The Bilingual Education program prepares students to become teachers of English as a second language (ESL) at the elementary or middle/high school level through a comprehensive course of study, which includes a strong arts and sciences component with emphasis on linguistics, culture, and a minor in a foreign language or other appropriate area selected in consultation with the academic advisor, professional education courses combining theory and practice, and specialization courses focusing on first- and second-language acquisition, literary instruction and assessment, and curriculum development. The program provides students the opportunity to apply the theoretical concepts learned during their coursework in supervised field placements in elementary, middle, or high school ESL, Dual Language, or Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) classrooms.
All BU undergraduate students, including both entering first-year and transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University's general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. Students majoring in Bilingual Education will ordinarily, through coursework taken in the Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, satisfy BU Hub requirements in Diversity, Civic Engagement, and Global Citizenship, Communication, and some elements of the Intellectual Toolkit, essential for educators working with other professionals and families. Additional requirements may be satisfied through required Arts & Sciences coursework, and it is important that students keep Hub requirements in mind when selecting these courses. Remaining BU Hub requirements will be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses outside the major or, in some cases, cocurricular experiences.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
Set specific, measurable, and realistic objectives for a lesson.
Develop lesson and unit plans in which objectives, assessment plans, and lesson activities are well aligned with one another.
Design lessons and unit plans that are informed by key aspects of theory and research on English learner (EL) education.
Use key linguistic and academic standards (including the Common Core State Standards, Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, and WIDA English Language Standards) to determine appropriate goals for their English learners according to their English proficiency and grade levels.
Plan and execute lesson activities that are informed by key second-language research and teaching methods.
Employ a variety of language and literacy assessments to identify ELs needs and to determine progress toward specific goals.
