PTMSCTESOL1F

MSc Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Awarding institution
Teaching institution
Programme accredited by
Final award
Programme title
UCAS code
Relevant QAA subject benchmarking group
Postholder with overall responsibility for QA
Date of production/revision
External summary
Education aims of programme

Programme Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in research and enquiry
Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal and intellectual autonomy
Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in communication
Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal effectiveness
Technical/practical skills

Programme structure and features
Teaching and learning methods and strategies
Assessment methods and strategies
Career opportunities
Other items

To give you an idea of what to expect from this programme, we publish the latest available information. This information is created when new programmes are established and is only updated periodically as programmes are formally reviewed. It is therefore only accurate on the date of last revision.

Awarding institution:	The University of Edinburgh
Teaching institution:	The University of Edinburgh
Programme accredited by:	The University of Edinburgh
Final award:	MSc
Programme title:	Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
UCAS code:
Relevant QAA subject benchmarking group(s):	English, Languages and Related Studies, and Linguistics
Postholder with overall responsibility for QA:	Programme Director
Date of production/revision:	30 September 2012
Further Information:	View the prospectus entry for this programme

External summary

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) is a specialism that grew up in the 1970s as TEFL methodology developed communicatively after the functional-notional approach and in parallel with an understanding of cognitive psychology. English language teaching and teacher-training has spread round the world as indeed has the English language itself. Today however, the field shows a heightened awareness of global Englishes and multilingualism, and is enhanced by discoveries of other fields such as corpus linguistics, that is now better able to describe language as it is actually used in naturally-occurring contexts.

Edinburgh’s TESOL department has been at the forefront of change for about 35 years, attracting students from all over the world through its contact, distance learning and online modes. It currently offers a unique programme, in that, in addition to the cornerstones of the field (TESOL Methodology, Second Language Teaching Curriculum and Language and the Learner), it brings in a wide range of cutting-edge options from Evaluation and Design of TESOL Materials and Second Language Teacher Education to Investigating Individual Learner Differences, Language Awareness For Second Language Teachers and Language and Culture Pedagogy, all taught by internationally renowned experts.

The programme aims to develop students’

knowledge and understanding of concepts involved in second language teaching and learning knowledge and use of the literature in TESOL and Applied Linguistics
ability to reflect critically on the theory and practice of second language teaching and learning
ability to apply the theory of second language teaching and learning to practice in real teaching contexts
ability to plan and implement research in TESOL and Applied Linguistics
ability to use formal academic discourse and referencing convention

Educational aims of programme

These are

to meet the professional needs of the target population through developing an understanding of the theory and practice of TESOL in relation to classroom practice, applied linguistics and/or in relation to teacher education;
to enable students to examine their own construct of TESOL, applied linguistics and teacher education for TESOL from a variety of approaches to theory and the relation of theory to practice;
to equip students with the means to modify their practice of TESOL, applied linguistics and teacher education for TESOL in the light of developing theory and the changing conditions in which they have to operate;
to update the professional knowledge of students to enable them to develop their critical appraisal of English language teaching practice;
to provide a forum for sharing the rich experiential knowledge which the students bring to the course, and through this to seek appropriate solutions to relevant professional educational problems.
to give students the opportunity to explore in some depth TESOL and applied linguistics problems and concepts of interest to them;
to give students practice in the design, implementation and evaluation of a substantial research or development task;
to extend the students' ability to work autonomously in a specific area of interest to them.

Programme outcomes: Knowledge and understanding

Outcome	When/ where	Teaching & Learning	Assessment
1 TESOL Methodology theory and practice within varying historical, contemporary and cultural contexts	Throughout the programme. In all workshops and lectures.	Group activities within the workshops. Discussion during lectures and workshops.	Feeds forward into assessment in the terms of an essay – peer comments are used to evaluate teaching and learning that has been designed in the form of lesson plans, course design etc.
2 The theory and practice of evaluation of the TESOL curriculum, materials and student progress	Throughout the programme in seminars and lectures. Also within school visits	Group activities within the workshops. Discussion during lectures and workshops.	Feeds forward into assessment of courses in essay format and also into the dissertation and the data collection for this. This will be informed by relevant literature relevant to the topic.
3 The Applied Linguistics theory behind second language acquisition and learning, in a sociolinguistics and psycholinguistic context	Throughout the programme.	During workshops and presentations. Leading presentations on core issues and communicating ideas to peers and tutors.	Feeds into summative assessment in essay format at the end of each course.
4 evaluate and use appropriately a range of approaches to social and professional enquiry and a variety of methodologies and investigative techniques	Throughout the programme – particularly in Research Methods courses	Discussion during lectures and workshops.	All coursework submissions
5 plan, manage, and implement a research design that brings to a successful conclusion a sustained piece of independent research in the context of a specific area of TESOL theory and practice	Throughout the programme – particularly in Research Methods courses	Debate, discussion groups, role play, discussion and reading of the literature, interviewing tutors, teachers in schools, and classmates.	All course work submissions

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in research and enquiry

Outcome	When? and Where?	Teaching & Learning	Assessment
1	Throughout, and explicitly in Sources of Knowledge [RM1]	RM1 through small group work and academic staff modeling critical reading. Discussions in seminars on key issues in core courses	Critical analysis of 2 empirical research papers [RM1]
2	Conceptualizing Research [RM2]	Lectures, on line discussions, workshops	Relates directly to LO’s for RM2 assignment
3	Throughout, but skills taught explicitly in Sources of Knowledge [RM1]	Online information skills workshops designed by liaison librarian. Peer support groups. Induction week and pre-sessional courses	Indirectly through application of PG marking scheme criteria re use of literature
4	Throughout but specifically in RM3	Lectures, small group workshops, online discussions. One day mini conference.	Research Planning course assessment through poster (formative and peer) and summative
5	Dissertation	Individual and group supervision	Summative assessment of dissertation building on formative assessment of drafts submitted to supervisor
6	RM 3 and dissertation	Students in RM3 will be asked to present a poster of their research design to a school-wide audience	Feed forward on posters, research proposal is summatively assessed as in dissertation of up 15,000 words

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal and intellectual autonomy

Outcome	When/ where	Teaching & Learning	Assessment
1. be able to exercise substantial autonomy and initiative in professional and academic activities, including decision making on the basis of independent thought	Throughout all courses in TESOL.	Progressive development of critical academic literacy skills throughout all courses. Engage with core texts and research to consider current issues within the field. Feed forward from tutors and peers. Critical discussions in workshops and lectures related to key issues within teaching English as a second/additional language.	Critical engagement with the literature is expected – drawing on current research on the various areas within the programme. Reflection related to own teaching or language learning experiences is required. Self-study Professional enquiry
2. be open to new ideas, such as negotiated syllabi and teaching English in a post-method era and looking at broader issues of multilingualism and multiculturalism, and methods, such as Corpus Linguistics	Throughout all courses.	Drawing explicitly on theory/ research and classroom practices. Tutors and peers will engage in cooperative learning and adopt the role of a critical friend. Oral presentations Micro-teaching that includes new ideas related to course content. Online discussions on Learn and debates in workshops. Peer and tutor feedback on poster presentations.	Throughout the programme e.g. in TESOL Methodology and Second Language Teaching Curriculum students will explore their own identities and beliefs and those of other teachers in order to facilitate change related to concepts within language teaching.
3. Be able to integrate knowledge and handle complexity (e.g. in learning and teaching; in being a change agent within a context. Recognizing enabling and constraining effects on implementing change in practice and policy documents) and formulate judgments with limited or incomplete information (e.g. adopt a critical and reflective response to the evaluation of teaching materials and processes and provide informed rationale for making changes to existing practices.	Throughout the whole programme.	Drawing on theory and research within the literature and linking this to practice within the classroom and wider areas of TESOL. Participant led workshops. Oral presentations Classrooms debates on current issues in practice and how these relate to the broader issues in the field e.g. equality, racism etc. Feed forward peer and tutor collaborations.	Expected on each course within the programme. Tutors will provide formative feedback during and after each course and any other support that is necessary. Assignment in the form of an essay that includes a rationale and design for change.
4. be able to reflect on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments in the area of TESOL teaching and learning	Throughout the whole programme.	Drawing on current literature in TESOL and Language Teaching and also extending this reading to include the wider social issues related to language development, particularly in relation to social justice.	Analysis of policy documents through a lens of social justice and racism.
5. be intellectually curious of contexts and problems have ability to work towards solutions	Throughout all courses on the programme.	Active consideration and development of critical literacy skills (e.g. Provision of articles related to current debates on post-method era in teaching and how this impacts on the other areas of language teaching. Inviting participants to debate and provide critical feedback to peers in relation to debates within the literature.	Essay on Curriculum design and the Evaluation of Materials. Also in relation to teaching Young Learners and educational contexts for this.
6. be able to develop/ maintain/ sustain intellectual rigour and application .	Relevant skills knowledge, understanding and exploration of attitudes and beliefs, developed throughout and evidenced at the fullest in the final course assignments and in the dissertation.	Tutors and peers adopt the role of a critical friend. Research methods and methodology taught throughout the programme – embedding and integrating these. Tutors share progress with students and provide additional support if necessary.	Assessment criteria reflect this throughout e.g. in the dissertation.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in communication

Outcome	When/ where	Teaching & Learning	Assessment
1. be able to communicate using appropriate methods to a range of language teaching audiences with different levels of knowledge, e.g. recent trained graduates and experienced researchers	Throughout the programme. In all workshops and lectures.	Group activities within the workshops. Discussion during lectures and workshops.	Feeds forward into assessment in the terms of an essay – peer comments are used to evaluate teaching and learning that has been designed in the form of lesson plans, course design etc.
2. be able to communicate findings and opinions with peers in the programme and more senior colleagues such as those in management and specialists in research	Throughout the programme in seminars and lectures. Also within school visits (Primary and Secondary levels)	Class discussions, group work, projects for workshops, collecting data.	Feeds forward into assessment of courses in essay format and also into the dissertation and the data collection for this. This will be informed by relevant literature relevant to the topic.
3. be able to communicate orally, written, or visually, demonstrating clarity and coherence	Throughout the programme.	During workshops and presentations. Leading presentations on core issues and communicating ideas to peers and tutors.	Feeds into summative assessment in essay format at the end of each course.
4. be able to use communication as a tool for collaboration, e.g. taking part in a simple group research project	Throughout the programme – particularly in relation to summative assessments	Group activities during workshops and group work that takes place outside of the classroom on projects, presentations and micro-teaching.	All coursework submissions
5. be able to engage in debate orally and in writing demonstrating skills of communicating with clarity, and the ability to support argument and to develop arguments in the light of new evidence	Throughout the programme.	Debate, discussion groups, role play, discussion and reading of the literature, interviewing tutors, teachers in schools, and classmates. Also within outside of class activities for projects and debates.	All course work submissions
6. be able to seek and to respond to feedback responding to feed forward and in peer discussions	Throughout the programme and in all assignment work related to the course.	Group activities and peer feedback and feed forward. Activities that take place outside of workshop times.	All course work submissions

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal effectiveness

Outcome

When/

where

Teaching & Learning

Assessment

be able to plan, execute and critically evaluate a significant project of research investigation or development

RM 3

Dissertation

Tutorials

Individual supervision

RM 3 dissertation proposal

Dissertation – summative assessment.

have the confidence to make decisions, defend opinions, address audiences

Throughout the programme on all courses

Reflective practice after micro-teaching

Reflections on design of lessons or materials

Online discussions on WebCT

Reflective journals

Key literature

Not formally assessed but feeds forward into summative assessment in the form of an essay.

be able to work collaboratively with each other recognizing the diversity of the group different viewpoints/ groups/ values, from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, and complexity of the specific context and the complexity of the process of intercultural communication

Throughout the programme on all courses.

Small group discussions in workshops and outside of class.

Collaborative practices within online discussions and journal entries.

School visits

Presentations that feed forward into the summative essay assignments for each course.

be able to manage risks, such as threatening each other’s face with differing opinions, and bringing about change in a context in which others felt satisfied and secure

Considered throughout, but particularly related to courses in Curriculum in terms of differentiation and recognising what is needed to be a change agent in specific circumstances.

Small group discussions in workshops

Contributions to lectures and seminars

Demonstrating how to implement such considerations within learning and teaching – particularly related to discussions on equality and intercultural communication.

Views associated with this should be present within assignments and presentations.

demonstrate initiative and make a critically informed and identifiable contribution to group and plenary debate

Throughout the programme but particularly relevant to the techniques and processes of Teacher Education course – specialist option

Small group discussions in workshops.

Tutor lecture input

Design of teacher education programme/course/ CPD

Written assignment for the ends of course.

Presentations in class that feed forward into the summative assessment.

transfer learning and skills from one context to another, for example combining abilities from a previous course with those obtained in a current course

Throughout the programme

Group discussions and group work outside of class time.

Written assignments and presentations.

Programme outcomes: Technical/practical skills

Outcome	When/ where	Teaching & Learning	Assessment
1. put into practice the theories encountered in the literature in order to evaluate their effectiveness	Throughout the programme	Tutorials Individual supervision	In all assignments
2. micro-teach peers in class in way that communicates new concepts and experiments innovatively with the practicality of the classroom techniques and processes	Throughout the programme on several of the courses	Workshop activities	Reflections on the teaching feature throughout assignments.
3. observe classes, either face-to-face, virtual or recorded, and reflect on the social, cultural and psychological context	Some courses arrange for this facility	Small group discussions in workshops and outside of class. School visits	Reflections on the observation feature throughout relevant assignments.
4. use at least on research instrument, such as questionnaires, interviews, linguistic analysis, using face-to-face or online research or communication tools	In RM3 and the dissertation.	In RM3 workshops and dissertation supervision meetings	In the dissertation proposal and the dissertation itself.

Programme structure and features

Structure

Students take eight courses (six compulsory and two options) and write a dissertation (total of 180 credits)

Semester 1

Four compulsory courses

ESOL Methodology	EDUA11256 (20 credits)
Second Language Teaching Curriculum	EDUA11257 (20 credits)
Language and the Learner	EDUA11248 (20 credits)
Research Methods (Part One) Sources of Knowledge	REDU11046 SV1 (10 credits)

Semester 2

Two compulsory courses

Research Methods (Part Two) Conceptualising Research: Foundations, Assumptions And Praxis

REDU11045 (10 credits)
Research Methods (Part Three) Planning Research REDU11045 (10 credits)

Evaluation and Design of TESOL Materials	EDUA11255 (20 credits)
Second Language Teacher Education	EDUA11282 (20 credits)
Investigating Individual Learner Differences	EDUA11283 (20 credits)
Language Awareness for Second Language Teachers	EDUA11281 (20 credits)
Language and Culture Pedagogy	EDUA11206 (20 credits)
Teaching Text Across Borders	EDUA11203 (20 credits)
Theory and Practice of Second Language Learning	EDUA11045 (20 credits)
Language Testing	EDUA11045 (20 credits)
Online Language Learning	EDUA11212 (20 credits)

Semester 3

Dissertation (50 credits)

Requirements to proceed to dissertation

An average of 50% of over of Diploma courses, with not more than 40 credits under 50%

An explanation of the articulation of learning outcomes and assessment practices

All course learning outcomes are reflected in their assessments

Modes of study

Face-to-face full-time delivery is the norm. Students can also take the programme part-time. They can study the Research Methods courses online or do their dissertation by distance learning

Exit awards

The post-graduate certificate in TESOL is awarded to students who successfully complete 60 credits of compulsory courses, and who do not complete other courses.
The post-graduate diploma in TESOL is awarded to students who successfully complete all the compulsory courses and two option courses, and who do not proceed to the MSc.
The MSc TESOL is awarded to those who successfully complete all the compulsory courses and two option courses, and who successfully complete a dissertation.

University’s Strategic Plan

TESOL takes very seriously the issues of social responsibility, sustainability, equality and diversity. TESOL students come from all over the world and from all walks of life. The programme endeavours to enable the student cohorts to cohere socially and culturally, by incorporating relevant discussions throughout the courses, as well as offering special sessions on cultural issues and holding social events.

Teaching and learning methods and strategies

Learning and teaching is organised through weekly contact sessions. Material is delivered via traditional lecture combined with student participation, which is supported and encouraged through the use of discussions on readings, debates, data analysis activities, problem-based learning and case studies. Most discussion, to critically reflect, evaluate and apply their new-found knowledge takes place in the two-hour long workshops, in which students generally take centre stage. Staff-student ratio tends to be 1:20-25. Most of the student effort hours are devoted to reading.

During the dissertation period, students work on an individual or group research project guided by a supervisor. Regular meetings, led by students, help to develop an autonomous approach to research practice, plan the research project and discuss the write-up of the dissertation.

Feedback in TESOL is very much a formative matter. It takes place in class and is written carefully to explain evaluation of assessments.

The University of Edinburgh Innovative Learning Week scheduled in Week 6 of Semester 2 provides space for staff and students in the School of Education to explore new learning activities.

The students access to generic support for taught postgraduate students including an induction website (http://www.blendedlearning.me/induction/). They receive writing support for international students provided by the English Language Teaching Centre, as well as further academic development opportunities offered by The Institute for Academic Development (IAD). In addition, the programme director runs weekly programme tutorials in which he/she explains reading techniques, discusses plagiarism, referencing, writing conventions, the meaning of the assessment criteria, amongst other essential issues.

The students also benefit from the world-class library facilities available at the University and access on-line and print journals and up-to-date text books. All courses are supported by an on-line learning environment.

Assessment methods and strategies

The main method of assessment is written course assignments of 4,000 words. Students are given clear guidance as to what is required in each assignment, through printed rubrics relating the work to the assessment criteria, and through discussion in workshops.

TESOL aims to have as much variety of assessment style as possible: the programme includes a wide repertoire of assessments: course-book evaluations, lesson plans, online course design, reflective journals, and group presentations. Many courses offer a choice of assignments.

Tutors give feedback on the extent to which work is well structured, logical, precise, clear and concise. Feedback also focuses on the concepts and their framework, and ways of expressing criticality explicitly. It is mostly framed in terms of how students can improve their performance.

The dissertation is 15,000 words. Students can undertake any piece of research that is related to TESOL, so long as it is feasible in the time available and with the constraints of place, in the case of international students.

Career opportunities

TESOL graduates tend to go to EFL posts in primary, secondary and university institutions around the world. Many obtain promotions to head of department and head of school. Many go to develop a research career, undertaking a higher degree.

Other items

Further information

View the prospectus entry for this programme