Yale English Language Institute

Mission:

The program seeks to help international teaching assistants develop the skills and practices necessary to be successful in their teaching roles at the university. To achieve this end, the program provides training, information, and resources related to English-language development, cross-cultural classroom dynamics, and effective communication practices.

For more than thirty years Yale’s English Language Institute has had the privilege of providing language training to a distinguished group of scholars and future leaders. From government officials to faculty members to ground-breaking medical researchers, students in our courses have represented a diversity of professional interests, talents, and career paths. It has been our honor to know these students and to offer the language training that has helped to support their academic goals. As a member of this tradition, we hope you will choose to continue English language training through our courses and tutorials.

Our Courses:

Serving as a teaching assistant is both rewarding and challenging. To help first-time international teaching assistants prepare for their responsibilities, Yale offers language training in the form of specific courses and individual language instruction. Although these courses are not required, we strongly believe that improving your language and communication skills will greatly enrich your experience at Yale and allow you to have greater confidence in academic settings and future professional interactions.

Our fall and spring term courses will provide structured language and teaching development opportunities in small class settings. Each class will address the language proficiency and cross-cultural issues that affect teaching. Most classes also give students the change to integrate linguistic and teaching skills by means of activities that reflect authentic teaching scenarios.

The English Language Institute, with its tradition of more than forty years as the official program of English language instruction to non-native speakers in the Yale community, will offer the following courses for the fall term of 2008. These courses will begin the week of September 22nd and continue for eleven weeks. No classes will be held during Yale's Thanksgiving break. More information will be posted on September 3rd.

Courses are designed for graduate and professional students, postdoctoral students, research fellows, and visiting scholars. Students not in these categories may be admitted to classes with permission of the director. Because of the strong academic orientation of these courses, students are responsible for completing all assignments, whether written or oral. As with any language course, regular attendance is essential to advance skill levels as well as to receive course credit. Excessive absences will result in the loss of credit for the course.

At the conclusion of the course, students who have successfully completed all requirements, including the attendance requirement, will receive an official certificate. Reports evaluating graduate and professional students, including the letter grade received for the course work, will be sent to relevant departments and to the graduate school.


TO MEET INSTRUCTORS AND TO RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FALL COURSES, PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND AN ORIENTATION/INFORMATION SESSION ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH, 5-6 P.M., ROOM 100, CENTER FOR LANGUAGE STUDY, 370 TEMPLE STREET. AT THIS MEETING STUDENTS WHO TOOK THE SPEAK TEST IN AUGUST WILL RECEIVE ASSESSMENTS IF THEY DID NOT SCORE A 50 ON THE TEST.

CLASS SIZE WILL BE LIMITED. STUDENTS SHOULD REGISTER IN ADVANCE TO ENSURE A PLACE IN THE COURSE OR COURSES THEY HAVE CHOSEN.

REGISTRATION WILL TAKE PLACE THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 15th AT THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTITUTE OFFICE, 55 WHITNEY AVENUE, SUITE 430. AT THIS TIME STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE A REGISTRATION FORM AND SUBMIT PAYMENT.