Academic Tutoring of English as a Second Language Students

This is one of a group of six courses that together lead to a Douglas College Certificate in Teaching and Tutoring English as a Second Language to Adult ESL Learners. Students in the course learn how to help individual ESL students improve their language skills and increase their academic success through strategy development, language development and cultural awareness. Students in the course participate in seminars on various topics pertinent to ESL tutoring such as assessing students’ needs, structuring tutoring sessions, choosing approaches and techniques, helping ethically and keeping records. A ten-hour tutoring practicum is included in the course.

Course Content

1. tutoring roles and relationships
2. communication skills
3. principles of tutoring
4. needs assessment strategies
5. individual learning plan development
6. tutoring techniques
7. academic skills (reading, writing, study skills, language learning)
8. structuring the tutoring session
9. coping with problems
10. resources for tutoring
11. record keeping
12. ethics of tutoring
13. developing tutoring skills through reflective practice

Methods of Instruction

1. Lecture/demonstration
2. Small group/pair discussion
3. Role play
4. Individual/small group presentations
5. Group discussion
6. Reading and writing assignments
7. Tutoring practicum

Means of Assessment

Students are assigned grades according to their level of achievement on a combination of evaluation instruments which may include written assignments, tests, reflective tasks, group projects, tutoring and tutoring simulations.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, the successful student can:

1. assess ESL students’ needs for tutoring support
2. create individual learning plans for ESL learners needing tutoring support
3. select and apply tutoring strategies
4. assess student progress
5. develop tutoring skills through reflective practice
6. help ESL students:
• develop effective independent language learning strategies
• develop English fluency and accuracy in writing, reading, listening, speaking and pronunciation
• develop effective study strategies appropriate to Canadian academic culture
• become more comfortable and effective in their academic and social environments

Admission to TESL Program

Corequisites

TESL 4201

TESL 4202

TESL 4203

TESL 4205

TESL 4206

Below shows how this course and its credits transfer within the BC transfer system. 

A course is considered university-transferable (UT) if it transfers to at least one of the five research universities in British Columbia: University of British Columbia; University of British Columbia-Okanagan; Simon Fraser University; University of Victoria; and the University of Northern British Columbia.

For more information on transfer visit the BC Transfer Guide and BCCAT websites.

If your course prerequisites indicate that you need an assessment, please see our Assessment page for more information.