What ESL certificate courses do you recommend?
 

I wanted to ask what ESL certificate courses people have taken and what you'd recommend?

There's a bunch of options out there: celta, delta, tesol, tefl, et cetera, and it can be difficult to know how to choose.

I'll try and start it off.

I took SIT (School for International Training)'s TESOL certificate course back in the summer of 2004 and can definitely recommend that to anyone looking for ESL certification.

The course was a good blend of theory and practice and really helped me understand and put into practice the teaching and learning principals of which I had only a hazy grasp through my limited teaching experience. The teaching strategies I took away from the course have proved invaluable in my teaching since.

A few of the key themes and ideas from the course:

• Student centered teaching
• The importance of using learning goals when designing activities/lessons. A learning goal is one that completes this sentence: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to...
• Reflection: the teacher's stethoscope
• Teaching frameworks: one for productive skills (speaking & writing) and one for receptive skills (listening and reading)

What courses have you taken and would you recommend them?

Re: What ESL certificate courses do you recommend?
 

Although this usually goes against my philosophy, it really depends on where and how long you intend to teach. Without a doubt, celta or tesol certificates give the new teacher a better understanding of theory and practice. But if someone were just planning to go abroad and teach for six months or a year, I would recommend a few books rather than a course.

What books?

Scrivener's Learning Teaching
Brown's Teaching by Principles
Nunan's Second Language Teaching and Learning

Re: What ESL certificate courses do you recommend?
 

Excellent question and I'm still confused and conflicted about this topic.

The apparent randomness of significant decisions often surprises me. Normally, I consult friends and established rankings as part of a decision making process. For instance, Stein's postive experiences counts and gives me more confidence in SIT's respected program.

Yet I would love to see a strong, detailed evaluation of several programs. Can somebody recommend a book, website, or other source that provides a side by side comparison of various choices?

Where can ESL teaching looking for a quality English language programs abroad find this sort of information? Does TESOL have some list of approved or sanctioned schools? Further, what is their criteria? There are many practical career reasons for me to pick up another specialized degree - preferably abroad. Suggestions?

Re: What ESL certificate courses do you recommend?
 

For those of you wanting some more objective information about TESOL teacher preparation courses, you could do worse that check out this book:

Caroline Brandt, 2006. Success on your Certificate Course in English Language Teaching:
A guide to becoming a teacher in ELT/TESOL (Sage Publishing).

An excellent book for anyone preparing for a course. Details available here: SAGE - the natural home for authors, editors and societies - Success on your Certificate Course in English Language Teaching

She covers numerous courses but focuses mainly on the 'big 3' international programs, namely SIT, CELTA and Trinity.

Alternatively, you could just check out our SIT TESOL site in Thailand! :-)

Steve
SIT Thailand - TEFL / TESL / TESOL / ESL Teaching Certificate

Re: What ESL certificate courses do you recommend?
 

Steve - Thank you for that excellent lead! I'll order the book tonight.

Re: What ESL certificate courses do you recommend?
 

which is very important to any teacher of english?delta or celta or tesol?and why?

Re: What ESL certificate courses do you recommend?
 

If you are needing a quick view of TESOL and need quick certification, I recommend Oxford Seminars. It is a very fast certificate, and I recommend it for teachers who are wanting to travel and see if teaching is really what they want to do. It is a great start, and looks good on your resume.

If you are interested in a "higher" education course...I have my Master of Arts degree through Anaheim University Online. It is one of the only MA degrees that can be completed from ANY where in the world. The President/Professor is Dr. David Nunan, also Dr. Rod Ellis, and Dr. Kathleen Bailey. They are all world-renouned linguists and writers of TESOL.

Hope this helps!

Re: What ESL certificate courses do you recommend?
 

Follow this link, I hope this helps you :)


UNI Continuing Education | ESL Endorsement/TESOL MA Program