Language Teaching/Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) PG Dip

Birkbeck, University of London

This MA Language Teaching/Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) is ideal if you are a language teacher wishing to progress to a more senior or specialist role. It will help you develop specialised knowledge in key areas of language teaching, reflect on your own teaching practice, and enable you to engage critically and constructively in debates relating to a range of aspects of language teaching. Why choose this course? An important feature of this MA is its flexibility. You can choose to study aspects of teaching English and graduate with an MA TESOL, or you can focus on the teaching of languages other than English and graduate with an MA Language Teaching. It brings together teachers of English and teachers of other languages to offer you a unique focus on the multilingual and multicultural contexts of language learning and teaching. It gives you the opportunity to learn and share experiences with teachers from all over the world to gain an insight into a range of language teaching contexts. MA Language Teaching/TESOL is an essential qualification for those who wish to teach languages at university level, whether for general or more specific purposes. For those with less teaching experience, the MA will give you a competitive early career advantage as you gain more experience in teaching posts. What you will learn This course is specifically structured to bridge the gap between language teaching theory and practice, and help you reflect on the important balance between them. You will advance your knowledge of current literature in key areas of research in language teaching and, more broadly, in applied linguistics, and gain further confidence in your own practice through appreciating the variety of factors shaping language teaching and learning in the classroom. How you will learn This course is available to study full- or part-time. It has an evening timetable and you can choose a route through the course attending classes on campus, online or via a combination of both. You will learn through lectures, seminars, and by carrying out your own research for assignments in which you can follow your interests in this area. You will also benefit from guest lectures, symposia and workshops across Birkbeck. You will have the chance to choose between your dissertation pathways on this course: an empirical research investigation of an aspect of language teaching and learning, or an independent library-based project on a relevant topic of your choice. If you are not yet ready to commit to an MA, we also offer this course as a Postgraduate Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate, ideal if you have classroom experience of language teaching, or have a broadly relevant first degree and an interest in the theory and practice of language teaching. This course is part of our Birkbeck Flexible Master’s UK, which gives you the choice of how you want to study - on campus, online or via flexible learning, which combines both. If you require a Student visa to study in the UK, you will only be able to apply for the on-campus study option for this course. Online and flexible options will not be available to you because they may affect the conditions of your visa.