Diploma in TESOL by BRITISH EDUCATION CENTRE

Course introduction

British Education Centre has been a directly accredited and approved training provider of London Teacher Training College since 2008. Study on this preparatory course for the Diploma in TESOL - Click for Testimonials and learn what our students have said about the course and the Diploma. The London Teacher Training College Diploma in TESOL is a recognised and valuable qualification for entering the global world of teaching English to speakers of other languages. It is also valuable for upgrading knowledge and skills if you are already teaching. Some of our participants hold school-leaving qualifications and have been working since leaving school, some hold training qualifications such as the Singapore-based ACTA, some hold Diplomas and Bachelor Degrees, some hold Masters Degrees from NIE or other institutions, or PhDs. All are wanting to develop their ability to teach English as a second language, to understand and deal with the issues language learning. We have trained several hundred TESOL students since beginning the course in 2008. They have a wide spread of nationalities, from America, Australia, Britain, Singapore, Canada, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the Philippines, Tunisia, Russia, Mongolia, Turkey, Uruguay and Vietnam. 30 nationalities and growing.

Course Pre-Requisites

Understand how language is acquired
Understand what constitutes error in language acquisition
Know the principles on which language teaching is based
Understand phonetics and phonology
Know which methodologies can be used to teach English
Know how to use materials and aids to teach English in the class
Know how to organise the class
Know how to design lesson plans

Target Audience

At least five passes in GCE O Level to include a pass in English; OR equivalent qualification in own country; OR other qualification in English, e.g. IELTS Band 6.5 / TOEFL 600. If you have higher qualifications, you are welcome to join – we have Diploma, Bachelor Degree and Masters Degree holders who come and take this Diploma course.
Good level of English for the environment in which you expect to teach.
Age - Young adults to retirees welcome. Minimum age 18 years.

If you do not meet these requirements, please contact us and we will forward your details to London
Teacher Training College. LTTC tries to include those who do not quite meet the entry requirements but
have the ability to manage with the course content and who have a keen passion to teach.

Course Outline

Morning Classes
Four mornings per week - Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 10.00am to 1.00pm. You may join at any of the four modules, intakes are every two weeks. MORNING OPTION INTAKES: 2016 - 4 January, 18 January, 1 February, 15 February, 29 February, 14 March, 28 March, 11 April, 9 May, 23 May.

Evning 1 Clasess
Two evenings per week - Mondays and Thursdays, 6.45pm to 9.45pm. You may join at any of the four modules, intakes are every four weeks.
EVENING OPTION INTAKES: 2016 - 18 January, 15 February, 14 March, 11 April, 9 May.

Evening 2 Classes
Two evenings per week - Mondays and Thursdays, 6.45pm to 9.45pm. You may join at any of the four modules, intakes are every four weeks.
EVENING OPTION INTAKES: 2016 - 19 January, 15 March, 12 April, 10 May.

There are four modules and a practicum. There is a combination of classroom delivery, discussion
groups, workshops, teaching practice and private study. The average trainer:participant ratio is 1:8.
You may choose to delay a module if work or family priorities arise and to take different modules by
different options, subject to completing within the maximum completion time (Section 8).
Module examinations are held on Saturday mornings. You may be able to sit at other times by
agreement of the school if you require more revision time or have work commitments on Saturdays.
The LTTC Diploma in TESOL course specifications gives 180 hours of total course effort. We provide
125 total classroom/assessment/practicum and supervised teaching development hours subject to
published timetables and we expect a minimum of 55 hours of private study to bring the total course
effort to 180 hours:

Module 1 classroom work (7 x 3-hour classes) 21 hours
Module 2 classroom work (8 x 3-hour classes) 24
Module 3 classroom work (7 x 3-hour classes) 21
Module 4 classroom work (8 x 3-hour classes) 24
4 x 3-hour open-book module examinations 12
Supervised practicum development 23
Total study/assessment/teaching development: 125
Private study minimum 55
Total course effort 180

Course Structure and Delivery

1. Module 1: Language Theory.
The needs and motivation of learners, nature and varieties of language, acquiring language
and the approaches, methods and principles of language teaching.

Needs of learners
Nature of language and varieties – historical, geographical and social
Register and appropriateness of language
Language acquisition in young learners
Methodologies and principles of ESOL language teaching
Teaching development, practicum preparation and trial presentations

2. Module 2: Language Teaching Methodology
The application of approaches, methods, principles and techniques. Uses of a range
of teaching materials and teaching aids are covered.

Applying methods for effective learning - teaching the four skills
Questioning in class
Teaching materials and aids - rhyme and song, pictures, flashcards and wordcards, role play, drama, games and puzzles, realia, whiteboards and IT.
Teaching development, practicum preparation and trial presentations

3. Module 3: Classroom Planning and Organisation
Arriving at lesson delivery, starting with the syllabus and going on to aims for the lesson
and creation of the lesson plan. We also cover effective classroom management.

Course aims and syllabus
Evaluating textbooks
Forms of classroom interaction,
Classroom management and classroom layout
Scheme of work and timetabling activities
Lesson planning - aims, assumptions, materials, activities, interaction, timing,
anticipating problems and developing solutions, production of lesson plans
Teaching development, practicum preparation and trial presentations

4. Module 4: Linguistics and Language Teaching

Phonetic, phonological, lexical and syntactic features of contemporary English.
Phonetics – production of individual sounds
Phonology – phonological features in words and longer elements of speech
Morphology of words
Vocabulary and semantics
Grammar, structures and error
Teaching development, practicum development and trial presentations

5. Practicum
You will build a lesson plan and teaching materials with the help of your tutor and you will gain
confidence by delivering trial presentations to classmates in teaching development sessions.
After the practicum lesson, the assessor will discuss your teaching and assessment with you
in a positive and constructive way

Daytime Classes
Our daytime morning course classes are on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Classes are
10.00am to 1.00pm. The course duration is two months.

Evening Classes

Our evening course classes are on Mondays and Thursdays, 6.45pm to 9.45pm. The course duration is
four months. It may be difficult to arrive by 6.45pm after leaving work and taking a meal, so we start
gently at 6.45pm and allow for you reaching us a little late, 7.0pm plus.

Maximum Completion Time

Maximum completion time is nine months from your commencement date, subject to class availability in
published timetables and to us reserving the right to cancel a module delivery if the class size is less
than four and to split a class if class size is more than ten.
One extension of completion time may be considered by the School. An approved extension will be
subject to payment of a fee of S$331.25 within three days of the approval by the School, and will run for
a further six months from receipt of payment. An application for study extension may be made up to one
year after the end of the maximum completion time as defined in the School-Student Contract. Beyond
this time limit, an extension application will only be considered subject to the outcome of an interview
between the applicant and a trainer of the School and subject to approval of the Academic Director.

Assessment and Grading

Assessment is by written, open-book examinations, one for each of the four modules. LTTC aims to
send your Diploma scroll within eight weeks of receipt of your final successful assessment.

Grade A, Pass with Distinction
The trainee teacher has demonstrated considerable further reading, ability to express original thinking, and shows a sound knowledge of TESOL techniques. The trainee teacher has also indicated an attitude and ability to be able to apply these techniques effectively in the classroom.
Grade B, Pass with Credit
The trainee teacher has read more widely than the course requires, and is able to relate the theoretical issues studied to practical teaching situations.
Grade C, Pass
The trainee teacher has completed the course satisfactorily, has reached an adequate standard in each of the modules and has shown assimilation of the basic principles of TESOL.

Class size
We try to keep the class size to a maximum of 10 for effective workshop participation. We reserve the
right to cancel a module delivery if the class size is less than four and to split a class if class size is more
than ten.
The several hundred TESOL participants we have trained since 2008 are from many countries: America,
Australia, Britain, Singapore, Canada, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan,
Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the
Philippines, Tunisia, Russia, Mongolia, Turkey, Uruguay and Vietnam.

Resources

We have excellent resources in TESOL and other English language course materials, also a library.

Registration and Course Fees

Registration fee: S$50
Course fee: S$2,650.00 (GST does not apply)
The course fee is payable in four quarters, i.e. S$662.50 each one paid whenever you start a module.
The course fee includes LTTC fees, tuition for the course, course notes, high quality handouts, the
course textbook, your Diploma scroll and administration costs.
Payment is made to British Education Centre Pte. Ltd., and a receipt will be issued. Payment may be by
cheque, cash or by direct bank transfer.

Fees Refund Policy

You may apply for a refund by completing a Fee Refund Application Form. A refund decision will be
made by us in accordance with the following policy and payment will be made within five working days of
receipt of the completed form.

Our Fees Refund Policy is:

100% refund of any module course fees paid up to the end of the first class of the course if you change your mind about taking the course. This refund is subject to you returning the text book, course handbook and any course handouts received.
100% refund of a paid course fee if we fail to commence the course for you on the commencement date enrolled for by your completion of the Application Form and our acceptance of your application, subject to us reserving the right to cancel a module delivery if the class size is less than four and the right to split a class or cease enrolment for a class if the projected class size is more than ten. You may choose to forgo this refund and take the module at a different date.
100% refund of a paid module fee if we fail to allow you to complete that module as timetabled.
100% refund of any course fees paid plus the $50 registration fee if we fail to offer the modules by classes such that you are not able to complete the Diploma in TESOL course according to our published timetables within the maximum completion time of 9 months. This is subject us reserving the right to cancel a module and an intake if the number enrolled is less than four and the right to split a class or cease enrolment for a module if the number class size is more than ten. There is no such refund if the cause of non-completion is due to any action by you, not by us.
There is no refund for no-show, defined as not taking any classes of the module. It is at the discretion of the School to offer an alternative commencement date for the module.
If you do not attend one or more classes within a module for any reason given by the student, there is no refund or fee offset, or obligation by the School to provide make-up classes though we will endeavour to help you with the missed work.
If you decide not to take all the modules of the course, there is no obligation for you to pay course fees for those modules which will not be taken.

Late Payment Policy

There is no fee for late payment. However, please pay at the beginning of a module, when fees are due
- we do reserve the right to de-register a participant if payment is not made on the due date.

Trainer Profile

Ms. Marven Harkness/Mr. H. Alexander Ivey/Mr. Kennedy Albar/Dr. Alan Richardson

Ms. Marven Harkness
Ms. Harkness has a Trained Teachers Certificate from Christchurch Teachers College, New Zealand
and a Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language to Adults from the Royal Society of Arts
(UK). Her Bachelor of Education is from her study at Edith Cowan University, Australia and this portfolio
of qualifications is completed with a Diploma in the Teaching of English as a Second Language from the
Royal Society of Arts (UK). Ms Harkness has been teaching English to foreign students at the National
University of Singapore (Extension). Ms.Harkness has been involved in teacher training since 2008.
Mr. H. Alexander Ivey
Mr. Ivey gained his Bachelor Degree from Auburn University, pursued graduate studies at the University
of Nevada and his obtained his Masters from Texas A&M University. He also has a Diploma in TESOL
and is teaching English to foreign students in Singapore. He has been teaching English and Public
speaking in Singapore for the past six years in private colleges and public and private secondary
schools and is working with us to help produce a new generation of English teachers.
Mr. Kennedy Albar
Kennedy joins us with nine years of experience in teaching English to foreign speakers of the language.
He is very well-versed in training students for the IELTS Test, a growth area in TESOL/TEFL. He brings
a wealth of practical classroom experience to his TESOL work in our programme. His Certificate in
Teaching IELTS is augmented by the London Teacher Training College Diploma and Graduate Diploma
in TESOL. Kennedy is currently pursuing a Masters in Psychology with the University of Liverpool.
The trainers are supported via the Academic Board by:
Dr. Alan Richardson
Dr. Richardson obtained his Bachelor Degree and Ph.D at the University of Bradford, UK. He worked in
education and research (Senior Research Fellow, University of Leeds) and became a registered teacher
in the UK state school system. In 1993, he moved from the UK to be a senior lecturer at Singapore
Polytechnic. He obtained a Certificate in Teaching (University of Sheffield, UK in collaboration with
Singapore Polytechnic). Since 1998, he has worked at institutions such as MDIS as Academic Director
and has taught English at the National University of Singapore (Extension), APMI KAPLAN and other
schools. He has taught on the LTTC Diploma in TESOL in Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar since
2005. He created British Education Centre to specialise in teacher training in 2007.