English Language & Teaching

The TESOL Methodologies module will guide you through the approaches and techniques that professional language teachers use for teaching English, or other languages, in the UK and all over the world. You will find out about the development of methodologies over time, from audiolingualism to the post-methods era, enabling you to develop a toolkit of techniques that you can select from and identify in practical teaching modules. A particular focus will be how these methods can be applied for the teaching of the four skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Not only will you learn about language teaching methods and approaches, but you will understand the principles that underlie them by examining the relationship between method and general learning, as well as language learning, theories. This part of the study develops your criticality and professional capacity to select appropriate methods and builds on the theoretical knowledge of Second Language Acquisition you gained in Year 1. Further topics covered in the module will include lesson planning, classroom management, teacher and students roles, among others.

You will study the regional, national and international varieties of English and how social and occupational groups, gender and ethnicity influence the individuals’ language use and attitudes.

This module will provide you with the tools that you need to do your own research in English language and teaching.

This is a highly practical module in which you have the opportunity to train to become an English language teacher over the course of 2 semesters.

In order to accomplish this, you will work with English Language learners on both a 1-2-1 basis and in small groups in a language classroom. You will also experience language learning (possibly Mandarin) using a range of teaching methodologies to help you gain an understanding of how language learners feel. You will be supported and guided by staff who are qualified ELT professionals and have language teaching experience.

The module will include four elements:

• Language Awareness

• Developing an Individual Learner Profile

• Study of an Unknown Language

• Teaching Skills

You will engage in needs analysis, linguistic analysis, lesson planning and materials adaptation as well as teaching individuals and groups of learners. In order to develop your teaching identity, you will observe and reflect on lessons taught by qualified teachers and your peers. You will also work closely with tutors to develop your practice and to build your confidence as a teacher. Assessment includes a range of work such as: a portfolio of lesson plans and observations; reflection of your own language learning; development of a leaner profile.

In this module you will have the opportunity to analyse and evaluate how English language, in spoken, written or digital forms, shapes meaning for use in fields ranging from media to politics to marketing. You will also explore how factors such as audience, purpose, genre and mode affect our use of language.

This module aims to provide essential training in professional career management skills designed to assist you in actively planning and preparing for your future career in English Language Teaching.

You will develop awareness of the ELT market through and the personal attributes and achievements that employers require in this industry. You will explore the various contexts they have opportunity for employment through a social, cultural and educational analysis of these contexts. They will develop oral communication and team working skills through practical group exercises. You will have an opportunity to develop their personal statement, curriculum vitae and prepare for prospective job interviews.

Through these activities you will develop self-awareness; opportunity awareness; decision learning; and transition learning. The module will be delivered using a mixture of lectures, specialised seminars, visits to and/or from the ELT industry experts.

The psychology of language learning is an important and developing field of study, and one which is important for aspiring language teachers to engage with. In this module, you will be introduced to theories and approaches used in the field by researchers, and their real-world applications in the classroom. Ways in which teachers can use psychology of language learning theories to inform their practice and engage and motivate their students will be explored.

You will consider the impact of learners’ home culture, the classroom environment and the teacher on learner psychology. Areas of focus may include motivation, engagement, emotions and the self.

This module will introduce you to the basic principles of how teachers construct and present English language tests. You will look at the different purposes of tests and you will critically evaluate testing techniques.

This module will give you the opportunity to evaluate and design materials for English language teaching use. You will develop a practical understanding of the role, principles and procedures of the design and evaluation of language teaching materials.

If you aspire to teach English in the primary, secondary, further, higher education or the professional sectors, this module will familiarise you with specific English language teaching contexts in the UK and abroad and the finer details of the National Curriculum for English Language.

This module intends to bring the knowledge you have acquired during your studies in BA in English Language and Teaching. You will demonstrate your ability to design, conduct and report the results of a research project in an area of TESOL and/or Linguistics. You will work independently, under the guidance of a supervisor. You will draw upon the skills acquired during the research skills module and academic writing, conduct independent research and write a dissertation on any topic related to the modules you attended during your three years of study.

During the module you will have the opportunity to attend/ or deliver further sessions about the skills required to design and carry out independent research in the area of applied linguistics and teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). The key research approaches and a variety of research methods used in investigating language teaching and learning will be further explored and discussed. such as action research; case studies; ethnography; qualitative and (or) quantitative research; mixed methods).

The module will also take a step-by-step approach through the process, from getting to know the key concepts involved in applied linguistics research, to the design, carrying out a research project, and interpreting the research findings. This includes the following topics. Collecting Data Issues; Ethics, Designing Questionnaires, Designing Interviews, Designing Surveys, Conducting Observations and Interpreting Qualitative Data.

In this module you will demonstrate your ability to design, conduct and report the results of a research project in an area of TESOL and/or Linguistics. You will work independently and under the guidance of a supervisor.

Clinical linguistics is the application of linguistic theories and analytical techniques in the field of speech, language and communication impairment. It can be used in the description, explanation and remediation of a wide range of impairments in children and adults. All areas of linguistics can be applied clinically to study disorders in the perception, production and representation of language in all its modalities (spoken, signed and written). Clinical linguistics thus also focuses on characterising the language use of atypical populations, for example, speakers with autism, dementia, aphasia, and so on. By investigating the ways in which communication may be impaired, clinical linguistics also provides insights into the nature of unimpaired language, its development and use.

This module aims to provide an introduction to the field of communication sciences and disorders, as well as an overview of professional practice in the area. The aims of this module are to provide an introduction to: Models of health and disability within society; Key developmental and acquired disorders of speech, language and communication; The wider effects of speech, language and communication (including participation in education and employment, effects on wellbeing); and the value of studying individuals with communication difficulties in terms of increasing understanding of normal development and variation and normal speech and language processing.