MA International Education (TESOL)

This unit will begin with engaging learning in exploring and reflecting on their language learning experiences, and will then set out to draw on these experiences to develop learners’ understanding of approaches and methods in language learning and teaching. The unit will then focus on learners designing, developing and evaluating lesson plans, course materials and assessment instruments. They will then be asked to write an assignment based on the design of their lesson plan, materials, or assessment instrument.

This unit aims to provide introductory background to the field of TESOL to MA International learners who have not got any experience in ‘Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages’ but who would like to gain basic level understanding of this area.

Students will be able to develop skills related to language teaching. They will be able to bring together their understanding of current principles and discussions around appropriate methodology as well as knowledge and understanding of developing language teaching skills together in creating lesson plans and this will help them if they go into any language teaching profession in their contexts. The practical element of the unit will support students in creating materials and assessment tools for language teaching which they can also use in the future in any career related to language education. Students will be able to develop enhanced skills in interpersonal and intercultural communication  as well as enhance their collaborative skills through teamwork.

Syllabus (indicative curriculum content):

Week 1: Reasons, needs, and motivation for learning English: A look at our past learning experiences
Week 2: Learner and teacher roles; Introduction to approaches and methods in language learning and teaching 
Week 3: Approaches and methods in language learning and teaching (continued)
Week 4: Perspectives on teaching and learning grammar
Week 5: Perspectives on teaching and learning vocabulary
Week 6: Part 1: Introduction to lesson plans
Part 2: Integrating Skills in language teaching and learning Part 1
Week 7: Part 1: Integrating skills in language teaching and learning
Part 2: Lesson Planning (continuing work on lesson plans started in week 6)
Week 8: Putting understanding into practice
Groupwork: Looking at lesson plans created over Easter break in class and providing  
Feedback
Week 9: Putting understanding into practice: Using authentic materials in language teaching
Week 10: Assessment in language education
Week 11: Putting understanding into practice: Designing Assessment tasks
Week 12: Assignment support

 This unit will involve a variety of lessons and teaching styles. The first part of the unit will include whole-class/group/pair discussion and a number of in-class activities and tasks to explore learners’ past language learning experiences and to draw on these experiences to gain an understanding of methods and approaches in language learning and teaching. In the second part of the unit, learners will be asked to work in groups in workshops to carry out practical applications of their learning. This latter stage will revolve around learners designing or evaluating, either a lesson plan, or language teaching materials, or an assessment instrument and presenting it in a poster session in preparation for their final assignment. In preparation for their poster session learners will be expected to make use of digital technologies where appropriate.  

• Understand approaches and methods in language learning and teaching
• Relate approaches and methods in language learning and teaching to their own language learning experience

• Evaluate their own language learning experience
• Evaluate and design materials for language learning and teaching

• Experiment in designing lesson plans for language learning and teaching
• Understand, design and evaluate assessment for language learning

• Show enhanced skills in academic literacies including academic presentation, information
• Processing (on- and off-line) and online networking
• Show an appreciation of the value of reflection in professional practice
• Show autonomy and enhanced meta-cognitive strategies with regard to study skills and further professional development

Summative feedback after the end of the unit on Tii.
 

Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M., and Snow, M. A. (2014) (Eds) Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. Cengage Learning: Boston.

 Eisenmann, M.and Summer, T. (2013) Basic Issues in EFL Teaching and Learning. Universitätsverlag Winter: Heidelberg

 Hedge, T. (2000) Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. Oxford University Press: Oxford.

 Johnson, K. (2008) An Introduction to Foreign Language Learning and Teaching. Pearson Education Limited: Harlow.

 Larsen-Freeman (2011) Techniques and principles in language teaching. New York : Oxford University Press.

 Lightbown, P. M. and Spada, N. (2013) How Languages are Learned.  Oxford: Oxford UniversityPress.

 Renandya, W. A. and Widodo, H. P. (2016) English language Teaching Today. Springer International Publishing: Switzerland.

 Richard, J.C. and Rodgers, T.S. (2014) Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. New York: Cambridge University Press.

 Spiro, J. (2013) Changing Methodologies in TESOL. Edinburgh University Press: Edinburgh.