About
The Department of Urban Education is committed to linguistic equity. The English as a Second Language (ESL) and Bilingual/Bicultural Education offerings provide a critical need for urban school communities. In New Jersey alone over 30% of young people five years of age or older speak a language other than English. Our Urban Education graduates are highly sought after by school districts as ESL and bilingual teaching positions are in great demand throughout the country.
Endorsement Programs
Endorsement programs are for teachers who already have instructional certifications in other areas. The English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement supports teaching English to students whose heritage language is a language system other than English. To enroll in the Bilingual/Bicultural endorsement program you must already be fluent in a language other than English, as this endoresement supports teaching content in dual languages. Both of these programs require candidates to take the ACTFL exam during the program to demonstrate oral and written fluency (OPI/WPT).
The specifics of each endorsement program can be found in the following course planners:
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English as a Second Language (ESL) Program (5 courses)
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Bilingual/Bicultural Education Endorsement Program (4 courses)
Application and Program Requirements
Students may apply for the endorsement programs throughout the year. You can design and pace your own program schedule, with the option to complete the entire endorsement program in one year. Application deadlines are as follows:
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Summer session due May 1
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Fall session due July 15
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Spring session due October 1
Applicants must submit transcripts verifying a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and a copy of teaching certificates.
Please contact us at postbacc.urbaned@newark.rutgers.edu for more information.
Course Overview
Our ESL and Bilingual/Bicultural Teaching Certification Programs include seven core courses. These courses have an asset-based, justice-orientated approach to language acquisition and pedagogy.
This course provides Bilingual/ESL teachers with a comprehensive overview of the English Language Learner in the U.S. and New Jersey. Students will understand the rapid demographic transformation and its effects in the public schools, and as a result, exhibit greater appreciation for the needs and challenges that individual and/or specific populations of English learners face.
This course examines the various facets that impact a bilingual/bicultural learner. It begins by providing a deeper understanding of how the brain, comparative language analysis and culture relate to the bilingual learner. The course also provides an outline of the history of Bilingual Education and ESL, which depicts the evolution of Federal and various State policies and its implications on the bilingual/bicultural learner.
This course is designed to illuminate future language teachers’ understanding of the linguistic and cultural diversity among English language learners by reviewing research on language development in social context. Understanding how cultural factors influence many aspects of second language learning and use will enable teachers to discover the relationship between culture, language teaching, and learning. Language and cultural differences affecting English language learners’ success will be covered extensively to provide language teachers with the tools to promote equity and social justice, and to make developmentally appropriate educational decisions which recognize the implications of diversity for teaching and learning in a multicultural society.
This course aims to provide comprehensive coverage of second language acquisition (SLA) with theoretical cases and facts to understand how second languages are learned. Second language learning is covered within language in context; linguistic, psycholinguistic, and neurolinguistic perspectives; skill learning; individual differences; setting for learning; and assessment of second language (L2) knowledge. This course will enable candidates to discover and use research to identify how different approaches to learning a second language might be applied to pedagogical practices in order to enhance students’ levels of language proficiency at the various stages of language acquisition.
This course begins by examining various components of the English language through World-class Instructional Design and Assessment, WIDA. Participants are also gain a deeper understanding of the theory of English language acquisition and its pivotal role in ESL methodology; while delving into instructional ESL practices, such as Sheltered English Instruction, assessments and co- teaching as a means of addressing the academic needs of English language learners.
This course is designed so that students can develop an understanding of how socio-political marginalization influences the development of vocabulary. Additionally, the course provides the content for students to gain a deeper understanding of how scaffolding is utilized as an instructional tool. Throughout the course, students will examine brain-based learning and language in order to foster vocabulary building across content areas, as well as develop and evaluate strategies to build literacy in various content areas.
This course is an introduction to the study of language and linguistics as a foundation of language learning and teaching. It covers the rudiments of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics as well as psycholinguistics to help us understand how we produce and comprehend language. In addition, the field of computational linguistics is explored not only to understand how humans and computers process language but how computers can help us to test linguistic theories about language. This course aims to foster understanding of language form, language meaning, and language in context within the field of linguistics and the linguistic features which are crucial to second/foreign language learning and pedagogy.
