Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified and teach in Fengle Zhen? Are you interested in teaching English in Zhangye Shi? Check out ITTT’s online and in-class courses, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English ONLINE or abroad! ITTT offers a wide variety of Online TEFL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language.
Unit three examined the process for building and organizing a course of study for students/clients. The first step is to evaluate the student?s language level (via some sort of exam/interview/worksheet) and the second is to discover precisely what that students needs via a ?needs assessment?. Students will be categorized at one of five levels according to their language level (Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Lower Advanced or Advanced.). Then their ?needs assessment? determine the specific goals for that student taking into account their previous learning experiences, how they use/will use language and what would benefit that specific student the most. This is accomplished via questionnaire or interview. The ultimate goal of the needs assessment will be impacted by the employer ? e.g. If you (the teacher) are working in a corporate environment educating employees, an academic environment (paid by a school) or in a one-to-one situation where you are working directly for the professor. Next, the target will be planning the course of study for the student. The plan of study will be impacted by multiple dynamics. First, depending on if your student is in a group situation versus a one-to-one, the plan will have to adapt. There are several kinds of syllabi (the plan of study) and they are: ? Structural ? sequencing by grammar complexity. ? Functional/notional ? based around communication purpose. ? Learner-led ? students input to the design ? Situational ? based on situational needs versus grammar The instructor will then have three working syllabi for the course. ? Student syllabus ? the one you give to the students ? Material syllabus ? the heart of the planning, the materials required by the teacher at each stage ? Organizational syllabus ? how groups (students) and resources (materials and classroom) will be organized to the best advantage. The key for the instructor is in knowing what your students need (laying out goals and objectives) and stringing those goals together in a logical sequence where skills build upon each other to meet student/employer needs. The final step (which sounds simple but isn?t) is in laying out the course plan allowing time for needs assessments, diagnostics, concluding projects and surprises (these being areas where students struggle or pick things up faster than expected). Allowing flexibility in the course plan (aka Syllabus) gives room to adjust. There are several kinds of tests that an instructor may use over the span of the course. ? Diagnostic ? given before a course begins that tests students pre-existing knowledge. ? Placement ? to enable the instructor to group students according to skill set or to aid instructors in selecting materials for a one-to-one situation. ? Aptitude ? to predict student?s probable future performance in a course. ? Achievement ? designed to assess the students learning of a body of known work. ? Proficiency ? to assess student understanding of material. ? Progress ? given at different places during the course to evaluate progress and achievement. In many cases ? students will be working towards and preparing for specific examinations (career or academic etc.). In these cases students are preparing for exams that may propel their career forward, provide access to international educational opportunities etc. Understanding which exam (if that is the target) is their goal is yet another consideration in course planning.
