TESOL (Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) (MA)

This masters degree will:

• enhance your understanding of key concepts and ideas dealt with in the professional and academic literature relevant to TESOL
• give you insight into a wider range of perspectives on the theory, policy and practice of TESOL
• analyse, synthesise and evaluate primary and secondary sources
• help you to plan and implement small-scale research projects
• develop your aptitude for sustained and independent argument
• increase your capacity for critical self-reflection.

This masters degree provides the opportunity to:

• discuss and debate issues related to teaching English as a foreign or second language
• explore the interface between theory and practice
• discuss your ongoing work in individual tutorials, and receive detailed feedback on drafts of assessed work
• reflect on your own professional work in the light of current theory and research in TESOL
• envisage new possibilities for action in the future.

Practising teachers of English as a second or foreign language (ESL, EFL, ESOL) throughout the world. We accept teachers of other languages on the understanding that most of the examples used during the programme will be drawn from English language teaching.

Normally, a good first degree in a relevant field of study and appropriate teaching experience. Candidates with less teaching experience should have an outstanding academic record and should demonstrate insight into language learning and teaching.

• Language teaching and methodology
• Sociolinguistic and sociocultural perspectives on language teaching
• Describing and analysing language systems.

(Please note that you may not be able to study all topics in any one year)

• World Englishes
• Globalisation and language policy
• Discourse, society and culture
• Language teacher identity and teacher development
• Materials development
• Second language acquisition
• Teaching English for academic purposes
• Teaching in bilingual and multilingual settings
• Language classroom ethnography.

By coursework assignments of up to 5,000 words and a dissertation portfolio of up to 17,500 words.

Face-to-face daytime and/or evening sessions.

Graduates of this masters degree are currently working as:

• English language teachers from the early years to higher education
• textbook and materials writers, editors and publishers
• education journalists
• NGO and development officers
• education consultants, policy advisers and researchers.

• Describing and Analysing Language
• Language Learning And Teaching

• English In Diverse World Contexts
• Issues and Options in Language Teacher Development
• Materials Development For Language Teaching
• The Multilingual Classroom
• The Second Language Learning Experience