ALI Courses for International Teaching Assistants

Courses for ITAs Only

ALI 246: Intermediate Oral Communication for ITAs (3 units)
This intermediate oral skills course is designed for International Teaching Assistants who need to improve their oral communication skills. The course is needs-based with a primary emphasis on linguistic accuracy and pronunciation. Participants will also work on broader communication skills with a focus on linguistic fluency. Class projects and assignments will assess students’ ability to communicate with linguistic accuracy in an academic environment.

ALI 256: High Intermediate Oral Communication for ITAs (3 units)
This advanced oral skills course is designed for International Teaching Assistants who need to improve their oral communication skills. The course is needs-based with a primary emphasis on pronunciation as well as linguistic accuracy and pragmatic competence. Participants will also work on honing their knowledge and use of oral grammar and vocabulary as they are both components of oral discourse fluency. Class projects and assignments will assess students’ ability to communicate with linguistic competence in a dynamic academic environment.

ALI 270: Oral Skills for International Teaching Assistants (3 units)
Designed to provide ITAs with the specific language instruction they need to succeed in their contact with students. Participants study the skills necessary to make a presentation, lead a discussion, and most importantly, interact effectively in the classroom. The instructor also observes each student while they are performing their TA duties. These observations are followed by individual conferences with the instructor. (This class can also be taken as an elective with approval by the ITA Coordinator.)

ALI 271: Language Tutorial for International Teaching Assistants (2 units)
Individualized tutorial on the language and oral skills used by international teaching assistants in the performance of his or her duties. Based on observation and feedback. Open to international teaching assistants only.

ALI 274: Advanced Academic and Professional Spoken English (2 units)
This course is for international students who need to improve their advanced academic English for teaching and presenting. The development of both accuracy and fluency in professional spoken English is emphasized. The class includes instruction in vocabulary and lexical phrases common in academic spoken English and university discourse. Individualized instruction in stress, intonation, and pronunciation of major vocabulary specific to each student’s field is also provided.

Pronunciation Courses for ITAs and Other Students

ALI 242: Pronunciation Workshop (2 units)
In this popular class, students receive extensive individualized feedback and the tools to identify and independently address their own particular pronunciation challenges in North American English. The course covers broad aspects of pronunciation such as word stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns, and introduces the mechanics of articulating consonants and vowels.  Fun and useful activities in a variety of formats help students to increase their confidence speaking English by improving intelligibility in social and academic interactions.

ALI 252: Advanced Pronunciation (2 units)
Good pronunciation involves much more than the correct pronunciation of individual letters and sounds; it’s also about mastering the stress, rhythm, and flow of your speech. ALI 252 offers tools to help grasp the “music” of English, raises awareness, and gives nonnative speakers a greater sense of confidence in their academic and professional interactions. This course is for international students who want to achieve more “native-like” pronunciation.  The course covers how to link words and phrases together smoothly to enhance flow and rhythm, produce accurate stress patterns, and convey meaning using proper intonation.