Module 3.1–3.2 TEFL Comprehensive Bullet-Point Notes (English)

Module 3.1. The Basic Principles of TEFL

  • End-of-module outcomes

    • Have a basic understanding of the principles of good EFL teaching.
    • Understand the importance of a caring environment in the classroom.
    • Know why neglecting these principles could hinder language production and progress.
    • Understand the need for communicative teaching and have an idea of communication vs. correctness.

  • Core principle: ensuring students CAN succeed

    • At the start of every new group/class, ask:
    • How do I involve the students?
    • How do I make students want to learn and look forward to lessons?
    • How do I make them work hard?
    • How do I keep them happy?
    • Unhappy students learn very little; happy students learn more. This is summarized with the idea: UNHAPPY STUDENTS LEARN VERY LITTLE; WE NEED OUR STUDENTS TO BE HAPPY.

  • Career preparation in TEFL (overview)

    • The module covers planning lessons, preparing materials, understanding grammar, setting out the classroom, understanding students’ problems.
    • Objective: to become a prepared professional who can bring about success in any EFL situation.

  • Involving and caring for students

    • Involve the student by showing interest in their lives and backgrounds.
    • Get to know the area students come from to set up relevant discussions.
    • Allow students to express opinions about their environment and experiences (e.g., in England, USA).
    • Strive for a level where all students are actively participating (e.g., if everyone is putting up hands, you’ve achieved involvement).

  • Building confidence and reducing fear of speaking

    • Use role-play, dialogues, sketches to shift focus from language accuracy to performance (acting roles).
    • Students may feel embarrassed at first, but practice helps overcome fear of speaking.
    • Always encourage and avoid putting students down; build confidence.

  • Realistic language and linguistics in the classroom

    • Prefer realistic language over outdated coursebook phrases (e.g., avoid irrelevant examples).
    • Use shortened forms (e.g., I’d, she’s, weren’t) to reflect natural English; students should hear and use contractions.
    • Accent variety: teachers do not need to imitate a single accent; expose students to multiple accents (British, American, Canadian, Australian, regional accents).
    • Do not rely on your own accent to the point of confusion; provide exposure to diverse accents while maintaining comprehensible, correct language.

  • Keeping students’ interest and managing Teacher Talking Time (TTT)

    • Keep interest by varying activities and avoiding monotony.
    • LT TT T: Limited Teacher Talking Time (L.T.T.T.). Students should have opportunities to produce language; if the teacher does all the talking, motivation and fluency suffer.

  • Correction strategies

    • For spoken work: be encouraging; acknowledge effort even when wrong; avoid patronising.
    • Correct only the most relevant points to teaching focus; avoid correcting every mistake.
    • For written work: acknowledge effort; avoid demotivation from heavy red-pen corrections; provide a correction key or abbreviations chart so corrections are understandable; agree on a correction method with students and be consistent.
    • Preparation for correction conventions is covered in Module 5 (Error).

  • Visual Aids

    • Visual aids should support, not replace, instruction; don’t rely on a single gimmick.
    • Use aids to assist, not to wow students with your technical prowess.
    • More on visual aids in Module 4.

  • Levels in ESOL and mixed-ability classes

    • Classical level categories: Beginners, Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced.
    • More detailed progression: true beginners, false beginners, elementary, post-elementary/lower-intermediate, intermediate, post-intermediate, advanced.
    • In larger or real-world schools, mixed levels are common; teachers must monitor learners who need extra help.

  • Quick note on classroom planning and expectations

    • Emphasis on planning for growth, student happiness, and successful outcomes in EFL contexts.

Lesson 1. Overview of ESOL Issues

  • Teacher–student relationships

    • Many approaches exist (structural, notional, communicative, etc.), but no method works in isolation.
    • Teaching success depends on both student interest/desire to learn and teacher investment in student learning.
    • Encouragement is crucial; students need to feel they are progressing, which largely comes from the teacher.

  • Look after your students to enable learning

    • Create an environment where students feel at ease, comfortable, and welcome.
    • Early in the class, identify and address barriers (e.g., prejudices, fear of English, prior bad experiences with untrained teachers).
    • Assume you are a caring person who wants to help students succeed; this mindset is essential for success.

  • Involving students

    • People like to talk about themselves; allow discussion of personal topics and experiences.
    • Involve students by asking about their interests and backgrounds; learn about local areas to contextualize discussions.
    • Encourage student expression about their own environment and experiences.
    • Goal: every student participates and shares to the extent they are able.

  • Building confidence

    • Role-plays and other activities help reduce self-consciousness; focus on performance rather than perfect language.
    • Encourage at every opportunity and avoid putting down learners.

  • Realistic language, contractions, and accents

    • Use realistic language and encourage contractions; avoid overly formal forms unless teaching for formality.
    • Expose learners to a range of accents to prevent shock when encountering new English varieties.

  • Keeping students engaged

    • Vary activities to prevent monotony; use multiple teaching techniques for the same language point.
    • Avoid becoming the sole source of input (LT TTT); give students chances to produce language.

  • Correction and feedback

    • Spoken language: be encouraging; acknowledge effort; correct selectively and constructively.
    • Written work: acknowledge effort; provide manageable corrections with a clear system; ensure corrections are understandable.

  • Visual aids and classroom tools

    • Aids should support learning, not dominate the lesson; avoid over-reliance on any single gimmick.
    • Use visual aids to reinforce, clarify, and illustrate points.

  • Levels and mixed-ability realities

    • The ideal class is organized by level, but mixed-ability classes are common; monitor learners who require extra help.

  • Concluding thought

    • The course emphasizes preparing for a TEFL career through planning, materials, grammar, classroom management, and addressing student problems.

Lesson 2. Teaching for Examinations (Part 1)

  • Why students take ESOL exams

    • Certificates are internationally recognized for study, work, or migration; exams can affect education and career opportunities.
    • Reasons include: certified language ability for work, study, or immigration; improving employment prospects; access to higher studies; etc.

  • Cambridge ESOL examinations

    • Cambridge ESOL is part of the University of Cambridge; linked to the CEFR (Council of Europe).
    • Major exam volumes: around 2{,}000{,}000 candidates from over 130 countries take Cambridge ESOL exams yearly.
    • Exams cover various levels and purposes; they are widely recognized by employers and educational institutions.

  • Major Cambridge ESOL exams and related certificates

    • Young Learners of English (YLE): three levels – Starters, Movers, Flyers; generally correlated with CEFR levels (noting that these are child-oriented certificates).
    • Key English Test (KET): for general use and KET for Schools; three papers: Reading & Writing, Listening, Speaking; CEFR correlation at A2 (Basic user).
    • Preliminary English Test (PET): intermediate level; similar format to KET with a mix of papers; CEFR correlation around B1.
    • First Certificate in English (FCE): higher-intermediate; five papers: Reading, Writing, Use of English (grammar and vocabulary), Listening, Speaking; CEFR correlation around B2; you’ll see references to passing grades C, B, A across different contexts.
    • Certificate in Advanced English (CAE): advanced; five papers; CEFR correlation at C1; widely accepted by universities.
    • Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): highest level; five papers; CEFR correlation at C2; broad acceptance by universities and employers.
    • Note: Examinations use different accents (they are British in origin but accept other English varieties) and are designed to test real-life language use.

  • Other Cambridge ESOL examinations and related programs

    • IELTS (International English Language Testing System): two modules – General Training and Academic; four papers: Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking; scores range from 0 to 9 with half-points; validity typically ~2 years; not a pass/fail but a band score.
    • BULATS (Business Language Testing Service): suite of language assessments for business contexts; tests all four skills; available in multiple languages; used for workplace benchmarking.
    • ICFE (Cambridge English: Financial): specialized exam for financial contexts (CEFR levels B2 and C1).
    • ILEC (Cambridge English: Legal): for legal contexts (B2-C1).
    • ICELT (In-service Certificate for English Language Teaching): teacher qualification; two modules; Module 1 is “Language for Teachers.”
    • TKT (Teaching Knowledge Test): modular teacher qualification focusing on teaching knowledge; flexible modules; certificate awarded for each module completed.
    • ICELT is designed to deepen teaching knowledge and reflect on teaching practice; often paired with Module 2 (Teaching and Methodology) to achieve full ICELT.

  • CEFR correlation and scoring references

    • CEFR levels range from A1 (Beginner) to C2 (Proficient/Native-like).
    • Cambridge tables show numeric scales (e.g., CESFR-aligned score tables) that map to exam outcomes (e.g., C2 Proficiency, C1 Advanced, B2 First, B1 Preliminary, A2 Key, etc.).
    • IELTS scores are on a 0–9 scale with half scores; TOEFL scores on a 0–120 scale (iBT) or 310–677 (PBT); TOEIC scores vary by test form; ICFE/ILEC/ILEC have CEFR-aligned expectations; each exam has its own scoring system and validity rules.

  • Other exam formats and practical notes

    • IELTS: two-year validity; exam components are standardized; results show overall band and component scores.
    • TOEFL: two formats (iBT and PBT); iBT is internet-based; maximum total score for iBT is 120; sections scored up to 30 each; PBT lacks an online speaking section.
    • TOEIC: widely used in business contexts; results used for workplace assessment; two-year validity.
    • TSE: Test of Spoken English; oral skills assessment for US university admissions.
    • Other specialist exams mentioned include ECPE Michigan, Trinity College London ESOL, and Pearson Test of English (PTE) – General and Academic.

  • Practical considerations for teachers

    • Differences between teaching general English and exam-focused courses:
    • Motivation is often higher for exam courses due to stakes and costs.
    • Teachers bear greater responsibility for students’ outcomes; reputations depend on exam results.
    • Exam courses are typically shorter in duration (e.g., ~56 hours over 3 months) and may run on weekends/evenings; scheduling considerations include multiple two-hour sessions or longer blocks.
    • Tasks and activities in exam classes are often constrained by the exam format; teachers should balance test-focused practice with broader language development.
    • Administrative responsibilities may include enrolment, informing about locations, dates, transport, and exam regulations.
    • Grammar teaching in exam contexts should be contextualized; teachers should be able to explain grammar clearly and succinctly; grammar should be taught in context rather than as isolated rules.
    • Emphasis on learner independence: encourage extensive reading, authentic listening (quality films, radio), dictionaries (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Longman Dictionary, dictionary apps), and self-study.
    • Group size recommendations: ideally around six students per group; one-to-one instruction is generally to be avoided; however, pair work is common, particularly for speaking components.
    • Exam-taking skills training: regular practice with exercises that mimic test items; mock tests (diagnostic and prognostic) to estimate likely outcomes and plan progression; a mid-course mock test to measure progress; an end-of-course mock test to consolidate learning.
    • Grammar proficiency of the teacher: must have strong command of English grammar to explain and model correctly; teachers should be prepared to teach grammar both formally and in context.
    • Reflective practice and professional development: use feedback, grading, and rubrics to guide future teaching; long-term improvement depends on reflecting on exam formats and student needs.

  • Helpful resources and references

    • Cambridge ESOL official information and exam-preparation resources.
    • Flo-Joe and ExamEnglish for practice materials and exam format insights.
    • Course books and recommended websites for exam preparation.
    • Practical guidance on planning courses and selecting appropriate qualifications based on students’ study plans and future goals.

  • Quick takeaways for teaching exam-oriented ESOL

    • Know the exact examination you are teaching for inside out: format, papers, timing, rubrics, and marking criteria.
    • Use mock exams as diagnostic and prognostic tools; plan interventions early for students unlikely to pass.
    • Balance exam content with general language development; ensure grammar is taught in meaningful contexts.
    • Prepare students to manage test-taking stress and develop test-taking strategies.
    • Keep groups small for intensive feedback; pair-work and task-based activities can simulate real communicative needs.

Module 3.2. Listening and Reading: NEWHEWINTESOL 120 HOUR

  • Module goals

    • Be familiar with the four primary language skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing).
    • Understand why learners have difficulty with listening.
    • Identify a range of skills needed for successful listening and reading.
    • Learn ways to train learners to develop those skills.
    • Plan receptive-skills lessons.

  • The Four Skills - Introduction

    • Four primary language skills: speaking, listening, reading, writing.
    • Distinguish between receptive (listening, reading) and productive (speaking, writing) skills.
    • Although the four skills are interlinked, it is useful to examine receptive skills separately to diagnose learner needs.
    • Some courses emphasize specific skills (e.g., ESP courses) but all four should be present in a syllabus.
    • Textbooks sometimes emphasize certain skills; teachers should ensure balance and supplement where necessary.
    • Begin with receptive skills focus to identify what learners need to do and how to help them acquire it.

  • Two types of skills and why receptive skills matter

    • Receptive skills = listening and reading; essential for understanding and information reception.
    • It is a misconception that receptive skills are passive; learners actively process messages and meanings.

  • Sub-skills in listening and reading (focus on receptive skills)

    • Listening:
    • Listening for gist (general understanding): recognize purpose, attitude, and main ideas; predict from context; note changes in topic or direction; note speaker intent.
    • Listening for detail: identify specific information; concentrate on weather, schedules, numbers, names, etc.; practice selective listening.
    • Reading:
    • Skimming (reading for gist): determine overall idea, whether text is relevant, tone, stance, etc.
    • Scanning (reading for detail): locate specific information or language items (e.g., dates, numbers, adjectives).
    • Other sub-skills: superficial understanding, imaginative understanding, precise understanding, practical understanding; tasks depend on aims (e.g., training for main points, literary analysis, exact wording, or actionable instructions).

  • Planning receptive-skills lessons (overview)

    • Before Reading/Listening: activate schemata; set context; elicit prior knowledge; build motivation; introduce essential vocabulary.
    • While Reading/Listening: provide time to perform tasks; allow repetition; check answers with the class; guide detailed comprehension tasks; pair-work for accuracy and support.
    • After Reading/Listening: follow-up activities (e.g., vocabulary/grammar practice, discussion, writing tasks) to transfer skills to other contexts.

  • Before Reading/Listening activities (Part 2)

    • Prediction and lead-in questions: guide students to predict topics and content.
    • Brainstorming and mind-maps: generate related vocabulary and organize ideas.
    • Word clouds to elicit topic-related vocabulary; use for prediction and discussion prompts.
    • Mind maps (nuclear notes) to organize topic relationships.
    • Mix-and-match: create headlines for each paragraph to order the text logically.
    • Pre-reading questions: anticipate what students want to know; encourage curiosity.

  • During Reading/Listening activities (Part 2)

    • Comprehension races and information-sharing tasks to promote rapid information retrieval.
    • Do-it-yourself quizzes and cooperative reading for summary-level tasks.
    • Read-and-listen pair activities with role-switching.
    • Scanning and cloze-reading activities to practice specific items and inference.
    • Error-identification and pair-conference tasks for vocabulary and comprehension checks.

  • Vocabulary development in receptive lessons

    • Decide which vocabulary is essential for understanding; pre-teach only essential items.
    • Activate prior knowledge with brainstorming, mind maps, and quick definitions.
    • Use dictionaries and context to explain words rather than direct translation.
    • Encourage students to ignore unknown words initially and focus on gist; then progressively tackle details.
    • After reading/listening, provide quick controlled practice (matching, gap-fill, multiple choice) and have learners use new words in context (role-plays, discussion).

  • Practical vocabulary dealing strategies

    • Activate prior knowledge; use mind maps; present mixed word lists with definitions; have students guess meanings from context.
    • Encourage independent dictionary use and provide examples in context.

  • Self-checks and exercises (structure from the module)

    • Self-checks after listening and reading sections to test understanding and identify sub-skills being taught.

  • Self-check 1, Self-check 2, Self-check 3 (overview)

    • Self-checks assess listening and reading comprehension, sub-skills identification, and interpretation of texts.
    • Examples include analyzing listening tasks, identifying sub-skills taught, and answering comprehension questions about provided texts.

Lesson 1. The Four Skills - Introduction (Reading for this module)

  • The four skills re-visited

    • Distinguish between receptive and productive: receptive = understanding (listening, reading); productive = producing language (speaking, writing).
    • Receptive skills require active processing; they are not purely passive.
    • Explore how to balance all four skills within a general English syllabus.

  • Skill integration and materials

    • Some textbooks emphasize particular skills; teachers should assess whether all four are adequately practiced and plan supplementary materials when needed.
    • Reading is often neglected; include authentic texts, dialogues, news articles, DVD excerpts, etc.

  • Why look at the four skills separately at first

    • Helps diagnose learner needs and design targeted activities.
    • Later, integrate the skills to reflect real-life use.

  • CEFR alignment and usage notes

    • CEFR levels guide how exams and courses map to language ability.
    • Exam formats (e.g., Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL) align to CEFR levels; teachers should understand the alignment to guide course design.

Lesson 2. Listening Skills

  • Key teaching focus for listening

    • Use a range of training techniques; avoid relying on students to infer language from context alone.
    • Anticipate potential difficulties and design listening activities accordingly.

  • Problem areas and solutions (summary)

    • Common listening challenges include fast speech, unfamiliar accents, and processing meaning in real time; address these with guided practice and pre-teaching.

  • Self-checks and practice opportunities

    • Structured practices to help learners develop listening strategies and improve comprehension in real contexts.

Self-check 1

  • Activity format: listen to a listening task and complete a table of problems and solutions related to learner difficulties.

Lesson 3. Reading Skills

  • Reading competence and student development

    • Reading requires active engagement and guided practice to be effective.
    • Reading skills include skimming (gist) and scanning (detail), plus other sub-skills (superficial, imaginative, precise, practical understanding).

  • Sub-skills in depth

    • Superficial understanding: main points and gist in newspapers or detective stories.
    • Imaginative understanding: interpreting literature; exploring author attitude.
    • Precise understanding: deep comprehension of exact meaning.
    • Practical understanding: reading for actions or instructions.

  • Activating schemata before reading

    • Discuss topic background to build a foundation for understanding.

  • Planning and selecting reading tasks

    • Choose texts and tasks based on aims (e.g., vocabulary expansion, grammar focus, reading for information).
    • Consider learner type (General English vs. University vs. Business English) and environment.

Self-check 3

  • Two texts with comprehension questions and exercises to identify sub-skills and suitability for different learner levels.
  • Example exercises include pre-reading questions, comprehension questions, and diagnostic questions.

Lesson 4. Planning a Receptive Skills Lesson (Part 1)

  • main stages of a receptive skills lesson

    • 1) Before Reading/Listening: Activate schemata, set purpose, build motivation, introduce essential vocabulary, set context.
    • 2) While Reading/Listening: Process texts using various strategies; provide time for task completion; check answers with whole class; consider skim-read to get gist; set detailed tasks.
    • 3) After Reading/Listening: Follow-up activities (vocabulary and grammar work, speaking, writing) to apply text content in broader contexts.

  • detailed planning steps

    • 1) Arouse interest in the topic; discover prior knowledge; motivate learners.
    • 2) Set the scene with essential background information.
    • 3) Teach or elicit essential vocabulary that is necessary for understanding.
    • 4) Set an achievable initial task, often a gist task, to build confidence.

  • rationale for each stage

    • To activate knowledge and enable decoding of meaning; to provide context for decoding; to motivate and build confidence.

Lesson 4. Planning a Receptive Skills Lesson (Part 2)

  • Pre-reading/listening activities

    • Predicting based on title/pictures; lead-in questions; brainstorming; pre-reading/listening questions; speed reading of initial paragraphs; word clouds; mind maps.
    • Mix-and-match headlines to order paragraphs; pre-reading questions to elicit expectations.

  • During reading/listening activities (detailed variants)

    • Comprehension races; information sharing; DIY quizzes; cooperative reading; read-and-listen paired activities; scanning to find information; cloze-reading; find-the-mistakes; pair conference.

  • Dealing with vocabulary in receptive lessons

    • Identify essential vocabulary; avoid pre-teaching all items; activate prior knowledge via brainstorming and mind maps; provide short lists with definitions; encourage use of dictionaries.
    • Avoid translating everything; use context, examples, and gestures to convey meaning.
    • After reading/listening, provide quick controlled practice and then have learners use new vocabulary in context (speaking/writing).

  • Additional practical considerations

    • Emphasize avoiding excessive translation; focus on decoding meaning and context first.
    • Balance activities to ensure meaningful language use and avoid cognitive overload.

  • Summary of the planning approach

    • A receptive-skills lesson should be structured, with explicit pre-, during-, and post- activities; vocabulary pre-teaching should be selective; tasks should align with real-life processing of information; provide opportunities for speaking and writing to transfer learning.

Key terms and concepts (glossary notes)

  • L.T.T.T. = Limit Teacher Talking Time.
  • CCQ = Concept Checking Questions; used to check understanding of grammar or vocabulary.
  • C.I.C. = Chorus, Isolate, Confirm; a method for promoting sentence fluency and pronunciation.
  • Modelling = clear demonstration of task expectations.
  • Chorusing = repeated pronunciation for accurate modeling.
  • Information-gap / Jigsaw = task-based activities that require information exchange among learners.
  • Pair work / Group work = common arrangements to increase speaking opportunities and provide authentic practice.
  • Inductive grammar teaching = learner discovers rules from examples (bottom-up).
  • Deductive grammar teaching = teacher presents and explains rules first (top-down).
  • Inductive vs. Deductive approaches are contextual; balance is often needed.
  • Teaching grammar in context = critical for meaningful language use; avoid teaching rules in isolation.
  • Grammar in context and vocabulary in context = emphasis throughout the receptive and productive skills modules.

Quick reference: CEFR and major exams (summary mapping)

  • CEFR levels: A1 → beginner; A2 → elementary; B1 → intermediate; B2 → upper-intermediate; C1 → advanced; C2 → proficiency.
  • Cambridge ESOL family (sample mappings):
    • YLE (Starters, Movers, Flyers) → Young Learners; KET (A2) and PET (B1) → lower to intermediate; FCE (B2) → First; CAE (C1) → Advanced; CPE (C2) → Proficiency.
    • ICELT, TKT, BULATS, ICFE, ILEC, IETL, etc. provide additional routes for teachers and professionals.
  • IELTS: General and Academic; four papers; scores 0–9; validity ≈ 2 years.
  • TOEFL: iBT max 120; PBT range 310–677; validity ≈ 2 years.
  • TOEIC: workplace-focused; widely used; validity ≈ 2 years.
  • Exam selection considerations: popularity by country, perceived difficulty, and learner goals; teachers should advise based on student plans.

Numerical references (for quick recall)

  • Typical exam-prep course length (example): 56 ext{ hours} (three months at ~4 hours/week).
  • Class size recommendation: 6 ext{ students per group} (ideally).
  • Cambridge exam candidate base:
    • Approximately 2{,}000{,}000 candidates globally per year (from multiple countries).
  • CEFR scoring notes (illustrative scale): scores mapping to CEFR levels span from approximately 230 down to 80 in Cambridge scales; exact values vary by exam and table.

End of notes for Modules 3.1 and 3.2