Professor; Program Chair, TESOL and Teaching Foreign Language
A native of southeastern Massachusetts, Jason Martel began his career as a secondary school French teacher. He has extensive experience in the Middlebury ecology, having worked for the Middlebury School of French, the Middlebury-Monterey Language Academy, and the Middlebury Institute. At the Institute, he teaches courses in language pedagogy, language assessment, language curriculum design, second language acquisition, French language, and English language, and maintains an active research agenda in these domains.
From 2014 to 2019, Jason served as associate director of the Institute’s Summer Intensive Language Program (SILP). His principal duties included providing professional development for faculty members and setting a pedagogical vision for the program. His teaching has been enriched very much by this experience, notably in that the program served as a laboratory setting for his thinking about language pedagogy.
Jason also participates in a variety of professional activities related to language education. He is an active member of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) and the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). He recently served as Chair of ACTFL’s Teacher Development Special Interest Group and won the organization’s Excellence in Teacher Development Award. In addition, he consults around the country in the areas of foreign language curriculum design, pedagogy, and assessment.
EAPP 8475
ProfessionalPresentationSkillsCourse Description
Professional Presentation Skills
This course is designed to equip you with the skills and confidence to deliver professional and articulate speeches in English. You will deliver informative, persuasive, panel, training, and commemorative presentations to prepare you for the wide range of speech styles you may encounter in your professions. Consistent practice, analysis of award-winning speeches, and detailed feedback on your performance will provide you with ample opportunity to improve your public speaking skills.
Terms Taught
EDUC 8502
Principls/Practcs Lang Tchng ICourse Description
Principles & Practices in Language Teaching 1
Along with Principles and Practices 2, this course provides students with a foundational pedagogical training in preparation for careers in foreign/second language teaching. Topics covered include an introduction to the field and its expectations, course/syllabus design, needs assessment, and unit design. Students will engage in a variety of real-world performance tasks, such as creating needs assessment instruments, summative language assessments, and unit plans. Students will also deepen their understanding of course concepts by conducting classroom observations.
Terms Taught
EDUC 8503
Principls/Practcs LangTchng IICourse Description
Principles & Practices in Language Teaching 2
Along with Principles and Practices 1, this course provides students with a foundational pedagogical training in preparation for careers in foreign/second language teaching. Topics covered include (but are not limited to) skills-based lesson planning, authentic texts use, summative and formative assessment, differentiation, classroom discussion strategies, and oral corrective feedback. Students will engage in a variety of real-world performance tasks, such as creating curricular documents (e.g., unit plans, lesson plans, assessments) and performing teaching events.
Terms Taught
EDUC 8598
Directed StudyCourse Description
Terms Taught
EDUC 8660
Intro to Language Prog AdminCourse Description
This two-unit J term course addresses key issues related to language program administration (LPA). The course is predominately asynchronous, with a few synchronous sessions to be determined in consultation with students. Course topics include (but are not limited to) innovation, customer service, decision making, governance, ethics, human resources, project management, quality assurance, and strategic planning. The course will help students to recognize macro- and micro-level issues involved with LPA work and evaluate strategies for handling future situations in LPA contexts.
Terms Taught
EDUC 8661
Language Teacher SupervisionCourse Description
This seminar provides language teachers with the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the challenges of becoming language teacher supervisors. It examines current models of, and research on, language teacher supervision. Students practice observing teachers and conducting post-observation conferences, developing their ability to provide professional feedback, differentiate between evaluative and developmental supervision, and examine the variables related to working with teachers in a variety of specific contexts.
Terms Taught
EDUC 8670
Practicum CapstoneCourse Description
The Practicum Capstone combines reflective practice and professional development in preparing students for a career in language education. Participants integrate theory, research, and conceptual foundations into a coherent and well-informed approach to planning and executing lessons. They also incorporate these three components when developing and deploying instructional materials and assessment instruments. Activities and products prepare participants for entering the language teaching professional and performing admirably therein.
Practicum Capstone Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs):
Articulate their approach to language learning and teaching with explicit reference to sound pedagogical principles
Demonstrate their expert knowledge of language, learning, and teaching
Select appropriate materials for effective language instruction
Plan productive instructional units and lessons to maximize second language learning in all skill areas
Assess student learning meaningfully using a range of formative and summative tools
Reflect critically on their teaching practice in order to build on their strengths and address areas for improvement
Terms Taught
FRLA 8221
Social Issues - Contemp QuebecCourse Description
In which ways are France and the United States similar, from a cultural point of view? And in which ways are they different? How can understanding culture(s) help us cooperate with others in today’s globalized world? And better understand ourselves? These questions will be explored in this course through multiple thematic lenses based on areas of student interest (e.g., the environment, conflict, humanitarian aid). Class sessions will be predominately activity-based, with a balance among the interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational modes of communication. Assessments will highlight performance tasks in which students are asked to demonstrate their ability to engage in cultural inquiry in real-world situations related to their professional careers, as well as periodic vocabulary and grammar quizzes. There is no required textbook; all needed materials will be distributed during class. The course will be conducted in French and is destined for students with an Intermediate Low level of proficiency.
Terms Taught
FRLA 8234 Current
Food(In)SecurityFrancophoneCourse Description
Did you know that French is the fifth most spoken language in the world? As such, proficiency in French is a vital tool for helping to solve the global hunger crisis. In this blended synchronous course, you will deepen your understanding of la francophonie and food (in)security by engaging in activities that reflect ACTFL’s Five Cs of communication, culture, comparisons, connections, and communities. By the end of the course, you will be able to explain the nature of la francophonie, define food (in)security, characterize the state of food (in)security in various Francophone countries/regions, and explain ways that food (in)security intersects with your fields of study. You will demonstrate your learning by completing real-world performance tasks such as interpreting authentic policy-oriented texts and composing policy memos.
Terms Taught
MIIS 8509
Principls/Practcs Lang Tchng ICourse Description
Principles & Practices of Language Teaching I
Along with Principles and Practices 2, this course provides students with a foundational pedagogical training in preparation for careers in foreign/second language teaching. Topics covered include an introduction to the field and its expectations, course/syllabus design, needs assessment, and unit design. Students will engage in a variety of real-world performance tasks, such as creating needs assessment instruments, summative language assessments, and unit plans. Students will also deepen their understanding of course concepts by conducting classroom observations. The dates of this course are SEPTEMBER 6 through DECEMBER 16. Registering for this course signals your interest in taking the course. You will be notified via email on August 21 whether you can officially enroll in the course.
Terms Taught
MIIS 8510
Educational Research MethodsCourse Description
Educational Research Methods
Introduces social science research design, descriptive and analytic procedures, basic statistics, and their application to research on language learning and teaching. The dates of this course are SEPTEMBER 6 through DECEMBER 16. Registering for this course signals your interest in taking the course. You will be notified via email on August 21 whether you can officially enroll in the course.
Terms Taught
MIIS 8518
Principls/Practcs LangTchng IICourse Description
Principles & Practices of Language Teaching II
Along with Principles and Practices 1, this course provides students with a foundational pedagogical training in preparation for careers in foreign/second language teaching. Topics covered include essentials of lesson planning, authentic texts use, formative assessment, differentiation, and high leverage teaching practices. Students will engage in a variety of real-world performance tasks, such as creating lesson plans and performing microteaching. Students will also deepen their understanding of course concepts by conducting classroom observations. The dates of this course are JANUARY 25 through MAY 14. Registering for this course signals your interest in taking the course. (MIIS 8509)
Terms Taught
TSOL 8520 Current
Multimodal Curriculum DesignCourse Description
How can you design learning experiences that build language proficiency while also engaging students intellectually? How can you relate curriculum to students’ lives? In this fully asynchronous course, you will explore key knowledge, skills, and attitudes associated with the multiple stages of language curriculum design. Activities include readings, viewings, discussion boards, peer reviews, and design tasks. By the end of the course, you will be able to construct needs assessment instruments, fashion learning goals, articulate performance tasks, and generate ideas for lesson plans and modules in modalities evoked in specific contexts (e.g., synchronous, asynchronous, hybrid). You will demonstrate your learning in a complete thematic unit plan that follows a backward design approach and is shaped by evidence reflecting students’ needs and interests. Those studying toward the online MA TESOL will need to complete this course in addition to the other seven core courses before enrolling in the two capstone courses.
Terms Taught
TSOL 8555 Upcoming
Core Instructional PracticesCourse Description
What does effective instruction look like in multimodal language learning settings? Which instructional practices are considered “high-leverage,” meaning they represent a core set that all language teachers need to master? In this fully asynchronous course, you will explore key knowledge, skills, and attitudes associated with key instructional strategies for language teaching, such as leading class discussions, building relationships with students, using effective verbal scaffolding, and implementing organizational routines. Activities include readings, viewings, discussion boards, peer reviews, and video-recorded enactment tasks. By the end of the course, you will be able to perform a range of strategies customized to your target teaching context and will demonstrate your learning in a digital practices showcase that highlights your abilities. Those studying toward the online MA TESOL will need to complete this course in addition to the other seven core courses before enrolling in the two practicum courses.
Terms Taught
In his teaching, Jason draws heavily on content-based instruction (CBI), an approach to language teaching that involves the simultaneous learning of language and stimulating non-linguistic content such as culture, geography, history, etc. His research focuses on foreign language teachers’ experiences with innovative practices, primarily through an identity lens. Recent articles can be found in Foreign Language Annals, the French Review, and Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching. View his Google Scholar profile.
Professor Martel has been teaching at the Institute since 2013.
| by Mark C. Anderson
Educator Kara Mollano is taking what she’s learning in her TESOL courses at the Middlebury Institute and not only putting them to work in her classroom, but sharing them in a learning circle with her colleagues.
| by Jessa Zerpoli
When Claire Eagle completed her degree in teaching foreign language, her dream was to teach at a school like the Middlebury Institute. Now she’s redesigning curriculum at one of the biggest language schools in the world.
| by Sierra Abukins
As the Middlebury Institute expands its online programs, several faculty have been leading the way in adapting our interactive, rigorous, and hands-on courses to innovative new formats.
