Course Content:

The Madrid TEFL course is a 4 week, 120 + hour intensive program combining both theoretical and hands-on training sessions, giving you the tools you need to work as a successful and qualified ESL teacher. You need to be prepared to work hard as days typically run from 09.30 in the morning until 18.30 in the afternoon, with a few hours of homework to be completed daily in the evenings.

The course will cover the following inputs:

• 6 Hours of Teaching Practices with real Spanish students seeking to improve their English!
• Classroom Management.
• Creating creative materials.
• English Grammar - covering everything from tenses to parts of speech.
• Error and Correction.
• Games in the classroom.
• Grammar.
• In depth analysis of an English language learner’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Job Workshop: Orientation, Support, CV Preparation.
• Lesson planning methodology.
• Needs Analysis to ensure that you know how to develop a course tailored to your students’ needs.
• One to one classes.
• Oral Level testing and Needs Analysis.
• Parts of Speech.
• Phonetics.
• Phonology.
• Reading/writing/speaking/listening skills.
• Teaching Children.
• Teaching the Skills: Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening.
• Telephone Teaching.

Teaching practices:

As part of the course you are required to teach six observed teaching practices. These teaching practices will cover a range of levels and a range of types of classes, from general to business and group to one on one. This very much reflects what is most demanded by the Madrid market at present. After each of your teaching practices you will receive verbal and written feedback regarding your class, giving you clear points for improvement for future classes. As part of the course, you are also required to watch 6 of your peers teach, an invaluable experience in allowing you to refine your skills and reflect on the techniques you have observed.

TEFL Lesson Planning:

Planning a lesson is one of the things that new teachers find very daunting. During the first week of the course, you will be given example lesson plans to follow as you observe the school’s team teach. You will then, over two lessons, dissect the components of a good lesson plan to understand its composition and the rationale behind it. Also, you will learn how to write excellent objectives that give you a clear focus of what you are trying to achieve. You will also be introduced to the PPP lesson planning methodology (presentation, practice, production) that will ensure you are capable of writing a thorough and effective lesson plan, regardless of your level of experience. You will be required to produce six lesson plans whilst on the course.

Preparing for your teaching practices:

Teaching for the first time can often be an unnerving and overwhelming experience. To prepare you for your teaching practices, during the first week of the course you will watch four model classes delivered by the Madrid team. These classes will give you the opportunity to meet the free students that attend weekly classes at the school. They will allow you to see how a class is designed on paper, what techniques are used to accelerate learning and how classroom management can be applied to ensure that the class objectives are met. Prior to any teaching practice you give, you will always receive a one on one lesson planning session with one of the Madrid team. They will help you decide the content of your class, as well as the techniques you will need to use to execute it. You will enter all your teaching practices having received tailored support, ensuring you feel confident.

Assignments and Assessment:

As part of the course you are required to complete a Language Awareness Exam. This exam will take place on the final Wednesday of the course and will test your knowledge of grammar and phonology.

In addition to this, you will also be required to complete a group project analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of an English language learner, as well as three individual written assignments.

Although our course is incredibly intensive and requires full commitment, our team will ensure that you feel supported prior, during and long after the course finishes. The team is always available to provide extra help when needed, whether that is academic, morale or simply concerning adapting to life here in Spain.