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ATTENTION: Secondary Principals
List of Teacher
Recommendations Needed
Please provide at least 4, but no more
than 6 names of teachers you wish to recommend to participate in this
year’s Project CONNECT. Candidates will be contacted by SMU staff.
Note: This program is available to teachers who are NOT currently
ESL certified. (Read below for more information.)
Deadline: Email or fax
your nominee list to Tracie Fraley
by March 31, 2008.
 Tracie
Fraley, IISD
Division Director Secondary
Fax: 972-215-5040
Email:
tfraley@irvingisd.net |
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Southern Methodist
University has partnered with
Irving ISD to provide
12 credits of FREE graduate courses towards
ESL certification
and a Master of Education
degree!
This opportunity is
possible through a federal grant, Project CONNECT, designed to
establish a network of secondary educators better equipped to serve the
needs of English learners.
What is Project
CONNECT?
Project CONNECT is a collaboration between Irving ISD and
SMU’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development (SSEHD) to
provide secondary teachers with graduate-level instruction for ELL
education. Project CONNECT participants will qualify for the TExES
ESL supplemental exam and receive 12 credits (one-third) towards a
Master of Education degree from Southern Methodist University. The
entire degree program is 36 credits.
Participants
Up to 28 secondary teachers from Irving ISD and Grand Prairie
ISD that do not currently hold an ESL supplement may
participate each year. Teachers are recommended by their principals
and selected by SMU staff.
How Does the
Program Work?
Project CONNECT
teachers are enrolled in 2 graduate courses each semester. (See
course descriptions below.) Courses are held after school, in either
Irving or Grand Prairie, on Monday, Tuesday and/or Wednesday for 12
weeks per semester. Upon successful completion of the 4 courses you
will take the TExES ESL supplemental exam and you may
continue to SMU’s Master of Education program—you will have already
completed one-third of the required classes. Please visit
http://www.smu.edu/teacher_education/mastered.asp for M.Ed.
admission details.
SMU’s tuition for the Master of Education program is offered
at one-third of the regular graduate credit-hour rate.
Requirements/Expectations
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Valid Texas
teaching certificate
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Attendance at 12
weeks of graduate instruction per semester and completion of class
assignments
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Enrollment in ARISE
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Use of
Blackboard for information exchange
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Completion of
project surveys
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Mentorship of a
pre-service teachers, via technology exchange
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Completion of TExES
ESL supplemental examination
Benefits
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12 credits of
free SMU SSEHD graduate tuition
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Quality instruction
from SMU faculty
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SMU classes located
conveniently in Irving or Grand Prairie
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Limited
out-of-pocket expenses for textbooks ($50 to $100 per class)
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Courses
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Read about Paige Ware,
Project CONNECT Director and SMU faculty.
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EDU 6312. Applied Linguistics
This course introduces students to basic theory and
research in linguistics. The emphasis is on developing awareness of
“pedagogical grammar,” the ability to identify and teach particular
syntactical, lexical, and morphological components to English
language learners. Students will become familiar with typical
language errors and how to help students pinpoint and improve those
areas.
EDU 6315. Diversity in Urban
Classrooms
Diverse urban environments are increasingly the
setting in which teachers work. This course is planned to introduce
students to ideas from anthropology and sociology which influence
their work in multicultural and multilingual settings and to provide
strategies to make teaching more effective in increasingly diverse
urban schools. Students will learn about different culturally
mediated patterns of behavior and strategies for communicating well
with students and families from a wide variety of backgrounds.
EDU 6320. Language Teaching Research,
Theory, and Practice
This course provides an overview of current research
findings in the teaching and learning of second languages. It offers
students an understanding of the social, cultural, and individual
factors involved in language learning. Additionally, students learn
about the different teaching approaches and pedagogical models
available for language instruction. A wide number of issues are
examined, such as the influence of the age of the learner in their
acquisition of language, the type of corrective feedback needed, the
role of motivation in learning a language, and approaches to
teaching language through technology.
EDU 6390. Classroom Instruction and
Assessment for Language Learners
This course is designed specifically to bridge
research findings into the classroom. Students will examine
curricular materials, teaching videos, and student work to diagnose
language issues and to modify instruction in order to meet the needs
of learners at different levels of English language proficiency.
Emphasis will be placed on modifying core content areas to make them
accessible by learners and assessable by teachers.
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