If you’ve been reading my blog awhile, you know I have a part time job at the University, starting this next week with the new school year, teaching English. Last summer, before we even knew we were coming to Hokkaido, I completed the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Certificate Program at North Carolina State University. I highly recommend it! When I was part of the program last year, the classes met in the evening Monday – Thursday, plus Saturdays. I was working full time during the day when I was doing this and it was tough, but it was worth it. Looking at the web site for this year, I see that there is an online component to the program now, which might be better for people who work while participating in the program or live outside the Raleigh area and only have to come to the classroom on Saturdays. http://www.ncsu.edu/mckimmon/cpe/tesol.html We had classes in Culture, Instructional Technology, Linguistics, Pronunciation, Curriculum, Strategies, SIOP, Grammar, and Methods. The instructors have amazing backgrounds and a wealth of experience (you can read about them on the web site). They pack a lot of information into the time available and make it interesting. In addition to the class aspect of the program is the internship, which is like student teaching. Many students in the program are able to participate in the Summer Language Institute at NCSU for their internship hours. Because I was working during the day, the coordinator of the internship program found four different community ESL programs for me in the evenings and on the weekends to fit my schedule. Again, I highly recommend this program. I brought my fat binder of class notes and resources with me to Hokkaido and I am so glad I did!
Side by Side (third edition) book two is the text I will be using. I bought this from amazon.com.jp, but there is an American version on amazon.com. I wrote a syllabus and with the help of my husband, his supervisor, and one of Ted’s students posted it online. The syllabus is in English, but the website and all the directions for posting in are in Japanese. Don’t ask me how to access it online! I’ve been busy with lesson plans and activities for the semester. The week of the 4th of July I’m planning a 4th of July picnic for a class on American culture – a history lesson, food, games like the three legged race, but probably not real fireworks.
Sashiko Update – This week, I’ve been trying to put a length of thread or two in each day and it is progressing. What do you think?
Thank you for information about how to become a Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages. I am a teacher of English as a Foreign Language by profession however, I do not know if I am ready to teach in the USA. I tought English for a year in Poland so I have some sort of experience, but teaching in the US and in Poland is a bit different. I think I may consider joining the course you described above. Thank you a lot for this info and keep typing notes on your blog, I will read it with pleasure! :)
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