TESOL Certificate study guide
TESOL Certificate · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The TESOL Certificate - also written out as the Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages - is an entry-level professional credential for people who teach, or intend to teach, English to learners whose first language is something other than English. It is typically pursued by career changers entering the field, pre-service teachers building a first qualification, volunteer and community tutors, and teachers working abroad or in private language schools who want a recognised foundation in English language teaching (ELT). The TESOL Certificate study guide has 7 sections and about 1,768 words.
01Language awareness and systems: phonology, lexis, grammar and discourse
You need the phoneme inventory, place and manner of articulation, and voicing (the feature separating /p/ from /b/). Keep phonemes and graphemes apart: English spelling is an unreliable guide to sound, so never treat letters as sounds.
283 words, about 1 min02Second language acquisition and learner characteristics
Behaviourism (habit formation, drills, contrastive analysis) gave way to cognitivist views of an internal syllabus. Krashen's monitor model offers five hypotheses: acquisition/learning, natural order, monitor, input and affective filter; it is a useful shorthand but empirically contested.
280 words, about 1 min03Teaching methodology and approaches
Grammar-translation prizes accuracy and written work, uses the L1 and little speaking. The Direct Method insists on the target language and demonstration.
252 words, about 1 min04Lesson planning and materials design
A main aim states what learners will be able to do by the end, often written as SWBAT (students will be able to). Subsidiary aims cover language or skills, and personal aims address the teacher's own development.
254 words, about 1 min05Classroom management and interaction
Choose deliberately among teacher-to-class, open and closed pairs, small groups, mingles and individual work. Teacher roles include controller, organiser, monitor, facilitator, resource and participant.
251 words, about 1 min06Assessment, feedback and error correction
Know placement, diagnostic, formative, summative, achievement and proficiency assessment. Judge any test on validity (it measures what it claims), reliability (consistency), practicality, and washback (its effect on teaching and learning).
221 words, about 1 min07Professional development and reflective practice
Reflection is not a diary of events. It moves through description, analysis, conclusion and planning (Kolb, Gibbs), and it should end in action.
227 words, about 1 min