UAO Program: MA in Secondary Education (English for Speakers of Other Languages P-12 Certification)
Role: Professor of Educational Linguistics and coordinator of the ESOL program
Education: BA in Anthropology and MA in Foreign Language Education from University of Georgia; PhD in Multilingual and Multicultural Education from Florida State University
Fun Fact: Dr. Mantero has an energetic nine-year-old daughter who keeps him active!
The MA in Secondary Education (English for Speakers of Other Languages P-12 Certification) program has been offered to main campus students for nearly two decades and launches in an online format this fall. UA Online is so excited about it that we decided to catch up with the program’s coordinator, Dr. Miguel Mantero (who has been with the program its entire 17 years), to learn more.
UAO: Why are you excited about offering this program online?
MM: I’m excited to reach more educators and hopefully meet some of them in the future, but I’m also excited to grow the impact of the program. This program has the potential to improve education for students, families and communities across our region. Unfortunately, the P-12 students served most by this program and their families have been politicized lately, but it’s important for us to understand that improving their educational opportunities and achievement isn’t just good for a certain population – improved education is good for all. Period.
UAO: I love that. And I noticed that you started in anthropology and moved toward ESL as you advanced. What drew you to this particular field in education?
MM: Believe it or not, English is my second language; Spanish is my native language. I grew up between the United States and Spain. And there wasn’t really a personal interest in ESL instruction at first – I was a kid, right? But as an adult, you just follow your path wherever it leads you, and it’s interesting that mine led me to this area where I do have a personal perspective.
UAO: Who is this program designed for?
MM: It’s for content area teachers who find themselves looking for either research possibilities or additional skills and insights to teach English as an additional language. So it can help content area teachers more effectively connect with their students, and it can also prepare them for a new role as an ESL specialist if they’re interested in that.
UAO: And there’s a growing need for better instruction to ESL students, right?
MM: Yes, and when we can help teachers better communicate with their students and help them learn, we’re not just making a difference for the students. As I mentioned, we’re helping families and communities, too.
UAO: What sets your program apart from similar programs at other institutions, other than being 100% online?
MM: The program is not just focused on theory, but on practical applications of theory. So we don’t just cover why kids learn additional language or how they acquire additional language, but the practice of how these students learn and the skills behind teaching them. We cover pedagogical content knowledge techniques and how to practically approach teaching these students from a position informed by second language acquisition theory, but it’s not just the theory left alone.
UAO: What is your favorite thing about this program?
MM: There’s an assignment that’s a perfect example of that marriage of the theoretical and the practical which is kind of a mini case study. In the case study, they present the daily ins and outs for these ESL students: what their schedule is, what kind of homework they have, what kind of textbooks they’re using. They also look into the personal background: how many brothers and sisters do they have, do they go to an after school program, when do they come to school – things like that. And that helps the classroom teacher understand that there’s a life beyond the science classroom or the math classroom, and how that life impacts their students’ learning in their classroom. So like I said, it’s theoretically driven, but it puts that theory into practice.
UAO: What advice do you have for educators interested in this program?
MM: If you’re interested in this program and perhaps it’s not the right time for you to pursue it – the stars just aren’t aligning – know that it’s not the wrong time to become more educated about this topic. Inform yourself and get to know the ESL specialist that serves your school or district. There are still things you can do to learn more to help your community in this area. And as faculty members, we serve the community, so feel free to reach out to us.
Learn more about this program or how to apply by visiting the program’s website.
Published: August 29th, 2020