Article - December 3, 2003
from the Washington State Coalition for International
Education
The Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures at Washington State
University is offering an online graduate level course on Foreign Language
Pedagogy for the Spring 2004 semester.
As part of a proposed "Graduate Certificate in Contextualized Foreign
Language Instruction" recently submitted for approval, we will begin
offering graduate level courses in different aspects of FL pedagogy. The
certificate, if approved, will require completion of three courses, all to
be offered online:
- ForL 540 Research and Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages 3- Prereq graduate standing. Survey of current methodology and its
research support with emphasis on practical application in the classroom.
This course covers current pedagogical methodology and research on the
teaching and learning of a second language, and is geared to a general
audience of foreign language teachers, including those involved in ESL.
This course will provide teachers with a review of methodology in use,
research support, and in-depth exposure to new approaches and techniques
that apply current standards for foreign language learning. The emphasis
is on practical application in the classroom, with a focus on the learner.
This course presupposes both an academic background and practical
experience in the classroom; it is not a survey or introduction to the
discipline.
- ForL 541 Research and Methods of Technology Enhanced Foreign
Language Learning 3
Prereq For L 540. The use of technology in the foreign language
classroom; hands-on experience with equipment and multi-media materials.
This course reviews research and methods of using technology to enhance
foreign language teaching and learning, from the use of audiovisual aids,
video, and supplementary courseware and CD-Rom to the use of web-based
activities. It provides teachers of language with the skills and resources
necessary for successful integration of available technology to enhance
language teaching, and provide a valid context for that language. It also
provides guidelines for the creation of additional resources, depending on
need and interest.
- 542 Research and Methods in Teaching Foreign Culture Courses 3 Prereq graduate standing. Survey of current theory on teaching
foreign culture courses with emphasis on practical application and design
of activities.
This course is designed to address the particular issues involved
in the teaching of culture, with emphasis on research advances, how to
access resources already available and how to create new tools that are
culturally sensitive.
The certificate is being considered by several university committees
right now, and if approved as expected, will be implemented in Fall 2004.
However, we will begin offering Forl 540, the first of the online courses,
in the Spring 2004 semester. If you are interested in taking it, the easiest
way is to enroll in WSU's Graduate School as an Undecided Graduate Student.
You can be in this category for a year (awaiting formal admission through
the regular process) without all of the usual review of transcripts and
other documents. The application form can be found on the Graduate School
web site. A student in this category can use up to 6 credit hours earned
toward a graduate degree (and the certificate). So, once the certificate is
approved in the Spring semester for Fall 2004, you can solicit to change
your status, and submit the necessary documentation to apply officially to
the Graduate School.
We hope to offer at least one of these online courses per semester, with
summer offerings being a strong possibility if sufficient enrollment is
achieved. In that way, the certificate could be completed in a year or a
year and a half, at the most.
The certificate is but the first step in our quest for the virtual MA. In
fact, it is envisioned that the certificate courses will eventually be
counted towards an MA earned entirely in a distance/Summer environment that
we have been planning for some time now. This is our first step in that
direction. However, after you complete the certificate requirements, you may
choose to go on and complete any MA, at which time six to nine credits could
be transferred as part of the graduate coursework program, following
standard procedure at WSU and most universities. This could cut your on-site
time commitment down to a year, including summer work, perhaps making the
on-site MA program a more viable alternative.. Even if you do not chose to
go on, the Certificate will provide you with a valid proof of your
continuing development as a professional, with a solid, higher-level
foundation for teaching foreign or second languages in context, and will
count for tenure and promotion purposes.
For more information, contact Dr. Ana M. Rodríguez-Vivaldi at
amrodriguez@wsu.edu or Dr. Diana
Pulido at dpulido@wsu.edu.
Ana María Rodríguez-Vivaldi
Associate Professor of Spanish and
Graduate Studies Advisor
Foreign Languages and Literatures Dept.
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-2610
(509) 335-6173
amrodriguez@wsu.edu
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Washington State Coalition for International Education
http://internationaledwa.org