Foundations of English Language Teaching

With the support of the Office of the Mayor, the New York City Council, and the Department of Youth and Community Development, the Literacy Assistance Center plans to offer the FELT Certificate Program at no cost to all participants who are selected for 2022-23.

Course Description
This multi-session online certificate course provides an introduction to teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) to adult students in New York City. It is geared to teachers and volunteer teachers without an ESOL credential who have little or no ESOL teaching experience.  The topics addressed by this course include:
  • Creating a welcoming learning environment
  • Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education in ESOL 
  • Best practices for teaching listening, speaking, reading and writing
  • Components of an ESOL lesson
  • Sequencing an ESOL lesson
  • Engaging activities for learners
  • Strategies for giving learners feedback
  • Classroom management

Format 
Through 55 hours of synchronous online classes and 30 hours of reading, class observation and reflecting between classes, participants will gain foundational knowledge of teaching adult English language learners. The synchronous portion of the course will utilize hands-on activities to give participants the opportunity to put theory into practice. An optional practicum experience (25 hours) will be available for those without teaching experience. This course will include five Q&A sessions to answer additional participant questions. 


Participant Expectations and Eligibility
All applicants must:
  • Submit a completed application.
  • Attend an information session.
  • Live and/or teach in New York City.
  • Submit proof of an associate degree or higher.

To receive a certificate in this course, participants must attend all online class sessions and complete all required activities and assignments. 

Applicants who already have a TESOL certificate or degree will NOT be considered. Those with TESOL certificates or degrees may be interested in applying for the LAC's TEALL course (Teaching ESOL to Adults with Limited Literacy). Click here for more information.

Class Sessions - Saturdays
October 8, 15, 29, 10:00 - 1:00
November 5, 12*, 19 10:00 - 1:00
December 3, 10*, 17 10:00 - 1:00
January 7, 21, 28, 10:00 - 1:00
February 4, 18, 10:00 - 1:00
March 4, 18, 25, 10:00 - 1:00
* On these dates participants will be scheduled for a virtual or in-person observation of an ESOL class.

Q and A Sessions - Wednesdays
November 9, 5:00 - 7:00
December 7, 5:00 - 7:00
January 11, 5:00 - 7:00
February 22, 5:00 - 7:00
March 8, 5:00 - 7:00
The Q and A sessions will be a chance for participants to both ask questions about material covered in the Saturday sessions as well as to ask questions arising from their current teaching or volunteering experience. Participants are strongly encouraged to attend, but may watch the recordings if they are unable.

Instructor Bio

Judy Trupin Senior ESOL Fellow, was previously the director of ESOL certificate programs at the Literacy Assistance Center. She continues to work with the LAC, sharing her expertise on curriculum development and research-based strategies for teaching ESOL. Judy has been an ESOL adult educator for 30  years, and has worked as a teacher, curriculum developer, trainer, and administrator. She has taught all levels of ESOL from basic literacy through advanced.  Judy is a nationally certified trainer for the BEST Plus assessment, holds New York State K-12 ESOL certification and an M.S. in Teaching ESOL, and is a certified yoga instructor.


To learn more about the content of the FELT course, please contact Judy Trupin at judyt@lacnyc.org.

Attend an Info Session

​All FELT applicants MUST attend an information session. Information sessions will be held on September 22nd at 2:30 and September 24th at 10am.

Apply for FELT

Due to anticipated high demand, early application is encouraged