M.A. TESOL 50th Anniversary San Francisco State University

M.A. TESOL Faculty

Priyanvada Abeywickrama

Ron Martinez

David Olsher

Maricel Santos

Elizabeth Whalley

M.A. TESOL

Student Association 2014-2015 Co-Presidents

Lindsey Sivaslian Aaron Sun

Treasurer

Evan Kaiser

Social Coordinators Moena Mukai Will Loving

Brendon Peacock

TESOL Talk Coordinators Sarah George

Erin Lake Erika Reyes

Buddy Coordinators

Lea Gabay Tarek Al Zand

M.A. TESOL Program http://matesol.sfsu.edu/  

M.A. TESOL 50th Anniversary

http://matesol50.wordpress.com/    

M.A. TESOL 50th Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/matesol50  

 

 

San Francisco State University M.A. TESOL

50th Anniversary Celebration

Friday, October 17, 2014 3:00-5:00pm

Seven Hills Conference Center San Francisco State University Campus

Video Short – TESOL: Changing Lives

Welcome

President Wong: TESOL Program and Historical Context

Program Coordinator: TESOL Program Highlights

Alumna Ann Fontanella, TESOL 2014 Teacher of the Year

TESOL Student Association Leaders: Announcements

Faculty Emeriti Recognition

In Memoriam: A Moment of Silence

Three Tenors

Toast with Cake and Champagne

Acknowledgements

M.A. TESOL Program A Brief History

SF State has offered classes in English as a Second Language (ESL) since 1949, when Professor Lois Wilson began teaching classes for international students in the English Department. These classes were designed to strengthen the English skills of non-native English speakers whose academic preparation qualified them for admission to San Francisco State College (our name until 1972), but whose oral and written proficiency in English put them at a disadvantage. These courses continued, and the ESL program has grown from fewer than 10 sections in the 1950s to 60-70 sections a semester in recent years. As interest in teaching the ESL classes increased over time, there emerged a need for teacher preparation classes to train the instructors. The first methodology classes in teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language began in spring 1959, taught by Professor Wilson. She was soon joined by Professor Dorothy Danielson. Together with other members of the English Department, these faculty members proposed a Master’s degree program with concentration in Teaching English as a Foreign/Second Language (TEFL) in 1961-62. By 1963 the M.A. TEFL program was in place, and it has grown steadily over the past 50 years. From the inception of the M.A. program, there have been close ties with ESL courses for university students as well as the American Language Institute (ALI). The ALI, an intensive English Program, offers valuable language training for international students seeking to enter graduate and undergraduate programs at SF State and across the country. In addition, the ALI provides a rich teacher development experience for M.A. students in our program. To this day, instructors and staff members of the ALI are drawn from the M.A. program. In 1996, the name of the degree was changed to the M.A. in English with concentration in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), incorporating the “TESOL” acronym that is the standard term in the field and reflects current global perspectives on English language education. Each semester since 1994, the graduating M.A. TESOL class has organized a program conference, which provides students with an opportunity to showcase their achievements and expertise as TESOL practitioners. The conference features high-quality presentations on a diverse array of current TESOL topics. The event has gained a reputation as one of the best “bang for your buck” TESOL conferences in the Bay Area.

The conference is attended by students, faculty, family members and friends, as well as ESL program directors/employers, local teachers, and prospective students who wish to learn more about our program. As with the ALI, the close relationship between the M.A. TESOL program and SF State’s undergraduate ESL program – now referred to as the Composition for Multilingual Speakers (CMS) Program – has remained strong through the years. Most of the current CMS faculty are graduates of the M.A. TESOL program and assisted in ESL classes while they were graduate students. In addition, there is a close connection between the M.A. TESOL Program and two campus tutoring centers in which our graduate students work, are trained, and gain teaching experience: the English Department's English Tutoring Center and the University's Learning Assistance Center. The M.A. TESOL program also maintains close relationships with many ESL programs in the Bay Area – City College of San Francisco, Refugee Transitions (San Francisco), Canal Alliance ESL Program (San Rafael), The English Center (Oakland), and Skyline College (San Bruno) – all programs where our students routinely observe, volunteer, and do student teaching, and where many of our graduates ultimately get jobs. The M.A. TESOL program also has cultivated partnerships with other universities in the U.S. and abroad, including Portland State University and Kwansei Gakuin University (Nishinomiya, Japan). These partnerships support collaborative research projects as well as faculty/student exchanges. Collaboration with City College of San Francisco’s (CCSF) non-credit ESL program is particularly strong because of our community service-learning initiative, Project SHINE, now in its 19th year of existence. Each year, graduate students in TESOL, Linguistics, and other programs are part of a cadre of “coaches” providing over 300 hours of instructional support in adult literacy classrooms throughout San Francisco. Over its first 50 years, SF State’s M.A. TESOL program has become one of the most respected programs in the world. Its nearly 2,500 graduates are leaders in the field as teachers, teacher trainers, textbook writers, program directors and graduate faculty in programs throughout the area and across the globe.

 

SFSU M.A. TESOL Faculty  By year of appointment

1949 - Lois Wilson

1954 - Thurston Womack

1955 - Helen Hinze

1958 - John Dennis

1962 - Dorothy Danielson

1964 - Danny Glicksberg

1966 - Ken Croft

1975 - Jim Kohn

1978 - Sandy McKay

1981 - Pat Porter

1982 - Brad Arthur

1983 - Tom Scovel

1983 - Doug Brown

1984 - Barry Taylor

1986 - May Shih

1987 - Elizabeth Whalley

1992 - Gail Weinstein

 

           

In Memoriam    

We dedicate this page to the memory of all the M.A. TESOL faculty and alumni

we have lost over the years.

We miss you, and we honor your presence in the TESOL community.

 

Auld Lang Syne Sing along with the Three Tenors

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne!

We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,

For auld lang syne!

 

The current moment at San Francisco State University is a particularly timely one in which to mark the 50th anniversary of the MA TESOL program, for 2013 was a year when SFSU noted with particular pride the human diversity of our campus and affirmed in its strategic plan the core values of equal opportunity and social justice. We have reason to be proud; according to US News and World Report’s 2014 rankings, our campus is one of the top 15 universities for campus diversity. In Fall 2013, international enrollment included more than 1600 students from 90 countries. The Institute of International Education lists our campus as typically enrolling more international students than any other master’s degree granting institution in the United States.

The fact that SFSU can make such claims is not coincidental with the 50th anniversary of SFSU’s MA TESOL program. The diversity our campus enjoys today has roots in a time way back in 1949 when English Professor Lois Wilson recognized that the small handful of international students qualified for admission to San Francisco State were at a distinct academic and social disadvantage in the absence of courses to support their oral and written English proficiency. To help mitigate these linguistic and social barriers, Professor Wilson (later joined by colleague Dorothy Danielson) began offering a small number of ESL courses through the English Department. As demand for these courses grew, so too did the need for a comprehensive program of teacher preparation, and by 1963 MA TEFL (as it was known then) became a graduate degree program in SFSU’s English Department.

In the decades since, our TESOL program has grown considerably in stature, in the numbers of new teachers it graduates each year, and in the numbers of English language learners around the world who have benefitted from the expertise of graduates from our program. So on this occasion of its 50th anniversary, it is fitting that we not only congratulate the MA TESOL program for its longevity and global reach, but also offer our profound appreciation for its longstanding commitment to human diversity and for providing equal educational opportunities for all our students.

Sugie Goen-Salter Chair and Professor of English San Francisco State University

October 7, 2014 Department of English San Francisco State University 1600 Holloway Avenue San Francisco, CA 94132 Dear San Francisco State University MATESOL Program, It is our honor, on behalf of the TESOL International Association, to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the faculty, staff and students of the San Francisco State University as you celebrate the 50th Anniversary of your MATESOL Program. This is an important milestone as it signifies over 50 years of innovation and excellence in language teacher education. San Francisco State University has been the site of intellectual, cultural and social innovation and its MATESOL program a catalyst for teacher education that is rooted in the advocacy for social and economic justice, world peace, and responding to the needs of language learners from a diverse cultural and linguistic background. The San Francisco State University’s MATESOL Program has been one of the pioneering and exemplary MATESOL programs in the English Language Teaching (ELT) field, where many well-known scholars in the ELT field have made their mark in the field of TESOL and Applied Linguistics. Their research and publications have significantly shaped the ELT field, particularly in the areas of Principles of Language Teaching and Learning, Assessment, Psycholinguistics, Workplace English for Special Purposes, Immigrant Rights and Learner’s Lives as Curriculum, Participatory Adult Education and Collaborative Community Programs such as Shine, Circle, Second Language Writing and Discourse Analysis, to name a few. Over the years, your outstanding faculty members have been staunch supporters of TESOL International Association and its mission by serving as TESOL President (H. Douglas Brown,1980-1981), Board of Directors (Gail Weinstein,2000-2003), on TESOL standing committees, interest sections and presenting frequently at TESOL conventions and other

events both locally and globally. This year, TESOL's 2014 Teacher of the Year Award recipient, Ann Fontanella, is a graduate of your MATESOL program. TESOL is very grateful for your great contribution to the Association, your strong commitment to the ELT profession and your accomplishments over the past 50 years. May your MATESOL Program continue another 50 years of innovation and excellence in language teacher education! Your MATESOL program is a shining example of hope for the future of the coming generations and indeed, the world. Again, our warmest wishes on behalf of TESOL International Association to you all for a highly successful legacy and enjoyable celebration and for many more years of excellent service to the ELT community! Warmest regards,

Yilin Sun, Ph.D. Rosa Aronson, Ph.D., CAE President, 2014-2015 Executive Director TESOL International Association TESOL International Association

               A Golden Anniversary! Congratulations to San Francisco State University’s MATESOL Program on its 50 Years of providing a solid preparatory education for those who have elected to become teachers of English language learners. CATESOL, our professional organization, represents teachers of English language learners throughout California and Nevada, promoting excellence in education and providing high-quality professional development. We are proud of all the institutions that prepare the way for our classroom teachers and their students to succeed. CATESOL began in 1969, five years after the MATESOL Program was firmly in place at San Francisco State University so we might safely say that their MATESOL Program had an influence on the launching of our professional organization. As a fairly naïve graduate student, years ago, I distinctly remember attending a CATESOL Northern Regional Conference that took place at San Francisco State University and being so impressed by all the attendees wearing presenters’ ribbons. I said to myself, “I want to wear one of those,” and thus began my self-imposed competition for ribbons, ending today with my wearing the red CATESOL President’s ribbon. I also remember the ground-breaking work by Elizabeth Whalley and Ann Fathman treating teacher response to student writing: focus on form versus content while we were still babes in the woods in understanding of error correction. I, like many others, owe San Francisco State University’s MATESOL Program for its many contributions to the ESL field and CATESOL wishes its program another 50 productive years. Ellen Lange, President CATESOL 2013 – 2014  

The following supporters and collaborators would like to wish the SFSU M.A. TESOL Program a Happy 50th Anniversary.    

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the following individuals and organizations for their support and generosity President Leslie Wong and Mrs. Phyllis Wong

Daniel Bernardi, Dean of the College of Liberal and Creative Arts Paul Sherwin, Former Dean of the College of Liberal and Creative Arts

Sugie Goen-Salter, Chair, English Department MA TESOL Student Association

SF State English Department College of Liberal and Creative Arts

American Language Institute Office of International Programs

Ella Chichester, SF State Development Office Andrea Rouah, SF State Development Office

With much love and gratitude to our faculty emeriti and retired faculty

Brad Arthur Douglas Brown

Danny Glicksberg

James Kohn Sandra McKay

Pat Porter Thomas Scovel

May Shih Barry Taylor

Thurston Womack

The MA TESOL Program also wishes to express deep gratitude to the following individuals

whose hard work and creativity made today’s celebration possible Josh Hittleman, film producer

May Tham, floral decor Gina Castro, SF State librarian and alumna

Ann Fontanella, alumna Kathy Sherak, Director, American Language Institute

Current MA TESOL Faculty

Anniversary Planning Committee Members and Volunteers (current students and alumni) Tarek Al Zand

Jasmine Amphanphisut Sandra Arriaga Hannah Chan Beverly Chen Jenny Chio

Michael Deleon Reeta Doung Chloe Fane Louise Floro Hilaire Fong

Heidi Fridriksson Matthew Fuentes

Manami Furukami

Lea Gabay Deirdre Hallman

Julia Henley Tak Yi Ho Ayaka Iham

Lina Jurkunas Evan Kaiser Aaron Lam Sharon Lara Cindy Lee

Denise Lillian Will Loving

Phan Ly Matt McKinnie

Moena Mukai Jung-Kyu Na Shayna Pastori

Brendon Peacock Ashley Peters

Matthew Raiche Erika Reyes

Nagisa Sakuma Lindsey Sivaslian

Aaron Sun Nawar Taleb Agha

Christopher Washington Stephanie Wells

Sarah Zins