Teaching English to Young Learners

This specialist course is designed for teachers who want to develop their knowledge and practical skills in the context of teaching English to young learners from primary school age to teens. It provides practical guidance on classroom management, materials design, and the theory of language teaching to young learners.

20 hours
Fully online, self-study
Suitable as a standalone or post-certificate course
Materials adapted from the Trinity TYLEC course
Typically takes 2 weeks to complete
Accessible for 3 months
HK$1,200 (approx. US$154)
Start today

Developed by renowned trainers who also deliver the Trinity CertTESOL and TYLEC, and containing content adapted from our Trinity TYLEC qualification.

This self-study course contains material adapted from our Trinity TYLEC qualification. Get some insight into what you can work towards from these past trainees sharing their experiences on the full TYLEC qualification:

Is this the right course for you?

This course is for you if

Your initial training focused on adults and you are finding it challenging teaching younger learners.
You are a teacher who wants to improve your knowledge and practical skills in teaching English to Young Learners.
You want an introduction to what a Trinity TYLEC qualification may involve.

This course might not be for you if

You only teach adults.
You need an accredited qualification.
You want teaching practice and personalised feedback.

The course offers an excellent extension to the CertTESOL and CELTA for teachers looking to teach young learners.

Our typical trainees include

New teachers or those looking to transition from teaching adults to teaching young learners.
Experienced teachers looking for professional development.
Primary school teachers who want to introduce play-based learning and communicative approaches into their English classes.
Trinity CertTESOL or Cambridge CELTA graduates looking for specialist training in teaching young learners.
Graduates of our 40 and 60 hour TEFL certificates who want more in-depth training on teaching young learners.
Teaching assistants considering a career teaching young learners.

Course content and structure

This online self-access course will

Help you develop the key skills needed to teach English to Young Learners.
Cover the teaching of all four language skills - speaking, writing, listening and reading.
Look separately at vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
Help you build a bank of valuable ideas, strategies, tools and resources for effective young learner teaching.

You can progress through this course at your own pace, watching videos, listening to podcasts, observing trainers, sharing ideas with peers and completing reflective tasks. There are short quizzes within the course, but these are not as rigorous as those on the Trinity TYLEC, and there is no teaching practice.

Completion of all course material is required if you wish to be awarded a certificate of completion.

What to expect

You will find multi-modal and engaging content, including

Videos
Quizzes
Podcasts
Online lesson observations

Learning input on this course varies to include engaging with texts, analysing classroom examples and observing aspects of teaching practice. This is supplemented with a series of tasks, including contributions to a discussion forum.

Quiz answers in this course will be available once you have completed the task. This enables you to review your ideas and highlight areas of focus that you need to work on.

Units

Across 20 units, the course covers

Characteristics of young learners
Child development and play-based learning
Teaching teens
Lesson planning, materials and activities for young learners
Class management, from rules and routines to the environment and staying positive
Teaching vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation
Teaching speaking and listening using drama and storytelling
Teaching reading and writing to young learners
Using phonics for reading and spelling
Teaching young learners online
Assessing young learners
Observing a lesson with young learners

Digital credential

Complete the course

After completing all of the course modules, you will need to take the final test. You will need to achieve a score of 50% or higher to complete the course and receive your digital credential. You can retake the final test up to two times (three attempts in total), and you can revisit any sections of the course to study up on questions that you find difficult.

Instant, verifiable credential

If you successfully pass the final test, you will immediately receive your digital credential. Your digital credential includes an e-certificate, which can be downloaded and printed, and a credential badge which can be displayed on your social media and LinkedIn profiles, allowing you to showcase your achievements.

Our credentials are incorruptible digital certificates encoded on blockchain, to ensure they cannot be altered or copied by anyone and can be easily verified by institutions. We use the same credential issuing platform as leading universities including Harvard, Oxford, Berkeley, and Johns Hopkins.

Our tutors

Appreciates a good bottle of wine

Kevin Clare

Director of Teacher Training

Dedicated to animal welfare

Maria Björning-Gyde

CertTESOL, CertPT and DipTESOL Trainer, Course Writer

Personable and always curious

Karin Xie

ESOL Academic Manager (China Office), CertTESOL Trainer

Enjoys reading mystery stories

Lora Guo

Examinations Manager

Enjoys learning Mandarin

Clare Voke

Teacher Trainer

Speaks fluent Spanish

Eve Conway

Teacher Trainer

Runs the TEFL Training Institute Podcast

Ross Thorburn

Teacher trainer, materials writer and education consultant

Appreciates a good bottle of wine

Kevin Clare, Appreciates a good bottle of wine

Since 2009, Kevin has been involved in teaching English in a range of different settings, teaching adults, teenagers and notably young learners in Australia, Daqing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. He has worked in language centres as a Director of Studies and in various roles in international schools. At English for Asia, Kevin directs courses and conducts online training for teachers in Hong Kong and around the world.

CELTA, PGCE, BA
Dedicated to animal welfare

Maria Björning-Gyde, Dedicated to animal welfare

Maria Bjorning Gyde is an examiner, moderator and marker on all Trinity TESOL panels, including the DipTESOL, CertTESOL, TYLEC, CertPT and CertOT. She has more than 25 years’ experience in New Zealand, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Indonesia. Maria also dedicates her time to education and projects related to animal welfare issues and behavioural change for a One Health approach in Bali.
Personable and always curious

Karin Xie, Personable and always curious

Karin began her TESOL career teaching English to young learners in Mainland China, before moving on to teach a wider range of ages and levels. Her roles have included senior teacher and in-house teacher trainer. Karin regularly presents at teacher conferences and has conducted research projects on teacher questioning in classrooms, learner autonomy, and how English environments impact learning.

Trinity CertTESOL, Trinity DipTESOL, TrinityTYLEC
Enjoys reading mystery stories

Lora Guo, Enjoys reading mystery stories

Lora is an experienced course developer and teacher trainer. Starting as a teacher at English First, she found her interest in various areas in TESOL. In addition to teaching, she is a marker on our Trinity CertPT and is involved in the development of curriculum and learning tools, such as learning apps and assessment systems. She has also provided educational product training and teacher training for new and experienced ESL teachers.

Trinity CertTESOL, MSc TESOL
Enjoys learning Mandarin

Clare Voke, Enjoys learning Mandarin

Clare began began her teaching career in 2008 and has experience in various roles in the UK, Mainland China and Hong Kong. She lived and worked in the south of China as a Regional Trainer for Education First and is particularly interested in Chinese learners of English. Clare has written online teaching courses and content, as well as presenting at conferences all over Asia.

Trinity DipTESOL, Trinity TYLEC, MA International Social Transformation
Speaks fluent Spanish

Eve Conway, Speaks fluent Spanish

Eve has worked in Spain, Vietnam and Mexico as both a teacher and TYLEC trainer as well as having worked on shorter projects in the UK, Italy, Azerbaijan and Peru. She worked for over six years for the British Council, where she discovered a love for working with children, particularly Early Years learners. Eve is a keen conference speaker and occasional writer for ELT magazines and publications.

Trinity DipTESOL, MA Applied Linguistics, BA English language
Runs the TEFL Training Institute Podcast

Ross Thorburn, Runs the TEFL Training Institute Podcast

Ross started his teaching journey in 2006, teaching students of all ages in central China. Ross is passionate about using technology to improve education. He’s run online training programs for teachers in over fifty countries and used AI to evaluate the teaching quality of over 10,000 teachers. In 2020, Ross published his first book, Inside Online Language Teaching. Ross’s more recent book, Unlocking Success on the Duolingo English Test, covers strategies for success in the world’s first fully online AI powered high stakes language assessment.

Trinity DipTESOL, Trinity FTCL TESOL, IDLTM, MA Language Education

Kevin Clare, Appreciates a good bottle of wine

Since 2009, Kevin has been involved in teaching English in a range of different settings, teaching adults, teenagers and notably young learners in Australia, Daqing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. He has worked in language centres as a Director of Studies and in various roles in international schools. At English for Asia, Kevin directs courses and conducts online training for teachers in Hong Kong and around the world.

CELTA, PGCE, BA
Maria Björning-Gyde, Dedicated to animal welfare

Maria Bjorning Gyde is an examiner, moderator and marker on all Trinity TESOL panels, including the DipTESOL, CertTESOL, TYLEC, CertPT and CertOT. She has more than 25 years’ experience in New Zealand, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Indonesia. Maria also dedicates her time to education and projects related to animal welfare issues and behavioural change for a One Health approach in Bali.
Karin Xie, Personable and always curious

Karin began her TESOL career teaching English to young learners in Mainland China, before moving on to teach a wider range of ages and levels. Her roles have included senior teacher and in-house teacher trainer. Karin regularly presents at teacher conferences and has conducted research projects on teacher questioning in classrooms, learner autonomy, and how English environments impact learning.

Trinity CertTESOL, Trinity DipTESOL, TrinityTYLEC
Lora Guo, Enjoys reading mystery stories

Lora is an experienced course developer and teacher trainer. Starting as a teacher at English First, she found her interest in various areas in TESOL. In addition to teaching, she is a marker on our Trinity CertPT and is involved in the development of curriculum and learning tools, such as learning apps and assessment systems. She has also provided educational product training and teacher training for new and experienced ESL teachers.

Trinity CertTESOL, MSc TESOL
Clare Voke, Enjoys learning Mandarin

Clare began began her teaching career in 2008 and has experience in various roles in the UK, Mainland China and Hong Kong. She lived and worked in the south of China as a Regional Trainer for Education First and is particularly interested in Chinese learners of English. Clare has written online teaching courses and content, as well as presenting at conferences all over Asia.

Trinity DipTESOL, Trinity TYLEC, MA International Social Transformation
Eve Conway, Speaks fluent Spanish

Eve has worked in Spain, Vietnam and Mexico as both a teacher and TYLEC trainer as well as having worked on shorter projects in the UK, Italy, Azerbaijan and Peru. She worked for over six years for the British Council, where she discovered a love for working with children, particularly Early Years learners. Eve is a keen conference speaker and occasional writer for ELT magazines and publications.

Trinity DipTESOL, MA Applied Linguistics, BA English language
Ross Thorburn, Runs the TEFL Training Institute Podcast

Ross started his teaching journey in 2006, teaching students of all ages in central China. Ross is passionate about using technology to improve education. He’s run online training programs for teachers in over fifty countries and used AI to evaluate the teaching quality of over 10,000 teachers. In 2020, Ross published his first book, Inside Online Language Teaching. Ross’s more recent book, Unlocking Success on the Duolingo English Test, covers strategies for success in the world’s first fully online AI powered high stakes language assessment.

Trinity DipTESOL, Trinity FTCL TESOL, IDLTM, MA Language Education

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Teaching English to Young Learners

Build a solid foundation for the Trinity TYLEC.

More details

HK$1,200

The Teaching English to Young Learners course features 20 hours of online self-access study, to help you develop the key skills needed to teach English to Young Learners with materials adapted from our Trinity TYLEC qualification..

The course will

Help you develop the key skills needed to teach English to Young Learners.
Cover the teaching of all four language skills - speaking, writing, listening and reading.
Help you build a bank of valuable ideas, strategies, tools and resources for effective young learner teaching.

From the date of purchase, you will have 3 months access to the course.

On successful completion of the course you will receive a digital credential. Your digital credential includes an e-certificate, which can be downloaded and printed, and a credential badge which can be displayed on your social media and LinkedIn profiles.