Some Facts About TESOL

TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

TESOLs mission is to advance professional expertise in English language teaching and learning for speakers of other languages worldwide.

The TESOL organization has four core values,

• Responsiveness: A service orientation enabled by respectful listening and accountability to mission.
• Quality: High standards and excellence characteristic of innovation and creativity in an academically rigorous environment.
• Collaboration: Cooperation for the common good within a diverse, inclusive and culturally sensitive global community.
• Integrity: Reputation as a trusted resource earned by ethical, honest, fair and transparent action.

TESOL was established in 1966. The group that created TESOL did it for these three reasons,

1. The need for a professional organization that would be permanently devoted to the problems of teaching English to speakers of other languages, at all levels.
2. The need for a pedagogical journal to serve the entire profession.
3. The need for a register of specialists that might be helpful to foundations, government agencies, and universities in their attempt to cope with the ever-growing need for qualified personnel in the area of TESOL.

Currently TESOL encompasses a network of approximately 52,000 educators worldwide, consisting of more than 12,000 individual members and an additional 40,000 educators within the 100 plus TESOL affiliate associations.