TESOL Certificate key terms

The smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish one word from another, such as the /p/ in 'pin' versus the /b/ in 'bin'. English has roughly 44 of them.

Two words that differ in meaning and in only one phoneme, for example 'ship' and 'sheep' or 'cat' and 'cut'. Teachers use them to highlight and practise troublesome sound contrasts.

The way sounds change when words are spoken in a stream rather than one at a time, through features such as elision, assimilation and linking, so that 'next day' can sound like 'nexday'.

The pattern in which one syllable of a word is made more prominent than the others through loudness, length or pitch, as in 'PERmit' (noun) versus 'perMIT' (verb).

The rise and fall of the voice across an utterance, which signals meaning such as questioning, finishing a turn or expressing attitude, going beyond the words themselves.

The tendency of particular words to occur together as natural companions, such as 'make a decision' or 'heavy rain'. Learning these partnerships helps learners sound idiomatic rather than merely grammatical.

A group of words that learners store and use as a single unit, such as 'as far as I know' or 'by the way', allowing fluent production without building each sentence word by word.

The surface links that tie sentences together in a text, created by devices such as pronouns, conjunctions, ellipsis and lexical repetition. Cohesion helps a reader follow how ideas connect.

The underlying logical organisation that makes a text feel unified and easy to follow. It comes from clear ordering of ideas and shared background knowledge rather than from grammar alone.

The variety of language a speaker chooses for a particular situation, audience and purpose, ranging from formal to informal. Choosing wrongly is a common cause of inappropriate or unintentionally rude language.

The ability to use language appropriately and effectively, not just accurately. It combines grammatical knowledge with the sociolinguistic, discourse and strategic skills needed to communicate in real situations.

Language a learner can mostly understand but which contains some new or slightly harder features. In Krashen's account, working with such input is what drives acquisition forward.

Krashen's idea that anxiety, low motivation or embarrassment can block learners from taking in the language they hear and read. A relaxed, supportive classroom is said to lower the filter.

A learner's own evolving rule system, neither the first language nor the target language, but a systematic stage on the way to it, containing both accurate and non-standard forms.

The point at which a learner's incorrect but workable language features stop developing and become fixed, so that the errors persist despite further exposure and instruction.

The influence of a learner's first language on the second, which may help (positive transfer) or cause error (negative transfer), such as carrying first-language word order into English sentences.

The extent to which learners take charge of their own learning: setting goals, choosing strategies, monitoring progress and evaluating outcomes with decreasing dependence on the teacher.

The deliberate techniques learners use to understand, remember and use language, such as guessing from context, note-taking, repetition or asking for clarification.

The organised background knowledge a person holds about topics, situations and text types, which they use to predict and interpret new information while reading or listening.

A lesson model in which the teacher first presents a language point, learners practise it in controlled exercises, then use it more freely in a communicative activity. It suits clear, structured language goals.

An approach where learners attempt a meaningful task first, using whatever language they can, then focus on language that arose, often repeating the task afterwards with greater accuracy.

A technique in which learners work out a language rule from examples, with teacher prompts and questions rather than an upfront explanation, which usually makes the rule more memorable.

A short question a teacher asks to confirm learners understand the meaning of new language, such as 'Is it finished or still happening?' It needs only a simple yes/no or choice answer.

Repeated oral practice of a model sentence or phrase, done chorally or individually, aiming at accurate pronunciation and confident production of new language.

Teaching that gives priority to learners' needs, interests and activity rather than to teacher explanation, so that students do most of the thinking and talking in the lesson.

A short statement of what learners should be able to do by the end of a lesson, written from the learner's point of view and used to select activities and judge success.

A teacher's prediction, written while planning, of difficulties learners may have with the topic, language or activities, together with a planned solution for each one.

Texts and recordings made for real communication rather than for language teaching, such as menus, news articles or voicemails. They offer realistic language but often need task support.

The process of gathering information about what learners already know, what they need English for and how they prefer to learn, used to shape course content and priorities.

The proportion of a lesson spent with the teacher speaking. Reducing it in favour of well-structured student talking time generally gives learners more practice and participation.

The arrangement of who speaks to whom in an activity, such as whole class, pair work, group work or individual work, chosen to suit the kind of interaction the task requires.

A quick question asked after setting a task to confirm learners know what to do, for example 'Do you write in the book or on the handout?'

The quality of relationship between teacher and learners, built on respect, fairness and interest in individuals, which supports learners' willingness to participate and take risks.

Ongoing evaluation during a course, used to identify what learners can do and where they need help so that teaching can be adjusted. It usually carries little or no grade.

Evaluation at the end of a unit, course or term that measures achievement against the goals, such as a final test, and typically results in a grade or certificate.

The effect a test has on teaching and learning, which can be positive when the test reflects worthwhile skills, or negative when it pushes lessons towards test practice only.

A teacher's reformulation of a learner's incorrect utterance into correct form without explicitly pointing out the error, as when 'He go home' is answered with 'Yes, he went home'.

Correcting errors after an activity rather than during it, noting examples while monitoring, so that fluency is not interrupted and feedback can be organised for the whole class.

An error comes from incomplete knowledge and is systematic, whereas a mistake is a slip the learner can self-correct once attention is drawn to it. The two need different responses.

The habit of reviewing one's own teaching, considering what happened and why, and deciding what to change next time, often using a journal, recordings or learner feedback.

A teacher watching another teacher's lesson, usually with an agreed focus, and giving supportive feedback afterwards. It also develops the observer's own awareness.

A small-scale, systematic enquiry by a teacher into a question in their own classroom, using evidence such as student work or questionnaires to inform a practical change.