Introduction to ELT, suport de curs - Facultatea de Litere, CUNBM, UTCN

Module1. An Introduction to English Language Teaching

This methodology course in teaching English as a foreign language,

Didactica Limbii Engleze pentru nivelul I- INTRODUCTION TO ELT- is
an important step to take at a pre-service level in order to consider a
career as a teacher of English in lower secondary school. It gives our
student teachers proper knowledge and skills one needs to get started in
the real-life classroom. The structure of the course and seminar
throughout one semester combines a set of theoretical perspectives and
practical teaching experiences. The training mode should be highly
participatory and experiential. The teaching practice module would be
organized during the following semester.

You will learn while you teach, with your knowledge of English and your
repertoire of teaching strategies and resources growing all the time.
Knowledge of a foreign language is as important as the ability to be
creative and explain things simply, clearly and effectively. Therefore,
becoming a teacher of English could turn into an exciting career with
many directions to explore in the future, such as teacher training,
materials writing or teacher management.

Course Aims
➢ to display a realistic, theoretical and practical overview of what a
university student of the Faculty of Letters (LRE/LMA) should
expect from working as a teacher of English in a Romanian
school;

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 ➢ to acquire knowledge about ELT and to practise skills in English
language teaching to primary and lower secondary school
students;
➢ to offer advice and guidance in finding the best choices in dealing
with practical teaching assignments.

Course Objectives
By the end of this course, our students will be able to:
➢ discover how the ELT profession works in Romania and abroad;
➢ extend a set of professional skills and knowledge of teaching
English as a foreign language;
➢ engage and stimulate learners during lessons and to develop
student-centred teaching activities;
➢ select and create their own teaching materials/ teaching resources
in order to use them effectively to facilitate learning;
➢ develop a repertoire of teaching methods, strategies, techniques
and activities, and accomplish a bank of resources;
➢ apply the principles of lesson planning and to design proper lesson
plans;
➢ discuss and reflect on instances of recorded TEFL classes or real-
life English classes;
➢ share their own beliefs, attitudes and feelings about teaching and
learning English, about their professional development in teaching;
➢ become reflective practitioners, able to self-evaluate, self-appraise
and develop professionally as teachers.

Target Group
This course is addressed to students of the Faculty of Letters studying
English language and literature, who enroll for a TTM (teacher training

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Introduction to ELT, suport de curs - Facultatea de Litere, CUNBM, UTCN

module). Basic selection criteria for course participants are previous

examinations in Psychology and Pedagogy and personal traits such as:
good communication skills in English, responsibility, sense of
commitment, imagination, a positive attitude towards teaching and
children, open-mindedness, flexibility, empathy and a strong desire to
develop from a professional and a personal perspective.

Teaching Aids - The list of references includes methodology books,

textbooks, teacher’s books, workbooks, handouts, DVDs, PowerPoint
presentations, Internet resources, lesson plans.

Course evaluation- written examination; ELT portfolio.

ELT Course Topics

1. Introduction to ELT- course requirements, discussions; bibliography
2. Teaching Theories and Approaches
3.Language Learning; Learners’ Characteristics and Teacher’s Roles
4. Classroom Management
5. Communicative Skills (Competenţe lingvistice)
6. Teaching Grammar and Teaching Vocabulary
7. Testing, Evaluation, Assessment
8. Planning.

Selective References
1. Doff, A. (1982) Teach English. Cambridge University Press.
2. Edge, J. (1993) Essentials of English Language Teaching. Longman.
3. Grellet, F. (1981) Developing Reading Skills. Cambridge University
Press.

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4. Harmer, J. (2007) The Practice of English Language Teaching.
Longman.
5. Nunan, D. (1991) Language Teaching Methodology. Prentice Hall.
6. Ur, P. (1995) A Course in Language Teaching. Cambridge University
Press.
7. Scrivener, J. (1997) Learning Teaching. Macmillan.
8. Todea, L. (2012) Practical English Teaching-Planning. Baia Mare:
Editura Universităţii de Nord.
9. Watkins, P. (2005) Learning to Teach English. Delta Publishing.

What is the difference between these terms: TEFL, TESOL, EFL,

ESL, ESOL, EAL and ESP?

English is the international language of business, science, technology,

diplomacy and aviation, a lingua franca. At a time when learning English
was a fashionable pastime in some countries, it was called TENOR
(Teaching English for No Obvious Reason). If you live in a country where
English is not an official or national language, you study English as a
Foreign Language (EFL) and if you are involved in teaching EFL you
work in TEFL. TEFL, EFL, TESOL, ESOL and ESL are often used
interchangeably. However, as a rule, TEFL is teaching in a non-English
speaking country, and ESL is teaching migrants in an English-speaking
country. All the variations reflect the widespread and complex role of the
English language around the world.

The British Council estimates there are over a billion people learning
English worldwide. About three quarters of these people live in non-
English-speaking countries. In other words, every country needs English
teachers. A career in ELT will probably not be well-paid or prestigious,

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Introduction to ELT, suport de curs - Facultatea de Litere, CUNBM, UTCN

but it offers a varied and social work environment, a creative and ever-
changing job.

Glossary of ELT terms:

BE- Business English, English for business students or businesspeople,

can be seen as a branch of EAP or ESP, or as a category of its own;
CLIL- Content-Language Integrated Learning promotes second
language learning through the teaching of other curriculum subjects;
EAL - English as an Additional Language;
EAP- English for Academic Purposes is a university course that takes
students to the level they need for their degree. It often involves study
skills as well as language;
EFL- English as a Foreign Language. This refers to the teaching and
learning of English in countries where English is not the primary
language;
ELT - English Language Teaching;
EOP- English for Occupational Purposes- General workplace English
relevant to a range of jobs: English for the Workplace, English for Work,
Workplace English;
ESL- English as a second language. This refers to the teaching and
learning of English in English speaking countries;
ESOL- English for Speakers of Other Languages;
ESP- English for Specific Purposes- Specialised workplace English such
as English for Engineering or English for IT;
GE- General English - An English class with no specific goal except to
raise students’ English level (however, consider that each student will
have particular goals – to travel, to write emails etc). Many students
study General English at lower levels and then specialise later;

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Young Learners - Children (generally refers to primary age);
TEFL-Teaching English as a Foreign Language. TEFL programs prepare
teachers of English as a foreign language;
TESL- Teaching English as a Second Language. TESL programs
prepare teachers of English as a second language;
TESOL- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. This
incorporates both EFL and ESL. It is used to refer in a more general way
to the field of English language.

Task 1. Brainstorm all the reasons you can think of why people/students
learn English. What are the main aspects that could motivate a language
learner?
Task 2. What happens or should happen in a language class. Think
about the time you learnt a foreign language.
What did you like about it? What didn’t you like about it? Why?
➢ I liked …
➢ I didn’t like …

Task 3. What should students spend most of their time doing in class?
Rank the following from 1 (most time) to 6 (least time): listening to the
teacher talking about grammar; listening to the teacher talking about the

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Introduction to ELT, suport de curs - Facultatea de Litere, CUNBM, UTCN

world; listening to audio recordings; reading; writing; speaking in pairs or

groups.

Task 4. What do you find difficult about teaching? Is it being in front of a

large group of students? Answering grammar or vocabulary questions?
An awareness of the role of an effective EFL teacher should significantly
reduce your anxiety and help you feel excited about getting into a
classroom. This should shape what happens in your class. Make some
notes.
My concerns about teaching English are …………………..

Task 5. Answer the following questions and give your arguments:

1. Is learning a language more like going to university lectures or
learning to drive a car?
2. Which of the four skills is most important for students to develop?
3. How can you ensure students get lots of speaking practice in class?
4. Do students need to learn a lot of grammar?

Suggestions:
☼All skills are important. However, students will have different abilities in
different skills.
☼Speaking practice can be maximized by getting students to practise in
small groups. The teacher standing at the front talking to one student at
a time is not efficient.
☼Listening to the teacher is the same voice in the same context every
time. Students need to listen to a wide range of speakers in different
situations (on CDs, DVDs, the internet, etc). Students may be interested
in their teacher. And of course the teacher wants to open up to his/ her

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students to build rapport and trust. But this is not the same as spending
a lot of time telling the class about oneself. Find out what interests your
students, and choose topics with which they will engage. Students do
need to know how to put together a sentence accurately.

Task 6. If you aim to have lots of student-to-student interaction in class,

what will you be doing while students are speaking in groups?
Suggestions:
☼Monitor students (move around the class and listen to students) as
they practise.
☼Give students space; as far as possible let them work out difficulties
themselves. Do not stop on every error as that inhibits students.
However, do give help to individual students when they ask for it.
☼A student-centred approach means the less time you are out in the
front under the spotlight the better because it is not about the teacher; on
the contrary it is about the students’ active involvement in the lesson.
The teacher’s role is to assist and guide.

Task 7. Tick the activities that you would like to observe in a lesson and
give reasons for your choices:
➢ students role play in pairs (e.g. shop assistant and customer);
➢ the teacher tells the class about his/her likes and dislikes;
➢ students play interactive speaking games;
➢ students do life-like tasks they need in their jobs;
➢ students read out one sentence of a text in turn;
➢ the teacher lectures about grammar;
➢ students discuss topics in small groups;
➢ one student at a time stands out in the front and talks for three
minutes about a topic;

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Introduction to ELT, suport de curs - Facultatea de Litere, CUNBM, UTCN

➢ students work out grammar rules together in pairs.

A teacher of a student-centred class would choose the activities that

involve meaningful student-student interaction: role-plays, speaking
games, life-like tasks, small-group discussion and students working out
rules themselves. Students need to practise. The teacher should move
around the room, help students and choose material that will interest
students.

Task 8. What do you think is important in being professional?

Make a proper selection out of the suggestions below and complete the
list with your ideas: Be serious; Don’t smile; Wear appropriate clothing;
Be organised in class; Prepare your lessons thoroughly; Don’t play
games; Don’t talk to students outside class; Don’t socialise with
students;…
…
…
…

Task 9. Complete the sentences below according to your thoughts:

I am always going to ………….
I will never ……………

Task 10. Some problems that TEFL students could encounter in their
classroom are listed below. Discuss them in groups and try to suggest
some suitable solutions:
It’s boring.
……………………………………………………………
The teacher talks too much.

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……………………………………………………………
We don’t get enough speaking practice. Each student just reads out one
sentence at a time.
……………………………………………………………
The teacher doesn’t like us.
……………………………………………………………
The teacher always praises one student.
……………………………………………………………
The teacher always criticises one student.
……………………………………………………………
We can’t follow the instructions.
……………………………………………………………

Task 11. Discuss the following suggestions in terms of appropriacy and

relevance:
☺Have a clear aim for your lesson and prepare your lesson! Textbooks
generally explain language really well, but make sure you have read the
unit beforehand and understand it. Keep instructions really short and
clear. Demonstrate an activity rather than explaining it. Plan a range of
activities with different skills and different interactive patterns.
Supplement a course book with interactive activities and with authentic
materials.
☺We all remember how hard it is to stay awake in a class, sitting in the
same seat for hours. Change the class dynamics, so it is not just you out
in the front talking. Ask students to do activities, move around the
classroom. Get students to do activities in pairs and small groups.
Encourage physical activity. For example, students first mingle and
survey each other; they then work in groups; they then form two teams
and race to the BB to write something relevant to the activity.

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Introduction to ELT, suport de curs - Facultatea de Litere, CUNBM, UTCN

☺Treat all students fairly and spread your attention and interaction
evenly. Do not have any classroom favourites.

Task 12: Education Quotes

Read the following quotations on education and comment upon them,
from your own background:
“One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with
gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so
much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the
growing plant and for the soul of the child.” Carl Gustav Jung (1875-
1961) Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist.

“The secret in education lies in respecting the student.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) U.S. poet, essayist and lecturer.

“Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it
by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover
with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.”
Plato (BC 427- 347) Greek philosopher

“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression
and knowledge.” Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-Swiss-U.S.
scientist.

“The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and
inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself.” Edward G. Bulwer-
Lytton (1803-1873) British politician, poet and critic.

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“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I
learn.” Chinese proverb

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change
the world.” Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) South African anti-apartheid
revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist.

ELT Glossary
➢ to monitor students means to move around the class and listen to
students as they practise;
➢ to practise (v.) means to perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill)
repeatedly or regularly in order to acquire, improve or maintain
proficiency in it;
➢ practice (n.) refers to the activity of doing something again and again
in order to become better at it;
➢ student-centred learning refers to a wide variety of educational
programs, learning experiences, instructional approaches and
strategies that are intended to address the distinct learning needs,
interests, aspirations, or cultural backgrounds of individual students
and groups of students;
➢ teaching strategy- the principles and methods used for instruction.

Bibliography
www.britishcouncil.org;www.merriam-webster;www.edu.ro;www.oup.com;
www.teachingenglish.org; www.cambridge.org; www.onestopenglish.com

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