Teaching English as a Second Language-TESL Elementary and Secondary (B.Ed.)(120 credits)
Offered by: Integrated Studies in Ed (Faculty of Education)
Degree: Bachelor of Education
Program credit weight: 120 credits
Program Description
The Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) - Teaching English as a Second Language - TESL Elementary and Secondary program requires 120 credits and leads to teacher certification. Students who have not completed Quebec CEGEP, French Baccalaureate, International Baccalaureate, or at least one year of university studies prior to commencing the B.Ed. must also complete a minimum of 30 credits of Foundation courses (in addition to the 120-credit program) for a total of 150 credits.
The program includes studies in language and language learning from linguistic, literary, social, cultural, and psychological perspectives, accompanied by field experiences. It prepares students to teach English as a Second Language (ESL) at both the elementary school level (including regular and intensive ESL) and the secondary school level (including regular ESL and ESLA - English Second Language Arts), and provides a base for adult and other ESL teaching.
Please note that graduates of teacher education programs are recommended by the University to the Quebec Ministry of Education for Quebec teacher certification. For more information about teacher certification in Quebec, please refer to the Faculty of Education section under "Overview of Faculty Programs", "Undergraduate Education Programs", and "Quebec Teacher Certification".
The Department is committed to supporting students in the development and creation of their individual professional portfolios throughout their program.
Foundation Program
Students normally complete 30 credits in their Foundation (U0) year.
The Foundation year is the time to take introductory-level courses in the subject field, as well as to explore areas that are not normally taken as academic subjects within B.Ed. programs (e.g., Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, etc.). Students should also investigate the possibility of taking one of the First Year Seminar courses offered by the Faculty of Arts or the Faculty of Science.
In consultation with the Program Adviser, students may select courses from the recommended course list below or other courses. Included in the list are several French Second Language (FRSL) courses for which placement tests are required to determine the appropriate level. In Quebec, ESL is taught within the French school system. Thus, proficiency in French is an asset for student teaching placements, and is a requirement for employment in Quebec.
Other language courses (selected from CLAS Greek/Latin; EAST Korean/Chinese/Japanese; GERM German; HISP Spanish, ISLA Arabic; ITAL Italian; RUSS Russian/Polish) are also good choices for the Foundation year.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDEC 203 | Communication in Education. | 3 |
Communication in Education. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Written and oral communication in Education (in English): emphasis on strategies for identifying, analyzing and solving writing and speaking problems. Course work based on academic and professional communication in education, with a particular focus on classroom communication. | ||
| EDEE 325 | Children's Literature. | 3 |
Children's Literature. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Selection and use of literature suitable for children in the elementary school. | ||
| EDEM 220 | Contemporary Issues in Education. | 3 |
Contemporary Issues in Education. Terms offered: Fall 2025 An introduction to contemporary issues in education in local, national and international contexts, including a critical perspective on educational issues by drawing on a variety of analytical frameworks. | ||
| ENGL 201 | Survey of English Literature 2. | 3 |
Survey of English Literature 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A survey of English literature after 1750 for students not registered in English programs. | ||
| FRSL 101 | Beginners French 1. | 3 |
Beginners French 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 A comprehensive introduction to basic vocabulary, grammatical structures and speech patterns of written and oral French for students in any degree program having no previous knowledge of French. Learning to communicate at a functional level in a French-speaking environment. Short essays, cultural readings, mandatory lab practice. | ||
| FRSL 102 | Beginners French 2. | 3 |
Beginners French 2. Terms offered: Winter 2026 A comprehensive introduction to basic vocabulary, grammatical structures and speech patterns of written and oral French for students in any degree program having no previous knowledge of French. Learning to communicate at a functional level in a French-speaking environment. Short essays, cultural readings, mandatory lab practice. | ||
| FRSL 207D1 | Elementary French 01. | 3 |
Elementary French 01. Terms offered: Fall 2025 This two-term course uses a task-based approach to provide students with authentic materials related to Canadian culture and prepares them for real life communication. Therefore, class time will be mostly dedicated to the completion of communicative tasks which often rely on the use of technology (mobile apps, blogs and other online tools). This course tackles different topics that students can relate to in their personal, social and academic life, and provides a review and further training in elementary language structures to develop their communication skills and digital literacy in French. | ||
| FRSL 207D2 | Elementary French 01. | 3 |
Elementary French 01. Terms offered: Winter 2026 See FRSL 207D1 for course description. | ||
| FRSL 211D1 | Oral and Written French 1. | 3 |
Oral and Written French 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Language lab attendance required. Grammar review, comprehension, vocabulary development, selected readings and group discussions. | ||
| FRSL 211D2 | Oral and Written French 1. | 3 |
Oral and Written French 1. Terms offered: Winter 2026 See FRSL 211D1 for course description. | ||
| LING 201 | Introduction to Linguistics. | 3 |
Introduction to Linguistics. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 General introduction to linguistics, the scientific study of human language. Covers the core theoretical subfields of linguistics: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Also provides background on other subfields including sociolinguistics, pragmatics, historical linguistics, linguistic variation, and language acquisition. | ||
| LING 210 | Introduction to Speech Science. | 3 |
Introduction to Speech Science. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025 The course covers key concepts of speech science, including phonetics (acoustics, speech perception and production), fundamentals in the study of speech processing, speech development, and speech disorders, and introduces some basic methodologies of the field. | ||
| LING 211 | Introduction to Indigenous Languages. | 3 |
Introduction to Indigenous Languages. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Explores the Indigenous languages of North America, including their histories, linguistic properties, cultural settings, and key social issues facing them in the 21st century. Many different aspects of North American languages will be discussed including sound systems, grammatical classification, expression of time and space, and specialized linguistic phenomena like polysynthesis and reduplication. Social contexts of language will include performance, speech games, language change, language endangerment, and government policies. | ||
| LING 260 | Meaning in Language. | 3 |
Meaning in Language. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 A hands-on introduction to the strategies that natural languages use to convey meaning. Requiring no previous background in linguistics, the course surveys fundamental properties of word and sentence meaning and their interdependence with context. It provides an overview of the grammatical mechanisms that languages employ to construct the literal meanings of sentences from word meanings, explores how meanings are anchored to real life situations, and analyzes how meanings are routinely enriched in context by language users to convey more than what is literally expressed. | ||
Required Courses (90 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDEC 215 | English Exam for Teacher Certification. | 0 |
English Exam for Teacher Certification. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025 The English Exam for Teacher Certification (EETC) is a Quebec Ministry of Education-required component of the B.Ed. degree. The exam is coordinated by an independent organization, the Centre for the English Exam for Teacher Certification (CEETC). Consists of a 2-hour exam designed to assess teacher candidates' competency in the language of instruction. Must be completed before the 3rd Field Experience. Students must register for EDEC 215 and register for the EETC on the CEETC website. Students who do not pass after four attempts require permission from the Internships Student Affairs Office to re-take the exam. | ||
| EDEC 233 | Indigenous Education. | 3 |
Indigenous Education. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 An exploration of Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy, primarily in Canada but also world-wide. Consideration of the diverse social, cultural, linguistic, political, and pedagogical histories of Indigenous communities. Examines how a teacher's professional identity and practice can be influenced by an understanding of Indigenous knowledge and worldviews. | ||
| EDEC 247 | Policy Issues in Quebec and Indigenous Education. | 3 |
Policy Issues in Quebec and Indigenous Education. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025 The organization of Quebec education, including Indigenous education, from historical, political, social, cultural and legal perspectives. The implications and contributions of policy decisions to schools, students, and families. | ||
| EDEC 260 | Philosophical Foundations. | 3 |
Philosophical Foundations. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Ideas essential for the development of a coherent educational theory and sound professional practice. Reflections on: the nature of the person, of reality, of knowledge, and of value; the aims of education, the nature of the school and the curriculum, the roles and responsibilities of professional educators. | ||
| EDEC 262 | Media, Technology and Education. | 3 |
Media, Technology and Education. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Orientation to the equipment and systems of educational technology. Examination of theories of educational technology, media education and technology education and the exploration and development of possible applications in school settings. | ||
| EDES 350 | Classroom Practices. | 3 |
Classroom Practices. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Competency-based discipline skills and methods of classroom management, emphasizing the relationship between theory and practice; the rationale for various approaches to classroom management; strategies for developing instruction that focus attention and reduce off-task behaviour. | ||
| EDES 361 | Teaching Secondary English 1. | 3 |
Teaching Secondary English 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Examination of appropriate materials related to the high school English programs; exploration of various techniques of teaching language, literature, writing and dramatics in the secondary school. | ||
| EDFE 209 | First Field Experience (TESL). | 2 |
First Field Experience (TESL). Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025 Students are assigned to a school for a "participant observer" field experience. Students are expected to apprise themselves of Field Experience dates, duration and responsibilities as outlined on the Internships and Student Affairs website at http://www.mcgill.ca/isa. | ||
| EDFE 255 | Second Field Experience (TESL). | 3 |
Second Field Experience (TESL). Terms offered: Summer 2025 Supervised student teaching. Students are expected to apprise themselves of Field Experience dates, duration and responsibilities as outlined on the Internships and Student Affairs website at www.mcgill.ca/isa. | ||
| EDFE 359 | Third Field Experience (TESL). | 8 |
Third Field Experience (TESL). Terms offered: Fall 2025 Supervised student teaching in a school. Students are expected to apprise themselves of Field Experience, dates, duration and responsibilities as outlined on the Internships Student Affairs Office website http://www.mcgill.ca/isa. | ||
| EDFE 459 | Fourth Field Experience (TESL). | 7 |
Fourth Field Experience (TESL). Terms offered: Winter 2026 Supervised student teaching in a school. Students will be expected to assume a much increased responsibility for student learning, classroom management, and evaluation. Students are expected to apprise themselves of Field Experience dates, duration and responsibilities as outlined on the Internships and Student Affairs website at www.mcgill.ca/isa. | ||
| EDPE 300 | Educational Psychology. | 3 |
Educational Psychology. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Selected theories, models, and concepts relevant to planning and reflecting upon educational practice and improvement. Overview of development, learning, thinking, motivation, individual difference, etc. In relation to applications in classroom teaching and learning, the complementary role of counsellors and psychologists, educational computing and technology. The Youth Protection Act. | ||
| EDPI 309 | Diverse Learners. | 3 |
Diverse Learners. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Inclusion debates; review of the evolution of the history of inclusive education; models of development ( eco-systemic models); characteristics, teaching practices; teachers' roles in inclusive classrooms. Overview of characteristics, causes, needs, and teaching strategies for diverse and exceptional students, teaching and learning for differences in intellectual, emotional, behavioural, sensory, physical and learning domains found in effective inclusive classrooms. Working with families. | ||
| EDPI 341 | Instruction in Inclusive Schools. | 3 |
Instruction in Inclusive Schools. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025 Developing, planning, implementing and evaluating effective learning programs for diverse learners, and consideration of their more general applicability. Adapting curriculum and instruction for learners with varying abilities, learning styles, and needs. Collaboration with students, families, and other educators (or stakeholders) in the instructional process. Application of adaptations at the classroom and school level for all students in inclusive schools. | ||
| EDSL 210 | First Professional Seminar. | 1 |
First Professional Seminar. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025 How to observe in second language classrooms. Students will be introduced to ways of observing instructional practices and procedures and will begin to reflect on various interactional patterns between teachers and students as observed in the First Year Field Experience. Professional portfolios and professional competencies will be addressed. | ||
| EDSL 215 | Communication in Education for TESL in Quebec. | 3 |
Communication in Education for TESL in Quebec. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Designed to develop academic and professional communication in education, both oral and written. Tailored to the needs of future ESL teachers in Quebec. Exposure to different professional and social situations via role playing, problem-solving, and various oral and written interactions in French and/or English as appropriate. | ||
| EDSL 254 | Second Professional Seminar (TESL). | 1 |
Second Professional Seminar (TESL). Terms offered: Summer 2025 The course aims to develop basic practices in planning and teaching in ESL classrooms at the elementary and secondary levels, including reflective analysis. Professional portfolios and professional competencies will be addressed. | ||
| EDSL 300 | Foundations of L2 Education. | 3 |
Foundations of L2 Education. Terms offered: Fall 2025 This introduction to the field of second language education provides an overview of the supporting disciplines (e.g., linguistics, psychology, sociology and education) and includes historical and analytical perspectives on the development of L2 teaching through an examination of approaches to L2 instruction and specific teaching methods. | ||
| EDSL 304 | Sociolinguistics and L2 Education. | 3 |
Sociolinguistics and L2 Education. Terms offered: Winter 2026 This course introduces students to various social aspects of language, language use, and language learning by examining second language education from three interrelated perspectives: sociolinguistics, discourse, and culture. Issues range from language variation and social attitudes to conversational analysis and cross-cultural communication. | ||
| EDSL 305 | L2 Learning: Classroom Settings. | 3 |
L2 Learning: Classroom Settings. Terms offered: Fall 2025 This course provides an introduction to theory and research in second language acquisition (SLA). It is designed to help students understand the processes, developmental patterns and factors contributing to SLA so that the students will be prepared to evaluate and develop teaching procedures in light of this understanding. | ||
| EDSL 311 | Pedagogical Grammar. | 3 |
Pedagogical Grammar. Terms offered: Winter 2026 The course focuses on how the English language works as a system, examining it from the levels of phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and discourse. These aspects will be considered in relation to second language teaching and learning. | ||
| EDSL 315 | Third Year Professional Seminar. | 2 |
Third Year Professional Seminar. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Classroom processes such as teaching and learning strategies, lesson planning and implementation, classroom organization and management, and developing a reflective teaching and learning practice. Competencies and working professional portfolios will be addressed. | ||
| EDSL 330 | Literacy 1:Teaching Reading in ESL. | 3 |
Literacy 1:Teaching Reading in ESL. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Examines current literacy theory and practice, focusing on the teaching of reading skills for the comprehension and appreciation of texts in various genres, formats and functions, in ESL for elementary and secondary level students. Top-down and bottom-up reading processes; cultural and general background knowledge; knowledge of language including grammar and vocabulary are addressed. | ||
| EDSL 332 | Literacy 2: Teaching Writing in ESL. | 3 |
Literacy 2: Teaching Writing in ESL. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Examines current literacy theory and practice, focusing on the teaching of writing skills for the production of texts in various genres, formats and functions, in ESL for elementary and secondary level students. Based on an understanding of writing as a process, key areas include: the adaptation and development of appropriate writing activities; feedback and revision; theme- and literature-based activities; and building upon reading and oral activities. | ||
| EDSL 334 | Teaching Oral Skills in ESL. | 3 |
Teaching Oral Skills in ESL. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Application of the English sound system to practical ESL teaching situations, planning and integrating pronunciation (as well as other oral skills, such as fluency) into activities and projects, developing materials, and assessing progress. | ||
| EDSL 350 | Essentials of English Grammar. | 3 |
Essentials of English Grammar. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Analysis of English phrases, clauses and sentences up to discourse level in connected text. Emphasis on distinguishing between grammatical form, meaning, and function. Identification, analysis and correction of common errors made by ESL learners. | ||
| EDSL 412 | Assessment in TESL. | 3 |
Assessment in TESL. Terms offered: Winter 2026 This course deals with the role of assessment in TESL. Students will explore the kinds of information needed to make educational decisions in second language courses, different techniques for collecting that information, and ways for interpreting it. Principles and methods for assessment with and without tests are discussed and practiced. | ||
| EDSL 415 | Fourth Professional Seminar. | 3 |
Fourth Professional Seminar. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Professional competencies and final preparation of professional portfolios will be addressed. Focus is on development as a TESL professional, preparation for the workplace, and analysis, reflection, problem solving and support of actual teaching practice. | ||
| EDSL 447 | Methods in TESL 1. | 3 |
Methods in TESL 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Intermediate-level skills in planning and teaching appropriate lessons, activities, and projects for ESL learners in a variety of programs at the elementary and secondary school levels. | ||
| EDSL 458 | Methods in TESL 2. | 3 |
Methods in TESL 2. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Advanced-level skills in planning appropriate lessons, activities, units and projects for ESL learners in a variety of programs at the elementary and secondary levels. | ||
Complementary Courses (24 credits)
3 credits from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDEC 248 | Equity and Education. | 3 |
Equity and Education. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Introduction to and exploration of contemporary issues and theories about equity in education and society in Quebec/Canada from a range of perspectives, including the historical, political, social, and economic. Provides learning opportunities for future educators to critically reflect upon and engage with equity issues and concerns in relation to schooling, including the exploration of classroom resources and activities that foster anti-racism, anti-oppression and intercultural approaches. | ||
| EDEC 249 | Global Education and Social Justice. | 3 |
Global Education and Social Justice. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 A cross-curricular, interdisciplinary approach to teaching/creating learning experiences for students. It will foster critical thinking and nurture lifelong global understanding, active engagement and participation in relation to questions of social, economic, and environmental justice, by infusing these issues in the classroom. | ||
3 credits from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDEA 332 | Art Curriculum and Instruction - Elementary. | 3 |
Art Curriculum and Instruction - Elementary. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 An introduction to theories on children's visual expression and perception, lesson planning, and classroom-oriented studio practice. | ||
| EDEA 342 | Curriculum and Instruction in Drama Education. | 3 |
Curriculum and Instruction in Drama Education. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Pedagogical theory and practical applications in the teaching of developmental drama, dramatic forms, improvisation and theatre arts. | ||
| EDEA 345 | Music Curriculum and Instruction for Generalists. | 3 |
Music Curriculum and Instruction for Generalists. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Study of materials and instructional techniques grounded in an understanding of basic musical concepts and contemporary theories of music teaching and learning. Definition of musical objectives and rationales, selection and development of materials, review of MEQ guidelines. Participation through singing, movement, listening, discussion and lesson planning and implementation. | ||
| EDKP 332 | Physical Education Curriculum and Instruction. | 3 |
Physical Education Curriculum and Instruction. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Principles, programs and procedures that an elementary teacher may use to promote the designing and teaching of elementary school P.E. | ||
3 credits from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| LING 201 | Introduction to Linguistics. | 3 |
Introduction to Linguistics. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 General introduction to linguistics, the scientific study of human language. Covers the core theoretical subfields of linguistics: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Also provides background on other subfields including sociolinguistics, pragmatics, historical linguistics, linguistic variation, and language acquisition. | ||
| LING 210 | Introduction to Speech Science. | 3 |
Introduction to Speech Science. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025 The course covers key concepts of speech science, including phonetics (acoustics, speech perception and production), fundamentals in the study of speech processing, speech development, and speech disorders, and introduces some basic methodologies of the field. | ||
| LING 211 | Introduction to Indigenous Languages. | 3 |
Introduction to Indigenous Languages. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Explores the Indigenous languages of North America, including their histories, linguistic properties, cultural settings, and key social issues facing them in the 21st century. Many different aspects of North American languages will be discussed including sound systems, grammatical classification, expression of time and space, and specialized linguistic phenomena like polysynthesis and reduplication. Social contexts of language will include performance, speech games, language change, language endangerment, and government policies. | ||
| LING 260 | Meaning in Language. | 3 |
Meaning in Language. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 A hands-on introduction to the strategies that natural languages use to convey meaning. Requiring no previous background in linguistics, the course surveys fundamental properties of word and sentence meaning and their interdependence with context. It provides an overview of the grammatical mechanisms that languages employ to construct the literal meanings of sentences from word meanings, explores how meanings are anchored to real life situations, and analyzes how meanings are routinely enriched in context by language users to convey more than what is literally expressed. | ||
3 credits1 from:
FRSL
OR:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| FREN 201 | Le français littéraire (français langue seconde). | 3 |
Le français littéraire (français langue seconde). Terms offered: Fall 2025 Perfectionnement de l'expression écrite au contact d'une variété de textes littéraires et par la rédaction de courts textes d'invention. | ||
| FREN 203 | Analyse de textes (français langue seconde) . | 3 |
Analyse de textes (français langue seconde) . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Perfectionnement de l’expression écrite : analyse et apprentissage des règles de composition de divers genres de discours (textes argumentatifs, lettres, dialogues, récits, descriptions ou portraits). | ||
| FREN 239 | Stylistique comparée. | 3 |
Stylistique comparée. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Initiation aux principes de la traduction par une étude systématique des contrastes entre les structures linguistiques de l'anglais et du français. Une bonne connaissance des deux langues est nécessaire au départ. | ||
| FREN 245 | Grammaire normative. | 3 |
Grammaire normative. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Révision des principales difficultés de la langue française. | ||
| FREN 250 | Littérature française avant 1800. | 3 |
Littérature française avant 1800. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Introduction à la littérature française des origines à la fin du 18e siècle. | ||
| FREN 251 | Littérature française depuis 1800. | 3 |
Littérature française depuis 1800. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Introduction à la littérature française des 19e et 20e siècles. | ||
| FREN 252 | Littérature québécoise. | 3 |
Littérature québécoise. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Introduction à la littérature québécoise des origines à nos jours. | ||
- 1
selected according to individual student’s French proficiency level
6-9 credits of English (ENGL) courses
3-6 credits of other complementary courses including
Foreign language courses (0-6 credits)
Other Complementary courses (0-6 credits)
Electives Courses(6 credits)
6 credits