Teaching English
Teaching English
Although English is not more complex than many other languages, there are several factors that can create difficulties for those wanting to learn the language and those trying to teach it. There may be difficulties with English pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, the differences between spoken and written English, as well as the different varieties of English.
The British Isles (England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland) are the historical home of English, and each region has significant differences in pronunciation, accent, vocabulary and grammar. Furthermore, the British colonies that adopted English as their official language also differ significantly, from New Zealand English to American, Canadian, South African and Australian. It doesn’t help that there is no one organisation that determines the most prestigious or ‘correct’ form of the language, as the French and Spanish do.
Difficulties of Teaching English
One of the things that can be difficult for those learning English is the sound represented by ‘th’. This sound is relatively rare in other languages, even others in the Germanic family. Another issue may be the numerous vowel sounds in English. The exact number differs depending on the variety of English, but for example, in Standard British English there are twelve monophthongs (single vowels), eight diphthongs (double vowels) and two triphthongs (triple vowels). By comparison, many other languages have fewer vowels or only pure ones, and so have trouble distinguishing the sounds and pronouncing them.
English also tends to be a stress-timed language, that is stressed syllables are roughly equidistant in time no matter how many syllables come in between. Most of the world’s major languages are actually syllable-timed, with each syllable coming at an equal time after the previous one. English language learners may have difficulty learning the correct way to stress words and syllables, whether for emphasis, contrast or for emphatic apologies.
TEFL
What is TEFL?
TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. TEFL usually occurs in the student’s own country, a country where English is not the primary language spoken. The term is used in conjuction with EFL (English as a Foreign Language), to refer to students of English in a non-English speaking region. By contrast, TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) is usually taught in an English-speaking country to students whose first language is not English (ESL- English as a Second Language).
The terms for teaching English varies around the world. In the UK, Ireland and New Zealand the term ESL was replaced with ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), so TESOL was used to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. However ESL is still used in the USA, Canada and Australia. Another variation is ESD (English as a Second Dialect), used predominantly in Australia and Canada. The term is used for teaching standard English to speakers of a creole or non-standard variety, typically Indigenous peoples.
Teaching English
Teaching English in a non-English speaking country is done with the purpose of giving students more opportunities for study and career progression. By learning English and passing an English exam to prove their proficiency (such as the IELTS or the TOEFL), students are able to apply for study or employment abroad where that is the primary language spoken.
TEFL is a great opportunity for native English speakers to see the world, experience life in a foreign country and contribute positively to another nation. The qualifications needed vary from country to country, some requiring a degree, teaching experience, and certificate in English teaching (such as TESOL). Other nations may only require secondary education with a teaching certificate, or even for the teacher to be a native English speaker with teaching experience. Conditions of course vary as well, depending on the employer and the country’s level of development.
TESOL
What is TESOL?
TESOL stands for ‘Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages’. While qualifications to teach English as a Second Language vary across countries and institutions, TESOL provides a great opportunity to teach English around the world. To teach English in Australia, a degree or diploma in education plus teaching experience, is also required to teach English to speakers of other languages.
There are different TESOL Certification courses, depending on how long you want to study for and where you want to teach. For example, the Advanced TESOL Certificate Course is designed for those who want to teach English overseas, so no degree or prior teaching experience is necessary. This course will typically include the standard 60-hour TESOL course plus 1 specialisation course (also 60 hours). Whereas the Certificate IV in TESOL includes the standard 60 hour course made up of 16 core units, plus 3 specialisation courses (each specialisation is 60 hours as well).
The TESOL Certificate
The TESOL Certificate can be used to tutor privately, start your own tuition business, or take up a teaching position at an educational institution. It will teach you how to interact with students, keep their interest, and be confident in your role as a teacher. The course will teach you about pronunciation, conversation, grammar, activity-based learning, applied linguistics, the philosophy of teaching, developing TESOL industry knowledge, lesson planning and teaching preparation, and the skills of listening, speaking, writing and reading.
Core TESOL units cover ideas and techniques such as working in socially diverse environments, TESOL methods, teaching presentation, teaching vocabulary, implementing student assessment materials, health safety and security procedures, information technology techniques in TESOL and more. Then there are specialisation units that cover teaching specific types of English from tourism, to business, hospitality, computer, medical and legal. These units also cover different student ages, from pre-school to elementary, adolescents and adults.