Admission to the TESOL teaching minor is space-limited. There is no guarantee that any student will be approved for this minor. Admission to the minor is requested at the time of admission to the teacher preparation program.
As a condition for enrolling in the minor, candidates are required (by the Michigan Department of Education, or MDE) to document their own experiences learning a second language in order to gain an appreciation of the processes involved. Students receive a link to the form used to document these experiences after being approved for admission to the TESOL minor.
The MDE requires that the TESOL minor be paired with a core academic major, as defined by federal “No Child Left Behind” legislation. To be recommended for the TESOL endorsement on the initial teaching certificate, students must (1) pass the English as a Second Language (ESL) MTTC (086) and (2) pass the MTTC in the teaching major. If the teaching major is a world language, the oral proficiency standard must also be met. In other words, it is not possible to earn the TESOL endorsement unless an endorsement is also earned in a core academic area.
Students should plan to take TE 494 during the senior year (concurrent with TE 403/404 or TE 405/406 or in the summer before or after the senior year). Field placement is arranged; course is hybrid and includes a 30 hour practicum component. To enroll, follow the instructions in the schedule of courses.
As an alternative to LLT 361(Second and Foreign Language Learning) elementary education students may take LLT 362 (Child Second Language Learning).