flagship course

Language Teaching and Learning

Teach and learn languages with speaking-first methods, clear levels, steady spaced practice and honest feedback, for any language.

about this course

What you will be able to do

L4 Practitioner8 modules · 38 h lessons plus practice

Teach and learn languages with speaking-first methods, clear levels, steady spaced practice and honest feedback, for any language.

Define communication levels and can-do goals.
Apply speaking, listening, reading and writing routines.
Analyse learner errors and patterns.
Evaluate progress with dated evidence.
Create an eight-week course plan and sample lessons.

Task, condition and standard

Task

Plan and teach a short language course covering all four skills, and record each learner's progress with dated samples.

Condition

About 10 weeks part-time. A small group of learners, a phone for recording, simple audio and text materials, a mentor.

Standard

Each lesson has a can-do goal, a speaking task and a check; learners produce dated samples; the teacher keeps an error log and adjusts the next lesson from it.

Who it is for: Language teachers, tutors, volunteers, and learners who teach others. Requirements: Good command of the language you teach. Materials: lesson text, templates, rubric, check with answers.

lesson by lesson

8 modules with worked examples

Module 1 Levels and can-do goals 3 hDefine

Use six common levels from beginner to proficient, each described by what a learner can do.
Write goals as can-do statements: I can order food and ask the price.
Place each learner with a short speaking task, not only a grammar test.
Share the goal at the start and check it at the end of each lesson.

Worked example. Level A1 goal for week 1: I can greet, give my name and ask someone else's name; check: a 30-second pair dialogue recorded on a phone.

Activity. Place three learners and write a goal for each.

Standard to meet. Write each goal as a can-do statement tied to a task that can be observed.

Module 2 Speaking first 6 hApply

Teach a short model dialogue of six to eight lines.
Run it in four steps: listen, repeat, change one part, make your own.
Use pairs so every learner speaks many times in a lesson.
Praise clear message first; correct form second.

Worked example. Market dialogue: How much is this? It is thirty rupees. Too much! Twenty-five? Then learners swap items and prices.

Activity. Teach a dialogue for 25 minutes with pair work.

Standard to meet. Check that each learner speaks at least ten times and that the final pair task uses new words.

Module 3 Listening for meaning 5 hApply

Play short clips at natural speed after playing them first at slow speed.
Listen for gist first, then for details such as numbers and names.
Use songs, short stories and real announcements.
Give a task before playing so listening has a purpose.

Worked example. Clip of a train announcement: first listen for the platform number, then for the time.

Activity. Design a listening task with a before, during and after step.

Standard to meet. Design a task with a purpose, two listenings and a check.

Module 4 Reading and vocabulary 5 hApply

Choose short texts at the learner's level with 95 of 100 words known.
Teach word families and common word pairs.
Review new words after one day, three days and seven days.
Keep a personal word bank with a sentence from the learner's own life.

Worked example. The word book appears with read, write, open; the sentence: I read my book at night.

Activity. Prepare a text, ten target words and a review schedule.

Standard to meet. Tie words to learner-made sentences and write a dated review plan.

Module 5 Writing step by step 5 hCreate

Move from copying to guided to free writing.
Show a model, write together, then write alone.
Use a short feedback code such as T for tense and SP for spelling.
Let learners redraft once after feedback.

Worked example. Postcard model, joint draft on the board, individual draft, one correction round, final copy.

Activity. Plan a writing task with a model and a feedback code.

Standard to meet. Plan has model, draft, feedback and redraft.

Module 6 Errors and feedback 5 hAnalyse

Separate slips from patterns; patterns need teaching.
Use gentle recasts: repeat the sentence correctly without blame.
Keep an error log by learner and by lesson.
Plan a short mini-lesson on the most common error.

Worked example. Learner says I go yesterday; teacher replies Yes, you went yesterday. Where did you go?

Activity. Collect ten errors from a class and plan one mini-lesson.

Standard to meet. Group errors by type and write a plan that addresses the largest group.

Module 7 Culture, register and real use 4 hEvaluate

Match formal and informal forms to the listener.
Teach greetings, thanks and refusals that fit local custom.
Use real tasks: call a shop, read a bus sign, fill a form.
Ask learners to compare the new language with their home language.

Worked example. Request to a friend: Pass the salt. Request to an elder: Could you please pass the salt?

Activity. Write two role-plays at different registers.

Standard to meet. Explain the differences between the two registers.

Module 8 Capstone: eight-week course plan 5 hCreate

Write an eight-week plan with a goal for each week.
Prepare two full lesson plans.
Teach one lesson to peers and gather notes.
Write a progress record for one learner.

Worked example. Plan: week 1 greetings, week 2 numbers and money, week 3 directions; test in week 8 with a recorded conversation.

Activity. Present your plan, one lesson and one progress record.

Standard to meet. Plan covers four skills; lesson has a can-do goal; record has dated samples.

assessment

How you are checked

Evidence: the work product from each module, kept in one folder with dates. A mentor and two peers mark it with this rubric. Pass: no criterion at 'Not yet'.

Marking rubric
Criterion	Not yet	Meets	Exceeds
Goals	Missing or unclear	Meets the stated check	Clear can-do goals tied to tasks
Speaking time	Guessing	Evidence kept	Most lesson time is learner speech
Records	Gaps	Complete	Complete and reviewed by a peer
Safety and ethics	Overlooked	Followed	Followed and taught to others

Ten-question check, with model answers

Q1. What is a can-do statement?

Model answer: A statement of what a learner can do, which can be observed. (Covered in module 1: Levels and can-do goals. To pass that module: Write each goal as a can-do statement tied to a task that can be observed.)

Q2. Why use pairs?

Model answer: Each learner speaks far more than in a whole-class drill. (Covered in module 2: Speaking first. To pass that module: Check that each learner speaks at least ten times and that the final pair task uses new words.)

Q3. What is listening for gist?

Model answer: Listening for the main idea first. (Covered in module 3: Listening for meaning. To pass that module: Design a task with a purpose, two listenings and a check.)

Q4. What is spaced review?

Model answer: Reviewing items at growing gaps to fix them in memory. (Covered in module 4: Reading and vocabulary. To pass that module: Tie words to learner-made sentences and write a dated review plan.)

Q5. Why let learners redraft?

Model answer: They learn by fixing their own errors. (Covered in module 5: Writing step by step. To pass that module: Plan has model, draft, feedback and redraft.)

Q6. What is a recast?

Model answer: Repeating the learner's sentence correctly while keeping the conversation going. (Covered in module 6: Errors and feedback. To pass that module: Group errors by type and write a plan that addresses the largest group.)

Q7. What is register?

Model answer: The level of formality in language. (Covered in module 7: Culture, register and real use. To pass that module: Explain the differences between the two registers.)

Q8. What proves a learner has progressed?

Model answer: Dated samples compared with the first sample. (Covered in module 8: Capstone: eight-week course plan. To pass that module: Plan covers four skills; lesson has a can-do goal; record has dated samples.)

Q9. Why record learners early?

Model answer: To show progress later. (Covered in: Task, condition and standard, near the top of this page.)

Q10. Why use real tasks?

Model answer: Learners need the language outside class. (Covered in: Task, condition and standard, near the top of this page.)

seven levels

Your ladder, L1 to L7

This course sits at L4 Practitioner. Each level adds to the one below.

L1 Basic. Greet and answer simple questions.
L2 Awareness. Handle daily topics in short talk.
L3 Foundation. Hold simple conversations and write short notes.
L4 Practitioner. Teach beginners with a plan and a log.
L5 Specialist. Teach exam levels and mixed groups.
L6 Advanced. Lead a team of teachers and design courses.
L7 Super expert. Set language standards and train teachers across a region.

Slide by slide

Seven slides, one per level. Open each for the slide text and the speaker notes.

Slide 1 L1 Basic: Greet and answer

Greet and answer 10 simple questions in the target language with clear sentences.

Speaker notes. Teacher asks questions face to face. Covered in module 1.

Slide 2 L2 Awareness: Daily topics

Talk for 2 minutes on a daily topic, using at least 15 new words correctly.

Speaker notes. Teacher counts target words in a recording. Covered in module 2.

Slide 3 L3 Foundation: Simple talk and notes

Hold a 5-minute conversation and write a 50-word note with fewer than 5 errors.

Speaker notes. Teacher marks the note and listens to the talk. Covered in module 8, Capstone: eight-week course plan.

Slide 4 L4 Practitioner: Teach beginners

Teach a beginner class of 8 using a lesson plan and a log of mistakes and fixes.

Speaker notes. Teacher reviews the plan and the log. Covered in module 6, Errors and feedback.

Slide 5 L5 Specialist: Teach exam levels

Teach a mixed group preparing for an exam, with 3 differentiated tasks and mock scores tracked over 4 weeks.

Speaker notes. Teacher reviews the three tasks and the score chart.

Slide 6 L6 Advanced: Lead teachers

Lead a team of 4 teachers and design an 8-week course with a shared outcome list.

Speaker notes. Teacher reads the course plan and checks week-by-week outcomes.

Slide 7 L7 Super expert: Set language standards

Set language standards and train 10 teachers across a region, with 6 level descriptors.

Speaker notes. Teacher tests the descriptors on two sample learners.

jobs this leads to

Where this takes you

Language tutor
School teacher of a language
Community volunteer teacher
Course developer
Interpreter assistant

ten locations and global

Your place

Local rules change licences, data handling, pricing words and names of bodies. Check them for your place before you act.

India (Bengaluru)

Language: English, Hindi, Kannada. Currency: INR. Data rule for what you publish: Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. Skills frame to cite: National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and the national credit framework.

Netherlands (Eindhoven area)

Language: Dutch, English. Currency: EUR. Data rule for what you publish: EU GDPR (Dutch: AVG), supervised by the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens. Skills frame to cite: the Dutch qualification framework (NLQF) linked to the European Qualifications Framework.

UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi)

Language: Arabic, English. Currency: AED. Data rule for what you publish: Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 (personal data protection). Skills frame to cite: the emirate education and training regulators (for example KHDA in Dubai) and the national qualifications framework.

Brazil (Sao Paulo)

Language: Portuguese (Spanish and English support). Currency: BRL. Data rule for what you publish: LGPD (Lei Geral de Protecao de Dados). Skills frame to cite: the national technical-education catalogue and the national S-system training bodies.

Canada (Toronto)

Language: English, French. Currency: CAD. Data rule for what you publish: PIPEDA, with provincial rules where they apply. Skills frame to cite: the provincial colleges framework and the national credential-recognition guidance.

United States

Language: English, Spanish. Currency: USD. Data rule for what you publish: state privacy laws (for example California), and COPPA for children under 13. Skills frame to cite: state and community-college credit systems.

Singapore

Language: English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil. Currency: SGD. Data rule for what you publish: Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). Skills frame to cite: the Singapore national skills frameworks and the national credit system.

Australia

Language: English. Currency: AUD. Data rule for what you publish: the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles. Skills frame to cite: the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) levels.

Hong Kong (Eastern Asia)

Language: Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin), English. Currency: HKD. Data rule for what you publish: the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. Skills frame to cite: the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework.

Georgia and Israel (Western Asia)

Language: Georgian, Hebrew, Arabic, English. Currency: GEL or ILS. Data rule for what you publish: the personal data law of the country where the learner lives. Skills frame to cite: the national qualifications framework of that country.

Cayman Islands (Caribbean)

Language: English. Currency: KYD. Data rule for what you publish: the Data Protection Act. Skills frame to cite: the local education and training framework.

Mexico

Language: Spanish, English. Currency: MXN. Data rule for what you publish: the federal law on personal data held by private parties. Skills frame to cite: the national competency certification system and the education ministry levels.

Draft

Draft flagship. Own wording. Not live.