Course Overview

Goal of the course

This course is designed to prepare you to teach students who are learning English as a Second Language (ESL) across a variety of contexts. In doing so, you will develop:

Knowledge of the key principles of teaching English as a Second Language
Skills in creating lessons and materials for the ESL classroom that cover a range of topics commonly taught
Skills in effectively managing student learning in the classroom

structure of the course

It is my belief that the best learning occurs in contexts in which students can actively engage with material in a supportive, collaborative environment. To that end, I've set this course up to involve a mix of readings, lectures, group discussions, and hands-on tasks. I expect students to complete the readings and watch the lectures before class. This will help prepare them for class meetings that involve discussions and other hands-on tasks designed to help students engage with the material and develop a deeper knowledge of that material.

Textbook

To help us explore the practice of ESL teaching, we will read chapters from the following textbook:

Brown, H.D. & Lee, H. (2015). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy (4th Edition). White Plains, New York: Pearson.

We will also be reading chapters from several other textbooks. These additional readings will be made available on Canvas.

Course Modules & Schedules

The Fall 2023 version of this course consists of 6 modules, each roughly corresponding to one to two weeks in the course. These modules each cover different aspects of teaching ESL.

Introduction to TESL
Course/Lesson Planning
Language Skills
Focus on Form
Classroom Management
Individual Differences

Starting in Week 11, you will begin working on and delivering teaching demonstrations to your classmates. See the Course Learning Tasks page for more information.

For a detailed schedule of the modules, including assigned readings and course learning tasks, follow the link here (Fall 2023 Syllabus).