This forum article describes a postgraduate certificate teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) program with a strong linguistics orientation and argues that such a program provides novice language teachers with knowledge and skills superior to those of programs which focus more on methodology and practicum experience and less on…

As researchers and teachers, we have particular beliefs about the world and how it works, and about classrooms and how they work. Borg notes that "beliefs colour memories with their evaluation and judgment, and serve to frame our understanding of events" (Borg, 2001, p. 187). When already qualified teachers, in a TESOL graduate program,…

The report, "The Ready to Teach Program: A Federal Initiative in Support of Online Courses for Teachers", describes the history of the Ready to Teach Program and its role as one of the solutions to the national need to increase the performance of teachers through professional development. The report describes selected findings from the Eisenhower…

Presents results of a questionnaire survey regarding the nature and role of the teaching practicum in graduate teachers of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) programs in the United States. The report covers objectives, context or setting, curriculum, logistics, and student teacher supervision. (Author/CB)

A practicum assignment designed for master's-level teacher trainees in the field of English as a second language is presented with a sampling of the results. The assignment was to design a communicative syllabus to cover three 50-minute periods and focus on three of these areas: language arts, language for a purpose, personal second language use,…