WHAT IS TESOL?
TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and encompasses what used to be called TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language).
Generally, TEFL emphasises aspects of teaching English in countries where English is not widely used in daily life, such as Russia, China, Vietnam, France and Brazil.
The term TESL tends to emphasise the needs of learners who will use English in their daily lives, in addition to their mother-tongue. In many countries, such as Zambia and India for example, English is used as an official language in government, in business, in newspapers, TV and radio as well as being the main medium of educational instruction in schools and colleges, as well as universities.
The acronym TESOL encompasses both TESL and TEFL and is very widely used around the world.
Good teachers of English, whether they are TESOL, TEFL or TESL-qualified, adapt their teaching methods, their expectations of students, their teaching materials and their classroom activities to their local environment and the needs of their learners.
TESOL TRAINING
Founded in the U.S. in 1999, Cleverlearn Inc. has been widely recognized as a leading, reputable and reliable English Language Center with over 10 thousand students worldwide. In 2003, Cleverlearn Inc. officially expanded into Vietnam.
In July 2010, Cleverlearn Vietnam signed a cooperation contract worth US$3 million with American Academy, a prestigious educational organization derived from AITMA (American Information Technology & Management Association), to be supplied with new training materials and management procedures for the improvement of teaching quality in its 9 branches.
Approved by the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam and HCMC Department of Education and Training, on Feb 20, 2012, Cleverlearn Vietnam – HCM Branch was officially merged with and renamed American Academy (abbreviated as AMA).
Norwood English was founded in Ireland in 1993 by eight, later to become nine, teachers concerned about the lack of training given to many teachers. All of the founders are experienced teachers and continue to have some involvement with the company, acting as occasional tutors. All Norwood English tutors are qualified and have at least fifteen years teaching experience.
With an aim to offer learners, especially those who are interested in travelling and teaching English in Southeast Asia, a more efficient and practical TESOL training course, AMA cooperates with Norwood English in designing a special TESOL joint course offered additional practicum component to the online-based program. The joint course is comprised of 02 sections: theory and practicum.
SECTION 1: THEORY WITH 120 HOURS OF ONLINE STUDY
The Norwood English Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language is a 120 hour correspondence course for anyone intending to work as an EFL teacher. It is a complete course for those with little or no teaching experience or anyone seeking an introduction to EFL methods. It is ideal preparation for anyone considering the RSA/CTEFLA, the Trinity College Certificate or other full-time TESOL course. The course covers the basics of EFL teaching and, unlike other distance learning courses, offers advice on how to tackle more advanced TEFL qualifications, plus sections on living/working abroad, and finding work.
The course consists of a short introductory unit and four further text units with nine written assignments. The assignments are mostly short essays. Each unit also contains exercises and/or case studies. With each unit you also receive relevant articles and examples of teaching materials. You work at your own pace without time restrictions. Your written work will be returned to you with helpful comments and suggestions. Throughout the course you will have access to a private tutor by e-mail or other arrangements to answer your queries. You will also receive advice on finding work. Help is available for anyone moving on to take a more advanced course. The text units are designed to provide a convenient reference throughout your teaching career. On completion of the course you will receive the certificate and a reference to aid your job search.
The course consists of a short introductory unit plus four longer units. Each unit contains exercises and case studies plus an assignment to be completed and returned to your tutor.
SYLLABUS
Introductory Unit
- Introduction to TEFL
- Common Terms
- Overview Of Methodologies
- Theories and Approaches
- Qualities of 'The Good Teacher'
Unit One
- Students: Culture/Motivation/ Learning Difficulties
- Classroom Management
- Adults & Children as Learners
- Planning
- Presentation; Practice; Production.
- Beginning a Lesson: Warm Up Activities
- Beginning a Lesson: Presentation
Unit Two
- Communication: Speaking; Listening; Reading; Writing.
- Language Analysis
- Controlled Practice
Unit Three
- Production
- Teaching Materials
- Using Audio & Video
- Teaching Situations: One Student or Sixty?
- Analysing A Lesson
Unit Four
- Using What You Know
- Resources
- Finding Work
- Higher Qualifications
- Career Development
- Living & Working Abroad
- Homestays and Self-employment
SECTION 2: PRACTICUM WITH 30 CONTACT HOURS AT AMA CAMPUS
SYLLABUS
• UNIT ONE: Culture (students' learning styles, classroom behavior & expectations)
• UNIT TWO: Grammar (most common mistakes & how to deal with them)
• UNIT THREE: Pronunciation (most common mistakes & how to use the IPA to deal with them effectively)
• UNIT FOUR: Vocabulary (how to use learner's dictionaries to improve it)
• UNITS FIVE to NINE: Supervised classroom observations
• UNITS TEN to THIRTEEN: Supervised classroom teaching & Assessment
TUITIONS
Tuition for Joint Course (online training + practicum):
• For Foreigner: $750 US dollars
• For Vietnamese: $550 US dollars
Tuition for Online Training Component only:
• For Foreigner: $250 US dollars
• For Vietnamese: Not Applicable
Tuition for Practicum Component only:
• For Foreigner: $550 US dollars
• For Vietnamese: Not Applicable
SPECIAL OFFERS:
100% Job Guarantee for native English speakers
FAQs
Level
This is a preliminary course. However participants should possess a good level of written English. The standard of written work should be comparable with that on intensive TEFL courses that include teaching practice.
Time
The course is rated at 150 hours. You work at your own pace in conjunction with your tutor for the theory; most people take four weeks to complete it. The practicum is 30 hours and lasts for 2 weeks.
Tutors
On enrolment you will allocated a tutor who will assess your work but also offer you help and encouragement and he or she will answer your questions. Throughout the course you can contact your tutor by e-mail for advice about teaching or employment matters. Support now continues following completion of the course.
Assessment
Assessment is based on the quality of the written assignments as determined by your tutor. Borderline cases will be passed to another tutor for moderation. Participants are expected to show an understanding of the basic issues covered by the course and an awareness of the problems faced by language learners.
The Certificate
The certificate is awarded on a straightforward pass or fail basis and will be dispatched within ten days of our receiving your final assignment. The Certificate is printed on 'aged' gold paper and posted to you at the end of the course in a hard backed A4 envelope along with references and final assessment. Anyone failing to reach the required standard will be offered the opportunity to resubmit assignments at no extra cost. This will only be offered once.
Support
Throughout the course you can contact your tutor by e-mail for advice about teaching or employment matters. Support now continues following completion of the course.
Other Services
We hope that once you have completed the course you will keep us informed of your address and contact numbers. This will enable us to send you information about our other services and EFL news garnered from teachers around the world. We often have exclusive recruitment information for schools world-wide.
REGISTER
Tuition for Joint Course (online training + practicum):
• For Foreigner: $750 US dollars
• For Vietnamese: $550 US dollars
Tuition for Online Training Component only:
• For Foreigner: $250 US dollars
• For Vietnamese: Not Applicable
Tuition for Practicum Component only:
• For Foreigner: $550 US dollars
• For Vietnamese: Not Applicable
SPECIAL OFFERS:
100% Job Guarantee for native English speakers
TESTIMONIALS
From: Le Huu Hong Chuyen, TESOL trainee, TESOL Practicum October 2013
Regardless of only being a short course, both the Norwood English 120 hour online part and the AMA 30-hour practicum part of TESOL course did provide me with a great deal of useful knowledge and skills for teaching English as a foreign language. Having no experience in teaching English, I have enrolled in the course with a many expectations and eagerness and now, after completing the course with a TESOL Certificate in hand, I must say I am completely satisfied.
From: Do Quoc Phong, TESOL trainee, TESOL Practicum October 2013
The course is very informative and practical, especially with the practicum, all feedback, games, techniques are realistic and insightful. Online course and practicum fit to one another like 2 pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
From: Nguyen Hong Nga (Nina), TESOL trainee, TESOL Practicum October 2013
At the beginning, I was wondering what I would learn for only 2 weeks of the TESOL Practicum. Despite the pressure of a tight schedule, I enjoyed the chance to practice as an English teacher at AMA English Language School. The working environment at AMA is very friendly & professional, where I can learn & meet wonderful teachers and TAs who are always willing to help us. The instructors, Ms Trang & Ms Raquel, have not only shared with us the warmth of their welcome & particular skills to be good teachers, but also the motivation, power, dynamic eagerness to experience the teaching career.
From: Mai Kim Phuong, TESOL trainee, TESOL Practicum January 2014
My good impression of the Practicum course at AMA was the positive attitude and professional guidance of Ms. Trang and Ms. Raquel. During the teaching practice periods, they continuously put us in the challenging situations so that we could gain more valuable teaching experiences. I really had 30 hours of productive learning and I have delightedly recommended the course to many of my friends.
