Global Education in TESOL Plus Program with Professor Hee-Seung Kang
The TESOL Plus Program has been collaborating with our international partner institution in Brazil, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), to bring global education to our TESOL Plus students. This is a CiCan-funded project, which is led by Professor Hee-Seung Kang.
For this project, Professor Kang has co-developed and co-taught a module with professors at UFMG to promote intercultural and transnational learning within the Language Learning and Culture (EDUC 53243) course. The TESOL Plus students who took this class in Winter 2022 engaged in four weeks of collaborative online international learning (COIL) with students in Brazil. Through direct virtual collaboration with UFMG students (synchronous classes and asynchronous activities), TESOL Plus students explored topics such as the concept of culture, non-verbal communication, and World Englishes. By participating in discussions and collaborating with students abroad, pre-service ESL teachers fostered intercultural communicative competence and critical awareness on language and culture.
To further extend the global learning opportunities, Professor Kang and 7-14 TESOL Plus students will visit Brazil for two weeks in 2023. The students who participate in this experience will visit the UFMG campus and have opportunities to teach English in local elementary or high schools in Brazil.
