Breaking barriers, Program helps TAs, students understand each other
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The Center for English as a Second Language is putting on the International Teacher Assistant Training Program – a workshop intended to help ITAs sharpen their English. ITA Coordinator Cheryl Ernst said the program started in the 1980s in response to an increased amount of foreign students coming to American universities. She said SIUC was one of the first universities to have a complete program. |
Marilyn Rivers, director of the Center for English as a Second Language, said ITAs applying for graduate school are required to take an oral interview test. The three-hour-a-week training is designed for those who did not pass the test; it is recommended as needing extra language help or just want to polish their speaking skills. Rivers said the program is tough for many ITAs. “It’s quite a time commitment for the ITA because they have very, very busy schedules,” Rivers said. “They’re taking their own classes, they’re teaching classes and then they have to put in these three hours.” Arifin Angriawan, an ITA from Indonesia who took the class twice, said it greatly increased his ability to speak and pronounce English. He also said he learned about American culture and methods he could use to teach students.
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