Alba Trinity Diploma in TESOL

PRE-INTERVIEW TASK
This pre-interview task is designed to help guide your own independent preparation before the course begins.

At the application stage, you are not expected to know all of the possible responses to the questions posed. However,
your responses should help guide you on what to focus on before you start your scheduled studies.

We recommend that you go through the questions without referring to books or checking sources. Just answer ALL of
the questions to the best of YOUR ability.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SUBMIT THIS FORM BUT IT WILL GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF YOUR OWN STRENGTHS AND
WEAKNESSES WHICH YOU MAY LIKE TO TALK ABOUT AT INTERVIEW.

1. About you
i. What access to TESOL books (theory / practical / course) do you have personally / in your school?
Do include websites in your answer.

ii. Do you have good access to the internet and a personal space in which to use it?

iii. How many hours each week do you expect to be studying on this course?

iv. In relation to your own teaching, what weaknesses would you like see strengthened by the end of this
course?

v. What measures have you taken to pursue your own professional development? Say which, in your
opinion, have been the most effective and give your reasons.

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 2. About language, teaching, learning
i. What is Task Based Learning? Would you be able to use a TBL approach in your current teaching
context?

ii. What decisions do you make when setting up pair-work in class?

iii. How would you teach the functional language of ‘making apologies’ to a group of multinational
learners who have gone to study English in Edinburgh?

iv. Editing and brainstorming are stages in which kind of approach to writing?

v. Present an example of the third conditional and explain how you would drill it (include illustrations
of any board work and / or phonological aspects).

vi. For the following sentences:

a. What is the difference in terms of form? Does this difference change the meaning?

She remembered stopping to look at the map.

She remembered to stop to look at the map.

b. Provide examples of two different verbs which use the same structures.
c. How would you demonstrate the differences in meaning to a group of learners? Use the two
verbs that you have chosen to illustrate this.

vii. What is cohesion? Explain your answer by giving examples of two or more cohesive devices.

viii. What is your opinion on L1 use in the classroom? By the teacher? By the learners?

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 ix. You are working with a colleague who is new to teaching. They want advice on
how to teach the future continuous. What would you say to them?

x. Do you use technology in your classes? If so, how do you think it’s use has enhanced your lessons?
What were the benefits to your learners?

CORE RECOMMENDED TEXTS

We recommend that you start preparing for the course by engaging with one or more of the recommended core texts
below. If you feel that one of your weaknesses is language awareness (e.g. grammar) then, we would recommend that
you pick up the Parrott first. If you are unsure about phonology (e.g. how to teach pronunciation in class) then we
would recommend diving into Rogerson-Revell’s book. Of course, our recommendations are not to be taken as
compulsory additional purchases and if you have an equivalent book on your own or your school’s shelves then start
there. For example, Scott Thornbury’s (1997) About Language book will lead you through self-study to awareness of
the language through a wide range of tasks starting at phoneme level and progressing through words, phrases and
sentences on to complete texts.

It will greatly help your studies if you make a start on your reading – our suggestions for further reading are many!

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Hedge, T. (2000) Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom: A guide to current ideas about the theory and
practice of English language teaching (Oxford Handbooks for Language Teachers)

Lightbown, P. M. & Spada, N. (1999 / 2013). How Languages Are Learned. Oxford: OUP (Kindle edition available)

Parrott, M. (2010) Grammar for English Language Teachers. Cambridge: CUP

Richards, J. & Rogers, T. (2001) Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge: CUP

Rogerson-Revell, P, (2011) English Phonology and Pronunciation Teaching, London: Continuum International
Publishing Group

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We will send you our full course suggested reading list on your acceptance.