TESOL
TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at ELTA is a Teacher Training Course for Non-Native Speakers of English. Currently this course takes place over a ten-week period, for three hours twice per week. It is a 60-hour course.
The exit exam for this course is the TKT (Teaching Knowledge Test), a professional teaching qualification awarded by the University of Cambridge. To see a short clip from our last graduation, please click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGJnWfNCwG8&feature=related
PRACTICE: In the Practical Component of the course you are taught to teach through speaking.
It is a sad and surprising fact that even today, all over the world, students of English are taught in the same way that their grandparents were: they have to memorize vocabulary and rules of grammar but are given little or no opportunity to speak. At ELTA you will be trained to teach through speaking with the world famous CALLAN METHOD. This is the the most demanded and fastest-growing method of English language teaching in the world, and ELTA is the only college in Ireland where non-native trainee teachers can acquire this valuable teaching skill.
Click here to see one of our TESOL graduates giving a Callan Method class to adult learners at Elementary level. Note how she commands the attention of the class and how fast the pace is. These are the hallmarks of a good Callan Method class. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_0GbqdbQcI
We are now delighted to announce that ELTA has acquired the licence for the brilliant Spoken English teaching course for children, TALKING KIDS. Our trainee teachers will be introduced to this method, which uses puppets, flash cards, songs and rhymes. Talking Kids uses the same methodology as the Callan Method, but it is adapted to the needs and uses of children.
THEORY: In the Theoretical Component of the course you are prepared for the Cambridge TKT exam. The three core modules of this exam are:
- Background to Language Teaching
- Planning for Language Teaching
- Classroom Management
Preparing the material for the TKT will give you a solid background in the theory of English Language teaching, an understanding of what it takes to be an English Language Teacher and the confidence that you have the knowledge and professional certification to enter this career.
What is the difference between the Cambridge CELTA and the Cambridge TKT? The CELTA is the qualification taken by people, usually native speakers, who intend to teach English in an English-speaking country. It is a far more difficult exam than the TKT, it takes twice as long and costs twice as much.
The TKT is a relatively new exam. It was created by Cambridge University because the global demand for English teachers is vastly greater than the supply. The TKT is primarily intended for non-native speakers of English who will teach in non-English speaking countries. Native English speakers also take the TKT. This allows them teach English if they travel abroad. Is the TKT less useful than the CELTA? The TKT is just as useful as the CELTA and sometimes more so, depending on what your needs are and what your intention is. Like a workman planning a job, you must select the appropriate tool. If you are a non-native speaker of English, intending to teach in a non-English speaking country, the TKT is your qualification of choice.
To know more about the TKT please click here: http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/teaching-awards/tkt.html