250-Hour Level 5 TEFL / TESOL Professional Course 250-hour TESOL, Level 5

TEFL/TESOL 250 hours Level 5 Professional Course  - course content 

This full level 5 ACTDEC accredited course covers all the material in the new 2025 ACTDEC syllabus, across 52 interactive modules, each with a range of tutor-assessed and computer-assessed questions. There are nine 'stop and reflect' sections, two essays and four lesson plans. 

M1 Introduction to TEFL/TESOL
What is ELT? Introduction to English language teaching, the ELT industry and qualities of a good teacher.

M2 Reasons for learning English
Wants and needs of adult, young learners, classroom and online students.

M3 Classroom Management 1
Traditional vs. communicative classrooms, classroom layouts, basic class planning, online classrooms, needs analysis and managing student expectations.

M4 Classroom Management 2
Getting lessons started with engagement activities, group work and pair work, student motivation and discipline in the classroom.

M5 Classroom Management 3
Classroom sensitivity and the importance of learning consolidation through homework.

M6 Classroom Management 4
Spoken and written correction - how to correct students and encourage them to learn from their mistakes, how to make corrections effectively when teaching online.

Classroom Management Summary
Write a summary essay of the main features of classroom management covered so far.

CR1 - Classroom Management
Opportunity to engage in reflective learning on classroom management.

M7 Levels
Teaching at different levels and how to judge the level of your learners

M8 Materials
Selecting materials for classroom-based teaching and online teaching, the major ELT publishers and best free or subscription-based online teaching websites.

M9 Lesson Planning
Creating effective classroom and online lesson plans that help learners develop their English ability. A sample lesson plan for a classroom-based lesson.

M10 Skills Lessons – Reading
Language acquisition and planning reading-focused lessons, with pre-teaching, concept and comprehension questions, controlled and free practice activities, aims and objectives.

M11 – Skills Lessons – Writing
Different ideas for helping learners develop their written English ability, semi-controlled and free writing, project or topic-based lessons.

M12 – Skills Lessons – Listening
The different stages of a listening lesson, ideas and materials for listening lessons, including songs and activities for both adults and young learners.

M13 – Skills Lessons – Speaking
How to give effective speaking lessons, including fluency, themed conversation-based lessons, and pronunciation, including consonant clusters and similar vowel sounds.

LP1 – Skills Lesson Plan
Create a lesson plan for either a reading or speaking lesson.

CR2 - Skills Lessons
Opportunity to engage in reflective learning on teaching the basic skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking.

M14 – Language Awareness
Develop your knowledge of how the English language works. Examine the structure and components of English in order to be able to teach more effectively.

M15 – Getting Started with Grammar
Discover how to teach basic English grammar, including verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs and other basic building blocks of our language.

M16 – Present Tense
How to teach the verb ‘to be’, the present simple and continuous forms, with easy teaching lesson ideas.

M17 – Past Tense
How to teach the past simple and continuous, regular and irregular forms with a sample past tense grammar lesson.

M18 – Auxiliary Verbs
Using Do, Does and Did as auxiliary verbs in sentences and questions.

M19 – Future Forms
Using different future forms to make predictions, talk about plans and instant decisions, making arrangements and speaking about timetabled events in English.

M20 – Passive Voice
Difference between active and passive voice, how passive voice is used and ideas for teaching it.

M21 – Perfect Tense
Present perfect simple and continuous form and uses, past perfect and future perfect with examples, exercises and tips for teaching. 

LP2 - Grammar Lesson Plan
Create a lesson plan for the revision of the past simple and present perfect simple.

M22 – Conditional Forms
Teaching the first, second, third and zero conditional, lesson plan guidance and samples.

CR3 - English Grammar
Opportunity to engage in reflective learning on teaching grammar.

M23 – Teaching Vocabulary
Lexis and storage, learning new language semantically, antonyms and synonyms, sample lesson plan for teaching vocabulary.

M24 – Functional English and Modal Verbs
Teaching function lessons, including requests, offers, permission, suggestions, obligation and advice.

M25 – Language Structure and Acquisition
How do we learn languages? Second language acquisition theory, morphology and syntax, semantics, lexis and etymology.

CR4 – Functions, Vocab and Learning Languages
Opportunity to engage in reflective learning on teaching functions, vocabulary lessons and how we learn languages.  

M26 – Assessment and Testing
Performance-based assessment tools, assessment theory and practice, and teaching English for exams.

M27 – Classroom confidence
Getting ready to teach, Personal Learning Networks (PLNs), building confidence and feeling comfortable in the classroom environment.

M28 – The World of EFL
Teaching around the world, a brief history of EFL, finding work and TESOL contracts, CV/resume help and suggestions, passing TESOL interviews, advantages and disadvantages of working online.

CR5 – Assessment, Testing and Getting Started in TESOL
Opportunity to engage in reflective learning on assessment and testing theory, the world of EFL and confidence in the classroom.  

M29 – Advanced Class Management 1
Different classroom configurations, how to optimise your class for group, pair and individual work, diversity, individual learning strategies and examples.

M30 – Advanced Class Management 2
How we teach beginners, simplifying language, modelling and backchaining. Teaching mixed ability groups, differentiating and measuring aims.

M31 – Advanced Assessment: Methods and Tools
What makes assessment valid and reliable?  Different assessment tools and methods that can be effective for all learners.

M32 – Independent Online Teaching 1
How to become a successful independent online English teacher, different platforms, materials and interactive whiteboards, how to plan for online groups or individuals.

M33 – Independent Online Teaching 2
Giving successful trial English lessons and how to find new students.

M34 – Working for Online Companies
Pros and cons of working for online companies vs. teaching independently, a look at the top online companies to work for.

M35 – Introduction to Professional Development
How we learn and grow as teachers? ELT’s changing attitude towards professional development and tools for self-evaluation for ongoing learning.

CR6 – Level 4 Review
Opportunity to engage in reflective learning on advanced class management, independent online English teaching and professional development.  

M36 – Introduction to Phonetics
Introduction to speech production mechanisms, 26 letters and 45 sounds.

M37 – How we Articulate Sounds
Voiced and unvoiced consonants, minimal pairs, voicing, plosives and continuants fortis and lenis. Points of articulation, plosives, fricatives and approximants, phonology.

M38 – Vowels
Vowel mapping, vowel variation, short and long vowels, variations and quality.

M39 – Diphthongs
Three categories of diphthongs, closing and centring diphthongs.

M40 – Sentence Stress 1
Elision, Strong and weak forms, rules and help for learners.

M41 – Intonation
Why intonation is important, different functions of intonation, pitch and tone.

M42 – Sentence Stress 2
Stress and rhythm, assimilation and liaison, teaching a stress-timed language.

LP3 – Phonetics Lesson Plan
Create a lesson plan to help learners improve their pronunciation.

CR7 – Phonetics Review
Opportunity to engage in reflective learning on phonetics and pronunciation.

M43 – Introduction to linguistics
Definition of linguistics, differ types of linguistics.

M44 – History of linguistics
Language teaching history and development, from generative theory to the communicative approach.

M45 – Sociolinguistics
Multilingual speech communities, language variation and domination, register and diglossia, code switching, language and power, gender and taboo.

M46 – Applied Linguistics
Introduction to AL, definition, pragmatics, classroom vs. real world learning, social medial and online learning, digital residents and visitors.

CR8 – Linguistics Review
Opportunity to engage in reflective learning on aspects of linguistics. 

M47 – Inclusion in TESOL
Helping learners who struggle or who have a SEND (e.g. ASD, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia), how these present in the classroom, tips, tools and practical guidance for support.

M48 – Advanced Assessment 1
Why assessment is important, summative and formative assessment, washback and ‘teaching for the test’, assessment for learning and assessment of learning, designing tests, peer and self-assessment

M49 – Advanced Assessment 2
IELTS in depth – what it is and how we teach it effectively, tips, suggestions and ideas for helping your students succeed at this international exam.

M50 – Professional Online Teaching
Zoom tips and suggestions to enhance online teaching, including the chat function, breakout rooms, sharing screens and using images and video creatively. Create an online lesson plan.

M51 – Professional Development 2
How we become reflective teachers, moving on to current issues around ethics in ELT, including learner assessment, the bilingual education vs ESL debate, learner identity and AI in TESOL.

CR9 – Level 5 Review
Opportunity to engage in reflective learning on professional development, professional online teaching, advanced assessment and inclusion in ELT.

Final Assignment
Write a 1500 word summary essay on one of the areas from the Level 5 course. 

CC – Course conclusion
Course review and steps towards certification