Pedagogical Training

All students take an introductory course in foreign language teaching theory and methods taught by a language acquisition specialist. The Department also offers advanced courses focusing on reading and writing theory (primarily for the teaching of literature) and on bilingualism and languages in contact (including issues related to the teaching of heritage language speakers). Students are trained to use the advanced multimedia resources available to today’s teachers in state-of-the-art computer and writing laboratories.

Workshops on specific topics are offered throughout the year by both the department and the Instructional Advancement Center.  Graduate students can take leadership roles in shaping the learning experience of language learners, and advanced graduate students can pursue opportunities for mentored teaching with faculty members in upper-level undergraduate courses in literature and culture.

The Department is the process of approving and implementing a Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLA-T) Graduate Certificate.  This is an integrated group of courses that is designed to have a very clear and focused academic topic: acquiring expertise and experience in the important field of applied language studies, centering on theories of second language acquisition and bilingualism, empirical research in these areas, and their applications to the teaching of second and heritage languages at the postsecondary level.  The goals of the Certificate include developing the expertise of participants in the fields of applied language studies, research on second language acquisition and bilingualism, teaching methodology and pedagogy; integrating meaningful use of technology into the participants’ teaching practices; and helping participants become more marketable professionally through the development and completion of a digital teaching portfolio (CV, teaching philosophy, sample materials, syllabi, etc).

The program comprises coursework at the graduate level in language teaching methodology and pedagogy, language learning, literacy, sociocultural theory, and sociolinguistics and bilingualism. The program also integrates practical opportunities that will allow participants to acquire professional experience coordinating and supervising language instructors.  Finally, a variety of workshops on technology and language teaching are part of the Certificate.