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TESL

TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE AT WKU

(TESL)


What Do ESL Teachers Do?

Teaching English as a second language is a profession that has been booming for quite a while. Broadly speaking, ESL teachers instruct non-native speakers how to read, write, speak, and listen in English. In addition, they also teach them how to understand cultural norms, such as food, greetings, personal relationships, body language, etc. Thus, the job of the ESL teacher is not only to teach linguistic structures, but also to teach how these linguistic structures function in a specific culture. Below is a description of what ESL teachers do in four different structures: public schools, community colleges, teaching abroad, and intensive English programs.


Public Schools: The task of the ESL public school teacher is three-fold: (1) To teach ESL students colloquial and academic English; (2) To help them adapt to American culture, broadly, and American educational culture, specifically; (3) To prepare them to effectively function in mainstream public school classrooms. ESL public school teachers can be found in most school districts across the nation. With millions of ESL children in every corner of America, the demand for ESL teachers in public schools is great in both rural and urban settings.


Community Colleges: In community colleges, ESL teachers mostly teach adults. These adults can be international studetns, or they can be migrant workers. Likewise, teachers in these settings can teach everything from survival English to academic English for those wishing to pursue two and four year degrees.


Teaching Abroad: Teaching abroad can involve teaching in public and private primary and secondary schools, private language schools, and universities. Basically, ESL teachers are found in any country where English is not the first or primary language spoken by the majority of the population. The possibilities for getting a job differ according to regions. In Asian countries such as China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, there are many jobs available. In member countries of the European Union, on the other hand, jobs are generally more difficult to obtain due to the wide availability of Anglophone teachers from EU countries such as Great Britain and Ireland. Jobs are widely available in Latin America and Africa.


Intensive English Programs: Intensive English programs are frequently, yet not exclusively, linked to colleges and universities. Typically, these programs are designed to help prepare students for academic study in the United States, frequently in the universities in which they are housed. Instruction emphasizes the four language skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening), and cultural experiences aimed at helping students adapt to American life.



What Credentials Do ESL Teachers Need?

Public Schools: In order to teach ESL in Kentucky public schools, one must receive the ESL Endorsement, which consists of 12 to 15 hours of ESL coursework, 6 hours of a foreign language, 30 hours of ESL teaching and the ESL Praxis. This endorsement is for grads P-12. However, one must be certified in a primary area (elementary, middle, secondary math, language arts, social studies, foreign language, etc.) in order to be eligble to receive an endorsement in ESL. One may take ESL endorsement courses while he/she is working toward obtaining their primary certification.

Please visit the ESL webpage at WKU for more specific information about course requirements.


Community Colleges: Postitions in community colleges generally require a graduate degree in ESL.


Teaching Abroad: Requirements for teaching abroad vary depending on country and institution. Generally, reputable, well-paying institutions require an undergraduate or graduate degree in ESL or a related field.


Intensive English Programs: Reputable intensive English programs almost always require a graduate degree in ESL or a related field.




What Does WKU Offer For Future ESL Teachers?

WKU offers three options:

1) An ESL endorsement for public school teachers in Kentucky:
ESL Endorsement

2) An MA in English with an emphasis on TESL:
M.A. TESL

3) A graduate certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages which requires the followiing:
English 407G Linguistic Analysis
English 408 G Sociolinguistics and Pyscholinguistics
English 508 Internship in TESL
English 565 Integrated TESL
English 566 Teaching and Testing ESL Grammar
Six hours of a foreign language
A teaching portfolio

The following faculty members teach the ESL and Linguistics courses at WKU:

Dr. Lesa Dill (Ph.D., University of Georgia)

Dr. Alex Poole, Program Director (Oklahoma State University)

Dr. Elizabeth Winkler (Ph.D. Indiana University)




What do ESL teachers say about their profession?


Andrew Crenshaw

MA, English (TESL Emphasis)-WKU, spring 2007

I have been teaching college-aged (17 and up) second-language for 4 semesters. Our ESL institute [at WKU] is an intensive-usually 3 semester-program where students attend grammar, writing, reading, speaking/listening, and intensive (mostly vocabulary building) classes every day. Our students start out in one of three different levels, based on their proficiency in English, so, as an instructor, I have the opportunity to teach 15 different class levels and curriculums, and, in my 4 semesters, I have been able to teach 8 of those 15 classes. I have mostly focused on writing an grammar-particularly the higher, level 3 students, but have tried to teach, at least, 1-2 new classes every semester. My class-load has been full-time (5 classes a day) for the duration of my time at ESLI, with my work-day spanning from 10-4 in the fall and spring, and 9-4 in the summer.

I went into ESL because I liked English-I was an English major, and I was interested in expanding my limited knowledge about foreign peoples and cultures. After a few graduate-level classes-especially linguistics-I was amazed at how much I knew about the English language and what a potential resource I could be, simply from being a native English speaker. I also knew that ESL/EFL/TESOL/TOEFL/TESL was a burgeoning, rapidly expanding field, that I would have job opportunity and possibly job security, and that I would also have the chance to travel and expand my learning beyond the classroom.



Heather Bridges

MA, English (TESL Emphasis)-WKU, spring 2006

I graduated from WKU in May of 2006 with an MA in TESL. I started teaching ESL in the summer of 2006 at Colorado Mountain College in Breckenridge, CO and have been teaching since. I teach an advanced class for a grant-funded college program. At the beginning of each semester, we pre-test our students and ask them to set two language-related goals. At the end of the semester, we post-test and have students complete evaluations. My responsibilities include helping them achieve their language goals and ensuring students show improvement from pre- to post-testing. It is a challenging classroom, because my students have very different goals and are often on quite different levels.

I went into ESL because I wanted to contribute something to the community. Many of my students come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and learning English helps them better themselves financially and socially. I would eventually like to teach English abroad. I came to Breckenridge to ski, but I think it would be nice to live in a warmer climate eventually, doing something I really enjoy.



Carol Ran

ESL Endorsement-WKU, spring 2007

I am in charge of the ESL program at an elementary school. On a daily basis, two instructional assistants and I service ESL students at level 1 to 3. Each group of learners comes to ESL to receive instruction for 30 minutes every day to practice their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. I design activities and make lesson plans for learners at all levels. To access their English proficiency, the annual ACCESS test is administered from early January to mid February.

I used to be an EFL student and worked as a an EFL teacher for quite a few years in China. As I moved to Kentucky with my family after I obtained my BS in Elementary Education, a retired principal encouraged me to become an ESL teacher. With my personal learning and teaching experience, I know how difficult to learn a new language can be, especially when the language system is totally different from one's first language. Therefore, I have a better understanding of a second language acquisition. I keep learning English and would like to help young English language learners master the new language in a more efective way.




How do I find a job in ESL?

Below are some recommendations on where to look for some ESL jobs:

Public schools: The best place to look for ESL jobs in Kentucky public schools is the Kentucky Education Placement Service (K.E.P.S.), which is maintained by the Kentucky Department of Education. On it, you can find job listings in every school district in Kentucky.

http://apps.kde.state.ky.us/keps/index.cfm


Teaching Abroad and Intensive English Programs: The following are several different links to which one can find placement for teaching ESL abroad and with Intensive English Programs:

American Association for Applied Linguistics: http://www.aaal.org

Dave's ESL Caf: http://www.eslcafe.com

The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/jobs/

Japan Association for Language Teaching: http://www.jalt.org/

TESOL: http://www.tesol.org


Community Colleges: There are some sites that are specifically geared toward finding teaching jobs in community college settings. Some are listed below:

Community College Jobs: http://www.ccollegejobs.com

American Association of Community Colleges: http://www.aacc.nche.edu




What are some good ESL websites?


The following represents a partial link to key ESL-related organizations. Many of these sites contain classroom resources:

  1. The British Council: http://www.britishcouncil.org/
  2. The TESOL Organization: www.tesol.org
  3. American Association of Applied Linguistics: www.aaal.org
  4. The International Reading Association: www.reading.org
  5. National Center on Adult Literacy and International Literacy Institute: http://www.literacyonline.org/
  6. College Reading Association: http://www.collegereadingassociation.org/
  7. National Association for Bilingual Education: http://www.nabe.org/
  8. Office of English Language Acquisition: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/index.html
  9. Center for Applied Linguistics: http://www.cal.org/
  10. Kentucky TESOL: http://www.kytesol.org/



Journals
  1. Bilingual Research Journal: http://brj.asu.org
  2. The Reading Matrix: www.readingmatrix.com
  3. Reading in a Foreign Language: http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/
  4. Reading On-line: http://www.readingonline.org/
  5. English Teaching Forum: http://exchanges.state.gov/forum
  6. Language Learning and Technology: http://llt.msu.edu/
  7. Internet TESL Journal: http://iteslj.org/



Teaching Sites
  1. Dave's ESL Caf: http://www.eslcafe.com
  2. Karin's ESL Partyland: http://www.eslpartyland.com/
  3. ELT Web: http://www.eltweb.com/liason/index.html
  4. Internet TESL Journal: http://iteslj.org/links
  5. Extensive Reading Pages: http://www.kyoto-su.ac.jp/information/er/
  6. The Reading Matrix: www.readingmatrix.com
  7. ESL Lounge: http://www.esl-lounge.com/


Legislation/Government Issues
(Teachers should be aware and up-to-date with such governmental issues concerning ESL/LEP students):
  1. No Child Left Behind (Found at the Office of English Language Acquisition): http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/oela/

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