ENG 804, Teaching Practicum in Linguistics

A note from Dr. Waksler:
You'll be figuring out your Spr09 schedules, so here's info about ENG 804, the Teaching Practicum in Linguistics. It is an excellent elective for MA Ling students' programs.

Five students will be accepted in the course, with the meeting time to be decided by the group. We meet formally for one hour ~4 times in the semester (not weekly, as in the schedule) for discussions and teaching workshops. 804 students are teaching assistants for the large Intro Linguistics course, ENG 420. Teaching assistants are available for one office hour per week, at a time of their choosing. Attendance at the 420 class lectures is not required, though each TA will proctor one exam during one class period, scheduled for Tu/Th 2:10-3:25 for Spr09.

The course is particularly recommended as excellent preparation for anyone wanting to enter academia. It is beneficial to have a teaching practicum on your graduate transcript, and, of course, in your letters of recommendation. It counts as an elective graduate course in either the MA Linguistics or MA TESOL programs. Below is a course outline to give you an idea of what we will do.

This course will enable students to apprentice with faculty who teach undergraduate language studies classes in order to gain knowledge and experience in the various skills needed to teach linguistics concepts in the classroom.

Students will aid in the teaching of a large language studies course.
Under the direct guidance of the professor, students will have the opportunity to learn about and/or gain experience in:

• Leading a class discussion
• Giving a class lecture
• Assessing undergraduate progress by evaluating projects, papers, and/or exams*
• Advising undergraduates by holding office hours outside of class

Students may make grade suggestions; the instructor of record will be responsible for all final grades.

Note: To be eligible, a student must be enrolled in the MA Program in English, Concentration in Linguistics or TESOL, and must formally apply for this Practicum on a semester-by-semester basis. Only students who have been accepted to Eng 804 by the instructor of record may enroll.