A tesol practicum in chile

Abstract

This chapter describes the TESOL practicum implemented by Universidad de Santiago de Chile. It begins by addressing the context in which English is taught and learnt in Chile and the implementation of national policies to improve the quality of instruction, including the development of standards for the awarding of teaching status to newly-qualified teachers. The TESOL practicum at Universidad de Santiago de Chile aids pre-service teachers’ smooth transition into the school system with the support of university-based supervisors and collaborative teachers from the host schools. Various tasks trainees are asked to perform attempt to foster a continuous reflective practice leading to teacher autonomy in the classroom. The described teaching practicum has advantages, such as the positive views that host teachers and school authorities have concerning the trainees’ teaching skills and their knowledge of TESOL methods. The author has also identified some areas of improvement, including the need to standardise practices and knowledge of assessment criteria by providing formal instruction to all host teachers. Also, it would be useful to implement trainees’ formal assessment of their teaching practicum experience. It was noticed that such improvements require the allocation of additional resources by the university, thus creating stronger links with practicum centres.