Methodology
How languages are learned, teaching paradigms, skills and systems, planning, assessment, and professional development.
Foundations of ELT
The Changing World of English
EFL, ESL, ESOL, and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in modern pedagogy.
How Languages Are Learned
SLA essentials, Krashen's Hypotheses, and the Acquisition vs. Learning distinction.
Approaches, Methods, and Procedures
Defining the pedagogical hierarchy of ELT methodology.
Major Teaching Paradigms
Comparing Grammar-Translation, Audio-Lingualism, CLT, and Task-Based Learning.
Teaching Language Systems
Teaching Grammar
Focus on Form vs. Forms, Inductive vs. Deductive presentations, and Guided Discovery.
Teaching Vocabulary and Lexis
Form, Meaning, and Use (FMU), collocations, frequency lists, and the Lexical Approach.
Teaching Phonology and Pronunciation
Phonemes, word stress, intonation, connected speech, and polite speech contours.
Functions, Discourse, and Pragmatics
Notional-functional syllabuses, register, and genre analysis.
Teaching Language Skills
Reading (Receptive Skills)
Top-down vs. bottom-up processing, schema activation, and reading sub-skills.
Listening (Receptive Skills)
Handling authentic audio, gist vs. detail, and speech perception barriers.
Speaking (Productive Skills)
Balancing fluency and accuracy, information-gap tasks, and discussions.
Writing (Productive Skills)
Process vs. product writing, scaffolding text types, and peer-editing techniques.
Integrated Skills and Project Work
Combining language skills naturally through theme-based learning.
Classroom Management & Dynamics
Classroom Interaction and Seating
Teacher Talk Time vs. Student Talk Time, seating arrangements, and interaction patterns.
Giving Clear Instructions & Eliciting
Staging instructions, Instruction Checking Questions (ICQs), and elicitation.
Managing Mixed Ability
Differentiation, tiered tasks, and managing early finishers.
Classroom Affect and Motivation
Lowering learner inhibition, encouraging risk-taking, and building agency.
Lesson Planning and Materials
Lesson Planning Frameworks
Comparing PPP, Task-Based Cycles, ESA, and Scrivener's ARC model.
Writing Observable Aims
SMART objectives, staging action verbs, and anticipated problems & solutions.
Syllabus Types
Comparing grammatical, functional, task-based, and content-based syllabuses.
Materials Selection and Adaptation
Evaluating coursebooks, authenticity, and Dogme ELT.