ENGL 570 A: Practicum in Teaching English as a Second Language

The goal of this credit/noncredit course is to broaden student teachers’ understanding of the technical, personal, and practical elements involved in effective language teaching. This will be accomplished through regular classroom practice, observations of veteran teachers, journaling, observations of peers, reflective inquiry, self-evaluation, group support in regular seminars, videotaped microteaching, analytical lesson reports, and peer evaluation. Although solid theoretical foundations are indispensable for effective teaching practice, numerous aspects of teaching practice become palpable only when one actually undergoes the experience of teaching. An indispensable aspect of professional teaching competence is the ability to reflect on and reshape practice not only online in the classroom in response to unexpected occurrences, but equally importantly, during the post-teaching phase when one critically reflects upon multiple elements of both one’s lesson planning and the teaching experience. It is during these critical reflections that a teacher develops an understanding of the complex processes of teaching. Therefore, the primary objective of this course is to scaffold your personal development as a reflective practitioner. You will be encouraged to develop your own personal teaching style, think about and start developing your philosophy of teaching and formulate an understanding of yourself as a teacher.