TESOL - Teaching of English as a Second Language

 

Click here to view the TESOL Course Timetable Fall 2011  Winter 2012

Click here for TESOL Diploma and Certificate Courses

 

A Brief History of VCC’s TESOL Department
Vancouver Community College is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) and is home to the largest TESOL teacher training program of its kind in Western Canada. This achievement is due to the 22-year history of the program and, most importantly, to the faculty who are highly respected for their expertise in teacher training.

VCC’s TESOL Department provides a comprehensive program of studies, offering five different teacher training programs: the TESOL Diploma, the TESOL Certificate, the TEFL Certificate, the Tutoring Certificate, and the TEFL Certificate for Young Learners. Additionally, VCC’s TESOL Department offers a wide range of special interest electives.

For many years the guiding force behind VCC’s TESOL Program was Jennifer Pearson Terell. The current TESOL team includes department head Joann Chernen, program assistant Dorothy Giroux, regular instructors Sarah Burwood, Rita Dickson, Liet Hellwig, and Anita Schuller and auxiliary instructor Sara Yuen.

Since the program’s inception in 1986, literally thousands of satisfied students have graduated with a VCC TESOL Certificate or Diploma. The goal of VCC’s TESOL Department is to continue to build on its commitment to excellence in TESOL teacher training.

The following comments illustrate the satisfaction of VCC’s TESOL graduates and further serve to illustrate the strength and hallmark of our programming – the ability to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

“Never in my life (and I’ve been in education for more than 25 years) have I met so many talented and devoted instructors. They are not only knowledgeable, but also dynamic and charismatic. I look forward to updating my knowledge in the future and seeing the instructors again by attending electives. I strongly recommend the TESOL Diploma Program not only to those new to teaching, but to experienced teachers as well. This program provides you with the guidance of highly qualified and enthusiastic instructors, and also provides numerous handouts and resources that can be used in a real classroom.” -Nonna Ketskalo, TESOL Diploma Graduate June 2009 “I wanted to let you know how impressed I am with the TESOL instructors. They are really super– they know their stuff, are enthusiastic and model exactly what they want us to do and learn. And there is no shortage of material – and good stuff it is. They have lots of great material and ideas.” -Stan Holman, TESOL Certificate Graduate May 2009 “I am so happy that I had the opportunity to take the VCC TESOL Certificate program. I feel that it was absolutely necessary to get going with my ESL career in Vancouver, and completely relevant for the knowledge and skills that are needed for the teaching positions here.” -Celina Mikolajczyk, TESOL Certificate Graduate February 2009

VCC Instructor Biographies

Joann Chernen BA, TESOL Diploma, MA in TESL/TEFL
Department Head and Instructor
Joann has a rich and varied background in the field of TESOL, having been involved in adult ESL for over 28 years in a variety of settings. Joann is the department head of TESOL at Vancouver Community College. She has written a book entitled Interactive Pronunciation Games and is the author of a chapter in Insights on Teaching Speaking in TESOL, part of the TESOL Classroom Practice Series. Joann also contributed tasks and advice to Doing Task-based Teaching, an Oxford Handbook for Language Teachers by Dave and Jane Willis. Joann has considerable experience in the areas of teacher-training and curriculum and materials design. Other areas of specialization include pronunciation and content-based instruction.

Sarah Burwood BA, CTESOL, DTEFLA, MA
Instructor
Sarah has taught ESL and EFL, and managed ELT programs for adults and young learners, since 1988 in Canada, the U.K., Italy and Poland. Her special areas of interest include teacher development and training, supporting new teachers, young learners, and the creation of materials and academic resources. She has published Projects for Children and Teenagers with Oxford University Press. Sarah teaches the in-class TESOL Diploma courses Teaching Listening and Speaking, Teaching Reading, TESOL Overview and the TESOL Internship, various TEFL/Tutoring ESOL courses and TESOL Electives, the TESOL Certificate and the TEFL Certificate for Teaching Young Learners.

Rita Dickson, BA, TESOL Diploma, MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL
Instructor
Other than a winter teaching Adult Basic Education in the western Arctic, Rita has taught ESL in the Vancouver area since 1993. She’s taught international students and immigrants, in literacy to advanced levels. She also teaches a communication skills course in the Canadian Pharmacy Practice Program, the UBC School of Pharmacology’s bridging program for foreign-trained pharmacists. Rita has worked as a teacher trainer at Vancouver Community College since 2000; her special area of interest is making pronunciation theory and resources more accessible for use in the field of ESL instruction. Rita teaches both the online and in-class TESOL Diploma courses Teaching Pronunciation and Communications and Culture, the TEFL/Tutoring ESOL course Teach/Tutor Pronunciation, various TESOL Electives and the TESOL Certificate.

Liet Hellwig, BA, PGCE, MA (Linguistics and Literature), M.Phil. (Second Language Acquisition)
Instructor
Liet has taught ESL/EFL since 1978 in Jordan, Palestine, England, the Netherlands, Mexico, Indonesia, France and Canada. She has also worked as a teacher trainer in Mexico, Indonesia, Jordan, China and Canada since 1984. Her special areas of interest include teacher training, IELTS, EAP, and grammar instruction. Liet teaches the in-class TESOL Diploma Courses Teaching Grammar 1 and 2, the TESOL Overview, as well as the TEFL/Tutoring ESOL course Teach/Tutor Grammar, various TESOL Electives and the TESOL Certificate.

Anita Schuller, BA,TESOL Diploma, MA
Instructor
Anita has taught ESL at various levels to both immigrants and international students since 1990. She has worked as a teacher trainer at Vancouver Community College since 2002. Anita is an experienced distance education teacher trainer and currently teaches the online TESOL Overview, Teaching Grammar 1, Teaching Listening and Speaking and Teaching Academic English. Anita also teaches the in-class TESOL Diploma courses TESOL Overview and Teaching Writing, various TESOL Electives and the TESOL Certificate. Anita’s special areas of interest are teaching ESL at lower levels and incorporating music into the ESL classroom.

Sara Yuen, BA, TESOL Diploma, MEd (TESL) in progress
Instructor
Sara has taught literacy and ESL/EFL since 1991 in a wide variety of settings in Canada and China. Her special areas of interest are community-based language learning and critical/participatory approaches to adult education. Sara teaches the online and in-class TESOL Diploma courses Teaching Reading and Teaching Writing, the in-class TESOL Overview, various TESOL Electives and the TEFL/Tutoring ESOL course Teach/Tutor Conversation Skills.

Dorothy Giroux
Program Assistant
Dorothy has been part of the TESOL Department since 1996 and can provide detailed information about all of the TESOL, TEFL and Tutoring ESOL certificate and diploma programs offered by the TESOL Department.

 

 

TESOL Department - 250 West Pender, Vancouver, BC V6B 1S9 | phone: 604-443-8665 | fax: 604-443-8393 | email: tesol@vcc.ca