Seattle Central Community College______ s7

Seattle Central Community College______

TESOL Certificate Program Winter 2009

Wednesday, 6:00pm-9:00pm BE 4119

Saturday, 8:30-1:30 1/10, 1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/14, 3/21

INSTRUCTOR PHONE E-MAIL Office

Rebecca Boon 287-5525 BE3128

Jacquie George 587-5432 BE3103

Genevieve Halkett BE3122

Course Description

Being an English speaker does not itself qualify one to be a teacher of English to speakers of other languages. In order to teach a language, more than intuitive knowledge of the subject is necessary. In this introductory course, we will explore important factors that influence language teaching and learning and major theories and practices regarding the basic approaches, methods and strategies used in ESL/EFL and Bilingual Education. We’ll discuss how these methods and approaches can be adapted to various age groups and proficiency levels. Students will demonstrate the ability to apply the knowledge gained in this class through discussions and demonstrating their own lessons incorporating the methods studied in this course. The course will offer ample opportunities for hands-on learning activities and interactions with guest speakers in addition to working with your instructor and classmates.

Course Outcomes

By the completion of this course, students will have:

·  developed an understanding of principles of effective communicative language teaching

·  examined the stages of language acquisition and their significance on instructional strategies and assessment

·  developed an understanding of different learner factors and learning styles and implication for selection of teaching methods

·  examined and practiced the role of the teacher as facilitator of students’ language development

·  gained hands-on experience in learning different teaching methods to facilitate learners’ language skills and cultural knowledge

·  utilized opportunities to gain practical experiences in language teaching through classroom observations and demonstrations

·  practiced preparing, presenting and critiquing lesson plans

·  examined factors involved in the selection of appropriate instructional materials

Required Texts

Dang, Pinky Y. and Ruiter, Rik. (2005) Highway to ESL: A User Friendly Guide to Teaching English As A Second Language. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse.

Dresser, Norine. (2005) Multicultural Manners: Essential rules of Etiquette for the 21st Century. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey.

Topics

·  Principles of language learning and teaching

·  Overview of TESOL approaches, methods and strategies

·  Activities and methods in teaching language skills

·  Selection of controlled, semi-controlled and free language activities

·  Cooperative learning and active classroom participation

·  Classroom management

·  Theme-based and content-based language instruction

·  Communicative learning tasks

·  Assessing and evaluation

·  Materials development

·  Cultural values and their implications in teaching

·  Grammar refreshers

Course Requirements

Attendance and Participation

The classes will be a combination of short lecture and discussion, and it is imperative that the reading assigned for each class be done prior to the class. You are expected to attend class and participate actively. Also, you cannot miss more than 6 hours of instruction!

Mini-Lessons

You will teach two mini-lessons to your TESOL classmates during this course. One of the lessons will be set up in advance, and you will have the opportunity to prepare for it. The other lesson will be a “hot seat” lesson and could occur at any time after the third week of the course. Please be assured that preparation and discussion will occur before these lessons commence.

Classroom Observation

There are 10 hours of classroom observations total: four hours as part of the evening classes and 6 hours to be completed on your own. After each observation, turn in the Observation Form via e-mail to all three instructors.

Reflections

During this class, you will submit 5 reflection papers to the instructors who will respond with their reflections and/or questions for further reflection. These should be submitted via e-mail to all three instructors.

Final Project

The final project consists of a partial demonstration of a fully planned lesson that reflects the principles and materials covered during the course. These projects will be presented to the class on the last two Saturdays of the course. The rough draft is due on Saturday 21 February 2009.