College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
EDLD 508
Offered in Partnership with:
600 S. Cherry St., Suite 520
Denver, CO 80246 USA
303-777-7783
www.bridgetefl.com
The International Diploma in English Language Teaching- Online (IDELT Online™) Online, Distance Learning TEFL Course
Instructors: Terry McLean or Ann Leonard (depending on which 12 week section selected)
Course description: This is a reading and discussion-based course on effective, current methodology for teaching English
to adult speakers of other languages with emphasis given to teaching in classrooms in countries where English is not the
dominant language – an English as a foreign language context. While the emphasis is on methodology, other aspects of
English language teaching, such applicable theories in linguistics and education, will also be addressed. In addition, we
will view teaching on the text’s DVD (or streaming online, here: http://www.pearsonelt.com/pelt) and other online
videos to reflect on current best practice models. At the end of the course, participants are expected to be able to
produce plans and analysis which demonstrate understanding of the principles illustrated.
Prerequisites: Students in this course are required to read and write English at a level suitable for successful completion
of university courses. If students cannot demonstrate this ability, they will not be able or permitted to complete the
course. Students’ work in papers, projects, and forums must be original, supported by cited references, and respectful of
peers.
Overall Course Objectives: Throughout the course students will:
 read and discuss in online forums thought-provoking material found in the text, its DVD, links to online
resources, teacher’s contributions, and other included materials
 analyze the concepts found in the reading and draw inferences in their writing regarding best practices in English
teaching today
 produce projects, papers, and plans which reflect the concepts described in class materials
Course materials: To begin the course, students are required to have the main text in its 5th edition including its
accompanying DVD.
Harmer, J. (2015) The Practice of English Language Teaching (5th ed.), Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
This text is available at amazon.com and amazon.co.uk, and students are free to purchase copies of the text (5th
edition with DVD) new or used from any source. All other material is available online. Students need reliable access to
the Internet with sufficient speed to view online videos. They will also need to be able to view the DVD, which
accompanies the text. Technological difficulties in accessing the course or its materials are the responsibility of the
student.
Assignments: Your overall grade for the course will be based on the successful and timely completion of the following.
Refer to the Assignments section for details of each.
Weekly reading comprehension quizzes
Weekly written analysis and discussion
Writing Assignment or Group project
Final paper
12%
48%
16%
24%
Grading Scale: Your final letter grade will be based on the following scale, out of 1,000 points available:
Grade %
Over 89%
Over 79%
Over 69%
69% or under
Minimum # of points
890 points
790 points
690 points
< 690 points
Letter Grade
A
B
C
Fail
Course schedule: Each week of the course begins Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. Mountain Time and ends on the following
Monday at midnight. You are able to work ahead by viewing the next week's assignments, but these will not be assessed
until they are due. Quizzes, weekly analysis, and assignments will be closed after they are due. Important NOTE: All
times listed in course materials are in Mountain Time. Please adjust according to your own time zone.
Weekly schedule of topics and weekly objectives: Each week of the 12-week course will cover unique topics. For
specific weekly reading and writing assignments and their due dates, see the responsibilities pages for each unit.
Week 1, Unit 1
Topic 1) The World of English Language Teaching
Topic 2) Describing the English Language
By the end of Unit 1, the student will be able to:
 Identify concepts found in the reading and viewing assignments this week. These concepts
include (but are not limited to) English as a lingua franca (ELF), varieties of English, the principles
of discourse analysis, and ways of describing/organizing language;
 Define the implications on teaching of a particular student profile/context;
 Articulate a definition of teaching beyond teaching vocabulary and grammar;
 Demonstrate knowledge of variants of English and the implication on teaching;
 Describe language as a function of context and how that will be applied to your teaching;
 Discuss the benefits of the DVD viewing assignments and their benefit to your overall
development in this course;
 Appraise the writing of peers on these topics and extend their analyses of this week’s concepts
through interaction and argument.
Week 2, Unit 2
Topic 3) Learning Theory and Classroom Implications
By the end of Unit 2, the student will be able to:
 Identify concepts found in the reading and viewing assignments this week. These concepts
include (but are not limited to) behaviorism, language input, focus on form, affective filter, explicit
and implicit knowledge, and the importance of quality repetition;
 Identify the relationship between language acquisition theory and teaching practice;
 Examine Krashen’s theories of language acquisition and apply those theories when designing
specific instructional experiences that would encourage language acquisition;
 Apply your knowledge of ‘focus on form’ and ‘focus on forms’ to teaching techniques;
 Articulate an overall personal teaching philosophy;
 Defend pros and cons of allowing L1 usage in the classroom (DVD);
 Appraise the writing of peers on these topics and extend their analyses of this week’s concepts through
interaction and argument.
Week 3, Unit 3
Topic 4) Methodology: Balance and Structure
By the end of Unit 3, the student will be able to:
 Identify concepts found in the reading and viewing assignments this week. These concepts
include (but are not limited to) development of popular methodologies, procedures for organizing
lessons, use technical terms approach, method, procedure, and technique to describe teaching
decisions: and evidence-based, student-centered instructional practices;
 Articulate the pros and cons of the Dogme approach;
 Analyze textbook use in the classroom;
 Articulate reasons, informed by research, for choosing a lesson plan structure;
 Defend the use of the "lexical approach to teaching" and define a good context for this approach;
 Analyze techniques of a communicative language teaching approach used by a master teacher
(DVD);
 Describe the advantages and disadvantages of using a language textbook and suggest how to
mitigate the problems (if using a text) or attain the advantages (if not using a text).
Week 4, Unit 4
Topic 5.1) English Language Learners
Topic 5.2) Autonomy in Learning
Topic 6) Roles of the Teacher
By the end of Unit 4, the student will be able to:
 Identify concepts found in the reading and viewing assignments this week. These concepts
include (but are not limited to) describing learners through their ages, instructional scaffolding,
learning characteristics, proficiency levels, strategy training, affective factors, describing teacher
roles and interpersonal skills of effective teachers;
 Analyze the needs of adult learners by comparing learning experiences;
 Describe issues of learner autonomy and what teachers can possibly do to affect student
motivation;
 Discuss the importance of consciously observing learning styles in students and self;
 Analyze your responsibility in understanding a school's system for measuring proficiency;
 Articulate opinions on pros and cons of particular characteristics of teachers;
 Appraise the writing of peers on these topics and extend their analyses of this week’s concepts through
interaction and argument.
Week 5, Unit 5
Topic 7) Teaching Groups vs. Individuals
Topic 8) Error Analysis and Correction Techniques
By the end of Unit 5, the student will be able to:
 Identify concepts found in the reading and viewing assignments this week. These concepts
include (but are not limited to) establishing behavioral norms, modifying problem behavior, using
planning to avoid behavioral problems, grouping students through several strategies with varied
purposes, and active monitoring;
 Apply knowledge of differing techniques for offering students corrective feedback;
 Demonstrate knowledge and skill in differentiating instructional materials and techniques;
 Evaluate the effectiveness of grouping strategies as a way to manage mixed-ability classrooms;
 Describe correction techniques to support emergent writers (DVD);
 Appraise the writing of peers on these topics and extend their analyses of this week’s concepts
through interaction and argument.
Week 6, Unit 6
Topic 9) Class Management and Affective Factors
Topic 10) Appropriately Grouping Students
By the end of Unit 6, the student will be able to:
 Identify concepts found in the reading and viewing assignments this week. These concepts
include (but are not limited to) establishing behavioral norms, modifying problem behavior,
strategies to avoid behavioral problems, grouping students into various configurations with varied
purposes, and active monitoring;
 Articulate your teaching philosophy and technique for dealing with student affect filter;
 Develop classroom behavioral norms and strategies for increasing student buy-in of classroom
rules;
 Summarize the grouping strategies and procedures in the reading and apply them to appropriate
instructional activities;
 List specific teaching techniques demonstrated within the viewing assignment and analyze their
purposes;
 Identify possible problems of grouping strategies from DVD viewing;
 Appraise the writing of peers on these topics and extend their analyses of this week’s concepts through
interaction and argument.
Week 7, Unit 7
Topic 11) Instructional Technology
Topic 12) How Planning Enriches Learning
Topic 13) Helping Students Notice Language
By the end of Unit 7, the student will be able to:
 Identify concepts found in the reading and viewing assignments this week. These concepts
include (but are not limited to) use of technology for instructional purposes; defining issues with
technology; common elements of lesson planning, (e.g. objectives, language focus, potential
problems and solutions, and procedures); inductive vs. deductive learning; strategies for
highlighting, eliciting, explaining, and practicing new language;
 Articulate your understanding of the intersection of good teaching and intelligent use of
technology;
 Compare / contrast approaches to teaching language construction;
 Evaluate a lesson based on Harmer's criteria for effective lesson planning;
 Evaluate efficacy of various instructional techniques which incorporate technology (DVD);


Analyze the elements of a formal lesson plan;
Appraise the writing of peers on these topics and extend their analyses of this week’s concepts through
interaction and argument.
Week 8, Unit 8
Topic 14) Effective Grammar Teaching
Topic 15) Effective Vocabulary Teaching
By the end of Unit 8, the student will be able to:
 Identify concepts found in the reading and viewing assignments this week. These concepts
include (but are not limited to) a variety of lesson sequences that effectively encourage students
to notice and use new grammatical structures and vocabulary, including language from text, test-teachtest, guided discovery, and interactive and motivating forms of student-to-student practice.
The meaning of vocabulary terminology, such as lexical sets, collocations, and connotations, is
also checked;
 Describe grammar structures thoroughly;
 Develop an appropriate context for a language activity and justify your decision;
 Analyze instructional strategies viewed on DVD;
 Analyze a teaching sequence for approach, method, procedure, and technique;
 Summarize the benefits and drawbacks of using drilling as a technique to teach vocabulary
and/or grammar;
 Appraise the writing of peers on these topics and extend their analyses of this week’s concepts through
interaction and argument.
Week 9, Unit 9
Topic 16) Teaching the Sounds of English
Topic 17) Categorizing English as Skills
By the end of Unit 9, the student will be able to:
 Identify concepts found in the reading and viewing assignments this week. These concepts include (but are
not limited to) the varied sounds (accents) of English, intelligibility, phonemic symbols, intonation
strategies, pronunciation teaching strategies, language skills, and receptive and productive skills;;
 Define all aspects of pronunciation and the benefits or drawbacks of using a phonemic chart to teach it;
 Discuss the concept of intelligibility and how the goals of learners will impact your lesson planning;
 Analyze the speaking patterns between teacher and students in the Unit 9 Resource Video;
 Describe a teaching sequence and justify the steps described;
 Describe typical characteristics of a classroom engaged in Project Based Learning;
 Appraise the writing of peers on these topics and extend their analyses of this week’s concepts
through interaction and argument
Week 10, Unit 10
Topic 18) Teaching Reading
Topic 19) Teaching Listening
By the end of Unit 10, the student will be able to:




Identify concepts found in the reading and viewing assignments this week. These concepts include (but
are not limited to) extensive and intensive reading, bottom-up vs. top-down processing, reading lesson
sequences, stage objectives of those sequences, and selecting appropriate authentic materials for
reading and listening lessons;
Analyze your personal reading and listening activity in order to analyze purpose of each;
Summarize strategies you can teach that support students' reading comprehension;
Analyze engagement strategies of a listening lesson (DVD);

Describe the challenges of listening in a foreign language and assess how teaching strategies could
support learners’ efforts;
Analyze a listening lesson example from chapter 19;
Appraise the writing of peers on these topics and extend their analyses of this week’s concepts
through interaction and argument.


Week 11, Unit 11
Topic 20) Teaching Writing
Topic 21) Teaching Speaking
By the end of Unit 11, the student will be able to:
 Identify concepts found in the reading and viewing assignments this week. These concepts include
(but are not limited to) literacy issues, process and product writing lessons, genres of writing,
providing meaningful feedback for writing tasks, lesson sequences for writing and speaking lessons,
strategies for participation, and communication games and activities, such as role-play, mingle and
information gap;
 Discuss objectives and cautions to consider when teaching low-level English learning adults;
 Critique use of portfolios as writing assessment tools;
 Analyze the purpose and benefits of various kinds of lesson sequences used in speaking lessons;
 Assess the strategies in the readings that support students who are reluctant to speak and explain
which would be most effective in his/her current or future teaching context;
 Compare / contrast teaching strategies used in CLIL lessons (Viewing Tracks 7, 8, and 9 on DVD);
 Appraise the writing of peers on these topics and extend their analyses of this week’s concepts
Through interaction and argument.
Week 12, Unit 12
Topic 22) Assessment
Topic 23) Professional Development
By the end of Unit 12, the student will be able to:







Identify concepts found in the reading and viewing assignments this week. These concepts include
(but are not limited to) use of professional journals to encourage reflection in teaching, action
research, characteristics of good tests along with types of tests and test items;
Define characteristics of effective classroom assessments;
Assess the impact of testing on curriculum choices (backwash effect) and analyze its positive and
negative consequences;
Describe the characteristics of an effective, professional mentor / mentee relationship;
Construct professional development resolutions for your upcoming year;
Articulate the usefulness of www.LINCS.ed.gov as a collaborative and professional development
resource.
Appraise the writing of peers on these topics and extend their analyses of this week’s concepts
through interaction and argument.
Student Satisfaction and Complaint Procedure – Bridge strives to provide you with an exceptional learning experience
and we are committed to delivering high quality teacher training courses. In the event you are not satisfied with our
services, please let us know as soon as possible so we can attempt to resolve the situation promptly and to your
satisfaction. Bridge has an internal complaint procedure, which can be found here.
Honor Code: All members of the University of Northern Colorado community are entrusted with the responsibility to
uphold and promote five fundamental values: Honesty, Trust, Respect, Fairness, and Responsibility. These core elements
foster an atmosphere, inside and outside of the classroom, which serves as a foundation and guides the UNC
community's academic, professional, and personal growth. Endorsement of these core elements by students, faculty,
staff, administration, and trustees strengthens the integrity and value of our academic climate.
UNC's Policies: UNC's policies and recommendations for academic misconduct will be
followed. For additional information, please see the Dean of Student’s website: http://www.unco.edu/dos/index.html.
Withdrawal Policy:



If you have more than one course on your schedule for the semester, you may withdraw through URSA from this
individual course. There are deadlines that must be adhered to. You can find the deadlines at
http://extended.unco.edu/courses-workshops/index.asp. There is no adjustment to tuition.
If this is your only course for the semester, you may withdraw; however, you must contact the Registrar at 970351-2231 to initiate a withdraw.
If you stop attending the course but fail to officially withdraw from the course(s), you will be responsible for full
tuition and fees.