Practicum

Introduction

BA and Diploma students in Applied Linguistics are required to complete a 20-hour language teaching practicum (LING 476) in one of the private or public institutions in and around Victoria (and occasionally elsewhere) that support our program. Most students complete the practicum in their final year of studies.  The Applied Linguistics Assistant endeavors to find mutually satisfactory matches between each practicum student and the experienced instructors who mentor them. The Applied Linguistics program is grateful to Victoria-area schools and their experienced teachers who open their doors each year to new groups of practicum students.

Practicum Details

During the practicum, the students spend 10 hours assisting/observing and 10 hours practice teaching. The Applied Linguistics Assistant matches each LING 476 student with a Victoria-area Sponsor Teacher, who takes a mentoring role with the student for the duration of the practicum. The student and Sponsor Teacher work out a schedule for the hours to be spent in the classroom. Students are expected to be flexible in this regard, and to ensure that they have freed up sufficient time in their own schedules to devote to the practicum. To maximize the student's familiarity with the teachers and students, the typical progression is for the student to begin with assisting/observing hours, and then gradually take control of the teaching situation for longer periods of time. While we encourage Sponsor Teachers to give practicum students the opportunity to develop their own lessons and materials, it is understood that the ultimate decisions about content, presentation, and length of lessons rest with the Sponsor Teacher.

During the practicum, a second experienced instructor takes the role of Supervising Instructor. In consultation with the primary Sponsor Teacher, this individual will observe several lessons taught by the practicum student, then provide constructive feedback. We also ask Supervising Instructors to work with students as they develop their lesson plans leading up to the observations.

The Applied Linguistics program is extremely grateful for the ongoing support of Victoria-area language teachers in providing these opportunities for our students.

Students who will be enrolled in LING 476 in the following semester are strongly advised to meet with the ahead of the start of the course. 

Sponsor Teachers and Supervising Instructors

The Applied Linguistics program is always looking for new teachers to help with practicum students. If you are a teacher with 3+ years of experience with adult English-as-an-additional-language students, and would like to share your wisdom and ideas with a practicum student, please contact the .