Master of Arts Language Teaching and Learning

Lead Faculty: Dr. Jo Birdsell

The Master of Arts degree in Language Teaching and Learning is designed for practicing and potential educators interested in acquiring the knowledge, skills, abilities and authorization to deliver instruction in classrooms of English Language Learners. Candidates will develop a strong foundation in additional language acquisition, linguistics and language development, teaching methods and materials, standards based-assessment and culturally inclusive and responsive instruction. The program includes Specializations for candidates interested in teaching in bilingual classrooms where the students’ language of origin is predominately Spanish. An additional Specialization in Teaching and Learning in a Global Society is designed to provide non Spanish speaking candidates with knowledge, skills, and dispositions to effectively teach diverse students in our society.

Program Prerequisites
This program is designed for candidates who hold a California (CA) multiple Subject or single subject teaching credential.

Candidates seeking the specialization in Bilingual Cross-Cultural Language or the specialization in Spanish Language Instruction must be proficient in Spanish upon admission to the program and obtain a passing score on a grammar, reading, and composition examination through the NU Testing Center and an oral interview conducted by the program lead faculty.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, candidates are expected to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of educational philosophy, perspectives and practices related to language teaching and learning.
• Differentiate between factors of first and second language acquisition to analyze teaching and learning strategies.
• Demonstrate effective strategies, resources, and technologies for teaching English Language Learners (EL).
• Implement effective standards-based assessments of learning outcomes for EL learners.
• Analyze and apply culturally responsive and inclusive teaching strategies, including multicultural and multilingual approaches.
• Construct an Applied Research Project that reports findings from applied research and a presentation that describes the research findings.

Note: Using multiple measures of evaluation, the assessment of candidate’s performance will be based upon their mastery of the knowledge, skills and abilities presented in each of the courses.

Requirements

Degree Requirements  (10 courses; 45 quarter units)
To receive a Master of Arts in Language Teaching and Learning, students must complete 45 quarter units of graduate work. A total of 4.5 quarter units of graduate credit may be granted for equivalent graduate work completed, as it applies to this degree and if the units were not used in earning another advanced degree.

Core Requirements (6 courses; 27 quarter units)

Required Courses
LTL 600 - Found of Lang Teach & Learn
LTL 602 - Linguistics and Lang Learn
LTL 604A - Teaching Methods: Elem Schs
or
LTL 604B - Teaching Methods: Sec Schs
LTL 606A - S-B Assessment: Elem Schs
or
LTL 606B - S-B Assessment: Sec Schs
LTL 608 - Culturally Responsive Ins
LTL 690 Applied Research
(Prerequisites: Completion of all core and one area of specialization)

Specialization in Bilingual Cross-Cultural Language and Development (792)
Faculty Advisor: Jo Birdsell * (858) 642-8361* jbirdsell@nu.edu

This Specialization is designed to equip candidates with the skills necessary to provide specialized English Language Development (ELD) instruction to English Learners (EL).

Specialization Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this specialization, candidates are expected to:

• Demonstrate proficiency in using a variety of resources and processes to identify, describe and interpret geographic, demographic, sociopolitical, and socio-cultural events and contexts for Latinos in their countries of origin and in the United States
• Examine and apply instructional theories and approaches for bilingual education and bilingualism.
• Analyze and apply Spanish language and communication processes in instructional and community contexts.
• Develop and analyze program design, implementation and advocacy practices for programs designed to serve language minority and/or language majority students.

Required Courses (4 courses; 18 quarter units)
LTL 612S - Culture: Experiences in U.S.
LTL 614S - Bilingual Methods and Materials
LTL 616S - Language Comm: Spanish
LTL 618S - Program Design & Advocacy

Specialization in Spanish Language Instruction  (793)
Faculty Advisor: Jo Birdsell * (858) 642-8361* jbirdsell@nu.edu

This Specialization is designed to equip candidates with the skills necessary to provide English Language Development (ELD); Specially Designed Academic Instruction Delivered In English (SDAIE); and Content Instruction delivered In the primary language.

Specialization Outcomes

Upon completion of this specialization, candidates are expected to:

• Demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking Spanish for a variety of purposes in authentic contexts
• Analyze and apply the linguistic and cultural structures and functions of Spanish and English
• Analyze and compare Spanish and Latin American cultural traditions, perspectives, products, and practices from a historical, social and political perspective
• Examine and implement a variety of effective strategies, techniques, and approaches to teaching listening, speaking, reading, writing and cultural knowledge in Spanish

Required Courses (4 courses; 18 quarter units)
LTL 620S - Contrastive Analysis: Sp & Eng
LTL 622S - Cultural Texts and Traditions
LTL 624S - Language Teach and Assess: Spanish
LTL 616S - Language and Communication: Spanish

Specialization in Teaching and Learning in a Global Society (746)
Faculty Advisor: Gwendolyn Stowers * (858) 642-8333 * gstowers@nu.edu

This specialization is designed to provide candidates with the necessary knowledge, skills, and dispositions to teach in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms.

Specialization Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this specialization, candidates are expected to:

• Investigate global issues including Immigration, poverty, distribution of resources and power and how these issues affect classroom learning.
• Create anti-biased learning environments that foster respect for differences with equity and justice in pedagogy and curriculum.
• Think systematically, reflect on their practice, learn from and apply those experiences.

Required Courses (4 courses; 18 quarter units)
TED 665 - Cognition, Lang. & Cult
TED 666 - Cultural and Linguistics
TED 667 - Diversity and Change
TED 668 - Multicultural Literature

Program Information

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