Teaching Exam classes


A 3 week online course focusing on practical ideas for teaching exam classes. The course will be of particular interest to teachers who need to prepare students for Cambridge ESOL First Certificate and other exams in the Cambridge ESOL suite (PET, CAE, Proficiency).

This course is suitable for recently qualified TEFL/TESOL teachers with an interest in improving in this area quickly and for more experienced teachers who find themselves teaching First Certificate classes and other exam classes for the first time.

Duration	Fees*	Starting dates 2009	Apply now
3-week on-line course	350 €	30th August 2010	Application form online

* 300 € for OxfordTEFL graduates.


Aims of the course, course content
Why a TEC Course?
How to apply, assessment, Certificate
Course timetable, The trainers, recommended reading
What is an online course like?

Aims of the course

By the end of the course you will have a greater understanding of how to approach teaching exam classes. You will have looked at a range of teaching materials and activities which can be used in exam classes. You will have an understanding of how to train learners in key strategies for Cambridge ESOL exams and you will have looked at how the Cambridge ESOL oral and written exams are assessed.

Course content

The course is divided into three weeks and for each week there are three sessions. Each session will include a practical task related to teaching exam classes. In some tasks you will be invited to try something out with your students (if you are currently teaching an exam class) and report back. You will receive feedback from an experienced tutor on your work. The tasks must be completed for you to be awarded the certificate.
The sessions will include group and individual work with a strong emphasis on peer and tutor feedback. The following areas are covered.

• Introduction: exam formats


• Reading


• Writing


• Use of English


• Listening


• Speaking


• Time management and Course planning


• Learner autonomy


• Motivation




Why a Teaching Exam Classes course?

Even teachers with experience can find exam classes challenging to teach. Firstly the stakes are higher. There is a clear result for the students at the end and failure in the exam can be costly. As a teacher you want to give your students the best chance of passing and your impact in terms of motivation, organisation and feedback on their performance can be decisive. Secondly, you may find that the most effective approach to take and the type of activities you use is somewhat different to other classes you teach. Thirdly, you may find that you need more specific and detailed knowledge of the exams themselves and tips and ideas for preparing students for success.

How to apply

If you have not completed a course with us previously, please complete the On-line Application Form


If you are registering for a CertTESOL course with us simply indicate on the application form which extension course you wish to attend. You will have a discount of 50 euros
If you have already completed a CertTESOL course with us, e mail us to let us know which course you would like to do. You will have discount of 50 euros

Assessment

To pass the course and receive the certificate you will have to:

· attend 100% of the course · complete the assessed tasks mentioned above to a satisfactory standard

Certificate

The OxfordTEFL Teaching Exam classes extension Certificate will state that you have passed the course, outline the components of the course in detail and state the length of the course.

Course timetable

The course is online over three weeks and you will have about 7 hours of work per week. There are deadlines for the competion of tasks at the end of each week. You are free to work when you choose during the week giving you flexibility to combine the course with your working schedule. More on online leaning with OxfordTEFL. There are three sessions per week each with their own input and tasks. You will be required to do a variety of exercises, reading and practical tasks

The trainers

Our team of trainers are highly experienced and qualified teachers and teacher trainers with a specialist interest in teaching exam classes and experience of creating dynamic and enjoyable online training courses

Recommended reading

Exam practice website for students and teachers
www.floe-joe.com


Article: Humanising Exam classes by Alex case
www.hltmag.co.uk




About on-line learning with OxfordTEFL

We believe that distance learning works best when it captures, as far as possible, the dynamics of face to face learning, even when that means less flexibility (see below). A sense of isolation can cause people to drop out of distance learning courses. Our Distance/On-line Teaching Exam Classes Courses have the following key features, which ensure motivation remains high:

Variety of ways of learning
Through our virtual learning environment you will use the internet to communicate with tutors and fellow course members, access materials and complete learning tasks.

Interaction
Our virtual learning environment (VLE) allows you to communicate individually and collectively with tutors and other course members, both for social and study purposes. You will be assigned individual, group and pair tasks, as in a "real" classroom with the difference that, instead of all working at the same time (synchronised) you can log on and off and contribute at times which are convenient to you. You may, on a few occasions, be required to log on at the same time as other course members for "lessons", "conferences" or "chats" in the virtual classroom.

A real class of fellow students
In many distance courses, learners start and finish courses at any time of the year and join an infinite number of other distance learners at various stages of their course. Our courses have start and finish dates and a defined group of participants, just like our face-to-face courses. You will have tasks and deadlines to keep and be expected to maintain an appropriate rhythm (see above). In other words, flexibility is limited in order to maintain motivation.



Learning how to learn on-line
As well as learning about teaching and language you will have the opportunity to experience and reflect on the nature of on-line learning itself.

Ease of use
You will find it easy to use the virtual learning environment, even if you are relatively unfamiliar with this kind of learning and there will be plenty of support and guidance from tutors to deal with any queries and make sure you are on track.

We use “Moodle”, a “virtual learning environment” (VLE), which allows you to:

• upload and download course information and material
• access materials on and off-line
• participate in live and non-synchronised discussions
• send work to tutors and receive feedback
• communicate with tutors and other members of the class individually and as a group.
• interact in ways similar to a real classroom with the advantage of being able to access it at times convenient to you.
We use skype/messenger or telephone for personal tutorials.



You will need to have regular access to a computer with internet connection, but won’t need to spend huge amounts of time actually on line.

We recommend you install skype if you don't have it already to take advantage of cost free calls to tutors. www.skype.com