The Practicum in TESOL

Abstract

This article reports the results of a questionnaire survey of how the teaching practicum is conducted in U.S. graduate TESOL programs. Information was sought on the objectives of the practicum, the kinds of training experiences and activities employed, and how the practicum is implemented. The results are discussed with reference to key issues in the field of practice teaching in TESOL. The Directory of Professional Preparation Programs in TESOL in the United States (Frank-McNeil, 1986) lists 120 institutions that have programs leading to a master's degree. These programs typically offer a wide range of courses serving a diverse student population. Some lead to certification so that graduates may teach in public schools; other programs have a particular specialization, such as bilingual education, adult education, or teaching English overseas. Most attempt to achieve their goals through offering a balanced curriculum emphasizing both theory and practice. However, theory sometimes wins out over practice. In a survey of American MA TESOL graduates working in Japan (Richards & Hino, 1983), the most frequently studied courses in MA TESOL programs were phonology, transformational grammar, structural linguistics, second language acquisition, first language acquisition, and contrastive analysis. In the same survey respondents reported that the courses they found to be most useful in view of the professional demands made on them as practicing language teachers were practice teaching, classroom management, second language acquisition, materials writing and adaptation, method analysis, and phonology. In most MA TESOL programs, the practice teaching course, or practicum, is the major opportunity for the student teacher to acquire the practical skills and knowledge needed to function as an effective language teacher. Yet there is little research or literature in