A group of teachers around a big table, looking at different notebooks and tablets. There are teachers of different genders and ethnic backgrounds sitting at the same table.

TeachingEnglish: Planning courses

Enrolment for Planning courses is closed. Sign up for our newsletter, and we'll keep you updated when enrolment will open next. In the meantime, if you’re interested in learning more about Planning courses, you can view helpful resources here.

How will the course help you?

By the end of Planning courses, you'll be able to:

  • differentiate between different elements in course planning
  • evaluate specific learner needs and produce tools to analyse them
  • design learner-centred assessment that considers syllabus outcomes and curriculum and learner needs.

What does the course include?

  • Self-study modules that you can access at any time before the course closes
  • A certificate of achievement on successful completion of the self-study modules
  • A free workbook with extra learning content and resources connected to the course contents
  • A dedicated Facebook community of course participants with up-to-date insight, resources and innovative teaching ideas for you to try out (Facebook account required)
  • Learning content related to our courses on Facebook and YouTube
  • Live events and recordings with course tutors and language teaching experts on Facebook and YouTube

What are the self-study modules?

Module 1 — Integrating syllabus design and schemes of work

The aim of this module is to help you design and write a syllabus and plan a scheme of work. You'll be able to differentiate between different elements in course planning, identify which elements are under your control in your context and be able to discuss different types of syllabus.

Module 2 — Engaging with learner needs

The aim of this module is to enable you to consider your learners' needs by using a process of needs analysis. You'll be able to evaluate specific learner needs and produce tools to analyse the needs of your learners. This module also considers how you can apply the results of learner needs assessment to the learners you teach.

Module 3 — Engaging with learner progress

This module aims to help you engage learners as active participants in tracking their progress through the plan you've made for their learning. You'll evaluate learner-centred assessment approaches and design learner-centred assessment that considers syllabus outcomes, curriculum and learner needs and involves the learners as active participants in the process.

Course reviews

What have other teachers said about how Planning courses helped them?

"I incorporated reflection questions at the end of each lesson, asking students, "What was the most important thing you learned today?" This encouraged deeper thinking, self-assessment, and active participation. It also helped me gauge their understanding and adjust my teaching to better support their learning needs."

Course participant, Azerbaijan

"Personally I didnt know earlier  the difference between syllabus and curriculum... Now I know that curriculum includes the goals, content, methodology and evaluation of a course. And remembered that curriculum leads into syllabus, which leads into scheme of work, which leads into lesson plan."

Course participant, Armenia

"I never thought of balancing the syllabus by both grammar and function of the language. After learning from this course I carefully make my syllabus by balancing it with both. The other thing that I have leant and applied in my class is the need analysis surveys and feedback surveys. It has helped me a lot in improving my teaching and mould it according to my learners needs."

Course participant, Pakistan

What teaching techniques will you explore?

Watch Nelson, one of our course tutors, discussing an idea from Planning courses – coursebooks as frameworks. How do you use coursebooks in your teaching?

Do you have more questions?

Please see our FAQs or access further support through our Help button.

Log in or register to post comments

I am very glad to know this Teachingenglish programe that I can sharpen my teaching skills.

Profile picture for user silva.lu80

I'm glad it’s available! I really want to take it.

Hi silva.lu80

Yes, the course is available from February 2025. We hope you enjoy it!

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Profile picture for user silva.lu80

This is great news, indeed! Thanks, Cath.
.

Profile picture for user Shimeles

Good to be part of a course that helps analyze learners' need based on their priorities, the context in which they learn, and the curriculum they are in. I've been waiting for this course to appear in order to update and sharpen my skills as a practicing teacher.

Hi Shimeles

We're glad to have you on the course and hope you find it useful!

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Hi,
When will we be able to register for this course? So looking forward to it.
Kind regards
Tertia

Hi Tertia

Thanks for your message. This course will open in February, and enrolment will be opening soon, so keep an eye on this page. You can also sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date on our upcoming courses, events and new resources. Sign up here: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/subscribe-our-newsletter

Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the course when it starts!

Best wishes,
Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Hi everyone, I'm glad to join the course. Thank you for organizing!

Hi

We're happy that you are going to join the course! Remember this course starts in February - you can also join our TeachingEnglish Facebook community to keep up to date with course news, live events and interact with other course members. You can join the group here: https://www.facebook.com/TeachingEnglish.BritishCouncil/

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

I am very glad to know

I'm very glad to know about this coures
I'm too excited 😊

That's wonderful, we hope you will enjoy it.

Hi 

Thanks for your comment, and we hope you enjoy the course!

Cath
TeachingEnglish team

Profile picture for user ABDULLAH CHANDIO

I have completed all modules with 100% and my over all score is 80% but I can't find my Certificate in reward. Kindly guide me

Hi 

Thanks for your comment. I've just checked your profile and it looks like you have only completed 80% of the course. Your progress needs to be 100% to get the certificate. If you think there is an error with your progress, please contact the courses team directly by using the orange 'Help' button on the courses page.

Thanks, and hope you are enjoying our courses.

Cath
TeachingEnglish team

When I click my course it says you don't have any course I enrolled and made loging process what's wrong so

Hi

Sorry you are having problems. It looks like you weren't enrolled in the course, but I have just enrolled you. If you click on 'My Portfolio - My courses' you will be able to access the course now. Please let us know if you need any further help.

Thanks,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

I have problem in enrolling. Please guide me.

Hi Asim_Shujaee

You nee to click on the 'Enrol on this free course' button on the page above to enrol. 

You can find more information on our FAQs page here: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/training/training-courses-faqs

If you are still having problems, please write to us at TeachingEnglish@britishcouncil.org and give us the details of what specific problem you are having so that we can try to resolve this as soon as possible.

Thanks,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Good afternoon. I am enrolled in the course, I have completed the introduction and I have started Module 1. However, all day today, I can't have access and continue where I've left off. How should I do?
Thank you

Hello,

Thanks for your message.

There was a technical issue with the learning site over the weekend, which was preventing some participants from accessing their courses.This issue should now be resolved. Can you please log in now and check you can access your modules? If you are still having problems, please let us know.

Thanks for your patience,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Since today I cannot do any modules, not even the ones I did yesterday

I get the following error message

Sorry, something went wrong.
Please refresh your page and try again.
If the issue still persists, then please contact your system administrator.

I have tried a VPN and different browsers but so far no luck

Hello,

Thanks for your message.

There was a technical issue with the learning site over the weekend, which was preventing some participants from accessing their courses.This issue should now be resolved. Can you please log in now and check you can access your modules? If you are still having problems, please let us know.

Thanks for your patience,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

I have problem to do homework

Hello,

Thanks for your message.

There was a technical issue with the learning site over the weekend, which was preventing some participants from accessing their courses.This issue should now be resolved. Can you please log in now and check you can access your modules? If you are still having problems, please let us know.

Thanks for your patience,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

I enrolled for the course on time but I cannot access the modules?

Hi James

Thanks for your message - I've just checked your account and can see that you have now completed all the modules - hope you found the course useful!

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Good to be part of a course that helps analyze learners' need based on their priorities, the context in which they learn, and the curriculum they are in.

Thanks MauricioEEC - we're glad to hear that you are finding the course useful!

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Hello, I haven't finished all the modules yet, I'm aware that the course should have closed on 31st March 2025 but until now I can access the course and modules, has the course been extended? Can I still finish the modules and earn the certificate? Can you explain better please?
Thanks

HiYe7iawy,

Thanks for your message and I hope you managed to finish the course in time. Planning courses will open again in October 2025 so you can finish it then if not - your progress will be saved. Sometimes due to time zone differences courses are open for 1 day after the official closing date on the TeachingEnglish website, but we always advise using the dates published on the course training page to know when the courses start and end.

Remember you can also access the course workbook (on the page above) to find out more about the topic.

Thanks,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Profile picture for user sherihanAzazi

Hi I can’t start the modules

Hi SherihanAzazi

Thanks for your comment – this course doesn't open until October 1st, so you won't be able to access the modules until then. When the course opens, it will appear in 'My courses'.

Hope that helps,
Cath

TeachingEnglish team

Please I have not been able to start the course. It's October 18th

Hi Bernie Joe

Thanks for your message. 

Once you have enrolled in the course you can access the modules by clicking on 'My Portfolio - my courses' - you will see this tab in the top right of your screen. You should see the course there and be able to click to start the modules.

Please let us know if you are still having problems.

Thanks,

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

I'm sorry to replay to this comment but the 'help' button is not working. I've been trying to start a second training course but every time I click on the 'enroll' option, the page doesn't give me any access and return to another part of the site. So, I don't know how to access or if the course is not available anymore. It happens with all the courses. I don't know if I've to send this problem to an email address or something. Sorry for this reply and thanks for your help.

Hi briale

Thanks for your comment and sorry to hear that you are having problems enrolling on our courses.

I've just checked your profile and can see that you have successfully completed another course, and I have automatically enrolled you in this one. Can you log in and check your can access the modules? In future, if you are having problems and you can't use the 'help' button you can also write to us at TeachingEnglish@britishcouncil.org - it's helpful if you can give as many details as possible of the issue and send us screenshots if possible.

Hope that's helpful and that you enjoy the course!

Cath

TeachingEnglish team

This course will be help you. I get help from it.