New TESOL Education Programs for ESL Teachers

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) offers a variety of high-quality education programs for ESL and EFL practitioners who want to expand their professional knowledge. Check out the newest TESOL education programs and interact with your colleagues worldwide!

Online Discussion (New!)


Successes and Challenges in Meeting the Needs of Young Learners
October 15–December 5, 2008

The rapid growth of English language learning worldwide has created opportunities as well as serious challenges regarding language policy, teacher training, and lack of resources in effectively meeting the needs of school-age (K-12) learners.

This online discussion is open to TESOL and TESOL affiliate members and other professionals in the ELT community worldwide. Although this discussion is primarily focused on meeting the needs of school-age learners in EFL contexts, educators working in ESL contexts are also welcome to participate. Nonmembers are welcome to join the discussion at any time. To find out more: www.tesol.org/onlinediscussions .

Virtual Seminars and Webcasts

Falling Through the Cracks:
Meeting the Needs of Adolescent English Language Learners
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
3:00 pm-4:30 pm EDT
Presenters: Deborah J. Short & Kate Menken
Introduction and Discussion Moderator: Joseph Berger, The New York Times
Sponsored by TESOL and New York Times Knowledge Network

When it comes to dropping out of school, English language learners (ELLs) are a particularly vulnerable population. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, the drop-out rate for ELLs in the United States is three times higher than that for young adults who speak English at home. Two leading experts in the field of English language teaching highlight the key policy, academic, and practical issues related to the high drop-out rate for adolescent ELLs and recommend effective approaches and policies for addressing the problem. To find out more: http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/seccss.asp?CID=1919&DID=11442#overview

Pre-registration deadline: October 24.
Registration for the playback version will remain open until January 28.

Learning to Read a Second Language:
What Does the Research Say and What Do We Do About It?
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
9:30am-11:00am (EDT)
Presenter: Fred Genesee

Research can help us plan effective instruction by informing us of critical factors that influence reading acquisition. This TESOL virtual seminar will review major findings from research conducted during the past 25 years on learning to read English as a second language. The implications of this research for planning and delivering instruction, for assessment, and for students at-risk for reading difficulties will also be discussed.

Participants will learn how to identify key components of reading acquisition and what effective reading instruction includes at different stages of development. To find out more: http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/sec_document.asp?CID=1426&DID=11440

Access Playback Versions of Earlier Virtual Seminars
Listening to a playback version is an excellent way for you to share a professional development experience with your colleagues when it is convenient for you. To access playback versions of previous virtual seminars, go to www.tesol.org/virtualseminars

Online Courses

Principles and Practices of Online Teaching Certificate Program
This TESOL certificate program is designed for online English language teachers and course designers at any level of experience. Whether you design and deliver courses that are fully or partially run online, this TESOL certificate program will help you develop the skills you need to effectively teach English language courses online or blend online segments with your traditional face-to-face courses.

The program consists of certificate foundation and completion courses and 10 courses in general and content-specific topics. Registration opens on November 15, 2008. To find out more: http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/seccss.asp?CID=664&DID=2635

Using PreK-12 English Language Proficiency Standards to Inform Instruction and Assessment
January 14-February 24, 2009
Course facilitators:
Anne Katz, Margo Gottlieb, Lynore Carnuccio, & Gisela Ernst-Slavit

Join a nationwide cohort of 25-50 ESL educators, content-area teachers, and administrators for a special, six-week asynchronous online course on using the recently revised PreK-12 English Language Proficiency Standards to inform instruction and assessment. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about and discuss applying the new standards in an interactive course taught by four of the TESOL professionals who helped revise the standards. To find out more: http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/sec_document.asp?CID=1791&DID=9350

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