Curriculum
June 2, 2023 2026-09-20 18:45Curriculum
TEYL Certificate Curriculum
The Online Certificate in Teaching English to Young Learners is a single 15-week course, offered through the Anaheim University David Nunan TESOL Institute. It asks about nine hours of study a week — 135 hours in all — and a new group starts on the first Monday of every month.
The curriculum combines practical classroom teaching strategies with research in child language development, TESOL, TEFL, language teaching methodology and second language acquisition. It is designed for current teachers, aspiring educators, tutors and language teaching professionals who want specialized expertise in teaching English to children and adolescents.
Teaching English to Young Learners seminar by Super Simple Learning co-founder Devon Thagard in Tokyo, Japan
A new group begins on the first Monday of every month and the course then runs for fifteen consecutive weeks. Work is graded on a pass/fail basis, and the maximum time allowed for completion is 30 weeks.
What the Certificate Covers
Sixteen areas across the fifteen weeks, from how children acquire language through to assessment, classroom management and working with parents.
Curriculum Areas
The program offers students the opportunity of developing a solid pedagogical foundation towards teaching English to children through instruction in the following areas.
- Who is the “young learner?”
- First and Second Language Acquisition
- Methods and Approaches in Language Teaching
- Teaching Listening
- Teaching Speaking
- Teaching Reading
- Teaching Writing
- Teaching Vocabulary
- Teaching Grammar
- Teaching Pronunciation
- Learning Styles and Strategies
- The Affective Domain
- Working with Parents
- Classroom Management
- Resources and Technology Support for Language Learning
- Assessment and evaluation
Practical Focus
The curriculum places a strong emphasis on practical application — teaching techniques that can be implemented immediately in classrooms, tutoring programs, language institutes and online learning environments. Particular attention is given to the following.
- Classroom interaction
- Learner engagement
- Motivation and confidence building
- The use of visuals and realia
- Educational technology integration
- Creating a positive classroom atmosphere
- Age-appropriate instructional design
Fifteen weeks at nine hours a week makes a 135-hour course. The weekly breakdown is a suggestion, but one students are advised to follow closely to keep up with the schedule.
Studying the Certificate
The detail behind the fifteen weeks — what sits at the centre of the curriculum, how it is graded, when it starts and where it leads.
A central component of the TEYL curriculum is understanding how children acquire language. Students explore both first language acquisition and second language acquisition, gaining insight into how developmental stages influence language learning. This knowledge enables educators to select appropriate teaching methods, learning activities, classroom resources, and assessment strategies for young learners.
The curriculum also introduces key concepts from Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching (ELT), helping educators make informed instructional decisions and create supportive, engaging, and effective learning environments for children.
Work is graded on a pass/fail basis. Weekly online quizzes and participation in the discussion forum run through all fifteen weeks, alongside the video lectures, the background reading and the written responses to discussion questions and tasks.
A new group begins on the first Monday of every month, twelve times a year, so there is no long wait for an intake. The maximum time allowed for completion is 30 weeks; a student who needs a further fifteen-week extension pays a $200 fee.
The TEYL Certificate complements broader studies in TESOL and English Language Teaching while focusing specifically on the unique needs of young learners. The program serves as valuable professional development for current teachers and provides a pathway to further study in TESOL, Applied Linguistics, Language Education, and Teacher Education. Students who successfully complete the TEYL Certificate may also be eligible for tuition benefits when progressing to selected Anaheim University TESOL programs.
