at how to develop a course, from first meetings and level testing, through a needs analysis and on to the design of a syllabus. Then we consider how and when to test the efficacy of our program.
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Unit i 1 In the fourth unit we look at the type of material available to aid the teaching process, how to source it and how to create it. The use of this material needs to be placed in the context of the learning environment, so we consider maintaining order in the classroom. In the fifth unit we will identify dif ferent learning strategies and show through real examples how they can be used in the classroom, in the form of actual lesson plans. The final unit considers your professional development. We look at what you can and should do to keep your career on the move, how to structure a resume and apply for posts. Finally we look at some useful organizations and associations you can join.
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Unit i 1 General terminology Throughout the course we will inevitably refer to certain organizations and terms which often are quoted as acronyms. The following terminology is not exhaustive, but should cover most of the terms you will come across in subsequent units. ARELS Association of Recognized English Language Services (UK) BASELT British Association of State English Language Teaching (UK) CALL Learning
Computer aided (assisted) Language
EAP Purposes
English (teaching/learning) for Academic
EFL
English as a Foreign Language
ELL
English Language Learner
ELT
English Language Teaching
ESL
English as a Second Language
ESOL
English to Speakers of Other Languages
ESP
English (teaching/learning) for Specific Purpose
ETS
Education Testing Service (administer TOEFL examinations;Íž US)
IATEFL
International Association of Teacher s of English as a Foreign Language
IELTS
International English Language Testing System (UK)
IEP
Intensive English Program
L1
Native language
L2
Second language
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Unit i 1 SLA
Second Language Acquisition
TEFL
The Teaching of English as a Foreign Language
TESL
The Teaching of English as a Second Language
TESOL
The Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages
TEYL
The Teaching of English to Young Learners
TOEFL
The Test of English as a Foreign Language
TOEIC
The Test of English for International Communication
UCLES
The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate
VSO
Voluntary Service Overseas
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Unit i 1 What is a young learner? A trivial answer could be 'anyone who isn't an adult learner'. However we need to think about this question in a bit more detail than that. Ask this question to five different people and you may get five different answers. One of the problems associated with teaching TEFL and learning theories in general is that definitions tend to be hazy. In order to develop the course however, we will have to make a decision as to whom we will define as 'young learners'. It would seem sensible to define this group on the basis of learning and developmental theories. We will define our young learners as anyone between the age of five years (a typical school starting age) and thirteen years (when different motivational factors make younger learner theories untenable). Even within this age range there are great changes taking place in our learners' minds and we need to address these changes in our subsequent units, particularly pedagogy. You also need to keep in mind that learning theories talk about learning in general and not necessarily L1 language acquisition. Further to this, the learning processes of L1 and L2 are not exactly the same (according to much research) and so we have to make distinctions and adaptations to the general theories to account for this. We will present the information as it currently stands and you can take from it what you will, but your greatest resource will always be the experienced teacher, rather than the behavioural psychologist or pedagogical researcher.
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Unit i 1 Course assessment Assessment of the course is continuous, through the use of multiple choice tasks. When you have covered the material within a unit you can download and carry out the test for that unit. The test will be graded automatically for you and your results presented. You will be able to monitor your progress through the course with the graphical display of your individual test results and overall average score. In order to obtain a certificate you must complete all six units. There is no specific time frame for completion, though you should not expect to complete the course in less than three days or over a period greater than six months.
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Unit i 1 Prospects Employment prospects for TEFL teachers are extremely good. If you have studied an additional field such as English for Young Learners your prospects are enhanced. You will be able to find employment opportunities all around the globe and can live a relatively comfortable lifestyle in most countries. The types of post you will find, their working conditions and salaries will vary, country by country, but below are some typical outlines of what you could expect. Teaching in a language centre or language school: Here you are employed by a language school or academy to teach at the school itself, or contracted out to teach at another school. The language school is responsible for your remuneration. Teaching in a private or state school: Here you are employed by the school themselves and have a working contract outlining salary and conditions. Teaching 'Private clients' or 'One to One': Here you could work for a company or act as a freelancer. Working for yourself you obviously have no assurances of income.
Salaries will be dependent to some extent on the local or national economy you may expect more than $2000 per month in the UAE but less than $500 per month in Eastern Europe for example. Far and Middle Eastern states offer higher salaries, but often have more stringent working conditions and practices on the whole, and there will also be higher costs of living. Generally salaries will place you in the middle income bracket of the economy in which you are working. The number of hours you will have to work is another area where there can be a great variation, as a freelancer you can obviously choose how much or how little you need to do, working for a company or school you may have as little as 18 contact hours or as many as 35 contact hours per week.
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Unit i 1 Task sheet Unit 1 Check your knowledge before attempting the unit test.
Note: not all the information needed for the answers can be found in the unit, so you may need to research from other sources. 1. In which units of this course will you study the following? a. Maintaining discipline in the classroom ………………………………………………………………….……………………………………………………………… b. How to write a C.V ………………………………………………………………….……………………………………………………………… c. A Second language acquisition theory ………………………………………………………………….……………………………………………………………… d. How chants can help children learn ………………………………………………………………….……………………………………………………………… e. How to design a syllabus ………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………
2. What is the difference (if any) between TEFL, TESOL and TESL? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………
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Unit i 1 3. Teaching approaches and methodologies have to be different for young learners and adults. Give three reasons why this is the case, in your opinion, giving as much detail as possible. (i) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… (ii) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……...………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… (iii) …………………………………………………………………………………………..……………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………
4. State where you would like to work in the world and give three reasons why. Where? …………………………………………………………………… (i) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… (ii) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……...………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… (iii) …………………………………………………………………………………………..……………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………
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Unit i 1 5. State three reasons why teachers would a. Want to teach Young learners (i) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… (ii) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……...………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… (iii) …………………………………………………………………………………………..……………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………
b. Not wish to teach Young learners (i) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… (ii) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……...………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… (iii) …………………………………………………………………………………………..……………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………
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