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Alison David
Joined: 05 Dec 2011
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 7:17 pm Post subject: STI (Sookmyung Tesol International)??? |
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Cross-posting from the Teacher Training forum (not sure which is best as this is local).
Hi -- new here. I arrived recently in Korea and pretty quickly I realized I needed some training up as an English teacher. A colleague mentioned SMU-TESOL at Sookdae as the best TESOL program, and I see on their website they've got a course for "International Teachers" -- STI. Does anyone here know anything about it?
Alison |
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nathanrutledge
Joined: 01 May 2008
Location: Marakesh
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| Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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It's a good program.
They partner with Oregon/Oregon State/Some university in Oregon for some of their tesol stuff, so they have American professors for some of the stuff. I personally know a couple of guys who work there, in the teacher training department, and they are solid instructors IMO. My current coworker actually got his MA from their, and he speaks quite highly of it. Sookmyung's English/TESOL/Education programs are some of the top ones in Korea. |
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tatertot
Joined: 21 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 12:05 am Post subject: |
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| I'm sorry, I don't have anything really worthwhile to add. I just wanted to say that their name leads to sort of an unfortunate acronym. |
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yolshim
Joined: 11 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 1:55 am Post subject: |
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Hi Alison, I am one of the instructors in the Sookmyung Tesol International program and I can give you some information. The program was created specifically for international teachers in Korea who want to pursue graduate studies while working full-time. After completing the program you will have a TESOL certificate and graduate credits that can be applied to over 20 foreign universities as well as our own MA TESOL program. If you want some more information feel free to pm me or contact SMU-TESOL.
Here is the link: http://tesol.sookmyung.ac.kr/workshop/index.php
Take Care! |
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1927
Joined: 02 Oct 2011
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| Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 3:53 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| The program was created specifically for international teachers in Korea who want to pursue graduate studies while working full-time. After completing the program you will have a TESOL certificate... |
This.
It is a good program depending on what you want out of it. However, as stated by yolshim, it is highly geared towards academic studies rather than practical teaching. Although a lot of the assessment is based on practical examinations, you will not gain a whole lot of authentic practical teaching time in comparison to the theoretical side of things. Having said that, the theory is valid and worth knowing for any ESLer.
Consider the following questions:
Will you learn a lot about teaching English to speakers of other languages?
Yes.
Will you gain a TESOL certificate that is highly recognized and respected in Korea?
Yes.
Will you gain a TESOL certificate that is highly recognized and respected internationally?
No.
Will you get a lot of authentic teaching practice?
No.
Will this be beneficial if you are considering doing further post-graduate study in the field?
Yes.
Is this a cheaper certificate option than other commonly known certificates?
Potentially - foreigners have the chance of a 'scholarship' in the form of refund in tuition fees (grades/ attendance dependent).
Is this a more convenient option for someone currently living and working in Korea?
Generally, yes - if you are in Seoul.
Hope that helps
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randolpt
Joined: 21 Oct 2007
Location: Itaewon, Seoul, Korea
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| Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 5:14 am Post subject: A couple of corrections |
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As another instructor on the STI course, it's great to see such generally strongly positive press here. I'd like to update some of the info here, as it's possible that the course Alison is asking about is being confused with other SMU Tesol courses.
-- SMU-TESOL is affiliated with University of Maryland Baltimore County, and their stateside faculty make regular visits to help develop knew faculty and consult on curricula.
-- On the one hand we are not internationally recognized (changing of late), but on the other our graduates walk away with great reference letters that include a description of a program that is more comprehensive and better-respected by universities worldwide than any Cert.
-- The STI course (distinct from the SMU-TESOL course for Korean nationals) is highly practical and built around it students' own current classroom teaching, so it is, in fact, exceedingly practical. Unlike most Cert courses, the emphasis of the STI course is on teacher development, rather than teacher training. The content includes everything on the famous cert courses, plus a focus on reflective teaching, Asian classrooms, and SLA and ICC.
Alison, do check out the website in the earlier post, or call/pm us. FB coming soon, too. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 7:55 am Post subject: |
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| tatertot wrote: |
| I'm sorry, I don't have anything really worthwhile to add. I just wanted to say that their name leads to sort of an unfortunate acronym. |
I was going to say, what an unfortunate name. |
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