More than 20 educators engaged in the first phase of the 2023-24 Arkansas Tech University English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Institute June 5-10.
“The ATU ESOL Institute is a high-quality educator training program designed to equip K-12 Arkansas licensed educators with effective knowledge and skills to teach a growing population of English Language Learners in their classrooms,” said Dr. Chih-Hsin Hsu, ATU assistant professor of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL).
Hsu and Dr. Ursula Chandler, ATU professor of German, are providing leadership for the ATU ESOL Institute. ATU has offered undergraduate and graduate instruction in ESOL pedagogy since 1992.
Individuals who complete the ATU ESOL Institute will receive credit for four ATU graduate courses: Second Language Acquisition (TESL 5023), Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL 5703), ESL Assessment (TESL 5713) and Teaching People of Other Cultures (TESL 5723).
The ATU ESOL Institute is made possible through a grant from the Arkansas Department of Education. The grant is covering the full cost of tuition, materials and one attempt at the Praxis 5362 examination for each institute participant.
Following the completion of the six-day in-person portion of the institute, participants will continue their study by engaging in four online training sessions during the 2023-24 academic year.
Successful completion of the ten-day (80 hours) training and assignments via four online courses will earn participants 12 graduate hours of credit. Participants will earn ESL endorsement upon successful completion of the institute.
More information about the 2023-24 ATU ESOL Institute is available at www.atu.edu/eslacademy.
More information about the ATU Master of Arts degree in TESOL is available at www.atu.edu/degrees/graduate/tesol.php.
