Delaware EFL Teacher Training (DEFT)
Delaware EFL Teacher Training (DEFT)
The latest in training and pedagogical techniques for English teachers from around the world!
Since 1985, the ELI has been a leader in short-term English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher training. The Delaware EFL Teacher Training Institute (DEFT) is an intensive certificate program designed to meet the specific needs of EFL teachers, supervisors, or teacher trainers in other countries by providing:
- Methodology courses in innovative language-teaching pedagogies
- Seminars
- Workshops
- Class observations
- Practica
DEFT programs often include intensive listening/speaking or reading/writing courses in order to both improve participants’ language skills and also experience an ELI classroom from the student’s perspective, with opportunities to reflect on the lessons as teachers.
Program duration
Typically, the DEFT program is offered for four weeks; however, the ELI will customize the program length in order to meet the needs of the participant.
For more information, contact UD-ELI@udel.edu.
DEFT Instructors
Program instructors are members of ELI faculty who have developed their expertise training English teachers in the U.S. and elsewhere. All faculty members have a Master’s Teaching English as a Second Language or Applied Linguistics, and some hold doctoral degrees.
DEFT faculty have advanced the field of teaching English by publishing textbooks, conducting research, designing curricula and assessments, and speaking at international conferences.
Program Options
Each DEFT program is customized for the group’s context, needs, and budget. In-person DEFT programs are accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA).
The EFL Methodology Course is the core of most DEFT programs. Participants discuss, experience, and apply cutting-edge techniques, such as:
- Reflective Teaching
- Classroom Management
- Motivation
- Alternative Assessment
- Goals and Objectives
- Teaching Speaking through Cooperative Learning
- Teaching listening to large classes
- Scaffolding and Vocabulary building
- Reading skills
- Differentiated instruction
- Teaching with technology
ELI faculty offer interactive workshops on a wide-range of additional topics, including:
Reading Strategies
Drama
Reader’s Theater
Teaching with Technology
Making Films and Videos in the Classroom
Socio-emotional Learning
Alternative Assessment
Writing with Sources
Genre-based Writing Instruction
Leadership in Education
and other topics by request
- Skill-based instruction in listening/speaking and/or reading/writing
- Faculty mentorship
Hot topics in U.S. education, such as the structure of American schools, applying to universities, civil rights in education, diversity, and multiculturalism
Site visits to schools, community centers, and other educational institutions
Workshops on aspects of contemporary U.S. cultures
Reflections on cultural differences and applications to language teaching
Additional options that may be possible in DEFT programs include:
Teaching opportunities
MA TESL graduate courses
Capstone action research project
Professional development mini-conference
Individual language tutoring
Cultural Programming
DEFT also includes an option of cultural and recreational trips, such as:
- Day trips to historic Philadelphia and the Amish country of Lancaster, Pennsylvania;
- Weekend excursions to New York City and Washington, D.C.
Campus experiences like a UD football or basketball game, ice-skating, professional theater, concert, or cultural activity
Accommodations
Program participants are housed on or near campus in residence halls, homestay families, or nearby hotels.
Schedule
DEFT programs may be scheduled throughout the year. We will be happy to design a program tailored to meet the needs of your teachers of English as a Foreign Language or English as a Medium of Instruction. For more information, please contact ud-eli@udel.edu.
Online and Onsite Professional Development:
DEFT programs are in-person on the University of Delaware campus in Newark. However, ELI can also create customized professional development programs, courses, and workshops for teachers to take online or onsite in their home countries. For more information, please contact ud-eli@udel.edu.
