This course is a seminar style teaching practicum for international graduate students who are or who hope to be Teaching Assistants at NCSU. The class has two main purposes:

(1) To help ITAs improve their oral communication skills in a variety of instructional settings

     (e.g. lecture-discussion classes, teaching a lab class, and office hours);

(2) To assist ITAs in becoming more effective in using an interactive teaching style through a knowledge of

      and practice with different instructional options (questioning, teaching through problem solving, etc.)

The class will include:

Materials

1. Success With Presentations: A Course for Non-native Speakers of English, by Colleen Meyers,

    and Sheryl Holt
2. Folder or binder to keep course handouts and assignments in

NOTE: It is illegal to photocopy copyrighted materials. No photocopies of the text are allowed in the classroom. You must bring your own copy of the textbook to class every day, unless told otherwise.

Academic Integrity

All work done for this class must be completed by each student individually. Cheating will be dealt with according to University Policy.  Practicing your spoken English together with other learners of English and receiving pronunciation correction or help from native English speakers as you prepare your homework recordings and presentations is not cheating. It is encouraged as a useful way to improve your English.

Course Requirements

You must satisfy each one of the individual requirements for this class in order to pass the class. You will will not be eligible to retake the ITA screening unless you are performing satisfactorily in all parts of the course requirements.

In order to pass the class you must:

1. pronounce a minimum of 67 field-specific and general academic terms clearly with correct stress,

    consonants, and vowels.

2. pronounce a field-specific textbook passage clearly, with accurate pronunciation, appropriate thought groups,

    accurate rhythm, and good fluency.

3. present the information from a field-specific textbook passage with grammatical, idiomatic spoken English,

    clear pronunciation, using an teachign interactive style, and dealing well with audience questions.

Your oral midterm exam will consist of your chosen 80 academic terms (#1 above). Items #2-3 aabove make up the final examination. The final exam is an oral exam, a field-specific passage to read out loud (#2 above), and a spoken-English presentation based on the field-specific passage (#3 above).

4. receive an average grade of C or better on each of the following videotaped presentations and self-evaluations:

a) Presentation of a definition
b) Presentation of a process or problem solving
c) Presentation dealing with questions
d) Impromptu Presentations*
e) Roleplay of Office Hours

*There will three or four impromptus. Your grade will be an average of the top two of these.

5. attend and participate in all class and homework activities. This grade will be based on:

(1) promptness and attendance. You must arrive on time and attend every class.
(2) adequate preparation. You must do all reading and preparatory assignments.
(3) Bringing you book to class each day--This is absolutely required.
(4) recorded and written homework. All recorded and written homework must be turned in

     on the day it is due.

If you are taking this class for a letter grade, your final grade will be calculated as follows:

#1 (Pronunciation midterm) 15%
#2 (Oral reading of textbook passage) 5%
#3 (Lecture based on textbook passage) 15%
#4 (In-class presentations) 60%
#5 (In-class participation, preparedness) 5%

Remember--You must pass all sections (1-5) in order to pass the class.

Attendance

Your preparation for class by doing the assignments and your participation in class are crucial for your own improvement and for a good learning environment in the class. Therefore attendance is mandatory. Your grade will drop if you have more than two full absences. If you must miss part of the class, come to as much of it as you can. Missing part of a class counts as a partial absence. ALL PRESENTATIONS AND INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATIONS MUST BE DONE ON THE DAY ASSIGNED. ABSENCES FOR PRESENTATIONS AND CONSULTATIONS WILL RESULT IN A GRADE OF ZERO AND YOU MAY, AS A RESULT, FAIL THE CLASS.

Auditors

AUDIT in this class means that you are responsible to participate in class fully. You will receive an AU grade for the equivalent of A, B or C work, or NR for the equivalent of D or F work. If you don't attend class regularly, do all of the work, and maintain a passing grade, you will be asked to stop coming.

Responsibility for Learning

Any improvement you make in ths course will be a direct result of your own efforts, not the teacher's efforts. You will be provided with information about the English language and teaching practices in the United States, opportunities for purposeful practice, and suggestions of ways to improve beyond the classroom. No teacher can be responsible for your improvement. Only you can take this responsibility.

Class Syllabus