Kennesaw State University (KSU) is the third-largest university in the University System of Georgia. Over 22,300 commuter and residential students, including more than 1,700 from 136 countries, pursue degree programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral levels through seven colleges. The university’s dedication to fostering excellence in public service brought it recognition from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities as one of the nation’s top publicly engaged universities. The American Council on Education selected KSU as one of eight institutions in the country for a study called “Global Learning for All.” KSU’s First-Year Experience has been named a “Program to Look For.” Most recently, Kennesaw State was recognized as one of 40 institutions that have made the most promising and innovative changes. U.S. News and World Report placed KSU among the 70 “Up-and-Coming” institutions nationally. The university’s 328-acre campus is located approximately 20 miles northwest of Atlanta in Kennesaw, Georgia, a perennial contender on Money magazine’s “Best Places to Live” and “Best Places to Retire” lists.
The Bagwell College of Education (BCOE) is one of the largest and strongest teacher preparation units in the University System of Georgia offering bachelor’s, master’s, educational specialist, and doctor of education degree programs. It is also one of Georgia’s largest leadership preparation programs. All educator preparation programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and approved by Georgia’s Professional Standards Commission (PSC). As a member of the Renaissance Group, BCOE continues its advancement toward meeting the challenges of national and state reforms for teacher education as well as program expansion. The college received an $8.9 million Teacher Quality Partnership grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The BCOE houses an Educational Technology Center that provides professional learning, consulting, and service for Georgia educators in 11 school systems within metro Atlanta and North Georgia.
KSU’s conceptual framework for educator preparation is the Collaborative Development of Expertise in Teaching, Learning, and Leadership. This collaboration, including service and support units, is carried out both through the college’s four academic departments (Educational Leadership, Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Inclusive Education, and Secondary and Middle Grades Education) and in conjunction with other members of KSU’s Professional Teacher Education Unit (PTEU). PTEU, the university’s umbrella organization for preparing educators, includes twelve departments from five colleges all of which collaborate on the design, delivery, approval, and accreditation of all educator preparation programs. The PTEU serves as a model of university-wide responsibility for teacher education; field-based collaboration with practicing professionals and partner schools; infusion of technology for enhanced teaching and learning; and best practices for the inclusion of English learners and students with disabilities.
The Department of Inclusive Education offers programs at the master’s, specialist, and doctoral levels in TESOL and Special Education. Faculty collaborate with other departments to provide courses that are focused on literacy and to support teacher education programs across the university. The department has established a strong foundation through its programs for preparing teachers as leaders for school reform. All of the programs, concentrations, and endorsements offered by the department share a philosophy of inclusion that is embedded throughout the common core of courses focused on culturally responsive teaching, collaboration, and student-centered learning within inclusive settings. In addition to the common core, discipline specific courses focus on the preparation of expert teachers and leaders, thus assuring that all standards for each discipline – both at the state and national levels – are met, and broad-based awareness of global learning for engaged citizenship is realized.
Position Description
Reporting to the Chair of the Department of Inclusive Education, the Assistant/Associate Professor of TESOL will teach and advise students enrolled in the TESOL master’s programs (Master of Arts in Teaching: TESOL, Master of Education in Inclusive Education: TESOL Concentration, and ESOL Endorsement). He/she may also teach undergraduate courses and in the doctoral program (Inclusive Education concentration). The teaching assignment could include graduate courses in cultural issues, applied linguistics, ESOL methods and materials, content area reading for English language learners (ELLs), critical pedagogy, curriculum development for ELLs, assessment of ELLs, collaborative practices, or creating culturally responsive classrooms and schools. In addition to teaching, the successful candidate will enjoy working closely with colleagues and students and contributing to the intellectual vitality of the department through scholarship and professional service.
Required Qualifications
- Earned doctorate in TESOL or related field (e.g., bilingual education, applied linguistics, second language acquisition, second language literacy, or curriculum and instruction with emphasis in second language acquisition). If doctorate is not completed by August 1, 2010, candidate would begin employment at the instructor level and would move to the Assistant Professor level upon completion of the doctorate.
- Evidence of scholarship or scholarly potential pertaining to the teaching and learning of ELLs. Please refer to department, college, and university promotion and tenure guidelines at: http://www.kennesaw.edu/education/facultytenture.html
- Experience working with ELLs in PK-12 settings.
- Technology skills to support teaching and research.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate with colleagues in an interdisciplinary environment.
Preferred Qualifications
- Specializations in early childhood education and/or ELL literacy.
- Three or more years of teaching ELLs in PK-12 school settings.
- Second/foreign language learning and/or foreign living experience.
- Experience with online instruction.
- Teaching and collaboration at the university level.
- Interest in program coordination.
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