Intercultural Dialogue in an Intensive TEFL Cert. Course
SUMMARY:
This presentation will present the cross-cultural dialogue opportunities in an intensive TEFL Certification course consisting of pre-service American EFL teachers and Chinese university EFL teachers. Attendees will gain tips for entering into dialogue about differing cultural perspectives on methodology and the realities of teaching in an EFL setting.
OUTLINE:
There are a multitude of TEFL certification options for those seeking to teach EFL or add certification to their credentials. Each option varies in format, content, duration and level of preparation. This presentation presents a model for a face-to-face, intensive, three-week TEFL certification course consisting of participants from varied backgrounds leading to cross-cultural dialogue about differing cultural perspectives on methodology, effective teaching practices, and realities of teaching in an EFL setting.
This course was developed for local participants preparing to go overseas without time for a longer, more robust certification program. However, when some Chinese university partners heard of this concept, they expressed the need for their English instructors to have internationally recognized certification. Thus brought together two unique groups of participants. While local participants had more international experience, they were less experienced in teaching. The Chinese instructors had teaching experience but no formal training in education as well as little cross-cultural experience. Navigating the course with this first class guided the course content development and classroom dialogue presented in this session.
This session will include:
- Brief explanation of how the course was formed and has since developed over three years
- Content and structure of the course
- Compelling dialogue that emerged from the varied experiences, backgrounds, and values
- Evolution of course content and structure over three years
- Tips for attendees to integrate elements of this dialogue into other certification courses to provide more balanced content and realistic expectations for pre-service teachers.
Activities to engage attendees will include:
- Reflection on their certification course content
- Discussion about top priorities for content in a TEFL certification course
- Model activities from the course that raise awareness of cultural expectations in the classroom, reveal bias, and allow participants to interact with real-life case studies from EFL settings.