TESOL Endorsement for K-12 Teachers
The TESOL Endorsement program is a fully online program designed for K-12 teachers, including special education teachers who seek to deepen their understanding of how to teach English as a second language. The program of study provides multiple opportunities to explore best practices in teaching English as a second language and meet the needs of English learners (ELs). The program provides a solid foundation in linguistics, second language acquisition theory, second language pedagogy, and opportunities to observe and practice approaches to teaching ELs.
The courses in this endorsement program can be applied towards the Master's in Curriculum and Instruction area of concentration.
Requirements:
- The TESOL Endorsement is required in order to teach English as a second language in an Ohio public/chartered school. It must be attached to a teaching certificate or license.
- Passing the Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE) Test for English to Speakers of Other Languages is required at the end of the program.
- Non-native speakers of English must have a minimum score of 79 on the internet-based TOEFL.
- Prospective students should apply to the Certificate for TESOL Endorsement for K-12 Teachers graduate program through the University of Akron Graduate School application. . Upon completion of the coursework, students earn a graduate-level certificate issued by the University. Also, upon completion of the coursework and passage of the TESOL OAE, students apply to the state Department of Education to have the TESOL endorsement added to their state teaching license, at which time, the School of Education verifies the student's completion. This program is an approved state program for the TESOL endorsement.
Total credit hours: 17
Please direct any questions about the program to the program's Faculty Advisor: Dr. Bill Visco.
Course Offering Schedule:
Courses in this program are offering once a year depending on course enrollment. Students can begin the program during the Summer term and then complete the program during the following Fall and Spring semesters. Field hours are required as part of the program and can be completed within the student's classroom work setting. The schedule of class offerings follow:
| Summer | EDCI 543 Techniques for Teaching ESL (field hours) |
| Summer | ENGL 566 Linguistics & Lang Arts |
| Fall | EDCI 541 Teaching Literacy to EL's (field hours) |
| Fall | EDCI 556 Scaffolding Lang & Content Learning for EL's |
| Spring | ENGL 573 Theor Funds & Principles of EL |
| Spring | EDCI 588 Practicum in Teaching ESL (field hours) |
Course descriptions:
This is a foundation course in linguistics with a focus on academic language development of second language learners. Fundamental concepts in the core of linguistics, including morphology, syntax, semantics, phonetics, phonology, and pragmatics are covered in lectures and structured linguistic exercises with discussions on practical applications to classroom instruction. Students apply the linguistic knowledge and analytic tools learned in this class to analyze content texts and to make connections between linguistics and their professional and personal lives.
This course surveys methods and materials for teaching listening, speaking, reading, and writing to English Learners. It also examines factors that impact language learning, such as attitudes, motivation, and sociocultural background. This course includes 10 hours of field experience. Ten field hours required.
This course introduces and explains quality, research-based sheltered instruction for improving teaching effectiveness and accelerating academic achievement for English learners. Specifically, the focus is on developing a thorough understanding of the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP®) Model. This is a web-based course. Fifteen field hours required.
This course surveys first and second language acquisition theories and language teaching methods with an emphasis on the connection between first language literacy and second language reading and writing development as well as content-based language teaching. Principles of the teaching of English as a second language based on research in linguistics, psycholinguistics, and second language pedagogy are explored in lectures, structured readings, discussions, and projects targeting content text complexity with effective academic language teaching strategies.
This course applies methods for teaching reading and writing to English language learners’ pre-K-12, assessment of literacy skills, and selection, development, and evaluation of materials. This course includes 15 hours of field experience.
This is a supervised student teaching experience in an ESL classroom. Ten field hours required.