SEGi University’s Faculty of Education offers a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) Degree for pre-service teachers with specialisations in Early Childhood Education, Special Needs Education, TESL, and Guidance & Counselling.
TESL or Teaching English as a Second Language is a popular programme of choice for those who enjoy creative teaching. ESL (English as Second Language) is widely taught to non-native speakers and in countries where English is not the first language. While Malaysia is not an English speaking country, the mastery of the language is important as English is a global and widely accepted trade language.
Mastering English is also important to increase techno-literacy especially since we are headed towards a technology-driven economy. More importantly, English has become an important requirement in the recruitment process as most employers expect their workforce to be proficient communicators. So, if you’re worried about your employability prospects, a good grasp of the English language does give you an added advantage.
This article will give 6 reasons to pursue TESL with SEGi
- It is taught by academic and industry experts
The versatile TESL programme at SEGi is taught by highly experienced industry leaders in the field. Our expert educationists have a decorated career that spans over 20 to 30 years. They’ve served in various education and leadership roles in the Ministry of Education such as the Curriculum Development Department and Research and Planning Unit. One of them also sat in the English Language Expert Panel for the country. The entire faculty also has curriculum experts and techno-savvy lecturers who are geared up to provide a holistic and balanced teaching and learning (T&L) experience.
- Our curriculum is integrated with 21st Century Skills elements
TESL at SEGi is unique because it equips future educators with relevant knowledge and skills to be great communicators, creators, collaborators, and critical thinkers – all the tenets of 21st century learning. Our curriculum has relevant subjects that facilitate ESL teaching, namely the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing which is integrated with grammar, vocabulary and assessment.
We also have Literature and Drama to hone students’ creative thinking capabilities as students must create, plan and implement a literary or drama production within their capacity.
Students are also exposed to Teaching Materials Development where they will have to adopt and adapt various teaching methodologies into the pedagogy for more effective T&L.
- SEGi’s programme integrates technology-assisted learning
SEGi’s B.Ed TESL programme has pioneered the certification of teachers in technology education whereby all graduate teachers will be Google Certified Educators starting this year. The B.Ed curriculum covers subjects such as Technology in Education which integrates the Google for Education Certification Training. Students will be exposed to Google Classroom and G Suite applications to encourage them to integrate technology learning into their T&L process in future.
Students also learn a subject called Technology in Education where they are exposed to Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) which helps to increase learner’s autonomy, creativity, productivity and teamwork.
- SEGi programme meets the international framework for references
Our curriculum is aligned to CEFR (Common English Framework of Reference). CEFR is an international standard that describes language ability based on a six-point scale, from A1 for beginners, up to C2 for those who have mastered a language. This makes it easier for anyone involved in language teaching and testing, such as teachers or learners, to see the level of different qualifications.
- SEGi promotes a wholesome learning experience
Our curriculum is flexible and we promote balanced learning with 50-50 theory to practice ratio. We also work closely with schools and communities so that pre-service teachers are constantly exposed to actual classroom and community settings to prepare them mentally and emotionally.
Our school also uses the Flipped Classroom concept to develop students’ leadership skills and encourage to be independent, lifelong learners.
In terms of facilities, SEGi has a Digital Learning Lab and several classrooms with interactive whiteboards such as the SMART Board. We also use Chromebooks to aid our T&L. Soon, we will be introducing subjects like Technology Leadership which embeds the concepts and principles of IR4.0 so pre-service teachers are better prepared for the modern-day teaching environment.
- SEGi’s education system encourages research and development
SEGi pushes its future educators to be innovative problem solvers and decision-makers, hence the B.Ed programme strongly emphasises on the principle that every teacher is a researcher. During their practicums, students are required to conduct a Final Year Research Project where they’ll need to identify contemporary challenges and trends in the industry and recommend feasible and innovative solutions. SEGi also encourages students to take up active research work and publish and disseminate their findings through journals and conferences.
There are certainly a lot more unique features that make SEGi’s TESL programme standout. Visit https://university.segi.edu.my for more details and to find out how you can register.