Graduate Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Important information
The course
Objectives
Course outline

Important information

Clayton campus

Course code: 0156

Contact: Ms Marie-Thérèse Jensen (course adviser)

The faculty offers a Graduate Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (GradCertTESOL). Candidates for the graduate certificate will usually hold a university degree or its equivalent, be trained teachers and have had relevant professional experience. The course for the graduate certificate is designed to accommodate teachers at all levels seeking to upgrade or widen their qualifications, as well as overseas trained teachers of English and potential teacher trainers seeking to gain a TESOL qualification in an English-speaking environment.

Objectives

The objectives of the GradCertTESOL course are to provide students with the knowledge, understanding and skills of:

current research in second language acquisition;
current research in the teaching and learning of spoken and written English as a second or foreign language;
methodologies which facilitate the learning of English by speakers of other languages;
national language policy as it affects a range of TESOL teaching and learning settings;
theories of social and cultural contexts of learning;
theories of adult learning;
developing, delivering and evaluating appropriate TESOL teaching programs and strategies;
utilising available teaching resources using appropriate teaching strategies and terminology;
making relevant connections between English as a second language and other areas of the curriculum in school or tertiary settings for the benefit of all learners and teachers in these settings;
presenting teaching activities in a sensitive manner that recognises the cultural and linguistic differences of second language learners;
interacting where it is appropriate with government, employers and other community bodies interested in learners of English as a second language.

The course should encourage the following attitudes and values in students to enable them to:

be curious about the English language;
be curious about their own second language learning experiences;
value the cultural and linguistic heritage of ESOL learners in Australia, migrants, refugees and temporary residents alike;
encourage ESOL learners to engage in self-directed learning;
empower ESOL learners in the broader Australian (or other English-speaking) society.

Course outline

The graduate certificate provides 40 per cent (eighty-four hours) of the number of contact hours provided by the GradDipTESOL. Candidates seeking accreditation to teach English as a second language in Australia will normally need to complete the full GradDipTESOL, including the practicum. The practicum normally consists of a minimum of twenty-two days of supervised teaching practice. Subjects are currently as follows:

GED2817 Language, society and cultural difference
GED3812 Educational applications of second language acquisition research
GED3815 Classroom-based research in second language education
GED3818 Communicative language teaching
GED3823 Theory and practice of TESOL
GED3827 Teaching languages for specific purposes - theory, context and method
GED3830 Language teaching syllabus design
GED3832 Functional analysis of discourse
GED3836 Writing: theory, research and practice
GED3837 Literacy in adult contexts: policy, practices and theories
GED3840 Assessment in foreign and second-language education

Further subjects may be added in the future.

For the award of the graduate certificate, a candidate must satisfactorily complete two subjects including GED3823. Details of all subjects follow the course information in this handbook.

Students must have their program approved by the course coordinator before enrolment.

Applicants who are not native speakers of English will be required to demonstrate substantial competence in written and spoken English before admission.

Faculty board may set a quota for the course and for individual subjects.

The attention of persons qualified for entry to MEdSt candidature is drawn to the opportunity they have of completing a masters degree with special reference to TESOL. (See under the course information in this handbook for the degree of Master of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.)

It should be noted that the subjects taught in the GradCertTESOL are masters subjects and are assessed at that level. These subjects can also be taken for the MTESOL and accredited as such. Candidates for the GradCertTESOL who show satisfactory performance (credit level and above) in both subjects may, at the discretion of the course coordinator, make application to convert to candidature for the MTESOL.

Application forms for admission to the graduate diploma are available from the inquiry office, School of Graduate Studies, Clayton campus (telephone 9905 2819).

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