Teaching Eng as a Sec Lang (TESL)

Prerequisite: permission of instructor. This course offers a focused study of topics of special interest and importance in language teaching and learning.

Prerequisite: permission of instructor. This course focuses on strategic development of reading and writing skills in the content areas for PreK-12 English language learners. Skills in methods of teaching ESL literacy include understanding of the World-Class Instructional and Design Assessment (WIDA) English Language Development Standards. The emphasis is on language acquisition, linguistic awareness, concept of print, phonics, fluency, vocabulary development, and comprehension strategies. It explores strategies that will scaffold literacy development for ELLs, including process writing, questioning skills, and literal, critical and evaluative comprehension of content material. It also examines the political and social impact for language learners in the literacy debate. Field experience required.

This course provides practical, in-depth coverage of current approaches and research-based trends in teaching English language learners from PreK to adult. Topics emphasized include development of curricula for content-based language instruction, development of summative and formative assessments in a standards-based program to include how to prepare students for the Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners (Access for ELLs®) test, and strategies for effective teacher collaboration. The course covers skills for reflective practice, classroom research, evaluation of materials and technology for language learning, and advocacy for culturally and linguistically diverse students.

This course provides an introduction to effective strategies for differentiating instruction for English language learners (ELLs) in the mainstream classrooms including understanding of the World-Class Instructional and Design Assessment (WIDA) English Language Development Standards. It examines the effects of policy and practice on students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Among the topics addressed are current research on learning, socio-cultural contexts of teaching and learning, differentiated instruction for reading, writing, and language acquisition across the curriculum, and socio-cultural influences on subject specific learning. The course also reviews performance-based classroom assessment relative to standards-based assessment (Access for ELLs®) and examines the implications that standards-based teaching has on the classroom and school environment for ELLs.

Prerequisite or corequisite: TESL 530. This course provides practical experience for students enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. The course requires a minimum of 25 on-site hours involving systematic observation of and supervised teaching in an ESL classroom outside of the PreK-12 setting. Students will work individually with a faculty member to create a teaching portfolio as the capstone project for the Certificate.