York University is making a global impact by preparing future educators to teach English in diverse cultural contexts.
Through international partnerships and immersive field placements, the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Certificate Program is equipping students with the skills and perspectives needed to contribute meaningfully to global education.
Undergraduate students can complete the program alongside their degree programs and graduate with a qualification to teach English in Canada and around the world.
Building on almost 20 years of partnership with Meiji University in Japan, the program added a field placement in Oaxaca, Mexico this year. During placements, students participate in a week-long teaching immersion program that helps translate theory into practice. The placements are part of a broader initiative to integrate intercultural competence, equity and decolonizing into teacher education.
York students Kiersten Gibbons, Sydney Henhawk and Noah Jones worked and lived alongside faculty and learners at Meiji University in Tokyo, Japan. Under the supervision of York Professor Antonella Valeo, TESOL faculty member in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, they learned about teaching and learning in Japan and sharpened their skills as English-language teachers.
The York students say their placements in Tokyo offered transformative learning experiences that strengthened their teaching skills and global awareness. Through cross-cultural immersion, they noted how they deepened their understanding of diverse educational contexts, built meaningful connections and gained insight into the varied approaches to English language instruction around the world.
Nine TESOL students travelled to Oaxaca, Mexico to undertake placements with Facultad de Idiomas de la Universidad Autonoma Benito Juarez de Oaxaca (UJABO) – a university distinguished by its integration of English-language education and unique focus on maintenance and revitalization of Indigenous languages.
“The partnership explores how the principles of decolonization, equity, diversity and inclusion can be incorporated in language teacher education through reciprocal exchange and knowledge sharing across borders,” says TESOL Professor Saskia Van Viegen, who supervised the student placements in Mexico. “The international placement offered a unique opportunity for students to explore new cultures and communities and understand how language teaching takes place in global contexts.”
TESOL students described their placement at UABJO in Mexico as a pivotal moment in their learning journey. Sidney Limnidis says the experience brought classroom theory to life by connecting with educators and students from different cultural backgrounds, while Chinelle Jones highlighted the value of gaining hands-on teaching experience and building lasting relationships.
York’s undergraduate TESOL students received funding support through the York International Mobility Award for their field placements.