Course Overview and Objectives

Our objective is to produce top quality, rounded teachers of EFL who will be equipped to teach mixed nationality groups, Business English, Young Learners, as well as one to one classes, of all levels and ages anywhere in the world.  Successful trainees will have a sufficient base knowledge of grammar and phonology, as well as of teaching approaches and techniques, to provide excellent English training, never having to resort to using the student's first language. They will be particularly adept at enabling their students to improve their speaking skills, in order to excel at teaching in France.

Coursework is largely completed at our school, during the working day, from 10am to 8pm, in order to avoid homework in the evenings. Trainees will need to spend a proportion of most weekends doing home study.

Sunflower fields just outside the city

Course Essentials

  • A minimum of 6 hours observed teaching practice.
  • 130 tutor / trainee contact hours
  • Lifelong job guidance

    Grammar

    Tenses: Pasts, Presents, Perfects, Futures, Conditionals

    Phrasal verbs

    Passives

    Reported Speech

    Syntax

    Lexis

    Parts of speech

    Auxiliary verbs

    Modal verbs

    Determiners

    Articles

     

    The canal du midi, 10 minutes bike ride south of Toulouse

    Phonology

    The consonant sounds and symbols

    The vowel sounds and symbols

    Diphthongs

    Intonation

    Word stress

    Sentence stress

    Connected speech

    Regional and international variations

    Soho? Toulouse

    Teaching Technique

    Teacher language

    Lesson Planning

    Learning to plan a lesson in 15 minutes!

    Presentation skills

    Approaches to teaching EFL

    Exploiting course books

    Learner styles

    Classroom Management

    Using drama and roleplay

    Using Songs and games

    Business English

    Teaching Grammar

    Teaching Listening

    Teaching Speaking

    Teaching Reading

    Teaching Writing

    Computer assisted language learning

    Teaching Young Learners

    Alternative approaches to Lesson Planning

    Job Guidance (trainees have this for life)

    Using Dictation

    Eliciting

    Error Correction

     

    Basilique St. Sernin, city centre

    Other

    There are 2 projects to complete:

    The UFLOT (Unknown Foreign Language Observation Task):

    In the first week, you have 2 lessons in a language that you almost certainly don't know (though we won’t tell you which!)

    As a result of this you gain an insight into how it feels to be one of your future students, being spoken to in a new language. The objective is that  you adapt teaching methods that help you find other ways to get our meaning across, without resorting to “explaining”. The task also helps us empathise globally to a greater extent with our students.

    You write a short project based on this experience.

    Sorry, I didn't quite catch that

    The One to One project

    The objective of this project is twofold. It gives you experience in preparing a course of study based on students' needs and interests, and also that you get practice teaching classes with just one student. The procedure is that you choose a student and diagnose his or her needs in English, and interests. Based upon the diagnosis, you design a lesson for the student, teach it, then evaluate it in depth. To what extent did it work? Why? Finally you design an imaginary further short course of study for the student.

    Also in the course:

    2 self evaluation tutorials

    2 grammar tests

    6 hours minimum of teaching - usually in one hour lessons

    Lesson Planning help

    Observation of your classes and feedback

    Assessment

    Teaching Practice       50%

    One to One project    20%

    Grammar tests           10%

    UFLOT                   10%

    Professionalism         10%

    Both the  practice and theory elements of the course need to be passed, to gain an overall pass.

    Successful trainees receive an official certificate from IATQuO, numbered and stamped, showing completion of the course. They will also be issued with a detailed letter for employers, which highlights their performance and provides grades. We are always happy to issue a reference and further information when requested.

    Note: As you can see, the course is intensive. It is important to bear in mind  that you will be busy some 8 hours a day Monday to Friday,  and probably a day at weekends doing home study, for the 4 weeks.