A Breakdown of the Trinity TESOL Course
Before jumping into any major decision, especially one that requires a lot of money and affects your job prospects, you need to know all the details. That’s why we’ve outlined exactly what to expect in a CertTESOL course. Have a look at this complete breakdown of course topics and the work that will be involved.
The Trinity TESOL is a high calibre course that is accepted by major employers. There is a simple reason for this: it teaches you what you need to know. There are 5 units of study in the course, each building upon the other to create a comprehensive outline. Below is the list of units and a brief description of each.
Of course, if you’d like to see how the Trinity TESOL compares to other programs, click here.
Unit 1: Teaching Skills
Unit 1 lays the foundation of teaching and it is the biggest part of the course. It takes up the most time and is arguably the most important. It goes over teaching methodologies and skills. How to effectively teach is obviously a major part of any TEFL course, and this one is no different.
In addition to teaching, you will begin to analyse teaching materials, assessments for learners, and how to manage a classroom effectively.
Unit 2: Language and Awareness Skills
Just because you are an English speaker doesn’t mean that all you need is to know how to teach and you will be on your way. You need to fully understand the intricacies of the English language. This will not be accomplished entirely in this unit but is a work in progress over the course of your professional career. However, unit 2 will get you started on the basics.
You can expect to delve into grammar, phonetics, and linguistics in general. You won’t exactly be learning English from this standpoint, but rather the theories behind the fundamentals of the language and how they affect your future students.
Unit 3: Learner Profile
Taking what you have learned in units 1 and 2 leads you to the practical usage of this unit. Knowing your students and their background is imperative in their (and your) success. One-to-one teaching is also covered here.
Lesson planning needs assessments, syllabus design—all that you need to know to cater to students’ real needs to learn English well will be studied in this unit, making it incredibly useful.
Unit 4: Materials Assessment
Another aspect of teaching is the materials you use to do it with. You will learn how to use, adapt, and manipulate materials to you and your students’ advantage. The great part is, instead of just learning about it, you will use the materials you have changed or come up with yourself in your teaching practice lessons to see how effective they are.
What exactly are “materials”? They can be anything from textbooks to slideshow presentations, to game boards. Once you get the hang of what is appropriate (and not) for your level of students, you can use your imagination!
Unit 5: Unknown Language
Eventually, there will be a time when you need to teach absolute beginners. Nowadays everyone across the globe probably has already been exposed to some level of English, but there will be some who will be starting from scratch. In this last unit of the course, you will learn how to teach when you have no way of verbally communicating with your student until they learn enough from you to do so.
Total Time Spent
The duration of the Trinity TESOL course brings you to the grand total of 200 hours. That’s a big commitment. 130 are through the course itself, and they attribute 70 hours to outside studying and learning through background reading, completing assignments, writing lessons, etc.
All in all, you can see that this certificate is hard earned and a well-organised program. Now that you know what to expect, it’s time to sign up if you haven’t already!
Want more about teacher training options? Visit our Teacher Training blog. Or if you want to know more about living and working abroad, you can learn more here.
About the Author
Yvette Smith is an English teacher currently in Vietnam. She has taught in China and Mexico as well. She enjoys writing about the ESL field and thinks everyone should take the chance to travel abroad at least once in their lives.