TESOL MA Dual

The dual certification MA in English Education and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is an innovative new program that responds to a growing need for dually certified teachers. The program leads to a PK-12 Initial New York State Teacher Certification in TESOL and a secondary certification (7-12) in English Education. Students complete 45-46 credits of coursework over two academic years, including two semesters (Fall and Spring) of student teaching.

Students work with leading researchers and practitioners in the fields of English Education and TESOL through comprehensive and innovative coursework and research projects. In addition, students are mentored by experienced teachers during their two semesters of student teaching in the New York City school system. While students will graduate with two separate teacher certifications, the purpose of the dual certification program is to explore the intersections between the teaching of English and TESOL; we examine both the unique challenges and opportunities of teaching secondary English and TESOL simultaneously.

Candidates applying for initial certification in New York will be required to fulfill NYSED’s Content Core requirements for initial certification (see https://www.tc.columbia.edu/office-of-teacher-education/students/certification-requirements/initial-certification/ ).  They will also be required to take and pass all required New York State exams for initial certification. For more information, please visit our Office of Teacher Education (OTE) website: 

https://www.tc.columbia.edu/office-of-teacher-education/students/certification-requirements/certification-exams/      

Core Courses (29 points):  

• A&HL 4000 Educational Linguistics (3)

• A&HL 4076 PreK-6 Methods (3) 

• A&HL 4085 Pedagogical English Grammar (3) 

• A&HL 4087 Second Language Acquisition (3)

• A&HL 4088 Second Language Assessment (3)

• A&HL 4185 Pedagogical Approaches to Content Methods (3)

• A&HE 4057 English Methods (3)

• A&HE 4058 Teaching of Reading (3)

• A&HE 4151 Teaching of Writing (3)

• A&HE 5518 Teaching of English in Diverse Social and Cultural Contexts (2)

Literature Course (3 points):

Students choose one of the following courses:

• A&HE 4050 Literature & Teaching

• A&HE 4051 Critical Approaches

• A&HE 4052 Adolescent Literature

• A&HE 4053 Cultural Perspectives

• A&HE 4056 Feminist Perspectives

• A&HE 4100 Teaching of Drama & Theater

• A&HE 4561 Teaching Narrative and Story

Student Teaching Courses (6 points):

• A&HC 4750 Supervised Teaching Phase I 3 credits

• A&HC 4751 Supervised Teaching Phase II 3 credits

Foundations/Breadth Courses (6-7 points)

Foundations/breadth courses are intended to broaden students’ knowledge of the history of education, philosophies of education, and educational issues and practices beyond their particular area of concentration. All students must take at least 6 points of such courses (courses in Teachers College not designated “A&HE,” “A&HL” or “A&HC”) in close consultation with their advisors and with the TC Office of Teacher Education. 

Foundations/breadth credits must be used to meet the New York State requirements within the following categories:*

• Special Education (3)

• History/Philosophy of Education (2-3)

• Human Development/Psychology (2-3)

Each term, the program will issue a list of courses across the college offered within each of the three categories above from which students may choose. These courses may be taken as pass/fail. 

*If any of these requirements has been met through previous college-level coursework, the students would adjust points within the other two courses accordingly for a total of no fewer than 6 points. Students will make these adjustments in consultation with their advisor.

Exit Project (1 point):

• A&HE 5590 Master’s Seminar 1 credit

Students complete a master’s degree project written on a research topic arising from course-related interests and subject to approval by their assigned advisor. This project can be a review of literature on a scholarly topic or a teacher inquiry project. It is normally completed during the penultimate semester of study. The Master’s Seminar supports the completion of this project.

Student Teaching

Students in the 45-46 point TESOL/Teaching of English program have two separate semesters of student teaching. As specified by New York State in the requirements for 7-12 ELA Initial Certification, one of these experiences is in a middle school and the other is in a high school. Most placements are made in urban public schools in New York City. Commuting to one of the outer boroughs should be expected. In each student-teaching semester, student teachers will be placed in classrooms in which both TESOL and English Language Arts are taught.

Student teaching experiences differ by semester. In the first (Phase 1) semester, the cooperating teacher has primary responsibility for designing the curriculum. While students do not have the major responsibility for designing or organizing the course of instruction, they are active participants in the classroom and school communities. 

Although the Phase 1 experience varies, students are engaged in observation, group work with students, conferencing, and teaching. Later, toward the end of the Phase 1 experience, at a time mutually agreeable to both cooperating teacher and student teacher, the student teacher is expected to assume full responsibility for one class. 

During Phase 2 of student teaching, student teachers are immersed in teaching, responsible for planning and conducting two classes, assessing student work, and participating as faculty members in the life of their school. 

In addition to these student teaching placements, students will complete 50 hours of observation on the PK-6 level as part of the A&HL 4076 PreK-6 Methods course.