Teaching Experience

One of the most important and valuable aspects of the ILE: TESOL Program is the teaching experience gained through the teaching practicums during the second year of the program. ILE students teach alongside experienced faculty, and can experiment with effective means of implementing theoretical concepts and methodological practices in a real teaching setting:

Practicum in TESOL I

The ILE students as a group share their classroom teaching experiences and are provided support and guidance as they develop teaching materials for each week of their teaching practicum. In addition, the ILE students explore how their teaching beliefs affect their teaching during their practicum, set and revise goals related to the development of their teaching skills over the course of the semester, and discuss professional issues which they will encounter as they enter the TESOL profession after graduation.

Practicum in TESOL II

Each ILE student works closely with an experienced faculty member who serves as his or her practicum supervisor during a complete semester. Working within the context of an elementary-level English communication course, ILE students observe the supervisor at the beginning of the course, but quickly begin to lead activities, and eventually take on the full teaching role in the 15-week course. After each practicum lesson, the supervisor and ILE student have the opportunity to critically reflect on their experiences and plan for the next lesson.

Through these practical teaching experiences, ILE students are able to develop the skills and confidence to teach in a variety of English language learning contexts after their graduation.