The BA in Applied Linguistics: TESOL program offers comprehensive training in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. The goal is to train and equip aspiring teachers of English as a Second Language to become competent and confident teachers. Graduates from the program serve in various English teaching capacities all over the world.

Graduates receive a thorough grounding in TESOL, Bible and theology, Christian ministry, and arts and social science. The TESOL degree  has been carefully designed to offer what we believe to be the very best education and preparation possible for intercultural ministry using English language teaching. 

Graduates  are eligible for TESL Canada certification at Professional Standard Two.

Contact the TESOL program coordinator for information or to request a copy of the TESOL Student Handbook.
You can also request a chat with a current Applied Linguistics: TESOL student.

Program Accreditation

BA Applied Linguistics: TESOL is accredited at Professional Standard Two by TESL Canada, the national accrediting body for TESOL. TESL Canada is the national federation of ESL teachers, learners, and learner advocates. The organization certifies TESOL professionals and recognizes and endorses teacher training programs that provide high quality teacher education. Standard Two is the highest level of accreditation for undergraduate degrees, meaning that graduates are eligible to receive the qualification of choice of employers here in Canada and a de facto rubber stamp of training quality elsewhere in the world. At almost 500 hours of TESOL and TESOL-related instruction, the four-year degree is one of the most comprehensive undergraduate TESOL degrees in North America, and has been accredited by TESL Canada since July 2007. 

This certification places Briercrest alongside the University of Saskatchewan as the two leading TESOL providers in the province and with Trinity Western University as one of only two Christian institutions in Canada that offer TESOL training at this level. Although TESL Canada certification does not confer provincial qualified teacher status on graduates, it is the qualification of choice for those working in the ESL profession outside the K-12 system. A student leaving a TESL Canada approved program can be confident that they will be well-prepared to provide adult ESL learners with excellent instruction in a wide variety of adult learner settings.  

Requirements

The TESOL curriculum offers courses designed around essential knowledge (e.g. Grammar and Phonology), language learning theory (e.g. Second Language Acquisition), and practice ( e.g. Language Teaching Methodology, English Language Skills, and Materials Development). In all courses, we strongly promote critical reflection and application of theory to practice.

The program includes a unique blend of Bible and theology, Christian ministry, and arts and social science courses. This balance equips TESOL graduates to serve God, the church, and the world, wherever He may be calling them.

Students will complete the four-year BA degree Core Curriculum, as well as 6 semesters of Service Learning. As part of their graduation requirements, all four-year BA students will also complete the Senior Portfolio (PRT 400).

Practicums

Practicums are essential to any program with a professional skills focus. The TESOL program has two official practicums.

In the first practicum, students spend their time in an established teaching context observing the work of a qualified and experienced sponsor teacher. Observations are guided and focus on different aspects of teaching practice. Toward the end of the first practicum, there are opportunities for students to do some guided teaching and get their first experience of standing in front of a class.

The second practicum offers opportunities to doo 10 hours of solo teaching under the guidance of a qualified and experienced sponsor teacher with opportunities for input and feedback from both TESOL professionals and the Briercrest TESOL faculty.

Pre-Internships

Students who have completed their first full year of TESOL are eligible to go on a pre-internship including an all-expenses-paid six-week pre-internship in Hong Kong teaching English in elementary and high schools.

Internships

The TESOL internship provides students with the chance to experience the opportunities and challenges of teaching English in a cross-cultural setting over an extended period (minimum of 45 hours of teaching; typically five weeks). The internship is completed in the summer following the third year of study and is designed to build on the initial teaching experience from the practicums. We regard the internship as the capstone of the student's practical teaching experience.

Over the past five years, students have taught in educational institutions in Afghanistan, Brazil, China, Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Yemen. We continue to develop close partnerships with foreign higher education institutions and mission organizations in order to be able to offer more internships.

Degree Requirements

(126 credit hours: minimum 39 at 300+ level)

BA Core Curriculum

(66 credit hours)

Required Courses

(39 credit hours)

Cognate Requirements

(6 credit hours)

Electives

(18 credit hours)

* 3 credit hours fulfilled in core: The Global Community

Laura Chalmers (BA 2007)

In the fall of 2008, Laura was hired as the director of ESL by Eston College, a Christian college in western Saskatchewan. Laura is continuing to work on building the ESL program at the college and takes yearly recruiting trips to places like Japan and Korea.

Becky (Cox) Duguid (BA 2008)

Becky and her husband, Duane, are currently working on learning the language and teaching English in a country in Asia. They are serving with our partner organization, ELIC.

Jocelyn Heller (BA 2008)

Jocelyn Heller is currently teaching English at an immigration services association in Medicine Hat, Alta. "Teaching is going really well. I love it," she said. "It is exciting to actually be able to use what I studied in college."

Lisa Stanley (AA 2008)

Lisa Stanley is teaching English at the Ukrainian Canadian Congress in Saskatoon and Saskatoon Open Door Society. "I love teaching. It really is the best job, and I can't imagine doing anything else," she said. "So thank-you for all of the work you put into your classes so I could be prepared to teach!"

Megan Giesbrecht (BA 2009)

Megan is employed as a youth leader at City Church in Winnipeg, a church that was planted in September 2009 for immigrants so that they can worship in their own languages. The church is growing very fast, and Megan is working with over 70 youth and even more young adults. "I am annoyingly in love with my job," she said.

Cheryl Rosenkerr (BA 2010)

Cheryl, who did her internship in Mongolia in 2009, recently returned to teach English at a well-known private school in Ulan Bator. "I know God has this all planned out for me and that I need to continue to put my absolute trust and faith in Him and Him alone!" she said.

Chaia Henderson (BA 2010)

Following a summer teaching at a language school in Cambridge, England, Chaia went to teach at a language school just outside of Moscow.

Kristen LeFave (BA 2010)

Kristen has recently taken up a fifteen month position with our partner organization, ELIC, teaching English in a country in northeast Asia. She is teaching on a team with her former boss from the International Centre for Students at the University of Lethbridge.

Annie Erikson (BA 2010)

Annie will be starting work in January teaching at a major language school in Peru. In addition to her teaching work she will be helping a local church with its ministry work in the city.

Natasha Friedrichsen (BA 2010)

Natasha, who did her internship in Mongolia in 2009, recently returned to teach English at a well-known private school in Ulan Bator. She joins Cheryl Rosenkerr (2010) who has been teaching at the school since last year.

 Ryan and Amanda Larson (BA 2010) 

Ryan and Amanda will be joining Kristen LeFave (2010) in February teaching English in northeast Asia for a year with our partner organization ELIC.

 Elizabeth Gruber (BA 2011) 

At the beginning of the year Elizabeth started out on the substitute list for Saskatoon Open Door Society however she was recently given her own class of students and is thoroughly enjoying teaching them.

 Oschean Ulmer (BA 2011) 

Oschean is currently teaching medical terminology to immigrant nurses at NorQuest College in Edmonton. Although the content of the class is very specialized, she is enjoying her teaching.

David Catterick

dcatterick@briercrest.ca
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David started his teaching career over twenty years ago, teaching English in a German school. Between 1989 and 1997, David taught English and ministered in four different colleges and universities in China, met his Canadian wife, and completed his M.Ed. in TESOL at the University of Manchester in the U.K. In 2010, he completed his PhD in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics at the University of Warwick in the UK.

During his final two years in China, David taught and developed courses for a graduate-level, in-service TESOL training program at China's largest teachers' university. In 1998, he went to teach English for Academic Purposes at the University of Dundee in Scotland, developing courses and programs to help international students cope with the challenges of English-medium higher education. In his final years at the university, David was also involved in a number of European Union-funded language projects in central and eastern Europe.

David has been teaching here at Briercrest College since August 2006. He enjoys the opportunity to "multiply ministries" through the field of TESOL, encouraging students to be used by God in English language teaching contexts around the world.

David likes to spend his spare time with his wife, Sandra, and their three school-age children, Sarah, Sophie, and Esther. David and his family love road trips on the wide open roads of North America.

Crista Cornelius

ccornelius@briercrest.ca
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Crista has been with the English Language Institute/China since 1993. During her first two years of service, she taught scientific writing, oral English for professional presentations, and British literature to graduate students at the University of Science and Technology in Hefei, which is one of China's top scientific research institutions.

From 1995 to 1997, she studied Mandarin Chinese at ELIC's Chinese Language Program in Changchun, China. In 1998, she was appointed the Director of ELIC's Chinese Language Program and served in this capacity until 2008. During that time, she taught Chinese, developed Chinese curriculum, trained and advised Chinese language learners and teachers, and provided administrative direction to the Chinese Language Program.

Crista's Chinese oral proficiency has been rated Superior according to the standards of the Amercan Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). She has also completed 180 hours of training in the use of the Growing Participator Approach, which seeks to integrate the cognitive, socio-cultural, and redemptive dimensions of language learning.

In her spare time, Crista enjoys hiking, biking, reading, and spending time with friends. She also enjoys travelling and is looking forward to seeing more of Canada and the American northwest.

Sandra Catterick

scatterick@briercrest.ca

Sandra started her post-secondary education at Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas, where she obtained a two-year diploma in practical theology. She then continued her studies at Roberts Wesleyan University and graduated with a B.Sc. in Elementary Education. Upon graduation, she wondered whether a lifelong career teaching in Canadian elementary schools was what God had for her. Even as a young child, Sandra realized that God was calling her to serve in China. Sandra answered that call in 1991, and with her husband David, whom she met in China, she has been involved in language teaching ever since.

Sandra's teaching career has taken her to Australia, Canada, China, England, and Scotland. She has a passion for ministry training and wants to see young people released to serve God as English language teachers.

Sandra started to teach the TESOL program's practicum courses in the 2008-2009 academic year. She also currently works as a supply teacher in the Prairie South School Division.

Outside the classroom, Sandra likes to spend time with her family and friends. She likes to travel and hopes to see more of North America now that she is back in her home country.

Cassi Fawcett

cfawcett@briercrest.ca

Cassi began her ministry experience in a jungle on the Amazon River where she discovered her passion for people and Truth. Soon after, she redirected her studies to pursue English education so she could enter full-time ministry as an English language teacher. She began her career teaching in Venezuela and then at an inner-city middle school in southern Florida. She then followed her passion to China, where she worked with English Language Institute - China, teaching English on a university campus.

Cassi completed her master's degree in TESOL at Azusa Pacific University in California. During her years of part-time study, she taught at Anhui Normal University in Wuhu, China, where she also served as the teaching team leader. She then took on the role of curriculum project coordinator and led a team to write a one-year university English curriculum that ELIC teachers across Asia use. After three years in Wuhu, she moved to Beijing to join ELIC's national leadership team as the teacher development director, where she was responsible for ongoing training and teacher support. In this role, she was able to integrate her love for teaching and her passion for Truth to train and empower teachers to live and work catalytically.

After six years in China, Cassi began a study leave with ELIC to pursue the additional skills and specialization necessary to teach more strategically into the Chinese education system. She completed a Master's degree in Research in Applied Linguistics at The University of Sydney in Australia and is currently working on her PhD in Applied Linguistics. Her research is uniquely focused on Mainland Chinese students of English and is providing powerful insights into their development of academic literacy.

Cassi is new to our faculty this spring, but is familiar with Briercrest through her ELIC connections. The school's commitment to integrating professionalism and viewing learners as holistic individuals aligns with her own passion for integrating her love for teaching with her love for people.

Outside the classroom, you'll usually find Cassi enjoying the amazing coffee Sydney offers or making Chinese dumplings with her Chinese friends. She travels extensively and takes every opportunity possible to visit family in the United States.

Why TESOL at Briercrest College and Seminary?

Here are just ten reasons why you should study TESOL at Briercrest College and Seminary:

1. The program is based at a college with a great reputation.

Briercrest College and Seminary has a strong reputation for preparing students for ministry and has over 20,000 alumni who are serving God in more than 80 countries around the world.

2. The program is situated in a wider educational context.

In addition to TESOL-specific studies, students benefit from studies in Bible and theology and receive a liberal arts education through courses in history, philosophy, and the social sciences.

3. The program is led by highly qualified and experienced faculty.

The TESOL faculty have master's degrees and PhDs and are able to draw on more than half a century's collective experience in teaching and training.

4. The program has a strong spiritual emphasis.

Whether through prayer for missionaries and nations at the start of our classes or in a faculty member's office, our goal is that our students know who they are in Christ and have hearts focused on ministering that good news.

5. The program is missions-focused.

We partner with Christian organizations to ground the program in ministry practice. In fact, we are a preferred North American undergraduate training partner for ELIC, the world's largest Christian organization involved in TESOL.

6. The program provides extensive training.

Most TESL Canada Professional Standard Two programs offer just 250 hours of TESOL-specific training. In contrast, Briercrest's BA program has almost 500 hours of TESOL-specific and related training, making it one of the most extensive undergraduate programs in North America.

7. The program promotes experience before graduation.

Students graduating from other programs might have as few as 10 hours of teaching experience. Students graduating from Briercrest's BA who have taken the pre-internship typically have up to 200 hours of teaching experience, most of it abroad.

8. The program encourages service.

We create opportunities for our students to serve long before they graduate by serving at an after school club for immigrant children or by teaching at a local immigrant centre as part of their service learning.. Also, as part of their Materials Development course, they do a consultancy in which they create materials for practicing ESL teachers in the province.

9. The program is relational.

Faculty and students in the program refer to themselves as the TESOL family. Apart from meeting throughout the year, commitment to one another is evident by very high levels of pastoral care and concern.

10. The program produces graduates who are in high demand.

We are constantly receiving requests for our graduates from both faith-based organizations and secular institutions. It is not just our program that has a reputation for quality. Our students prove this quality by virtue of their teaching both before and after they graduate.