Professional Studies in Education

The TESOL Certificate program (1395) addresses the needs of students, teachers, school districts, and the community in building competency in teaching English learner (EL) instruction.

Teachers who complete this certificate program gain significant benefits. The TESOL Certificate program expands teachers' knowledge and trains them to teach English learners in a way that is knowledgeable and respectful of language and cultural differences.  This program reinforces best practices in teaching and is based on learning community, constructivist model with an emphasis in culturally relevant teaching.

This program is offered online throughout the state.  Teachers who complete the certificate program will be endorsed for a Wisconsin ESL teaching license.  The certificate program also allows participants to apply for financial aid.

This Graduate TESOL Certificate Program is a 3-academic term cohort program. It is anticipated that new cohorts will start each academic term, including summer. Below is an example of the three academic offerings for the certificate.
Term 1         Term 2            Term 3
ENG 534       EDU 610         EDU 780
EDU 645       EDU 680         EDU 681

ENG 534      Introduction to Linguistics: Theory and Application                  3
EDU 610      Second Language Acquisition: Research and Applications      3
EDU 645      Teaching with(in) Culture                                                              3
EDU 680      TESOL Methods I: Language Learning through Content            3
EDU 681      TESOL Methods II: Teaching and Assessing Language             3
EDU 780      TESOL Practicum                                                                           3
                                                                                                    Total Credits 18
ENG 534 Cr.3
Introduction to Linguistics: Theory and Application
This course is an introduction to foundational concepts in theoretical and applied linguistics. Topics covered include theories of linguistic competence; articulatory phonetics and phonetic transcription; cross-linguistic analysis of
phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics; English morphosyntax; and language variation and change.
Prerequisite: admission to graduate TESOL Certificate Program. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

EDU 610 Cr.3
Second Language Acquisition: Research and Applications
This course offers an introduction to the field of second language acquisition, its main theories, and the application of each theory to the teaching of English as a second language, especially for K-12 learners in the U.S. It surveys the different theories of second language acquisition and connects these to practice through application assignments and an action research project. Learners gain foundational knowledge of second language acquisition theories by examining current research trends through the analysis of various empirical studies and applying these theories to the design of an action research project. Prerequisite: admission to graduate TESOL Certificate Program. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

EDU 645 Cr.3
Teaching with(in) Culture
In this course, students explore culture in K-12 education in U.S. public schools especially as it relates to English learners (ELs). Topics include deep structures of culture, culture and language, culture and identity, culturally
responsive/sustaining pedagogy, and intercultural communicative competence. Students analyze group- and individual-level cultural influences in education, as well as the particular school and classroom climate they work in, and evaluate solutions for issues associated with cultural differences in education. The instructor models the process of exploring the history, culture, and tribal sovereignty of the Indigenous cultures of Wisconsin (per DPI Act 31). Students apply the same process to research another cultural group and create a lesson/unit plan for a diverse group of learners which applies principles of culturally responsive/sustaining pedagogy. Students finally develop skills to successfully navigate intercultural interactions when working with ELs and their families. Prerequisite: admission to graduate
TESOL Certificate Program. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

EDU 680 Cr.3
TESOL Methods I: Language Learning through Content
In this course, students analyze policies related to teaching English learners (ELs) in U.S. K-12 public schools from the 1960s to the present. Using the systemic functional linguistics (SFL) theory, students analyze genre and content-area discourse features as they learn to plan instruction using the content-based instruction (CBI) approach. Students additionally reflect upon and incorporate the 3Cs model of education (co-planning and co-teaching to co-serve) into their instruction as they learn how collaboration is necessary to equitably and effectively teach ELs in U.S. public schools. Prerequisite: admission to graduate TESOL Certificate Program. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

EDU 681 Cr.3
TESOL Methods II: Teaching and Assessing Language
This course increases students' understanding of techniques and methods to teach English as a second language (ESL) in U.S. public schools. Students identify the historical development of approaches and methodologies for teaching ESL; understand foundational principles of teaching ESL; and explore individual English learner (EL) differences, including age/grade level and language proficiency level, and how to account for these in instruction. Students create a full unit plan to be taught with ELs which include appropriate and effective teaching strategies for each of the four language
skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking), as well as grammar and vocabulary. Students further their understanding of and ability to implement classroom-based assessment to make instructional decisions. Additionally,
students explore materials and technology available for teaching ESL. Prerequisite: admission to graduate TESOL Certificate Program. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

EDU 780 Cr.3
TESOL Practicum
Through the TESOL practicum, students gain practical planning instruction, teaching, and assessing English learners (ELs) in a K-12 school setting. In this course, students are formally observed twice teaching ELs and engaging in the assessment cycle. Students engage in critical reflection on their own teaching, individually and with a mentor teacher. Students also identify areas of improvement and plan for their own on-going professional development as an ESL teacher. This practicum experience is a minimum of 50 hours and is supervised by both a school-based supervisor and a university supervisor. Prerequisite: admission to graduate TESOL Certificate Program. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.