Trinity CertTESOL Course (Part-Time)

Trinity Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (Ofqual Level 5)

Course

Trinity Cert TESOL Course

Level

Level 5 (on the British National Qualifications Framework)

Awarded by

Trinity College London

Duration

145 GLH (Guided Learning Hours) 200 hours TQT (Total Qualification Time)

Span

9 months (part-time)

Mode

Live Video Conferences (including Teaching Practice) + Online Content

Certificate Course Details​

The main course content is delivered and assessed through five units. The work for Units 1, 2, 3 and 5 is marked by your Spainwise course tutors and moderated or sampled and checked by a member of the Trinity moderators panel at the end of every course. The moderator externally assesses the work for Unit 4.

Pre-Course Assignment

In the pre-course assignment, you will be introduced to many of the issues of interest and concern to people taking the course, such as study skills, issues related to understanding learners, teaching methods and techniques, lesson planning, grammar, phonology, metalanguage and issues surrounding classroom management.

Pre-Course Assignment

In the pre-course assignment, you will be introduced to the following issues:

  • Trinity CertTESOL Study Skills
  • Understanding the Learner
  • Methods & Techniques for Teaching English
  • Preparing for Teaching Practice
  • Focusing on the Learner
  • Lesson Planning
  • Teaching Grammar in Context
  • Teaching Phonology through Listening & Speaking
  • The History of English
  • Metalanguage
  • The Common European Framework of Reference
  • Teachers & Classroom Management
Read More

Teaching Skills

Assessed through:

  • Tutors’ evaluation of six hours of teaching with real learners
  • A journal including trainees’ own lesson plans, with self- and tutor-evaluation
  • A journal covering trainees’ reflective comments following observation of four hours of ESOL teaching by experienced teachers

Unit 1: Teaching Skills

Summary

Unit 1 comprises over 50% of the course’s content and is the most important component of the Trinity Cert TESOL course.

It consists of three assessed sections (teaching practice sessions, class observations and a teaching practice portfolio), each of which receives an individual grade.

Teaching Practice Sessions

During the course you will complete teaching practice sessions totalling 6 hours of observed teaching practice. You will teach at two different levels and will try out a variety of lesson types.Tutors will help you prepare your lessons, though levels of support will ease off as the course progresses. After the lessons, you will have a feedback meeting with your observer and peer teachers on the session. For every teaching practice session you will need to have the following paperwork:

  • a detailed lesson plan including your teaching resources (using the lesson plan pro forma)
  • a reflective analysis and self-evaluation of your teaching practice
  • a signed assessment sheet from your observer

Verbal feedback will take place on the same day as your session. All individual lessons you teach will receive a tutor grade.

Class Observations

In addition to the teaching practice, you will also complete 4 hours of observation of ESOL classes taught by experienced teachers.

The first of these will be a recorded observation. You will later watch a teacher give a class to the learners who you will subsequently be teaching. Finally, there are two other live observations of experienced teachers.

The aim of these observations is not only to give you a chance to see an experienced practitioner at work and pick up some techniques, but also to give you an opportunity to consider the reasons for and implications of certain classroom practice.

To this end, you will complete a form for each of the observations. These will focus on a different aspect of each lesson observed.

Teaching Practice

This will contain all the documentation for the Teaching Practice component of Unit 1 as outlined above.

You will also need to write a post-Teaching Practice summary in which you reflect upon your Teaching Practice experience and the areas you still need to work on.

Content

  1. Input Sessions
  2. Guided Observations of Classes Given by Experienced Teachers
  3. Observation Journal Entries (Independent Study)
  4. Lesson Plan Preparation (Independent Study)
  5. Observed Teaching Practice
  6. Teaching Practice Feedback
  7. Preparation and Completion of Teaching Practice Portfolio (Guided Study)
  8. Mid-Course Tutorial

Input Sessions

  • Methods & Techniques for Teaching English

  • Preparing for Teaching Practice

  • Lesson Planning

  • The Common European Framework of

  • Reference

  • Teachers & Classroom Management

  • Basic Classroom Management

  • Introduction to Teaching Methodologies

  • An Overview of Receptive Skills

  • Planning a Receptive Skills Lesson

  • Using Authentic Materials

  • Engaging the Learner through Context

  • Guided Observation Journal

  • Supporting Learners with Vocabulary

  • Supporting Learners with Structures

  • Providing Practice of Language

  • Lesson Planning Frameworks

  • Planning Speaking Lessons

  • Planning Writing Lessons

  • Alternative Approaches to Lesson Planning

  • Peer Observations: An Introduction

  • Planning a Series of Lessons

  • Teaching Online

  • In-Class Assessment

  • Teaching Young Learners

  • Classroom Management (YLs)

  • Classroom Management (Adults)

  • Features of a Good Class

  • Popular English Exams

  • Trinity Exams for Students of English

  • Cambridge Exams for Students of English

  • Teaching English in Different Contexts

  • Continuous Professional Development

  • Applying for Jobs

  • Job Interviews

  • An Introduction to Special Educational Needs

  • An Introduction to Safeguarding

Assessment of Unit 1

  • Tutors’ evaluation of six hours of teaching with real learners
  • A journal including trainees’ own lesson plans, with self- and tutor-evaluation
  • A journal covering trainees’ reflective comments following observation of four hours of ESOL teaching by experienced teachers
Read More

Language Awareness

Assessed through:

  • An end-of-course test (grammar, lexis and phonology)
  • Ongoing use of spoken and written English

Unit 2: Language Awareness

Summary

Unit 2 makes up over 20% of the course content and includes the key grammar, language and structure input that will be vital for you to learn and use on the course and in your future career as a teacher of English.

While you will have done considerable work relating to this unit during the pre-course assignment, the course will provide specific class teaching sessions on grammar, vocabulary, and phonology.

The relevant input sessions will not only be dedicated to the analysis and teaching of these key areas but will be presented in such a way as to provide suggestions for strategies and techniques you might employ in your own teaching.

In addition to the input sessions, the course tutors will provide guidance on how to teach grammar, lexis and phonology during teaching practice feedback.

In order to pass Unit 2, you will be given a written Language Awareness Test towards the end of the course to evaluate your knowledge of the areas required for Unit 2. You will need to achieve a score of at least 60% in the test to pass this unit.

Content

  1. Pre-course Assignment
  2. Input Sessions
  3. Guided Study Sessions
  4. Language Awareness and Skills Test

Input Sessions

  • Teaching Grammar in Context

  • Teaching Phonology through Listening & Speaking

  • The History of English

  • Metalanguage

  • Introduction to Grammar

  • Introduction to Lexis

  • Introduction to Phonology

  • Pronunciation

  • Tense, Aspect, Voice

  • Future Forms, Modals & Conditionals

  • Noun Phrases

  • Functional English

  • Language Transfer & L1 Influence

  • Integrating Skills

  • Language Awareness & Skills Review

  • World Englishes

Assessment of Unit 2

  • An end-of-course test (grammar, lexis and phonology)
  • Ongoing use of spoken and written English
Read More

Learner Profile

Assessed through:

  • The preparation of a simple linguistic profile and needs analysis, including some basic phoneme transcription, of a single learner
  • The planning of, and reflection on, a one-to-one lesson
  • The preparation of recommendations for the learner’s future development

Unit 3: Learner Profile

Summary

For Unit 3, you will be working with an individual learner in order to complete the Learner Profile. You will need to interview this learner and, following an analysis of their needs and motivation, deliver a one-to-one class and develop a short course of study to help them with their language skills.

As part of the profile, you will draw up a detailed analysis of the learner’s language abilities, including phonological features of the learner’s oral English. Using this information, you will then design and give a suitable 45-minute, one-to-one lesson, and finally, you will draw up a set of suggestions for future study.

Trainees will be expected to spend time outside the timetabled hours of the course completing the Learner Profile.

Content

  1. Input sessions
  2. Planning & Preparation of Interviews for the Learner Profile
  3. Interviewing the learner
  4. Preparation for 1:1 Teaching
  5. Teaching the Learner
  6. Preparation and Completion of the Learner Profile

Input Sessions

  • Understanding the Learner

  • Focus on the Learner

  • Linguistic Analysis:  Spanish Speakers

  • Learner Motivation & Preferences

  • Criteria for Recommendations

  • Introduction to the Learner Profile

  • L1 Influence: Grammar & Lexis

  • L1 Influence: Phonology

  • Design & Choose Learner Profile Interview Tasks

  • Lesson Planning & Preparation

Assessment of Unit 3

  • The preparation of a simple linguistic profile and needs analysis, including some basic phoneme transcription, of a single learner
  • The planning of, and reflection on, a one-to-one lesson
  • The preparation of recommendations for the learner’s future development
Read More

Materials Assignment

Assessed through:

  • Written rationale for the development of one piece of teaching material
  • Written evaluation of use of this in classroom teaching
  • Interview with a Trinity moderator to discuss the above and the ways in which materials development is beneficial to the development of teaching skills

Unit 4: Materials Assignment

Summary

In order to successfully complete the materials assignment, you will reflect on and evaluate a teaching resource that you used during your assessed teaching practice.

You will produce a written rationale and evaluation of the material which will provide the basis for the assessment interview with an external moderator from Trinity College London.

You will be expected to spend time outside the timetabled hours of the course completing the materials assignment.

During the course you will be given guidance on the required content for the Materials Assignment and you will be given the opportunity to prepare for the assessment interview.

The external moderator visit will be scheduled for the last week of the course after all the input sessions have been completed.

Content

  1. Input sessions
  2. Preparation for the Materials Assignment – Guided Study
  3. Planning for the Materials Assignment & Moderation Practice
  4. Individual interview with the moderator for each trainee
  5. Teaching the Learner
  6. Preparation and Completion of the Learner Profile

Input Sessions

  • The Materials Assignment Interview 1

  • Coursebook Analysis

  • Teaching Resources Analysis

  • Adapting Material

  • Creating Original Material

Assessment of Unit 4

  • Written rationale for the development of one piece of teaching material
  • Written evaluation of use of this in classroom teaching
  • Interview with a Trinity moderator to discuss the above and the ways in which materials development is beneficial to the development of teaching skills
Read More

Unknown Language

Assessed through:

  • A journal covering trainees’ reflective comments on four hours’ tuition in an unknown language from the point of view of the beginner, including an analysis of the key aspects of methods and classroom management that affect the learner

Unit 5: Unknown Language

Summary

During the course you will attend four 1-hour teaching sessions in an unknown language.

You will be required to complete a reflective journal to evaluate these language lessons.

The aim of this part of the course is to consider the experience of learning an unknown language and how that may impact on your teaching of English.

Additionally, you are likely to pick up a range of strategies from these sessions that you can apply to your own teaching of low level learners.

You will be assessed through successful completion of a reflective journal consisting of an evaluation of each of the 4 unknown language lessons. For each session you will be given a different theme to focus on in your evaluation.

Content

  1. Reflection on L2 Learning Experiences
  2. Language Classes
  3. Post-Lesson Reflections
  4. Preparation and Completion of the Unknown Language Journal

Assessment of Unit 5

  • A journal covering trainees’ reflective comments on four hours’ tuition in an unknown language from the point of view of the beginner, including an analysis of the key aspects of methods and classroom management that affect the learner
Read More

Trinity CertTESOL Course at Spainwise Teacher Training Centre (Córdoba, Andalucía)

Kevin (from Ireland) shares his experience of the Spainwise Trinity CertTESOL Course

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