Frequently Asked Questions.

Can I transfer credits from another program into this program?

Credits cannot be transferred into the 12 credit certificate program.
At the Director's discretion, up to six credits may be transferred into the 24 credit Advanced Certificate.

Can these credits be transferred to graduate programs other than Seattle University?

It is always up to the receiving institution to accept transfer credits. Protecting the credits as graduate status at Seattle University may be beneficial in petitioning to have credits transferred into another program.

What is your typical class size?

Classes range from a minimum of 3 students to a maximum of 20.

What is the difference between S-TESL and other certificate programs?

Each certification program has a different emphasis and its own unique qualities. While the RSA/Cambridge/CELTA certification programs have more name recognition around the world, the School of Teaching ESL has the credibility of being affiliated with and monitored by an excellent university. People have praised the education they received at the School of Teaching ESL - on the last day of class, and years later from the field. (See Feedback from Graduates.) The School of Teaching ESL emphasizes decision-making, and the knowledge you need to make the many decisions you will be required to make in your teaching career. A well-seasoned instructional staff helps to prepare you for your next step in TESOL. The 900-level education credits from Seattle University and the Certificate in TESOL awarded by Seattle University will always be of value on your resume.

A discussion on S-TESL's internet discussion list about preparation and subsequent teaching experiences elicited this comment from a grad: "Actually, having taught in China with folks who had ESL certs from England, Canada, Australia, & NZ, as well as other places in the US, plus a few with Master's degrees in TESOL, I'll put S-TESL up against any one of them for all-around prep." ~ Leslie

How does S-TESL prepare you for actual teaching?

S-TESL classes

• guide you through varied ESOL activities from the very first day of class to the last day of class.
• examine and discuss activities (used for teacher training) as to how they would appear differently in different language classrooms. This helps you see how activities can be tweaked for widely diverse teaching situations.
• give you thorough preparation to make in-class decisions (theory, methods, activities, materials, student-variables, administrative pressures).
• give you micro-teaching opportunities (and you also observe and evaluate your colleagues' microteaching).
• put you in an ESOL class with a trained and seasoned ESOL teacher. This is usually six hours per Intensive I course, but can vary by the time of year and the size of your class. This ESOL class uses materials written to demonstrate the pedagogy of the School of Teaching ESL. You will have observation tasks to complete and report upon, and will also assist the teacher in implementing various activities. There are preparation and debriefing meetings with the ESOL instructor. Any more time with the ESOL class would only take away from the other very important things we need to do with you. We have made choices about where to allocate our time based on more than 20 years of training language teachers, and are happy with the choices we have made. In the Intensive I format, there are updates two times a week on the ESOL class, allowing you to see the full range of a teaching unit from presentation to evaluation as well as the daily lesson plans that the teacher uses. You will see, analyze, and discuss the many decisions being made in the four week period about materials, activities, and students.

Will I get to work with ESOL students?

Your tuition at S-TESL supports a community ESOL class for refugees, immigrants, and short-term visitors living in the school's neighborhood. Students in S-TESL's Intensive I classes are required to observe and participate in the ESOL class. Students in S-TESL's evening program sometimes work together with the ESOL class when schedules permit. The evening course Teaching English Pronunciation is designed to work with our ESOL class. These opportunities for interaction with ESOL students is quite often mentioned as the highlight of study at S-TESL. In addition, off-site observations of area ESOL classes are often a requirement in classes.

How many hours of practice teaching experience will I get in the program?

We don't think the best way to prepare teachers is to put them with ESOL students for several hours from the first day of training instead of preparing them well for their future teaching experiences. See the following question for details.

Isn't the quality of a training program related to the number of hours you spend in front of an ESOL class?

While there are effective tips and techniques for language teaching, no one can tell you "how to teach". There are just too many variables.

Here are some surprising situations you may find yourself in:

• You might be teaching children in one class, and adults in another class.
• You might be teaching children when you expected to teach adults (or vice versa).
• You may expect intermediate-level students, only to find out that the students who came to class that day were beginning students.
• You might be required to use texts that are of little use, or texts that are really good but not specific to your type of student.
• You might be in a situation where no materials are available.
• You might expect 12 students, but only 2 came to class.
• You will probably always have multi-proficiency classes and often students who have unequal skills (strong reading and writing but weak listening and speaking, for example).
• Your schedule may be changed at the last minute. In other words, you need to be prepared for anything and everything in order to make it as a language teacher.

For these reasons, we at S-TESL try to prepare for the many different situations you may face in your career. You will need to make instantaneous decisions when in front of a class of students.

Effective decision-making is probably the most important thing you will do as a teacher, and preparation for this comes before you enter the classroom. It is estimated the 99% of what makes a person a good teacher happens before the teacher enters the classroom. It's that 99% that gets the teacher and the students through the class happily and successfully.

Therefore, your experience at S-TESL will help you to prepare your plan based upon everything you know about the program and your students, and then be able to:

• recognize when you need to make a decision to veer from your plan, and then to be able to do it.
• have a theoretical foundation (why you are doing what you are doing).
• have a large toolbox of methods and activities.
• be able to create and supplement materials.
• be prepared for student variables (multiple-intelligences, learning styles, language proficiencies, interests and needs). prepared to anticipate and respond to other variables - the administration, other teachers, the parents, the community.

Do you offer job help after graduation?

Please see our alumni section for details on employment resources for our graduates.

Downloadable Forms and Publications

Admissions Forms
Registration Form 2008/2009
Endorsement information
ELL Endorsment Packet
Student Forms and documents
Student Handbook
Graduate Project Reflection Sheet
Request Letter of Recommendation Form
Before using the following certificate request forms be sure to read Certifcate FAQs first
Seattle University - Certificate Request Form
S-TESL - Certificate Request Form
brochures
ESOL Class Brochure
S-TESL Tri-Fold Brochure (Korean) coming soon
S-TESL Tri-Fold Brochure (Japanese) coming soon
Seattle University Graduate Program Flyer
publications
Amy Fenning - Language Magazine Article
Denny Sargent - 2007 WASOL presentation
Denny Sargent - Cooperative Writing Projects
Nancy Butler - Wellman Award Acceptance Speech
B. Ege-Zavala - Promising Practices presentation
B. Ege-Zavala - OPSI 2006 presentation