Certificate of Educational Studies

A: Entry profile

Successful applicants:

• will have a standard of education which would allow entry to higher education.
• will have an awareness of, and an interest in, language.
• will demonstrate enthusiasm and an aptitude for teaching.
• will have a competence in English, both written and spoken, that enables them to follow the course as appropriate to a teacher of the language.**

**IELTS band 6 or above

B: Exit profile

A successful candidate at this level will have demonstrated an initial understanding of the principles of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Specifically the objectives of the course should sensitise participants to the requirements of a teacher in the field of TESOL:

1. an basic understanding of the systems of English and an ability to define the parts of speech within the systems;
2. an awareness of the needs, background and motivation of the students;
3. an awareness of some classroom strategies used to maintain students’ interest and establish rapport;
4. an awareness of commonly used teaching approaches;
5. an awareness of some effective classroom management techniques;
6. an awareness of some effective methods for fostering learning in TESOL students;
7. an awareness that this is a preliminary training process;
8. the potential to continue his/her development towards becoming an English teacher.

C: Length of course

Timetabled course hours:

• a minimum of 50 hours.
• the minimum length of an intensive course should be one week.
• there should be a timetabled minimum period of 10 hours for reading/research and completing assignments.
• some of this time may be scheduled before and/or after the timetabled course e.g. pre course reading and tasks.

Number of trainer contact hours:

• a minimum of 32 hours where a candidate is interacting with a trainer, either in input sessions, tutorials, counselling or feedback sessions.
• such interaction may be face-to-face or at a distance, providing the tutor is engaged actively with the trainee/trainees work/giving feedback.

Guided purposeful observation of qualified and experienced teachers:

• a minimum of two hours.
• this can be videoed lessons or lessons in which the trainees themselves are foreign language learners in which case there must be structured observation tasks.

D: Curriculum

The course will provide coverage of at least the following areas, with associated minimum percentage of the overall input. The number of hours spent on these and additional areas will depend on the needs and interests of the groups. These areas will often be integrated.

1. A minimum of 50% language: knowledge/awareness of language commonly taught in:

• grammar
• vocabulary/lexis
• phonology
• discourse

2. A minimum 30% methodology: commonly used techniques for:

• teaching English language systems (grammar, vocabulary/lexis, phonology, discourse).
• teaching language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing).
• establishing rapport.
• effective classroom management.
• conducting a range of activity types.

3. A minimum of 20% learners’ needs and cultural awareness:

• considering a variety of learners’ educational and cultural background.
• developing awareness of a variety of learners’ needs.

E: Assessment

The knowledge and skills specified in Curriculum will have been demonstrated. Specifications to be made clear: the format, scope, course components assessed, and grading criteria:

1. a minimum of two hours on micro-teaching;

2. simple lesson planning:

• tasks based on outline lesson plans;
• adaptations of lesson plans according to specified learner needs or methodological objectives.

3. practical assignments/exercises which between them should cover the following:

• the language systems of English e.g. exercises which demonstrate participants’ understanding;
• learners and their needs, e.g. a simple learner profile, analysis of a learner’s work etc;
• classroom teaching, e.g. participants identify strengths and weaknesses in descriptions of lessons, ranking activities according to criteria, selection and rejection of tasks for classroom use etc;
• use of resources, e.g. analysis/adaptation of TESOL material such as (a) unit(s) from a course book, comments on a chapter from a methodology book or some other item of relevant reading.

4. internally assessed work to be assessed by more than one person;
5. written work to meet standards of spelling, style and presentation appropriate for a teacher of English;
6. the candidate must demonstrate competence in all elements of the course.

F: Quality Assurance

1. The qualification will be validated by a reputable and independent validating body:

• the external validating/examining scheme must be independent of the course providers;
• the standardisation and moderation procedures will follow The College’s procedures for the Associateship (which in turn follow standard HE practice;
• the names, experience and qualifications of all chief examiners, moderators and external examiners will be approved by the Awards Committee;
• complaints and disagreements about the awarding or non-awarding of qualifications will be handled by The College’s appeal procedures;
• statistics on current and past examination results and number of candidates entered must be made available to the Awards Committee from time to time.

2. To be eligible for accreditation, a qualification will have been in existence for at least two years, or evidence of at least two years’ piloting and evaluation will be available.

3. There will be effective measures to ensure that appropriate course trainers are selected and that there is an ongoing programmes of training and standardisation for all trainers:

• minimum requirements for main trainers on the course will normally be a TESOL Diploma qualification or its equivalent and three years’ recent and relevant teaching and training experience.
• new trainers will undertake an appropriate induction programme approved and monitored by the validating body, and which includes one or more of the following:
• the observation of all or part of a course;
• briefing/training/mentoring by a trainer who has considerable experience of the course;
• handbooks, guides and manuals.

4. The College reserves the right to make visits to ensure that the full programme is being delivered and that teaching and learning standards are being maintained.

5. Course entry requirements will be clearly specified in the pre-course publicity.
6. There will be clear specifications of the academic resources available to trainers and candidates:

• a range of resource books for teachers which cover the areas specified in the curriculum;
• a range of up-to-date teaching materials covering all relevant language areas and skills at the levels covered by the curriculum.

7. There will be suitable and sufficient premises for the delivery of the course, including provision for private study where appropriate.

8. There will be effective measures for the evaluation of the course by participants and evidence that action is taken on areas where dissatisfaction is expressed.

• Use of mid- and post-course questionnaires, focus groups etc.
• An opportunity for participants to meet the assessor/examiner in order to give opinions on the course.
• Checking by assessors/examiners that feedback from participants is acted upon by course providers where appropriate.
• An external complaints procedure.

G: Standardisation Procedures

1. Stated minimum requirements for all external assessors/moderators:

• A TESOL Diploma Level qualification or its equivalent;
• A minimum of three years’ experience as a teacher of English;
• Recent/current experience as a trainer on courses at preliminary certificate level;
• A record of professional development, e.g. attendance on INSET courses and professional conferences.

2. All examiners/assessors will be required to be up to date in developments and standards of the course.

• examiners/assessors to undergo appropriate briefing/training on at least an annual basis.
• evidence of the evaluation by examiners/assessors of the relevance and usefulness of training to be provided.

3. Effective induction procedures for new examiners/assessors successful completion of a training programme and/or guidelines which cover all relevant areas:

• course content;
• management;
• administration;
• assessment procedures.

4. The performance of examiners/assessors will be monitored.

5. Examiners/assessors whose work or attendance at briefing/training events is unsatisfactory or infrequent will be removed from the panel.

• performance records to be kept;
• satisfactory feedback received from course trainers;
• random course assessments to be double-checked by a chief assessor/examiner.