• University of Birmingham logo

TESOL: An Introduction to Language Teaching Methodology

Understand more about language, how it works and how different types of teaching can be applied to meet your learners’ needs.

  • Duration

    12 weeks
  • Weekly study

    8 hours

This course will help you understand more about language and how it works. How language, for example, cannot be divided into grammar and vocabulary and how one word can rarely be replaced by another without changing the meaning of the message.

You will learn more about different types of teaching methods and how these can be applied to meet your learners’ needs. You will see how some methods make more sense than others and you will hone your ability to evaluate the myriad of ideas and materials that are out there.

Download video: standard or HD

Skip to 0 minutes and 2 seconds Are you an English language teacher? Are you looking for a way to enhance your skills, your career, and your classroom? The University of Birmingham have developed an innovative solution to help busy teachers like you progress and succeed. TESOL, an Introduction to Language Teaching Methodology is a 12-week microcredential online programme, allowing you to study flexibly at a pace that suits you, no matter where you are in the world. This exciting 10-credit course will help you with the linguistic and pedagogic knowledge, the research and analytical skills, and the confidence you need to advance your career. With a commitment of 8 to 10 hours per week, you can gain a qualification from one of the world’s most prestigious universities.

Skip to 0 minutes and 44 seconds You will have the opportunity to engage with an international teaching community through a range of interactive digital content, all whilst being supported by our dedicated University experts. And should you decide to apply for a Master’s degree with the University of Birmingham at any point in the future, our 10-credit microcredential is transferable and can count towards our distance learning MA in TESOL or Applied Linguistics. With over 20 years of experience in running distance learning programmes in TESOL, the University of Birmingham is here to support you, helping you to advance your career and your classroom. Apply now.

What topics will you cover?

  • Methods and Approaches,
  • The Communicative Approach,
  • Task-Based Learning,
  • The Structure of a Language Lesson,
  • PPP and Alternatives to PPP,
  • Teaching Grammar,
  • Teaching Functional Language,
  • Corpus Linguistics and the Teaching of Vocabulary

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Understand and apply a communicative methodology
  • Design a variety of different types of communicative activity
  • Plan and deliver a communicative lesson
  • Design and deliver a lesson which focus on speaking, listening, writing and reading skills

Who is the course for?

Individuals who have some experience of teaching English as a foreign language or those who wish to want to become English language teachers working either in the UK or abroad.

Who will you learn with?

My name is Crayton Walker and I work for the University of Birmingham as a Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics. I was a language teacher for 25 years before I joined the University.

Who developed the course?

University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham is a public research university, consistently listed as a leading UK university and ranked among the top 100 in the world.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn