Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA)
Grant
In the fall of 2002, the School
of Education at the College of Charleston received a $998,000
grant from the Office
of English Language Acquisition. The purpose of this grant
is to offer professional development courses and training for
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), mainstream teachers,
and teacher assistants. Following is an outline of what will be
offered throughout the next five years.
Tuition-Free Courses
For years, South Carolina ESOL teachers have
been taking courses in various places in order to qualify for
an add-on endorsement in the field. The College
of Charleston is now able to offer them the courses required
by the state. Because of the OELA grant, the College will offer
the courses tuition free. The grant will also pay for course books.
The majority of ESOL teachers do not live in
the Lowcountry. In order to offer these courses statewide, the
College of Charleston is working to develop the ESOL courses into
online ones. The first two courses were offered in the fall of
2003. Two ESOL courses will be offered each term.
Workshops for Teacher Assistants
The College of
Charleston has developed workshops for teacher assistants.
These workshops will be offered in three locations in various
places throughout South Carolina during 2004. The goal is to reach
as many South Carolina teacher assistants as possible. If you
think your district would like such a workshop, please contact
us.
Course for Mainstream Teachers
ESOL children spend the vast amount of time
with their mainstream teachers. For that reason, the College of
Charleston has developed a course for mainstream teachers. Any
teacher who teaches in a school with a growing number of non-English
speakers is eligible for a scholarship to take this course.
ESOL Summer Institutes
In 2006 and 2007, the College will offer
two ESOL summer institutes. The course titles have not been decided
upon as of yet. What will be presented will depend upon the needs
of South Carolina ESOL teachers.
