The Trinity Certificate in TESOL (CertTESOL) is an accredited professional qualification awarded in the teaching of "English for speakers of other languages" (ESOL) by Trinity College London. It is a commonly taken teaching qualification in the field of English language learning and teaching (ELT). Being on the UK Ofqual qualification register and being externally moderated and assessed, it is an internationally respected initial TEFL qualification and can be used for credit in degree courses or longer teaching qualifications.
About the Qualification
The Trinity CertTESOL is a pre-service teacher training course, accredited in the United Kingdom by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority at Level 5 on the UK National Qualifications Framework. It is designed for those who have little or no experience of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and for those with experience who require an internationally recognised initial teacher education qualification. Course participants must have a high level of competence in spoken and written English, whether English is their first, second or additional language. The training provides the basic skills and knowledge needed to take up a first post as an ESOL teacher. The program also gives an introduction to theory and an insight into the challenges facing the learner and the role of the teacher. It is also suitable for those with classroom experience, but without any formal training or qualifications. The qualification is awarded upon passing a course which includes supervised teaching practice and written assignments.
Objectives of a Trinity Cert TESOL course
Trainees will be expected to demonstrate the following learning outcomes on completion of the course:
- Knowledge of the main grammatical, lexical and phonological features of standard English
- Awareness of the learning needs of individuals or groups of learners, and of the motivation of learners in a variety of cultures and contexts
- Ability to establish rapport and create and maintain learners’ interest
- Ability to draw up a range of lesson plans with clear and achievable aims, using appropriate methods for learners with various needs
- Ability to manage and stimulate active participation among a class of learners and provide a relevant learning environment and learning opportunities in relation to their learning objectives
- Ability to evaluate, use and adapt published material and create simple teaching material, which may include using the internet, visual aids, audio, video and ICT
- Broad understanding of the main advantages and disadvantages of various language teaching approaches
- Ability to evaluate their own effectiveness as teachers and to work co-operatively as members of a teaching team
- Awareness of the need to continue their development as ESOL teachers
- Awareness of the means of finding a TESOL post after training and of the main issues relevant to employment in this area
Admission requirements
The Trinity CertTESOL is open to all those for whom English is a first, second or foreign language. Your own use of spoken and written English will need to be of an appropriate standard for you to be a role model of English for your learners and help them understand the nature of the language.
The entry requirements include:
- minimum age: 18 although some course providers may specify 20 or 21
- educational background and qualifications: enough to allow trainees to enter higher education in their own countries
- competence in spoken and written English: excellent and appropriate to a teacher and model of English language skills; speakers of English as a second or foreign language are welcome to apply for training places; all applicants will be assessed equally at interview and should demonstrate a knowledge of English that is at C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in all of the four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening
- ability to explain the relevant features of English to learners and teach these in a communicative context
- willingness to work cooperatively as a member of the training group and respond constructively to feedback on personal performance
- potential for combined study including language description and analysis, and also rigorous practical training
All applicants will be invited to interview, either face-to-face or via Skype, and will be expected to complete pre-course work before admission onto the course.
Delivery
The Trinity CertTESOL is provided by over 100 validated suppliers worldwide. The course can be taken part-time over several months to a year, may be embedded into other programmes (such as undergraduate degrees) or as a full-time, four- or five-week stand-alone course. In order to apply, you should contact a supplier directly.
Structure
The minimum course length is 130 timetabled hours per trainee, and 70 non-timetabled hours (a total qualification time of 200 hours).
Timetabled hours must include:
a minimum of 90 hours of supervised input
- group work and tutorials
- input sessions for any component
- teaching practice feedback
- supervised workshop
- supervised lesson planning
- initial planning session to prepare interviews for the Learner Profile
- initial planning session for the Materials Assignment
- tests/exams
- moderation (group and individual interviews) (compulsory)
a minimum of 10 hours of teaching and observation
- a minimum of six hours of observed and assessed teaching practice (compulsory)
- a minimum of four hours of guided observation of classes given by experienced teachers with English language learners (compulsory)
the remaining 30 hours (ie excluding assessed teaching practice and observation of experienced teachers’ English classes)
- preparation for teaching and completion of the Teaching Practice Portfolio
- preparation and completion of the Learner Profile
- preparation and completion of the Unknown Language Journal
- preparation for the Materials Assignment.
The 70 non-timetabled hours will include:
- reading, research, assignment writing and lesson preparation.
Syllabus and Assessment
There are five units in the qualification. Four of these are assessed by the course provider and moderated (checked) during an end-of-course visit from the Trinity College moderator. Unit 4: The Materials Assignment is assessed by the moderator only, during this visit.
Unit 1: Teaching Skills
This unit covers methodology, teaching skills, teaching practice and related portfolio, guided observation and related journal, coursebook and materials evaluation, methods of assessment and testing in the classroom. The components of this unit include:
- a minimum of six assessed hours over the course, of which five must meet a passing standard.
- a teaching practice log/portfolio, which details all classes taught with lesson plans, feedback and reflective tasks. It should also include peer observation tasks and a final reflective summary of the candidate's teaching.
- the Guided Observation Journal, which is a record of the observation tasks completed of experienced teachers.
This unit is considerably larger than other units (74 of the 130 timetabled hours) as it involves the assessment of skills, knowledge and understanding developed in all areas, but demonstrated in an integrated fashion as appropriate to a dynamic learning environment.
Unit 2: Language Awareness and Skills
This unit covers trainees’ theoretical knowledge of linguistic form (phonological, lexical and syntactic), function and meaning in standard English and how to teach these to learners. This unit accounts for 20 of the 130 timetables hours on the course, but may also be delivered online.
Unit 3: The Learner Profile
This unit covers one-to-one teaching methodology, needs analysis, linguistic analysis, lesson planning and syllabus design. It brings together, in the form of a practical assignment, all items studied in Units 1 and 2. This assignment begins an initial meeting with a language learner to conduct a diagnostic assessment (assessment materials will be provided by the centre). After conducted a detailed analysis of the learner's provided samples across all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking), the candidate will then design, plan and deliver a one-hour class with this learner, based on the needs identified in the analysis. Recommendation for further areas of study are included in the assignment, along with the lesson plan for the given lesson and a reflection on it. The analysis is also submitted as well as the initial samples collected. This unit accounts for 18 of the 130 timetables hours
Unit 4: The Materials Assignment
This unit covers the production, adaptation, use and evaluation of simple classroom teaching materials and tasks. The materials adapted/devised by trainees are used in teaching practice lessons. The assignment is externally assessed by a Trinity moderator. This unit accounts for 8 of the 130 timetables hours.
Unit 5: The Unknown Language Journal
This unit covers teaching methodologies and activities appropriate for beginner learners of a language, through little or no use of their rst language (L1). It also introduces lesson planning and contrastive analysis. The candidates will be given four hours of tuition in an unknown language, with a bias towards the auralâ€"oral in the teaching of that language. In addition, the tuition will be:
- delivered in sessions of approximately one hour
- at beginner level
- given by an experienced teacher
- in a communicative context
- in the initial stages of the course.
Trainees see in practice some of the methodology and approaches introduced in Unit 1. They establish and record their feelings and experiences as learners, and the ways in which different methods and techniques result in successful learning, through a written, assessed journal. This unit accounts for 10 of the 130 timetables hours.
TYLEC (Teaching Young Learner Extension Certificate)
Developed in conjunction with the British Council, the TYLEC is a specialist course is designed for qualified English language teachers and is designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge to teach English to children and adolescents in the age range 7â€"16. The course is normally completed in-service (after an initial qualification like the CertTESOL/CELTA) part-time. Applicants should apply to centres directly.
Comparative qualifications
The Trinity CertTESOL, as per CELTA, is recognized and accepted by the British Council as an initial TESOL qualification for teachers in its accredited teaching organisations in the UK and in its own teaching operations overseas. Both have at least one hundred hours of instruction and six hours of supervised teaching practice. It can also be used as credit towards university-base teaching qualifications, e.g. the PGCE.
Similarly, the LTCL DipTESOL, as per DELTA, is accredited in the UK at Level 7 on the National Qualifications Framework, as are postgraduate diploma, aka PGDip.
Recognition
The Trinity CertTESOL is one of the most widely taken English Language Teaching qualifications with over 100 approved centres, all over the world.
Trinity College London and the CertTESOL are recognised around the world by international English Language Teaching organisations, public bodies, non-governmental organisations, educational institutions, publishers and English Language Teaching quality assurance bodies, including:
· The UK Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual): The CertTESOL is regulated at Level 5 of the Regulated Qualifications Framework
· The International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL)
· TESOL International Association
· The Irish Department of Education and Skills
· The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI)
· Accreditation and Coordination of English Language Services (ACELS).[23]
· European Association for Quality Language Services (EAQUALS)
· The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA)
International English Language Teaching organisations that recognise the CertTESOL include:
· International House (IH)
· British Council
· Education First (EF)
Higher education institutions that recognise and/or provide the CertTESOL include:
· University of Manchester
· Keele University
· University of Exeter
· Sheffield Hallam University
· The American College of Greece
See also
- CELTA
- LTCL DipTESOL
- Delta (ELT)
References
External links
- CertTESOL - 'Trinity College London ESOL' CertTESOL page
- Course providers - Where to take the CertTESOL course?