ERIC EJ546033: The "Least" One Should Expect of TESL/TEFL Programs.

3 Pages·1997·0.11 MB·English

by  ERIC

The Least One Should Expect of
TESL/TEFL Programs
David Watt andJohn Taplin
Theideasoutlinedinthisarticleareanattemptto answerthe questionWhat
shouldweexpectofaTESL program thatis professionallyrecognized? Thediscus
sion proceeds from some comments on entry criteria to the role of final
certification. We have kept our comments about the actual content of the
program brief, offering only a framework that we believe can be useful in
developingthecontentandinstruction.
Background
Recently there havebeenseveral cases ofprivate groups offeringone-week
courses inbecoming an ESL teacher. Partly as a result ofthese unregulated
programs and partly as an extension of our interest in the delineation of
general standards for the field of ESL, we outline those elements that we
think are required in a TESLjTEFL program. Our first reaction was to at
tempt to describe in great detail the content of TESLjTEFL programs. Al
though we still believe that this approach is a worthwhile endeavor, it is
probablybestsavedfor adifferentaudienceandpurpose.Ourpurposeisto
providegeneralguidelinesthatcanbereadilyrevisedforanaudiencethatis
unfamiliarwiththeESLprofessionandTESLjTEFLinparticular.Therefore,
weoutlinesomeelementsthatwefeelareessentialinaninitialassessmentof
TESLjTEFL programs. We believe that it is crucial that TESL/TEFL pro
grams arejudgedby standards that are acceptable to the professional field.
Also,webelievethatitisunacceptabletohavelowerprofessionalstandards
for teachers who plan to teach abroad. Itis for this reason that we include
boththetermsTESLandTEFLasinterchangeableinstatus.
Application and Screening
ForTESLprogramstobepartoftheprofessionalizationofthefieldtheyneed
to have academic and professional standards for applicationand entry that
gobeyondmerelybeing able to paythe tuition. No other professionwould
tolerate indiscriminate entry; nor would its clients. As TESOL's brief docu
ment Guidelines for the Certification and Preparation ofTeachers ofEnglish to
SpeakersofOtherLanguages (1975)suggests,teachersofESL"shouldhavethe
same general (levelof) academicpreparationas teachersofothersubjectsat
comparable levels." This comparability should also extend to criteria for
entry. It is our belief that acceptable ESL diploma programs must specify
entryconditions.Wewouldargue thatapplicantsshouldbejudgedbyboth
72 DAVIDWAnandJOHNTAPLIN
academic and professional criteria. Here are the screening criteria that we
subscribeto.
Academic.Applicantsmusthaveanundergraduateuniversitydegreeand
evidenceofsomeintroductorylinguisticscoursesorequivalents.Theymust
haveaminimallyacceptablegradepointaverage.
Again,nootherprofessionwouldwillinglytolerateanon-creditstatusfor
anyformativeprofessionaldevelopment.ThisratherticklishissueinTESLis
anadministrativelegacythatrequiresmorethoughtthanwearepreparedto
giveithere.
OutcomeCriteria
Programs must be able to demonstrate that students in the program are
evaluatedontheirlearning.Inshort,itmustbepossibletofailforreasons of
inability.ThelistofitemsundertheheadingContentneedstobeevaluated.
Ifnoevaluationofoutcomecriteriaexists, thenthe programisprobablynot
acceptabletoanyeducationalprofession.
Certification
Programs must offer certificates/diplomas of educational achievement.
These certificate/diplomas are not the same as certificates of attendance or
completion. In order for a program to claim that it offers a certificate/
diploma ofeducational achievement, the programmustbe deemed accept
able by some larger body. Typically, these bodies might include academic
organizations, suchas universities and colleges; governmental bodies such
as intergovernmental agencies and ministries; and professionalassociations
of ESL/EFL educators such as the teachers organizations, TESL Canada
provincial affiliates, orTESOL. Certification should be viewed as commen
surate with accreditation by one of these bodies. If it is not, then the
TESL/TEFLprogramisnotacceptable.
Conclusion
The goal of teacher education programs in general and TESL/TEFL pro
grams in particular is to develop the professional expertise of their par
ticipants in a manner that reflects preferredpractice, rather than minimally
meetingthevisiblesiignsofprevalentpractice.Giventhisgoalandtheabove
criteria,therecanbelittleplacefor toleratingTESL/TEFLprogramsthatare
motivated entirely by financial opportunism with no regard for the stan
dards ofaprofession.
We would welcome the opportunity and the challenge of working with
otherstodescribeingreaterdetailthecomponentsandevaluativestandards
for the development of TESL/TEFL education, either in the province or
interprovincially.
TESLCANADAJOURNAULAREVUETESLDUCANADA 73
VOL.14,NO.2,SPRING1997
The Authors
DavidWattisanAssociateProfessorinCurriculumStudiesattheUniversityofCalgary.Heis
inchargeoftheTESLprogramsandisconcernedwithqualityofteaching.
JohnTaplinistheDirectorofStudiesoftheGlobalVillageRockyMountainEnglishCenterin
Calgary.HealsoteachesintheTESLprogramattheUniversityofCalgary.Bothauthorshave
madesignificantcontributionstoATESL.
74 DAVIDWAnandJOHNTAPLIN