TESOL and TPRS Course (For Language Teachers)

Examine the grammar translation method, a historic approach that emphasizes reading and translation, teaches grammar in the mother tongue, and relies on comprehension questions, back translation, and cognates.

The direct method reacts to grammar translation by teaching exclusively in the target language, using audiovisual association between experience and expression with gestures, pictures, and culture to enable real communication.

Compare grammar translation method and direct method, outlining goals, native language use, and teaching techniques. Emphasize inductive learning, dialogue-based meaning, and selecting methods to fit student needs.

The reading approach emerged in the 1930s as a response to the direct method and standardized tests, prioritizing reading, vocabulary memorization, and exams, with scanning and skimming as techniques.

Explore the audio lingual method, aka the army method, prioritizing spoken language through repetition and structured drills to form language habits, with teacher-led imitation and realia.

Compare the reading and audio lingual approaches, highlighting how reading prioritizes grammar and vocabulary, while audio lingual emphasizes drilling, listening, and speaking.

Explore how the cognitive approach examines brain processes and language learning, emphasizing learner characteristics, strategies, feedback, retrieval, and metacognition.

The course emphasizes the affective humanistic approach to language learning, prioritizing learners' feelings, confidence, and creativity through music, games, stories, and positive feedback to overcome fear and psychological barriers.

Practice the comprehension approach by emphasizing comprehensible input, a silent period, and total physical response to lower the effective filter and foster automatic language use.

The communicative approach fosters real-world communication using authentic materials, games, and information-gap activities. It connects people through language, emphasizes sequencing and engaging activities to adapt to diverse contexts.

Compare the comprehension and communicative approaches, using total physical response to make input comprehensible, then emphasize speaking, authentic materials, and information-gap activities for meaningful communication.

Explore language teaching methods, from classical education to direct and communicative approaches. Use dialogues, readings, TPR, back translation, and authentic materials to develop speaking, reading, and listening.

Apply TPRS to teach proficiency through reading and storytelling, combining total physical response with comprehensible input to build vocabulary through personalized, contextual lessons and co-created stories.

Stephen Krashen argues that language acquisition occurs through comprehensible input, not deliberate study or output, with reading and stories driving subconscious competence while conscious learning acts as a monitor.

identify the nine steps of a tprs lesson, from vocabulary prep and choosing a main character to setting, props, and storytelling one line at a time. build a vocabulary bank with known, target, and cognate words, use pop-up grammar, comprehension checks, and engaging follow-ups to reinforce learning.

Learn the steps of a tprs lesson, from vocab lists to a farmer with hiccups, storytelling with circling and pop-up grammar.

Explore personalized questions and answers (PQA) and story asking within comprehensible input, using student interests to drive engaging, low-anxiety conversations that foster language acquisition without explicit grammar drills.

Explore story-asking, a collaborative approach where teachers co-create personalized stories with students, using targeted and non-targeted prompts to provide comprehensible input and engaging reading material.

Apply circling as a differentiation technique for comprehensible input, using scaffolded questions from low to high level to repeat target structures and support second language acquisition.

Demonstrates a sample circling lesson that teaches TESOL and TPRS techniques by circling nouns, verbs, and objects through gesture-based dialogue about people, places, and occupations.

Explore the concept of parallel characters in language teaching by creating a student-driven parallel character, yielding two stories with different characters, problems, and vocabularies to engage learners.

Movie talk provides comprehensible input through short, silent, visually driven videos. Prepare with target structures, a brief script, occasional pauses, and post-video activities like reading or retelling.

Explore a sample lesson script that teaches English prepositions and verb usage for transportation, highlighting get on vs get in, through a driving scenario and comprehension tasks.

Explore circling and total physical response through a sample lesson featuring pronunciation practice, football-related dialogue, and everyday actions to boost speaking confidence.

Engage in a dramatization follow-up activity to practice language through a high-speed car scenario, including accelerator issues, police interaction, safety commands, and listening/comprehension tasks.

Explore a sample follow-up translation activity that uses a narrative about women, poverty, and daily life, with pronunciation, spelling, and interview-style translation practices.