TEFL courses in Washington, DC, USA - LADO International College

Teacher Training  >  USA  >  Washington, DC

LADO International College

TEFL Certificate

The LADO TEFL Certificate program trains teachers in accordance to the standards set forth by TESOL within the framework of Dr. Lado's Total Approach. Trainees learn how to efficiently and effectively use activities and techniques from many different methodologies and they learn professional standards for using a mixture of covert and overt instruction in their lessons. Trainees work to develop students' skills in all the areas of communication: reading, writing, and especially listening and speaking (including pronunciation), as well as grammar.

Trainees follow a well-established fundamental and practical means of lesson planning that allows space within each class for focusing on the students' grammatical, lexical, and phonological accuracy as well as broadening their communicative and functional skills with the language.

The knowledge-based classes are coordinated with daily practical teaching so that trainees learn, practice and apply their skills to all levels of ESL learners from beginners to advanced.

The following 23 topics are covered in training:

- Lesson planning
- Curriculum development
- Assessment of students’ educational needs
- Simplifying language
- Presentation of language samples
- Highlighting /gestures/using realia
- Contextualization of lessons
- Overview of ESOL methodologies
- Dialogue construction
- Speaking activities
- Role-play simulation/drama
- Writing activities
- Concept checking
- Design of listening skill tasks
- Eliciting student responses
- Testing/TOEFL
- Use of drills in the classroom
- Classes in English for Special Purposes
- Teaching structures and meaning
- Use of games, songs and jazz chants
- Identification and correction of student errors
- Creation of a comprehensive lesson “toolbox”
- Segmental and supra-segmental pronunciation

The fundamental philosophy of the LADO TEFL Certificate is to teach English as a Second Language using an approach of the highest academic quality, Dr. Lado's well-known nonrestrictive "total" approach. This approach appeals to different learning styles and takes into consideration the native language, culture, and education of the students.

The instructor is encouraged to both introduce the language covertly, and, where necessary, to explain and correct the elements of language, including vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and intonation. The lesson materials are ordered from simple to complex.

Such an approach offers students the following benefits:

COMPLETE COMMUNICATION
Students progress towards proficiency in the four skill areas of listening,speaking,reading and writing.

PRACTICE
Classes are student-centered with an emphasis on student talk time. Students practice their English through a variety of communicative activities as well as in structured drills and exercises where accuracy and dexterity are the goals.

ACCURACY
Students achieve far greater accuracy in speech and writing than in other approaches in which functional communication is the only goal. In addition, this emphasis prepares the student far better for such standardized tests as the TOEFL in which an accurate understanding and use of the language is essential. This approach is used in all the programs offered at LADO International College. LAF, which stands for Learning, Assimilation, and Facility, is the linguistic model for the process of learning a second language as an adult. This hypothesis was developed by Dr. Robert Lado.We recommend Dr. Lado's Teaching English Across Cultures (©1988. McGraw-Hill) for more information.

TIME EFFICIENCY
Students rapidly and effectively acquire a conscious understanding of the language as well as strong speaking and writing skills. Authentic language samples are presented for students to easily infer meaning of new vocabulary and structures from context. Where students are having problems, the instructor is ready with explanations to help them effectively grasp new material.

AN ORGANIZED SYLLABUS
All classes, from absolute beginner to advanced, are presented in English, as students are guided through an expanding awareness of the language.

LADO International College's website

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