Teaching English
as
a Second
Language?
|
Q: |
What's
the difference between "ESL" and "TESOL"? |
|
A: |
Not
a whole lot. Technically speaking, "ESL" stands for "English
as a Second Language," and is best used to talk about what you'd be
teaching. "TESOL" stands for "Teaching English to Speakers of
Other Languages," and is best used to talk about what you will study in
order to teach ESL. As you can see, they're not exactly the same—but
they overlap a lot. (By the
way: TESL = "Teaching
English as a Second Language"; TEFL = "Teaching English as a
Foreign Language.") |
|
Q: |
I'm
interested in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in a Texas
Public School, grades K-12. Who should I talk to? |
|
A: |
You should first talk to the UTA College of Education (Hammond Hall, 5th floor) You may also find it useful to
speak with The TESOL Advisor
(Hammond Hall 403) |
|
Q: |
What if I'm not at all interested in working with
school-aged children in Texas? Do I still need to talk with the folks in the
College of Education? |
|
A: |
Probably not; if your goal is work with adults (e.g.
at the community college level), then you would be better coming to talk with
the TESOL Advisor. (Remember that the College of Education's
mission is generally focused on preparing people to be K-12 teachers in the
State of Texas.) |
|
Q: |
Why might I need to talk to two sets of people? |
|
A: |
Because
each of the two academic units has specific roles, responsibilities and options
when it comes to preparing you for a career in ESL. The
College of Education works primarily with K-12 preparation. The SOE also sees
to the administrative aspects of certification and endorsement, as well as
opportunities to enroll in courses that deal specifically with issues of
education. They also offer
12 hours of graduate-level coursework that can be applied to an ESL
Endorsement. The
Linguistics Department oversees a second set of ESL-specific courses, which are
more geared to teaching adult learners –or- to teaching ESL in a
foreign country. The Linguistics
Department does not handle issues directly related to certification and/or endorsement
of public school teachers; Linguistics does, however, offer coursework that
can be used to meet the state's requirements for ESL endorsement. |
|
Q: |
What's the difference between
"certification" and "endorsement"? |
|
A: |
Certification
is the State of Texas' way of "okaying" you for teaching. Earning certification involves
several steps, including coursework, on-site training & observation, and
examinations. Endorsement
is a status that can be added to an existing certificate, thereby allowing
you to teach in a limited number of more specialized areas (e.g. ESL). If
you are interested in earning ESL Endorsement on your existing (or
anticipated) Texas Teaching Certificate, you must speak to the staff in the
College of Education about taking the ExCET examination. By
the way, NEITHER of these — certification or endorsement — are
directly related to the "Graduate Certificate in TESOL" offered by
the UTA Department of Linguistics and TESOL.
(Read on for more information…) |
|
Q: |
Which courses might I take
in order to prepare myself for teaching ESL? |
|
A: |
In Linguistics, the relevant LING courses are: Undergrad Grad Short
Title 3311 5300 Linguistic
Analysis 4327 5305 Language
Acquisition 4353 5301 Introduction
to TESFL 4354 5302 TESFL
Methods & Materials NOTE: The prerequisite for 4327/5305 is
3311/5300. The prerequisite for
4354/5302 is 4353/5301. You are strongly
advised
to take the courses in the correct order. Contact
the UTA College of Education's for their roster of relevant courses. |
|
Q: |
So do both Education and Linguistics
offer the same courses? |
|
A: |
No! While
some of the content covered by courses in linguistics and education is
similar, there are differences in perspective. In the case of the College of
Education's TESOL courses, it is assumed that you will be teaching primarily
K-12 Public School Students. In the case of the Linguistics TESOL courses, it
is assumed that you will more likely to teach adult ESL students. In either case—EDUC or
LING—the courses offered meet state guidelines for ESL Endorsement. |
|
Q: |
Why are there two sets of
numbers for the LING courses? |
|
A: |
The UTA Linguistics Department
offers only graduate degrees (M.A. & Ph.D.). It does, however, offer some undergraduate linguistics
courses, including those in the ESL module. These ESL courses are upper-division undergraduate courses
and are cross-listed with graduate course numbers. |
|
Q: |
Does this mean that if I
take LING 4327 or LING 4353 I will receive graduate credit? |
|
A: |
No. The cross-listing of courses allows us to serve two populations
of students (undergraduates and graduates) with limited resources. For each of these "mixed"
classes, course requirements differ depending on one's status as an undergrad
or grad student—i.e. the syllabuses differ to some extent. |
|
Q: |
I've heard that UTA offers
a "TESOL Certificate"— what's that all about? |
|
A: |
The UTA Linguistics Department
offers a graduate-level certificate in the area of Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
This is a 19-hour program; all courses taken as part of this program must
be taken at the graduate level. |
|
Q: |
Can I earn both a Master's
Degree and a Graduate Certificate in TESOL? |
|
A: |
YES! The Graduate Certificate in TESOL can be combined with at least
three of UTA's existing graduate degree programs: B. MET in
Education C. MA/MS
in Interdisciplinary Studies |
If you are interested in obtaining a Graduate Certificate in TESOL
from UTA, you should contact the graduate advisor in linguistics. Note that this is a graduate level
certificate and
as such, you must complete the graduate level versions of each of the required
courses.
If you have additional questions or would like more
information about the information contained in this brochure, contact:
Dr. Laurel Stvan, TESOL Advisor
UTA Department of Linguistics and TESOL • Hammond Hall 403 — Box 19559
Arlington,
TX 76019-0559 • metro
(817) 272-3133
Go the TESOL Certificate
Information Page
Return to the UTA Linguistics Home Page