Courses

This course focuses on developing essential skills in listening comprehension, speaking, and pronunciation. It covers listening activities using various texts and tasks, addresses speaking goals and challenges, and explores basic features of effective speaking activities. It also addresses fundamental elements of pronunciation and effective instructional techniques. Participants will engage in microteaching sessions across various proficiency levels and first language backgrounds to apply their knowledge. The course aims to equip participants with the tools and strategies needed to develop learners' oral communication skills in diverse classroom settings.

This course provides an overview of foundational and contemporary language teaching methodologies. Along with early methods, it explores frameworks such as communicative language teaching (CLT), content-based instruction (CBI), the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP), and task-based language instruction, comparing them across a set of guiding questions and principles. The course equips participants with awareness and understanding of choices available to support language learning in different ways for different purposes while also inviting participants to consider (mis)alignments with their thinking to facilitate awareness of their own beliefs about teaching and learning.

This course explores the integration of digital literacies and technologies in language learning settings. It covers the use of digital tools in the classroom, focusing on teaching various aspects of language through technology. It also addresses the unique challenges of online teaching and learning along with strategies for effectiveness. The course aims to equip participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to leverage digital technologies for enhanced teaching and learning experiences in both physical and virtual classrooms.

This practicum option provides an immersive experience teaching English in an international K-12 setting. The course begins with an introduction to the culture of the host country and an overview of the practicum structure which includes 10 hours of classroom observation, 4 hours of teaching assistance, and 20 hours of direct teaching. Before departure, participants attend a preparation session focused on understanding and navigating the transition to their new teaching environment. Throughout the practicum, they participate in monthly online professional development seminars and coaching sessions designed to provide ongoing support and facilitate success in their practicum setting.

This practicum option provides an opportunity to teach adult language learners in Canada, with placements typically occurring in community-based LINC classrooms. The course begins with a 10-hour Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) Bootcamp and introduction to Portfolio-based Language Assessment (PBLA), laying the foundation for specialization in these key areas of LINC programs. The practicum consists of 15 hours of observations, 2 hours of teaching assistance, and 10 hours of teaching. Students will also participate in 3 hours of online professional development seminars to support their work with adult learners in TESOL settings in Canada.

This course builds upon the information presented in introductory courses to inclusive education. It is intended for pre-professional education students, professional teachers, and those in psychology, social services, and nursing, and is designed to provide information and strategies for: assessing the needs of students, developing intervention techniques, and utilizing the resources of various professionals to meet the diverse needs of exceptional students and exceptional families. Enrolment in this class includes a practicum in a special needs setting.

This is the foundational course that covers current trends and issues which transcend any particular category of diversity. In particular, the course critically examines the current educational practice of full inclusion and lays the foundation for critically evaluating how content of subsequent courses might lead to more inclusive learning communities. This is the introductory course that brings together each new cohort in the master's program and so one important focus is the establishment of a cooperative learning community. This course also lays the groundwork for future work toward either a major project or thesis by introducing the basic elements of each as they relate to this program.

The understanding, administration, scoring and interpretation of Level B (APA) tests for students with special learning needs, including tests of word reading, passage comprehension, arithmetic, spelling, and receptive vocabulary. This course covers the practical understanding and use of assessment devices and techniques. Students discuss recent litigation issues about assessment and learn to read and understand Level C reports (school psychologists, speech-language pathologists, etc.).

In the authentic ecology of their professional placements, students focus on students with exceptional learning needs and apply the principles of assessment learned in the previous course segment to gather assessment data of various forms, including basic achievement and diagnostic tests. Based on these assessments (including formal tests as appropriate) students then apply the data in developing model Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). As members of the cooperative student cohort, students vet these data and plans among peers in the course.