BILINGUAL/BICULTURAL AND ESL EDUCATION
Minor and Licensure
Most K-12 classrooms across the U.S. include multilingual learners/English learners. Multilingual learners in schools are learning the school curriculum, learning English, and sustaining their home languages and cultures. Yet, there is a shortage of teachers who have Bilingual/Bicultural and ESL licenses. Studying Bilingual/Bicultural and ESL Education at UW-Whitewater will prepare you to work effectively with and advocate for all students and families and will give you a valuable edge in the job market and as you begin your career.
We offer a campus-based minor Bilingual/Bicultural and ESL Education for those earning their degree and majoring in an education-related field. We also offer CAMINOS, an online licensure pathway for those who already have an undergraduate degree and are seeking the Bilingual/Bicultural License and/or the ESL License.
CAN WE BRAG A LITTLE?
Top-quality curriculum library
The Bilingual/Bicultural and ESL Education program has been awarded multiple grants from the U.S. Department of Education, which have helped us establish a multimedia resource library at UW-Whitewater for the university community and area school districts. Located in Winther Hall, the library boasts a wide range of teacher, parent, and children's books, dictionaries, games, videos, and manipulatives for teaching English learners and emergent bilinguals.
Growing demand
Nearly 11% of K-12 public school students in the United States are multilingual learners.
Best value for the money
We’re ranked No. 1 for value among all schools in the Universities of Wisconsin System.
Why study Bilingual/Bicultural and ESL Education at UW-Whitewater?
- 3 out 4 school districts in the US enroll multilingual learners/English learners
- 6% of K-12 students in Wisconsin schools are multilingual learners/English learners
- Over 4 million, or 75%, of multilingual learners/English learners consider Spanish their home language
The Bilingual/Bicultural and ESL minor provides students with a critical sociopolitical grounding in Bilingual and ESL education along with an understanding of multilingual literacy development, instructional strategies, and cultural awareness needed to work with K-12 multilingual learners, their families, and broader communities.
Students with this minor graduate with one or two teaching licenses in addition to their major area of study license (typically Elementary/Middle Education, Secondary Education, or World Languages). All students with this minor will earn a K-12 ESL license, and, students in the minor who are bilingual (Spanish/ English) can earn a K-12 Bilingual/Bicultural license in addition to the ESL license and their major area licensure.
CAMINOS
For students who have already earned a Bachelor's degree and are seeking the Bilingual/Bicultural License and/or the ESL License, UW-Whitewater offers the CAMINOS program. This post-baccalaureate online licensure program is available for approximately $320/credit and offered as a pathway for an add-on licensure or an initial license. Transcripts will be reviewed to determine which course needs to be taken to meet licensure requirements.
What our ESL/Bilingual Education students do
Gain first-hand teaching experience in diverse classrooms
Pursue research with faculty mentors
Student teach abroad
Field study and cross-cultural experiences
As part of this minor program, you’ll participate in ESL and bilingual field experiences through an elementary, middle or high school placement. These field experiences are coordinated with other required field experiences and directed student teaching in your major.
Our students have the opportunity to student teach abroad at two partner sites in Mexico: Guanajuato or Oaxaca. Other international student teaching opportunities can take education majors to Ecuador, Jamaica and Sweden.
Campus and community involvement
Our students are active on campus and in the community in many ways:
Undergraduate research
Many of our students work with our faculty members as part of the Undergraduate Research Program or Research Apprenticeship Program.
Service learning
As part of their required field-based experiences, our students work with multilingual learners in classrooms around the region.
Student organizations
Students minoring in Bilingual/Bicultural and ESL Education might be interested in campus organizations such as:
- Aspiring Educators of Wisconsin
- Dream Scholars and Colleagues
- Latinos Unidos
- Voces Latinas
What our graduates do
ESL/bilingual classroom teacher in the U.S.
EFL classroom teacher abroad
English language teacher to adults
Bilingual/Bicultural and ESL education jobs: Career success
Our graduates have found employment in K-12 schools throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota, and in English teaching programs abroad.
UW-Whitewater alumni have attended graduate schools such as:
- UW-Madison
- UW-Milwaukee
- Edgewood College
- University of Southern California
Our faculty
Our knowledgeable, approachable faculty members have all taught ESL and/or Bilingual Education in the schools or with adult learners. Many of our faculty members have been involved with multi-year research projects focusing on the professional development of teachers, some for up to 10 years.
Also of note, all of our faculty members have either lived or taught abroad in places such as Austria, Ecuador, Germany, Russia and Spain.
Want to learn more about becoming a Bilingual/Bicultural and ESL teacher or studying Bilingual/Bicultural and ESL Education at UW-Whitewater? education@uww.edu »
Students who declare a minor in Bilingual or ESL Education are typically working either toward a Bachelor of Science in Education or toward a Bachelor of Arts degree in a specific major and wish to add a supplemental license.
UW-Whitewater offers the following options for Bilingual/Bicultural and ESL Education:
Minor:
Post-baccalaureate:
- ESL License (K-12) and Bilingual/Bicultural License (K-12) initial licensure option | Caminos Pathway
- ESL License (K-12) and Bilingual/Bicultural License (K-12) additional licensure | Caminos Pathway
To complete minor/licensure requirements, you will take courses such as:
- Introduction to Bilingual/Bicultural Education and ESL
- Survey of Educational Linguistics
- Theories for Developing Languages and Literacies
- Pedagogical Translanguaging Across Content Areas
- Critical Issues in Linguistically and Culturally Sustaining Education
- Multilingual Teaching Methods
- Language Teacher Advocacy and Communities of Praxis
Prospective students can apply by completing the Universities of Wisconsin application for admission and indicate the Bilingual/Bicultural and ESL Education minor.
Current students can speak with their advisor to declare the Bilingual/Bicultural and ESL Education minor.
Post-baccalaureate students interested in the CAMINOS online licensure program can being their application by completing this survey.
