Learning Outcomes

When I began the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certificate program at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension in 2010, I was working full-time as a website content editor. At the time, I planned to apply my TESOL training in a volunteer capacity, supporting adult ESL learners in my community. Over the years, however, my life has shifted in many meaningful ways as I started a family, relocated from California to Texas, cared for elderly relatives, and navigated the challenges of guiding young children through virtual schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic. These experiences have deepened my commitment to equity in education and inspired me to pursue a midlife career change. My current goal is to become a certified ESL teacher in a K–12 public school, where I can support English learners and help ensure that language is never a barrier to academic and personal success.

         What drew me to the MA TESOL program at Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) was its mission to prepare graduates as “highly skilled professionals and lifelong learners who work to transform the world through values-based professional work and community-based action for social justice.” While NDNU is not a Jesuit university, it embodies the Jesuit principle of “cura personalis, or “care for the whole person.” According to the Loyola University Chicago’s Center for Experiential Learning Guide to Critical Ignatian Reflection, “This philosophy acknowledges that “students bring the totality of their lives into the classroom and that reality has a direct effect on the learning process. Students' social location, experiences, and worldview affect how they encounter the material.” This holistic approach deeply resonated with my personal and professional goals.

The MA TESOL program at NDNU has helped me become a more knowledgeable consumer of educational literature. One example is the literature review research paper for Online Instruction and Advising. While completing this assignment, I learned how to engage critically with research on a given topic by analyzing and comparing articles and studies, recognizing common themes, and identifying gaps in the current research. These skills will allow me to stay current with educational studies and research to ensure my classroom practices are relevant and effective.

My courses at NDNU have prepared me to consider educational issues and practices from a theoretical standpoint that focuses on how language acquisition is impacted by sociocultural factors, cultural responsiveness, and learner-centered pedagogy. My graduate program research and projects on communicative language teaching (CLT) theory, task-based language teaching (TBLT), sociocultural theory, corpus linguistics, and situated learning theory (SLT) directly inform my teaching philosophy and classroom teaching practices. I am particularly interested in how SLT has influenced recent developments in computer-assisted language learning, especially the rise of virtual reality language learning applications.

The MA TESOL program has prepared me to first identify my learners' specific needs, strengths, and goals and then select and apply appropriate research-based practices after considering available resources, student background, and instructional goals. As a future TESOL educator, I can draw on a wide range of instructional approaches and methods detailed in my coursework to meet the needs of students at varying stages of language development and from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. I can differentiate instruction by incorporating visual aids, realia, and text supports that allow students to access the material. For example, in the Digital Technologies for Inclusion in TESOL Instruction course, I created an Inclusive Technology Integration Plan for the TESOL Classroom focused on assisted reading and writing technology for language learners with dyslexia and other reading differences. Through a flexible, research-informed, and student-centered approach, I aim to create an inclusive learning environment that fosters academic growth, language development, and intercultural understanding.

My courses through the certificate program at UCSC and graduate program at NDNU have all emphasized the importance of selecting and implementing second-language assessment tools appropriately and equitably based on student age, language level, and cultural background to depict student understanding accurately. As I begin my role as an instructional aide for middle school ESL students, I am interested in observing and learning more about how ESL teachers can support general education K-12 teachers in appropriately and equitably assessing their language learner students.  

Finally, one of the most meaningful goals of the MA TESOL program is to prepare educators to design and implement K–12 and post-secondary TESOL classroom and community programs that are grounded in human rights, multicultural issues, and inclusive language education. This mission resonates deeply with me, especially as I transition into a career focused on supporting English learners in public schools. The program’s emphasis on culturally responsive teaching and social justice aligns with NDNU’s broader vision of being an “inclusive learning community… that invites people from all walks of life to come together to honor the dignity, sacredness, and diversity of every person.” I am committed to creating learning environments that not only build language skills, but also affirm students’ identities, honor their lived experiences, and advocate for equitable access to educational opportunity. As I move forward in my TESOL career, I am now equipped to consider how I can advocate for classroom practices and instructional decisions that are inclusive, equitable, and grounded in current TESOL theory.

As I reflect on the technology program learning outcomes of the Notre Dame de Namur University MA TESOL program, I’m struck by how significantly the digital landscape has evolved since I began my TESOL journey in 2010 and how much I have learned through completing projects and assignments for my courses at NDNU, both as a student and as a future educator. My initial technology skills were limited, but the program allowed me to expand them substantially.

When I started my TESOL certificate program at the UCSC Silicon Valley extension in 2010, my assignments were completed in Microsoft Word, the online learning management system (LMS) was clunky and difficult to navigate, and it was nearly impossible to have any meaningful online classroom discussion or virtual meetings.

I brought only basic educational technology skills into the NDNU master’s program, but I quickly learned how to navigate Canvas and communicate with my instructor and fellow students. Completing assignments for the Digital Storytelling in TESOL Contexts course taught me to craft engaging, professional documents and presentations in PowerPoint. I gained hands-on experience creating video responses and screen recordings with programs like Loom, and I learned how to use Canva to design accessible and visually graphic organizers for the Digital Technologies for Inclusion in TESOL Instruction course. Learning these tools as a student has given me the confidence and practical knowledge to create lessons and classroom materials.

Most significantly, the program deepened my understanding of how assistive technologies can support English learners, particularly those with diverse needs. I explored and evaluated the use of text-to-speech, speech-to-text, translation tools, and AI-supported platforms like Quill.org and Grammarly. These technological tools can be adapted and used with language learners to personalize instruction and provide multimodal support for listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

I now feel equipped to integrate digital tools into instruction in a purposeful and equitable way. Through interactive apps, digital storytelling, or assistive technology, I am prepared to use educational technology to increase accessibility, personalize learning, and engage all students in their language development journey.