TESOL Student Introduction
Thank you for considering our TESOL Certificate program to become a Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Language. English as a Second Language (better known as ESL) is a very large field with opportunities to teach all over the world and in your own community.
Kennesaw State University’s College of Continuing and Professional Education (CCPE) has an excellent reputation in the field for awarding certificates to qualified students. In order to maintain this reputation, our certificate requires a passing grade of 80% or higher. You also must meet classroom attendance standards of 80%.
When you enroll in our TESOL program, you receive 120 hours of instruction-lead learning toward a certificate. Our professional instructors have a minimum Masters level education in a related field, are TESOL Certified, and experienced in teaching ESL to adults. All students are encouraged and required to obtain field experience. We offer opportunities to experience additional learning through our onsite adult ESL classrooms. Students receive lesson preparation and practice presenting lessons for feedback. We maintain these and other standards to ensure our TESOL graduates are ready to begin working in the classroom.
Instructors will provide guidance on the opportunities that are available to you locally and abroad. Occasionally we are asked to recommend recent graduates to community and church programs. If you would like to be considered for this, please let our office know with an email to .
Prerequisites:
Access to the internet and an email account are necessary for these classes. You will be required to create an account in Moodle, our Learning Management System, and to participate online in an interactive learning environment.
Students need to be prepared with the skills required for success in their TESOL course classrooms. These include:
1) A thorough understanding of the rules of grammar.
2) The ability to read, write, and report on research topics.
3) Good communication skills are needed in the presentation of lessons in various formats in the classroom, ie; slide presentations, public speaking, and leading cooperative learning.
Optional Pre-Test
You may wish to take the TESOL Grammar Assessment to gauge your knowledge of basic grammar. A score of 86 or better is one indicator of knowledge for success in the TESOL Certificate program. To begin, create an account in Moodle, by going to this link.:
http://opensource.kennesaw.edu/courses/login/signup.php
Click the “Skills Assessment” heading under the Course categories on the left-hand column, scroll to “TESOLGRAMTEST Grammar Test for TESOL students” (click on title), follow directions as listed.
Registration
The cost of each single course is $389. We have designed the program so that you may pay as you go for each individual course.
Register online: Go to our webpage: ccpe.kennesaw.edu/tesol (scroll to the bottom of the page, click on “TESOL-Current Classroom & Online Courses available for Registration”). Choose the course you wish to start with (in red on the side listing) and click on it. The available sessions and a more detailed course description appear, with a choice to “Add to cart”. You will receive instructions on how to complete the registration process.
Register in person: at KSU Center, 3333 Busbee Drive, Kennesaw, GA 30144 (next to BrandSmart) Direction: http://www.kennesaw.edu/coned/directions/index.html
Register by phone: 770-423-6765. HOURS: Mon-Thurs, 8 am-8 pm; Friday, 8 am-4:30 pm; Saturday, 8:30 am-11:30 am.
When do classes meet?
Online: Monday-Sunday assignments over a 6 week period. Weekly updates, delivered lecture, assignments, interactive and video learning opportunities, research, discussion boards with personal responses from instructor.
Classroom: Saturday classes, 9:00 am-3:00 pm, 1 hour lunch break for six weeks.
Mon/Wed or Tu/Th weekday evening classes meet 7:00-9:00 pm for six weeks (6 hours online discussion) . Lecture, interactive and video learning opportunities, research, discussion boards online and in class, activities and assigned observations.
What are classes like?
Participation is usually a culturally diverse group of students that work side by side. Activities vary from lecture, to study groups, to active participation, presentations and project. A wide range of discussions often take place while exploring this field. Contact us for a copy of the current syllabus.
Textbooks
Books are available for purchase at the KSU Center Bookstore, or suggested sites online for ebooks (see the syllabus). We recommend you purchase your book one week prior to the start date. KSU Center Bookstore hours: Mon-Thurs 4 pm-8 pm; Sat 8:30-11:30 am.
As of Q141 (July 2013) all textbooks will be available in e-book format, and also print format. We can provide online sources by title, publisher and ISBN number upon request.
Please check the specific course you are considering taking, to ensure you have the correct textbook. Book selections do change on occasion.
New Options in 2013
We now offer a MIX-n-MATCH 4-course certificate. You will be able to choose the setting you prefer for each course; online or classroom. Once enrolled in a course, you will remain in that course and format for the duration of the session. Each course is be 30 hours, for a total of 120 hours.
TESOL Certificate from KSU's College of Continuing and Professional Education
When you successfully complete the TESOL Certificate program at the College of Continuing and Professional Education, you are eligible to teach English abroad and with organizations and some private schools in United States. Many organizations look for the TESOL Certificate to ensure qualified instructors for their programs. Abroad, it is widely recognized, particularly when your certificate comes from a U.S. university – and often earns you more.
Additionally, our certificate program may prepare students for future Endorsement. The learning outcomes, while not focused directly on K-12, do correlate closely with what is taught in other GaPSC-approved Endorsement programs. Some students who currently hold a clear renewable Georgia teaching certificate may choose to use what they have learned in the TESOL Certificate program from the College of Continuing and Professional Education, to pass the GACE testing to become certified with an ESOL Endorsement. This is one route to the Endorsement that our students have chosen in the past.
ESOL Options from KSU's Inclusive Education Department (Bagwell College of Education)
The ESOL Endorsement from the Bagwell College of Education on the main campus of Kennesaw State University is only for persons who already hold a clear renewable Georgia teaching certificate. This course is approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC). The endorsement makes you highly qualified to teach English learners in public and private elementary, middle and high schools.
https://education.kennesaw.edu/inclusiveed/content/endorsements
If you have a bachelor's degree (in any field) and are interested in obtaining a clear renewable teaching certificate in TESOL, you may be interested in the MAT (Master's of Arts) TESOL program. More information can be found at https://education.kennesaw.edu/inclusiveed/content/endorsements
I:\coned\Center Q - ESL & Languages\TESOL Classroom - 2013\TESOL Intro New Students_3-2013.docx