Courses consist of over 50 hours of input, assisted lesson planning time and tutorials. There are also five lesson observations (one diagnostic and four assessed) as well as opportunities to observe experienced teachers working with young learner groups.
In addition, participants have to keep a teaching practice journal and complete an externally-assessed assignment on materials development.
Course objectives
Candidates will be expected to demonstrate the following learning outcomes on completion of the course, focusing mostly on young learners in the 7–12 age range and/or in the 13–16 age range. If acourse focuses on one age range, it should include reference to learners in the young learner age range not focused on. The age range focused on should be mentioned in a course participant’s endof course report
1. Knowledge of and ability to teach the main phonological, lexical and syntactic features of a standard English to young learners considering age and level appropriacy
2. Ability to creatively transfer and adapt knowledge and skills of teaching adults appropriately for teaching young learners
3. Awareness of the learning needs of groups of or of individual young learners, and of the motivation of learners in a variety of circumstances and environments, with special reference
to current theories of children’s general and linguistic development
4. Ability to establish rapport and create and maintain young learners’ interest
5. Ability to draw up a range of lesson plans with clear and achievable aims, using appropriate methods for young learners with various needs
6. Ability to manage and stimulate active participation among a class of young learners and provide a relevant learning context and opportunities in relation to their learning objectives
7. Ability to evaluate, use and adapt published material and create simple teaching material, which may include visual aids, audio, video, and information communication/learning technology
(ICT/ILT), as appropriate to young learners
8. Broad understanding of the main advantages and disadvantages of various language teaching approaches, with special reference to young learners
9. Ability to evaluate their own effectiveness as teachers and to work co-operatively as members of a teaching team and group
10. Ability to identify and set developmental action points to help further develop their teaching practice
