TCP Workshops

The TESOL Certificate Program offers advanced-level workshops on a variety of topics in TESOL. These all-day workshops are offered several times a year and are open to the public. New TESOL workshops are added regularly to cater to current teacher training needs. They invite TCP alumni as well, who can attend at a reduced cost. Attendees will be awarded .4 Continuing Education Units (CEU) and a certificate of attendance.

Registration Fee

General admission is $80.
$40 for alumni of TC's TESOL Certificate Program (TCP) & Applied Linguistics/TESOL graduate programs.
$60 for current students and alumni of TC's Language Program Management Certificate (LPM) Program
Free for current TC's TESOL Certificate Program & Applied Linguistics/TESOL graduate program students.

Upcoming Workshops:

October 5, 2024: Data-Driven Vocabulary Instruction: Integrating Corpus Tools in ELT (Online, Zoom)

November 9. 2024 Beyond the Essay: Teaching Knowledge, Skills, and Processes for ESL Writing (Online, Zoom)

December 7, 2024 Teaching with Authentic Materials for Specific Language Purposes (Online, Zoom)

*Please note: All workshops are held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time Zone). Please convert for your own time zone accordingly, if necessary.

Click here to register and pay the workshop fee

Future Workshops:

TBA

List of workshop offerings:

Pronunciation: Building Autonomy While Teaching the Skills

This workshop will focus on incorporating pronunciation into ESL/EFL classrooms and give participants tools and resources to help students improve their pronunciation outside of the classroom. The beginning of the workshop covers teachable pronunciation skills and suggestions for incorporating them in your classroom. In the second half of the workshop, participants will learn methodologies and activities that will help to build autonomy in ESL students looking to improve their pronunciation. Participants will work in small groups to create “pronunciation portfolios” that they can transfer to their own classrooms.

Teaching English to Low Beginners

Without sharing the same first language with the students, teaching ESL to absolute or low beginners from different language backgrounds can be very challenging. This workshop focuses on approaches suitable for teaching ESL to adults with beginning level proficiency. Topics include course design, adapting/developing materials, and teaching strategies.

Beyond the Essay: Teaching Knowledge, Skills, and Processes for ESL Writing

This workshop covers principles and methods for teaching writing to English language learners. Participants will learn strategies for designing writing assignments, teaching English rhetorical conventions, guiding students through the writing process (prewriting, drafting, and editing), and providing effective feedback on student writing. Participants will have opportunities to discuss and evaluate sample materials, online writing resources, and examples of student texts. Topics covered can be applied to general and academic ESL/EFL settings.

Data-Driven Vocabulary Instruction: Integrating Corpus Tools in ELT

In this workshop, language teachers will discover how to enhance their vocabulary instruction by using powerful corpus tools like COCA and the Oxford Text Checker. Participants will learn to select and analyze vocabulary based on key parameters that ensure alignment with learner goals. Through hands-on activities, participants will design communicative tasks that incorporate both new and recycled vocabulary, improving student outcomes. With interactive discussions, live demonstrations, and practical resources, this workshop equips teachers with innovative and data-driven strategies to make vocabulary teaching more effective and engaging.

Teaching with Authentic Materials for Specific Language Purposes

Language teachers often incorporate authentic written, audiovisual, and digital materials to make their lessons more engaging and reflective of real-world language use. Despite the outward appeal, it can be challenging to select, adapt, and use authentic materials to match the needs of students (e.g., their proficiency and learning objectives) and the curricular goals of a given class context. This challenge is particularly acute for language courses meant to prepare students for specialized academic or professional settings. This interactive workshop covers strategies for selecting, adapting, and using authentic materials with an eye for making them relevant and appropriate for specific academic or professional purposes. Participants will have the opportunity to evaluate and modify sample materials, as well as develop tasks using authentic materials.

Leveraging Generative AI for ESL Lesson Planning

This TCP workshop aims to provide language teachers with practical insights and hands-on experience in utilizing generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools, Bing and ChatGPT, to enhance the efficiency and creativity of their lesson planning process. Participants will learn how to revise, optimize, and prepare engaging lesson materials, leveraging the capabilities of these tools. Participants will also explore the potential benefits and challenges of using AI tools for language learning and teaching, especially ethical issues.

Incorporating Project Based Learning and CLT into the Grammar Classroom

This workshop will focus on incorporating project based learning and communicative language teaching into your grammar instruction. The workshop will first describe the principles of project-based learning and the fundamentals designing communicative activities. In the second half of the workshop, participants will apply these principles while working together to design a grammar lesson with a communicative focus. While the workshop is targeted towards teachers with advanced students in academic ESL classrooms, it will have takeaways for classes of varying levels.

Careers in TESOL

This practical and interactive workshop is designed to provide TCP students with an array of resources and activities that will aid in the job search and job application processes for ESL teachers. Testimonies from TC alumni with career experience in relevant contexts will set the stage for discussion about opportunities for TCP students. Students will leave the workshop armed with a comprehensive knowledge of available resources for finding and applying for ESL jobs.

Leveling Up your ESL Teaching with Gamification

This workshop aims to introduce language teachers to the concept and benefits of gamification in language learning and teaching, providing practical ideas and tools to gamify their language instruction. Tailored for language teachers of any level and context, the four-hour session will actively engage participants in discussions, collaborative activities, and the design of their own gamified ESL activity. By the end of the workshop, participants will not only grasp the principles of gamification but also gain the confidence and skills to integrate these strategies into their language teaching effectively.

Since graduating from Columbia’s TESOL program in August 2017, I have looked forward to and benefitted from the TESOL Workshops on Technology in the Classroom, Teaching Vocabulary, Teaching English to Low beginners, and others. For example, the TESOL Workshop on Teaching Vocabulary really got me energized because I was feeling like the ways I was bringing vocabulary into my lessons was becoming a bit stale. I particularly benefited from the Teaching English to Low Beginners Workshop as it presented a variety of ways to convey English topics that I have been able to use for all of the levels I teach, even the intermediate and advanced. These workshops keep me feeling fresh and motivated as a teacher, and it’s fun to see what I’ve just learned in a workshop immediately create a new spark in my students—they are more engaged and often less inhibited with the new activities I present. Plus, the time spent with colleagues is a nice social boost as we share our ideas or concerns about teaching ESOL.

Kathleen Sundt
Summer 2017 TCP graduate