Get your TESOL Certificate with VIPKID
Hello to my ESL teaching friends! Teacher Stephanie here to talk to you all about getting your TESOL certificate with VIPKID. This certificate is required to get before you start teaching if you don't have a current teaching certificate. Luckily for us, VIPKID offers a free course to it's teachers and applicants to get their TESOL certificate. In this post I will explain what the certificate is, give you some tips for passing the quizzes, and provide a brief summary of the information found in the course.
For an accredited TESOL Course through International Open Academy you can head HERE for a $19 link. It is 120 hours, but I have gotten great feedback from my referrals on this course being simple and easy to follow
-Nancy
Now, back to the VIPKid TESOL Course!
What is the TESOL certificate?
TESOL stands for Teaching English Speakers of Other Languages (hey that's what we do!). In this course you will learn about educational and psychological theories in learning language. Sounds like a party, huh? Kidding! While it isn't the funnest way to spend your free time, it will be valuable in learning the "why" behind many of the strategies VIPKID uses with it's teachers and curriculum development. You will learn all about different methods, research and studies done about how humans learn to speak, read and write.
There are 2 quizzes offered through VIPKID - Foundational and Advanced. If you do not have a teaching certificate to sign your contract, you will have to pass the Foundational Course (this is the course I will be talking about in this post). Even though you aren't required to take/pass the Advanced course it is a great way to learn more ESL strategies and put another certificate on your teaching profile. The Foundational Course is broken into 8 sections each and two quizzes. Topics 1-4 are for Quiz 1 and topics 5-8 are for Quiz 2. It's no small feat but I'm confident with the tips and information found in this post and the video below, you will get that certificate in no time!
TESOL VIPKid Foundational Overview and Tips
Tips:
- Open up each quiz in a separate window as you read the information in each section in a different window. These courses are jam packed with collegiate level information. If you are like me and baby talk is more familiar than Piaget's stages of development you will need some help organizing your thoughts as you learn this information.
- Go to an isolated area to study, take notes, and pass the quizzes. Like I said, it has scientific studies and psychological methods so this isn't something you can glance and skim over to pass. It will require some time and focus on your part. Might I suggest after the kids bedtime, since being interrupted for a snack every 5 seconds is not a conducive learning environment.
- Take notes on the applicable info. There is a lot of information found in this course and you might even want to reference the material as you begin your teaching journey. Take notes or make flashcards to help you pass the quiz and refer back to these when you have a question on how to get through to a tough student. It will be great info to keep in your classroom.
TESOL Foundational Course Summary
Quiz 1 (Topics 1-4)
1 - Acquisition vs Language Learning
Think of a baby learning different words. There is no class offered to an infant but they still "acquire" language, right? How do they do this? It happens through observations made in their environment. My baby girl is 10 months old and just starting to babble and pick up different forms of communicating. When she see's my husband she says "Dada". I didn't write out the word and practice spelling and letter formation before she learned this. Ain't nobody got time for that! Every time her brothers or I see him enter the room, we say "Dada" or "Daddy!" or "Dad!" and he would reward us with coming over, looking our way or having a conversation. Baby girl has picked up on that fact and understands that the word for him is "Dada".
This language learning typically happens very young and pretty much drops off in the teenage years. This explains the targeted age group for VIPKID being between 4-12 years old.
2 - Behaviorist Theory
The basics behind this theory are that rewards are given after you get the behavior you want. My practical example here is with puppy training. Whenever my dog Ruger does anything that I told him to do, he gets some pets and "good-boy"s. He just loves this attention. His personality aims to please so he loves when he gets it right.
You will find this a lot when you teach with VIPKID. You will want to reward every positive effort from the student even when it's not perfect. If they are speaking but the pronunciation isn't exact, give them a thumbs up when you are correcting them. If they are reading and skip a word, give them a star for reading the other 99%. Rewards are a great motivator for ESL learners. They encourage effort over perfection.
3 - Nativist Theory
This one is all about the things that are pre-programmed into the brain for learning language. It suggests that learning language is innate. Your brain makes connections early on how words are formed and how to structure sentences. Nativist Theory suggests that it is the social and functional aspect of the learner's environment that contribute the most to their education.
4 - Cognitive/Constructivism
This section review's Piaget's stages of development- or the development of the human mind. Don't remember these from Psych 101? Neither did I! Here is a quick summary:
- Sensory Motor (0-2 years) - Developing object permanence. This is the knowledge that when an item is out of view, it still exists. This is why Peek-a-Boo is so hilarious to babies. When you cover your face, their brain processes it as not existing any more. It is so amazing to the child when your face reappears and they laugh.
- Pre-operational (2-7 years) - In this stage of development, children can learn to manipulate symbols and have imaginative play. However, when asked to explain volume in two different sized containers, they will conclude that the taller container will hold more regardless of the container's width or shape.
- Concrete (7-11 years) - This stage of development is characterized by logical thought. In this stage the learner will look at the two containers and can logically evaluate whether they will hold more, less, or the same. They take into account the height and width to come to the correct conclusion.
- Formal Operational (12 years to adulthood) - This is the final stage of development and with it brings advanced thoughts and sophisticated creativity. This is why in the upper level classes, you extend questions for the student to think outside of the box, not just looking for comprehension.
Quiz 2 (Topics 5-8)
5 - Socio-cultural Theory
Vygotsky is the main theorist in this topic. He talks about the ZPD or Zone of Proximal Development. See the graphic below:
In this theory the best learning occurs when the student is out of their comfort zone but still capable of learning the topic. A pre-schooler learning long division (not ZPD, too high). A high-school student sorting shapes (not ZPD, too low). A 5 year-old reading small CVC words (pop, dog, cat, ran) = ZPD. They might only know the letter sounds but with guidance, they can read these words. It is the point where the student doesn't know the answer but can find it with guidance from the teacher. This explains VIPKID's I do, We do, You do lesson format. Students will start off not knowing the material but with help they start to understand the concepts taught. And with scaffolding instruction they are able to complete the objectives at the end of the lesson.
Another part of this theory is using repetition. Say the word loud, soft, in a monster voice, etc. Saying the word over and over again helps build those connections in the brain and the student comes into the ZPD. Get in the ZONE!
6 - Krashen's Input Theory
This is the immersion aspect of VIPKID. Most people ask me "So you teach Chinese students, do you speak Mandarin?" NOPE! VIPKID's curriculum is based on a system of immersion, where the students and teachers speak solely in English so that they can acquire language from a native speaker.
7 - Cummins, BICS, CALP
Two terms you will learn in this system is BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills), CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency) and SMFA (So Many Friggin Acronyms, just kidding I made that up). BICS is all about access to text. In the VIPKID lessons almost all the slides (probably not the Level 1 chickadees) have written text for the student to see and read. CALP is all about how we scaffold the learning. Example is "I ______ to school." Then answering questions using the sentence structure and eventually ending in conversations about the topic.
8 - Biligual Development - 2nd Language
This topic discusses the importance of creating a comfortable and safe learning environment for your students. Remember to have familiarity with your routines (like a hello song, or goodbye kiss). Have empathy for the student's culture (celebrating Chinese New Year and long school hours). Ways to incorporate this theory are:
- Non-verbal/TPR
- Simple language
- Present tense, talking in the here and now.
- Highlighting words or phrases
- Gestures (Smile, Frown, Nod, Thumbs up)
- Repetition, Repetition, Repetition, Repetition, Repetition, Repetition
Whew! That is a whole lot of info in one blog post but it is pure gold my friends (I might be biased). ;) The TESOL certification is great for learning the how's and why's of VIPKID teaching strategies and curriculum development. These quizzes are very difficult in my opinion so don't feel bad if you don't pass on your 1st, 2nd, or 3rd try (pretty sure I took at least 8 attempts because it doesn't tell you which questions you missed).
I would love for you to use this as a resource for yourself as an applicant or for your referrals who are in the application process. Or just as a fun read on your beach vacation. Whatever floats your boat!
You can do it! Good luck my friends!
---Teacher Stephanie O.
