Teaching ESOL to Adults with Limited Literacy (TEALL) Certificate 

With the support of the Department of Youth and Community Development, the Literacy Assistance Center plans to offer the Teaching ESOL to Adults with Limited Literacy (TEALL) cohort at no cost  to all participants selected for 2025. The cohort is only open to applicants currently working or volunteering in DYCD-funded organizations.

Come and learn how to teach ESOL to learners with limited literacy in their first language. These learners are some of the hardest students to reach, and the most in need. With the right tools, you can make a difference! The TEALL cohort is a dynamic 5-session certificate program that will give you the skills and confidence you need to take on this rewarding task.

In-Person Dates:
Friday, October 10, 17, 24 (9:30 - 1:30 pm)
Fridays, November 7, 21 (9:30 - 1:30 pm)
Location: WeWork 160 Varick Street, Room 3A

What you can expect from the cohort:
  • Hands-on sessions
  • Personalized coaching opportunities
  • Practical strategies for real-world teaching challenges
  • Peer learning and collaboration
  • A short practicum with personalized guidance from the course facilitator

​Program Description
The cohort features 5 in-person classes, personalized coaching hours with the course facilitator, and, if you’re not already teaching ESOL to learners with limited literacy, a short practicum to give you real-world experience.

The cohort will cover topics such as: 
  • Working with low-literacy learners’ strengths
  • Teaching mixed-literacy classes
  • Building blocks of literacy
  • Lesson planning for low-literacy learners
  • Practical solutions for common literacy challenges
  • Engaging ESOL activities for all learners
  • Ready-to-use resources for literacy instruction

​Practicum
  • If you are already teaching low-literacy learners, you will submit reflections on 5 of your classes.
  • If you are not teaching low-literacy learners, you will be placed at a site to tutor low-literacy learners for a minimum of 5 hours and you will submit a reflection on each of the sessions.

Admissions Requirements
  • Admission to this program is by application and is open only to individuals currently working or volunteering in DYCD-funded programs.

Participant Expectations
  • Accepted participants are expected to attend all sessions and to join the facilitator for a coaching session.
  • Participants will be expected to have no more than one absence while in the program and will be expected to:
    • Submit an annotated lesson plan incorporating the course content
    • Complete a practicum
    • Complete an online pre and post assessment survey


Instructor Bio

William Linn is the ESOL Specialist and Coordinator of ESOL Certificate Programs at the Literacy Assistance Center. In addition to leading ESOL professional development and curriculum design projects, he has co-facilitated the LAC’s Teaching English as a Second Language to Adults (TESLA) course, the Foundations of Adult Education course, The Strengths-Based Adult Education Certificate Program and the Teaching English to Adults with Limited Literacy (TEALL) course. William has also taught English Applied Linguistics at the SIT Graduate Institute where he received his MA in TESOL in 2011. William holds a certificate in Compassionate Communication for Language Teachers from the Institute for Collaborative Learning in Costa Rica. He started teaching ESOL at community organizations in 2008 and became a licensed ESOL teacher educator in 2015.


To learn more about the content of the TEALL course, please contact William Linn at [email protected].

Join TEALL

The program is only open to those volunteering or working for DYCD-funded organizations.

High demand is anticipated, and priority will be given to early submissions.