Welcome to the ITTT on-line TEFL course.

The purpose of the following information is to provide you with an overview of, and an introduction to, the ITTT on-line TEFL course. You will find full details of the course contents as well as information as to how the course is organized, how to successfully complete it and how to contact your on-line tutor.

The ITTT TEFL course is unique for an on-line course as it enables graduates to receive ongoing career support and teacher development long after completion and provides an opportunity to see 'real' lessons through our CD-ROMs.

We believe that you will find this course of great benefit as you embark upon your career in TEFL.

Course aims

This course aims to provide a solid introduction to the world of TEFL. Upon completion of the course graduates should have a good working knowledge of the English grammatical system as well as an awareness of the skills and techniques required for successful language teaching.

Course content

The course is divided into two main areas - teaching skills and language awareness. The teaching skills component provides details of the techniques and skills required by teachers in the classroom while the language awareness component gives a solid foundation course in English grammar.

The course consists of 20 units, carefully chosen and organized to ensure a gradual build up of knowledge whilst not overloading students with too much information at any one time. These units allow you to work through the course at a pace that suits your requirements.

The course units are (20-unit course, approx. 100 hours)

Unit 1 - Teachers and learners. *

Unit 2 - Introduction to English grammar and parts of speech. *

Unit 3 - Teaching theories, methods and techniques. *

Unit 4 - The present.

Unit 5 - Managing classes. *

Unit 6 - The past.

Unit 7 - How to teach new language. *

Unit 8 - The future.

Unit 9 - Teaching receptive skills. *

Unit 10 - Modals and conditionals.

Unit 11 - Teaching productive skills. *

Unit 12 - Passive voice and other commonly taught grammar items.

Unit 13 - Teaching pronunciation. *

Unit 14 - Lesson planning. *

Unit 15 - Lessons in practice (Video/CD ROM) *

Unit 16 - Classroom materials.

Unit 17 - Educational technology.

Unit 18 - Evaluating and testing students.

Unit 19 - Teaching special groups.

Unit 20 - Trouble shooting.

Supplementary unit - Finding a job and thirty-five top tips for classroom teaching.

The course units for the basic course are marked with *

Completing the course

The course has been designed to allow for maximum flexibility. As long as you complete the course within six months of receiving this introduction you can work at a pace that suits you. The maximum number of units you can receive per day is two, so you could theoretically complete the course within ten days. Please note that you should probably allow for about 5 hours per unit to allow you to read and absorb the material and complete the answer sheet.

In order to get the maximum benefit from the course we recommend receiving one unit per day. This will allow you to complete the course in under 4 weeks and will also give you time to fully understand and digest the lesson before continuing. However, if you wish to work through the course more quickly, or slowly, the choice is yours.

With each unit you will receive an answer sheet. Simply complete this and e-mail it to your course tutor with details of when you would like to receive your next unit. Your course tutor will forward your requested unit/s along with comments on your previous answer sheet.

After successfully completing all course units you will receive your final grade, a letter of recommendation and your TEFL certificate.

Your on-line tutor

Your on-line tutor is available throughout the course to answer any questions that you may have, as well as providing any help that you may require. You are welcome to contact your tutor by e-mail at any time and we guarantee that he/she will reply within one working day.

All on-line tutors are experienced teacher trainers and English teachers.

If, for any reason, you would like to change your on-line tutor, simply send us an e-mail and we will arrange it for you.

Post course job guidance

ITTT will provide you with every reasonable assistance in finding a TEFL job after you have completed the course. This includes the following support services:

· Resume/CV preparation
· Information on likely sources of EFL vacancies
· Job guidance counseling
· Job search and application
· Interview preparation
We are happy to provide this assistance throughout your teaching career.

Common terminology

If you have been doing any research on English language teaching, you will have probably come across a variety of acronyms that are commonly used. A brief explanation follows:

TEFL - Teaching English as a Foreign Language. This term is predominantly used when English is being taught in a country where it isn't the native language (for example teaching English to Spanish people in Spain).

TESL - Teaching English as a Second Language. This is where English is being taught to non-native speakers of English in a country where it is the native language (for example teaching emigrants to the UK/USA).

TESOL - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. This term theoretically encompasses both of the above.

ELT - English Language Teaching. This stands for English Language Teaching and is mainly used by institutions in the UK.

EYL - English for Young learners. A common term used for teaching children.

ESP- English for specific purposes. This refers to teaching specialist and specific areas of business English, for example English for International Banking and Finance.

These are the major terms used but expect to come across many more during your teaching career!

Recommended reading

The following books have been found useful by many teachers, during both their TEFL course and teaching careers:

Practical English Grammar, by A.J. Thomson and A.V. Martinet (OUP,1990).

English Grammar in Use, by Raymond Murphy (CUP).

Practical English Usage, by M. Swan (OUP).

Collins, Cobuild English Dictionary (Collins).

How English Works, by Swan/Walter (OUP).

How to Teach English, by Jeremy Harmer (Longman).

More Grammar Games, by Rinvolucri and Davis (CUP).

Grammar Practice Activities, by Penny Ur (CUP).

Grammar Games and Activities, by Peter Watcyn-Jones (Penguin).

The Resourceful English Teacher, by Chandler/Stone (Delta).

It is certainly not essential to have all (or any) of the above. However we would particularly recommend the books by Swan and Harmer.