This advanced level oral skills course is designed for graduate students whose secondary and/or college education was not in the English medium and who wish to become graduate student instructors (GSIs). Participants should already have fulfilled any other ELI language course requirements and should also have a reasonable expectation of teaching within a term of two of taking this course. Students learn strategies for giving effective lectures, leading discussion, and teaching interactively. They learn to ask effective questions, to respond to student contributions in class, and to get clarification when needed. They focus on the pattern of office hour interactions as well as ways to teach problem solving one-on-one or in small groups, and to handle other issues that may arise in office hours. Activities include five practice teaching sessions which range from introducing a topic to a 20-minute active learning lesson. In these sessions they also act as students for their classmates, offering praise and suggestions for improvement. Other feedback takes the form of self-assessment and suggestions from the instructor during video playback. In addition, students build skills and a repertoire of teaching techniques for the practice teaching through analysis and discussion of videos and transcripts of experienced teachers, observation of classes taught by effective GSIs in their disciplines, and activities designed to practice critical skills.

NOTE: This course cannot substitute for the ELI 994 course/workshop for prospective GSIs in LSA.