Lakeland College

English as a Second Language

If you want to teach English, it's not enough to know English. And this rule applies many times over if your students have grown up using a native language other than English. The English as a Second Language (ESL) program shows aspiring teachers how to address the unique language issues faced by new users of English and explores the cultural issues faced by those students when they negotiate the English-speaking world, both in and out of school.

Lakeland students who gain this expertise, however, and receive their ESL teaching certification enter an educational system that desperately needs their services. Demographically and legislatively, the demand for ESL teachers has never been higher, with more of these rewarding positions opening every year.

English as a Second Language Minor
(23 semester hours)

for Early Childhood through Middle Childhood Certification (grades PK-6), Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence Certification (grades 1-8), or Early Adolescence through Adolescence Certification (grades 6-12)

• ENG 380/780 The English Language*
• ESL 321/721 English Grammar*
• One of the following:
  • HIS 202 U.S. History II
  • HISP 372 U.S. Ethnic History
• ESL 322/722 Second Language Acquisition and Applied Linguistics (2 semester hours)*
• ESL/EDU 324/724 Teaching Methods in ESL*
• One year of a foreign language (8 semester hours)

To qualify for either Early Childhood through Middle Childhood (grades PK-6) or Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence (grades 1-8) teaching certification in English as a Second Language, a student must complete the courses listed above, the Early Childhood through Middle Childhood Education Major/Professional Sequence or the Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence Education Major/Professional Sequence, and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's (DPI) statutory requirements.

To qualify for Early Adolescence through Adolescence (grades 6-12) teaching certification or Early Childhood through Adolescence (grades K-12) teaching certification in English as a Second Language, a student must complete the Early Adolescence through Adolescence Professional Sequence along with a certifiable major or the Early Childhood through Adolescence Professional Sequence along with a certifiable major and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's (DPI) statutory requirements.

*Students enrolled in Lakeland College's Master of Education (M.Ed.) graduate program may register for these courses for graduate-level credit.

ESL Faculty

Timothy Fojtik

Mr. Tim Fojtik, Interim Director of the English Language Institute, came to Lakeland in 2006. A native of the Milwaukee area, Fojtik has had the opportunity to study and work in a variety of...
Read more about Timothy Fojtik