In December, CSB/SJU approved a new minor offered through the Education Department: Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). This program has also been submitted to the State for licensure approval.
“Our department is thrilled the minor has been approved, and we hope to get the license approved as well,” Education Professor Allison Spenader said.
This minor caters to students who hope to teach English language learners at schools in the United States. However, TESL also provides valuable experience to students who wish to teach abroad as well.
“There’s a real need for teachers to be knowledgeable about how to work with English language learners,” Spenader said.
The TESL minor has been a hope of the Education Department for more than a decade. When Spenader was hired, it was anticipated that her background in ESL would help get the program started.
Setting up a new minor is a lengthy process requiring lots of time and focus, but Spenader was willing to take on the challenge.
“Once I met students who were interested…I was inspired,” Spenader said.
Designing five new classes for the TESL minor was one of Spenader’s biggest tasks. For guidance, she looked at schools with similar programs and made sure to stay within the lines of Minnesota’s requirements.
Two of the new TESL classes are being taught this semester. Structures of English, taught by Sarah Pruett, focuses on English grammar and pronunciation.
“I was surprised at the number of students who were interested in this course,” Spenader said.
The other course offered this semester, taught by Spenader, is ESL Methods and Materials. This class focuses on getting students out in the community to get hands on experience working with real English language learners.
Junior Leah Shepard is taking Spenader’s class and planning on earning the TESL minor.
Shepard started out taking the introductory Education classes, which she enjoyed, but felt as if something was missing.
“I wanted the opportunity to work with a more diverse population,” Shepard said.
Shepard, who hopes to teach abroad or in low-income school districts, believes an ESL background is important for anyone hoping to work in schools.
“In America, we’re the melting pot,” Shepard said. “It’s good to know how to interact and become more aware of people with diverse backgrounds. It leads to better relationship building.”
Other new TESL courses to be offered in the fall semester center on literacy development, assessment and a writing intensive course looking at the theoretical issues and foundations of teaching ESL.
Besides the five new courses, students looking to achieve the TESL minor will need to take one Socio-cultural course of their choice and Intro to Linguistics.
“The (Intro to Linguistics) course lends itself to considering how to teach a second language,” English Professor Ozzie Mayers said. “The course helps students understand the relationship between language and culture. Language is very much a reflection of the society in which it is embedded.”
Although students are able to obtain the TESL minor, they are not yet able to receive a teaching license in the area. However, the long anticipated addition of the TESL minor is the first step in obtaining state licensure for ESL.
“We’re hoping to find out within the next few months or so if the license is approved,” Spenader said.
If the licensure is approved, students who hope to earn the license will need to take all of the courses required by the TESL minor in addition to all the basic Education foundation courses.
With or without the license, there is a growing interest in teaching English language learners. The TESL minor will give students the tools they need to prepare themselves to work in diverse environments.
“As we encounter more and more of an ethnic mix in our classroom, especially in Minnesota, the challenge will be to teach those whose first language isn’t English,” Mayers said. “The increase in the population’s diversity can enrich a classroom, but we need to figure out how to assist those who don’t speak English.”