Course 413: Specialist Certificate in Oral Communication Skills Training

24 November - 12 December 2008

(Important: This document should be read by all applicants prior to completing the application form for admission as a candidate to the Specialist Certificate Course.)

Rationale ^TOP

Many countries in the region, where English was previously studied "passively" with a focus on reading and understanding grammar, are now emphasizing the importance of developing oral communication skills. Teachers of English, therefore, need to be aware of the nature of oral communication and teaching methodology that is appropriate for helping students develop oral communication skills. This course is designed for teacher trainers who will be passing on their skills to other teachers. At the end of the course, trainers will leave equipped with a special multimedia package that they can then use in their own training courses.

Objectives ^TOP

The objectives of the course are to:

raise awareness of types of problems students may have in perceiving and producing English sounds and develop strategies for helping them overcome these problems;
raise awareness of problems that may arise in oral communication due to pragmatic features of language;
raise awareness about the grammatical and discourse features of various sorts of oral texts
develop competence in designing lessons to develop a variety of different oral-aural skills.

Course Content ^TOP

Pronunciation features and conversational structure;
Grammar and discourse in a variety of types of oral texts;
Planning an oral lesson.

Assessment ^TOP

The assessment is through an individual assignment which involves describing or analysing some component of oral communication skills in the participant's institution or country.

Course Requirements ^TOP

To complete the course successfully, a candidate must:

satisfy class attendance requirements;
attain a satisfactory standard in required course work;
complete an assignment.

Course Award ^TOP

The course will lead to the award of Specialist Certificate in Oral Communication Skills Training.

Admission Requirements ^TOP

Applicants should be trainers of English language teachers interested in developing students' oral skills.

The candidate must have a sufficient command of English to follow advanced study conducted in the English Language and to prepare written and oral assignments. Those from non-English medium education systems must have a recent TOEFL score of at least 550 for the paper-based test or 213 for the computerized version, or an IELTS Grade 6.5.

(If you are registering for the TOEFL test, please quote our code number 2042. Your official score report will be sent to us directly from Educational Testing Service.)

Fees^TOP

The following are the fee components (in Singapore dollars):

Item	Singapore Dollars
Registration fee *	$53.50
Tuition Fee*	S$960.00

*Course fees (inclusive of GST) are payable to SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.

The fees indicated above are inclusive of prevailing Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Accommodation at the RELC International Hotel is available @ S$75 nett per night with breakfast (twin-sharing) or S$130 nett per night with breakfast (single occupancy).
Participants from outside Singapore are advised to subscribe to the Group Health Insurance Scheme at S$48.15 per month (inclusive of GST), as medical costs in the event of illness can be very high.
The provision of S$630 for subsistence allowance should cover the participant's basic living expenses while in Singapore.

NOTE:

RELC does not accept any responsibility for accidents on journeys to and from Singapore, or in Singapore, or for the loss of baggage and other personal belongings in transit or in Singapore.
RELC will also not be responsible for taking out air travel and personal accident insurance for course members.
Course participants are expected to set aside funds for the typing of assignments as part of the course requirements.

Application ^TOP

The following forms must be duly completed and submitted:

Application Form RELC A238/A238E (in duplicate).
Certified copies of a valid TOEFL/IELTS result.
Medical Examination Form RELC A228 (1 original and 1 copy) to be issued not more than six months before course commencement.
Copies of degrees/diplomas/certificates/transcripts should accompany the application. Where a transcript is in a language other than English, it should be accompanied by a certified translation into English.

At the time of application, the applicant should state in the covering letter whether the application is made for a private fee-paying or scholarship/bursary-holding course membership. The name of the scholarship/bursary awarding agency, if applicable, should be stated.

Payment of Fees ^TOP

Fees are payable before the commencement of the course.

Cheques should be crossed and made payable to the SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.

Refund of Fees ^TOP

Cancellations of enrolment by a course participant must be made in writing. Cancellations received before the commencement of the course will receive a refund less the registration fee. Withdrawals after the course has commenced will not be eligible for refund.

Closing date ^TOP

The closing dates for applications are 29 February 2008 (for SEAMEO Scholarship applicants) and 29 August 2008 (for private fee-paying applicants).

Updated 15/07/2008