Teaching English Young Learners

Teaching English to Young Learners is designed for graduates of the CTEFL program and provides an introductory and practical exploration of key issues to working with Young Learners.

1. Course content

The Via Lingua Teaching English to Young Learners (EYL) program is designed for graduates of the Via Lingua CTEFL program (or similar) and provides an introductory and practical exploration of key issues in relation to working with Young Learners.  Course participants will be provided with guided reading tasks and activities, which will result in the creation of a personalized toolbox of ideas, guidelines and resources to support their work in the classroom.

The program comprises seven study units.

  1. Teaching approaches with young learners.
  2. Using craft activities as a starting point for language development.
  3. Using children’s literature as a starting point for language development.
  4. Using games as a starting point for language development.
  5. Teaching vocabulary in EYL classrooms.
  6. Teaching and testing in EYL classrooms.
  7. Choosing classroom resources.

2. Time commitment

The program requires a commitment of thirty hours.  Each of the seven study units will involve four hours of guided study and research.  An additional two hours will be allocated to the completion of the assessment submission (a completed Toolbox) and feedback from the assessor.

3. Study approach

Each of the seven study units requires the course participant to:

  • Engage in a guided pre-reading activity (Task One).
  • Engage in a core reading activity (Task Two).
  • Undertake additional personal research (Task Three).
  • Undertake a guided activity that supports the creation of a toolbox of ideas, guidelines and resources (Task Four).

4. Practical Study Outcomes

By the end of the program, the participant will have created a personalized toolbox of ideas, guidelines and resources that will support them as they embark on their teaching career.

5. Assessment and Certification

At the end of the program, participants will be required to submit an electronic version of their toolbox (the seven guided activities linked to the seven study units) for review by Via Lingua’s experienced team of professionals.
On successfully completing the program, participants will be awarded a Via Lingua TEFL Extension Certificate (Teaching Young Learners).

6.  Guidance to mentors on task completion

Each unit of work comprises four tasks.  The tasks are used to guide the course participants’ research and thinking.  It is important to recognize that there are no definitive or “correct” answers.  The focus is on participants being able to engage with the activities in a personal way, which may lead them to produce appropriate but quite unique responses.  
Although only Task Four in each unit is formally assessed, course participants may ask the mentor for guidance or reassurance when engaging with any of the tasks.  The following notes are intended to guide the mentor when providing feedback.  They also provide examples of what the mentor might expect to see.

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