TESOL PRACTICUM REQUIREMENTS/GUIDELINES

1. TESOL Practicum candidates must complete a TESOL TWS (Teacher Work Sample designed specifically for TESOL-Licensure or MA TESOL Candidates)

Purpose

The Teacher Work Sample is based on the Kansas Curricular Standards for English to Speakers of Other Languages. The purpose of the TWS is to provide you - the ESOL-licensure and MA TESOL candidate – with the information you need to best assess your own effectiveness as a teacher of English Language Learners. The TWS also provides Emporia State University with the data needed to evaluate your growth throughout your ESOL-Licensure or MA TESOL program of study.
Candidates should be able to demonstrate that they can deliver an effective instructional unit, employ meaningful classroom assessments, and analyze and reflect on their experiences. Successful candidates should have an impact on ELL (English Language Learners) student learning. Their ELL students should gain substantive knowledge and skills. The ultimate goal of the TWS is to assist you, the ESOL-Licensure and MA TESOL candidate, as you:

  • evaluate the setting of your district, school and classroom;
  • analyze the special needs of your students in general, and your ELL students in particular;
  • plan and deliver an effective instructional unit;
  • construct and employ challenging, meaningful classroom assessments, and
  • analyze and reflect on your experience to promote your own professional growth

TWS Assignment Description

You are required to teach a multiple week instructional sequence. (The length of an instructional sequence is determined by the candidate and the university supervisor). You will describe the learning context and any specific instructional adaptations you made to meet the learning needs of individual students. Your instructional goals should be based on the Kansas and district-level standards and goals for the content area that you teach, as well as the Kansas Curricular Standards for ESOL which can be downloaded at http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4694. Your learning objectives must include outcomes in subject matter knowledge, skills, and reasoning abilities. You will also need to create an assessment plan including (but not limited to) measures of student performance before (pre-assessment) and after (post-assessment) your instructional sequence and will provide a copy of the pre/post assessment(s) used. Finally, you need to analyze and reflect on your instructional design, educational context and degree of learning gains demonstrated by your students (including ELLs). The format, rubrics, and more details of this project is shared and explained to candidates during the first seminar evening session held on campus before you are start you practicum.

2. In addition, the University supervisor will come to observe teaching (at least twice if not more).

Candidates are expected to teach and have ELL students in their classroom. The observed lessons could be part of the sequential instructional unit used in the TESOL TWS, but they don’t have to be. These are full lessons taught in a mainstream classroom that contains ELL students. This means that candidates need to plan their instruction ahead of time and collaborate with both the cooperating teacher and the university supervisor.

3. Candidates are supposed to help and support their ELL students and cooperating teacher, collaborate with the ESOL teacher, etc.

4. The ESOL cooperating teacher has to complete an assessment part of the candidate (we provide a SIOP rubric for that).

5. The ESOL Practicum may require readings and keeping a journal/reflections. Your course instructor will determine this.

6. The ESOL Practicum also requires a community-connection project that involves native literacy and first language activities.

7. Practicum students must meet face-to-face as a class (on-campus) for two seminar sessions (one at the end and one at the beginning).

Details for all these requirements will be provided by your instructor and through your syllabus.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Dr. Salim Sehlaoui
Professor of TESOL and Applied Linguistics
Director of MA TESOL and TESOL Licensure Program
Department of English, Modern Languages, and Journalism
Emporia State University
Campus Box 19
1200 Commercial St.
Emporia, KS 66801

Phone (620) 341-5237 (Office) or (620) 341-5424
E-mail: asehlaou@emporia.edu