Our Mission
The TESL Programs at Hawai‘i Pacific University enable students to develop their philosophy, knowledge, and skills of language teaching through a spirit of inquiry and reflection. The programs provide a strong foundation through a focus on applied linguistics, pedagogy, and extensive practical experience. Students explore traditional, current, and emerging teaching practices in the context of their personal and professional experiences and values to become global citizens and scholarly practitioners in the multifaceted world of language teaching.
Program Objectives
Upon completion of the TESL program, students will have a basic understanding of language variation, language acquisition, and TESL/TEFL methodology. They will have had experience in observing, participating in, and assisting ESL teachers in their classrooms. They will be able to design creative and practical ESL lesson plans, taking into account the linguistic cultural and educational backgrounds of the students. Finally, they will be able to teach and evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching. This general statement of the program objectives can be broken down in detail as follows:
1. Students will demonstrate excellence in their verbal and written English skills.
2. Students will be able to analyze
a. various aspects of English pronunciation,
b. syntactic constructions of English sentences, and
c. pronunciation and syntactic errors.
3. Students will be able to use basic terminology from the subfields of linguistics to discuss issues related to language learning and teaching.
4. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the stages, complexities, and current models of first and second language acquisition.
5. Students will understand how language variation is affected by social class, ethnic group, gender, context, geography, history and contact with other languages.
6. Students will be able to articulate how sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic theory interact with second language learning and teaching.
7. Students will demonstrate proficiency in the following teaching tasks:
a. critical evaluation of ESL or EFL texts,
b. preparation and evaluation of lessons, tests, and assignments,
c. correction of errors, and
d. appropriate response to student needs in a given class.
8. Students will develop a professional approach to teaching which emonstrates the ability to develop and implement appropriate instructional plans and the capacity for self-reflection and self-critique.
FOR BATESL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS please click here!
