Who is it for?

• Teachers from all over the world
• Both newly qualified and experienced teachers
• Teachers that are new to teaching YLs and Teens
• Teachers in a context where there is no opportunity for in-house YL training
• Teachers that anticipate teaching YLs and Teens in the near future

Please note participants’ minimum level of English should be C1.

Course content

There are 7 modules which will cover classroom management, materials, clarification and correction, the four skills and individual learning. Modules will also include online video observations of real YL classrooms. 

Module Topics:

1. An introduction to YLs and how they learn
2. Classroom Management
3. Clarification of New Language and Error Correction
4. Practising language and Materials
5. Speaking & Listening
6. Reading & Writing
7. Focus on the Learner
8. Final Assignment

There will also be some optional live, synchronous sessions that you will be able to join during the course. The times and dates for the sessions will be decided once the course is up and running. However they are planned as such:

• Session 1: Getting started with online YL (to take place following module two)
• Session 2: Teaching language-focused lessons online
• Session 3: Teaching skills lessons online
• Session 4: A Q&A session and some practical tips

For those that can’t make the session live, access to a recording will be made available.

Structure

The course is an asynchronous online course.  It is designed this way so that you can access the material whenever it suits you. You don’t have to attend at a certain time which means that wherever you are in the world the time difference is never an issue. The course is run entirely online by qualified tutors. Tutors are qualified both in the area of young learner teaching and tutoring in the online environment. Assessment will be based on a portfolio task done in each module and the final assignment. 

A new module is covered each week and the material for that module is provided over the course of the week. You are given tasks to do both in groups and individually. Participants are expected to dedicate a minimum of 5 hours per week to the tasks in each module. The discussion forums are a great opportunity to share ideas and learn from your peers all over the world. It is advisable to log on regularly so that you keep up to date with the ongoing discussions.

The tutors also log on frequently and monitor the discussions. They will give you guidance and support where needed as they are experienced Young Learners teachers themselves.

Assessment

Your tutors mark your tasks as the course progresses and there is the opportunity to resubmit if necessary.  At the end of the course there is a final assignment which pushes you to reflect on what you have learnt during the course. The assignment along with your tasks makes up the portfolio that is submitted electronically to the IHWO Assessment Unit.  Your tutors are on hand for support throughout. As there is no assessment of teaching, this course is not seen as a qualification, but rather a teacher development course. The final grade is a pass or fail.

IH Online Course in Teaching Young Learners and Teenagers is moderated by Cambridge Assessment English and therefore successful course participants will receive a certificate that includes the Cambridge Assessment English logo.

Tutors

There are at least two tutors per course but this also depends on the size of the group. The number of participants normally ranges from 12 to 16. The minimum is 8. Tutors are all current teachers with many years of Young Learner experience.

Time and commitment

The course lasts 8 weeks with one module per week and a week for the final assignment at the end. It depends on the individual, but we recommend a minimum of 5-to-7 hours per week spent online and doing tasks. Your study hours are flexible, but some tasks require group input and have set deadlines. The more time you can devote to the course, the more you will gain from it.

What is special about this course?

One of the things participants value most in our courses is the online community. This gives an opportunity to share best practices with peers, exchange ideas, and discuss teaching experiences with other teachers from all over the world. This course is about getting involved in these conversations and learning from each other as well as from the tutors.

Participants have commented that the discussion forums are almost like having a ‘mentor on tap’, a mentor that has experience in a variety of different contexts, different language learners and managing teachers from different countries.

(Source from https://ihworld.com/)