As an acronym, TESOL stands for ‘Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.’ As an adjective, you may encounter a TESOL student, a TESOL teacher, a TESOL conference, or a TESOL program. TESOL has even become a noun, as in a ‘TESOLer,’ in other words a person affiliated with the world of teaching English. Though ‘TESOLing’ may not currently be a commonly used verb, don’t be surprised if it becomes one in the future! In any of its forms, TESOL is significant in the role that it has assumed on the world’s stage; English is increasingly allowing us to talk to each other, and ‘TESOL’ is our shared interpreter.

Originally, TESOL represented and still represents the professional community of English language teachers. The professional TESOL community was born over forty years ago as the name for a small conference held to share ideas related to English language teaching. That conference was held in 1964 in Arizona in the US. From then on, the parade of TESOL followers grew larger and larger. In 1966, TESOL Inc. was established as an independent professional organization for teaching professionals of English ; it now consists of more than 60,000 members, and the organization hosts an annual TESOL convention, an academic “festival”, each time in a different city in the US. The association publishes the most well- known international academic journal in the field, TESOL Quarterly.

The term TESOL also has come to refer to the profession of language teaching and to the training of excellent English teachers across the globe. As it pertains to teacher-training across the world and here at Sookmyung University, TESOL is a program that teaches effective teaching methods and cultivates professional English teachers. The curriculum has been developed by thousands of English training experts, and courses are well established in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. TESOL students and graduates have been playing decisive roles in spreading new methods and materials for English classrooms.

In short, TESOL is a profession, a career, a convention, a group of people, a community, a shared interest in communicating with people around the globe. By joining us at Sookmyung TESOL, you will join a broad and talented coalition of ‘TESOLers’ who possess a gentle power to change the world.

Certificate in TESOL / Diploma in TESOL
 
Course overview
By completing this course you will:
- acquire the basic skills necessary for teaching English
- develop further awareness of English grammar
- be able to apply this awareness in the TESOL classroom
- develop a knowledge of the principles of teaching English
- develop management skills for the classroom
- develop an understanding of the theories behind English teaching methodologies
- understand and apply the principles of English language testing
- be able to design and prepare teaching materials
 
Course description

The course is a highly practical education programme allowing you to develop the skills and techniques needed in classroom teaching. It examines in some detail the theoretical issues behind the practice and principles of teaching and reflects current methodologies and research into TESOL. The testing of English and the preparation of teaching materials are explored in some depth. The course is intended for both native speakers and non-native speakers of English. 
 
This course leading to the Certificate/Diploma in TESOL is primarily designed for people who are:

- seeking a career in teaching English – no previous teaching experience is needed
- working in a TESOL or TEFL post without a formal teaching qualification
- looking for a more solid grounding in TESOL/TEFL
- teaching other languages but looking for new approaches in the classroom
 
Course Topics

•  Teaching styles and techniques (methodology & implementation)
•  Managing your classrooom
•  Lesson planning
•  Teaching grammar and expanding vocabulary
•  How learners learn
•  Teaching different levels of English
•  Teaching Young Learners
•  English for Business
•  Phonology
•  Using materials, games, activities and role-plays
•  Coursebook analysis
•  Teaching Reading and Writing
•  Listening and Speaking activities
•  One-to-one lessons
•  Accessing students' needs
•  Preparing and evaluating tests