ObjectivesTo provide a sound knowledge of classroom English Language teaching practices with young learners To familiarise students with the design of language teaching programmes aimed at developing EFL communication skills for children To enable students to understand the principles of literacy development, and to be able to teach reading and writing in English as a foreign language To develop the necessary skills for students to implement research projects
Entry requirementsEntry Qualifications Good degree. For non-native speakers of English, IELTS 6.5 or equivalent
Academic titleMA English Language Teaching (Young Learners)
Course description
Course Description
The MA in English Language Teaching (Young Learners) is the first of its kind to be offered by a prestigious department of language and linguistics within a UK university. It is dedicated to the teaching of English as a second or foreign language to young (pre-school and primary level) children.
Modules and Options
The lists of modules below represent the range of options available for each year of study. This may not be a complete list of the options you will study, and may be subject to change, so please contact the department for further details.
Stage 1
ACQUISITION OF SECOND LANGUAGE PHONOLOGY
APPROACHES TO SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
BLACK ENGLISHES
CHILDREN'S ENGLISH
COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TESTING
Compulsory: DESIGN OF LANGUAGE TEACHING PROGRAMMES AND MATERIALS FOR YOUNG LEARNERS
Compulsory: FOUNDATIONS OF LANGUAGE FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS
Compulsory: INTRODUCTION TO TEACHING YOUNG LEARNERS
Compulsory: INVESTIGATION INTO THE YOUNG LEARNERS CLASSROOM
Compulsory: LITERACY DEVELOPMENT AND TEACHING OF READING TO YOUNG LEARNERS
COMPUTATIONAL LINGUISTICS I
COMPUTATIONAL LINGUISTICS II
COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING: THEORY, RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
CONSTRAINT BASED PHONOLOGY
CONVERSATION AND SOCIAL INTERACTION
Core: DISSERTATION: MA
CORPORA IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CULTURE IN SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING
DESCRIPTIVE SYNTAX
DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE PROCESSING
DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE DISORDERS
DEVELOPMENTAL SECOND LANGUAGE SYNTAX
DISCOURSE AND LANGUAGE TEACHING
ELT PROFESSIONAL CONCERNS
ENGLISH PHONOLOGY
ENGLISH SYNTAX
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS
FOUNDATIONS OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING
FOUNDATIONS OF ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES
FOUNDATIONS OF INTERCULTURAL AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
FOUNDATIONS OF LINGUISTICS
FURTHER QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS IN LANGUAGE STUDY
GENRE ANALYSIS, ACADEMIC ENGLISH FOR ESP
GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT
GRAMMATICAL DEVELOPMENT IN FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD LANGUAGE LEARNERS
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN L2 LEARNING
INPUT IN LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING
INTERCULTURAL PRAGMATICS
INTRODUCTION TO HEAD-DRIVEN PHRASE STRUCTURE GRAMMAR
INTRODUCTION TO LEXICAL FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND THE CRITICAL PERIOD
LANGUAGE AND GENDER
LANGUAGE DISORDERS IN ADULTS
LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN CLASSROOMS
LANGUAGE PROGRAMME EVALUATION
LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION
LANGUAGE TEACHERS IN CLASSROOMS
LANGUAGE TEACHING
LANGUAGE TESTING
LEARNER AUTONOMY
LEARNER PERSPECTIVES ON VOCABULARY
LEARNER STRATEGIES AND METALINGUISTIC KNOWLEDGE: EXPLICIT ASPECTS OF L2 LEARNING
LEXICAL CHANGE IN THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH
MATERIALS DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
MATERIALS EVALUATION
MINIMALISM SYNTAX II
MINIMALIST SYNTAX I
MORPHOLOGY
MULTILINGUALISM
NON-EXPERIMENTAL QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING PEDAGOGICAL GRAMMAR
PHILOSOPHY OF LINGUISTICS
PHONOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND PHONOLOGICAL DISORDERS
PHONOLOGICAL THEORY AND SECOND LANGUAGE PHONOLOGY
PIDGIN AND CREOLE LANGUAGES
PRAGMATICS: DISCOURSE AND RHETORIC
PROLOG I
PROLOG II
QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING/APPLIED LINGUISITICS RESEARCH
RELEVANCE THEORY
RESEARCH TOPICS IN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES
RESEARCHING WRITING IN EFL/ESL
SEMANTICS
SENTENCE PROCESSING
SOCIOLINGUISTIC METHODS I
SOCIOLINGUISTIC METHODS II
SOCIOLINGUISTICS I
SOCIOLINGUISTICS II
SOCIOPHONOLOGY
SOCIOPHONOLOGY RESEARCH
SYLLABUS DESIGN
TEACHING PRACTICE I
TEACHING PRACTICE II
TEACHING WRITING IN EFL/ESL
TEACHING, LISTENING AND SPEAKING
THE MENTAL LEXICON
THEORETICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE PHONOLOGY
TOPICS IN HEAD-DRIVEN PHRASE STRUCTURE GRAMMAR
TOPICS IN LEXICAL FUNCITIONAL GRAMMAR
TOPICS IN PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
VARIATION IN ARABIC 1
VARIATION IN ARABIC II
VARIATION IN ENGLISH I
VARIATION IN ENGLISH II
VERB MEANING AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Teaching and Assessment Methods
A: Knowledge and Understanding
Learning Outcomes
A1 : familiarity with approaches to the study of language adopted in contemporary work in Linguistics Familiarity with approaches to the study of language adopted in contemporary work in Linguistics
A2 : Knowledge of key concepts, ideas, theories, styles of argumentation and evaluation criteria used in contemporary research in English Language and Linguistics, and an understanding of associated methodological, theoretical and descriptive issues
A3 : A broad acquaintance with current concepts, theories, issues and research findings and teacher implications thereof in the field of teaching young (preschool or primary level) learners of English as a second/foreign language.
A4 : An in depth knowledge of four specialist areas within the domain of English language teaching and language learning and use by non-native speakers, or relevant specialist areas of linguistics more generally. Two are specialist YL areas, two from a range that depends on the range of available options which typically includes: syllabus design, materials evaluation, teaching ESP, the teaching of specific skills and areas of language, learners in classrooms, language testing and evaluation.
A5 : An understanding of how the above apply to particular teaching situations, especially those that the taker is familiar with, in the context of accepted contemporary professional practice.
Teaching Methods
1-5 are taught initially through staff-led modules, using a variety of means of delivery (formal lecture, seminar, question-answer discussion session, group-work task-based session, computer lab session, student oral reports, workshop). 3 is enhanced by classroom observation. Staff feedback to students on coursework is a connected important feature enhancing learning. Learning is expected to be deepened through directed and independent self-access library study and use of web material both put up by staff and generally available on the internet.
Later, the dissertation research deepens understanding of 1-5 via a real integrated project supported by staff supervision and group tutorials. At any time support is available in the form of advice from staff in their consulting hours, and staff replies to student email queries
Assessment Methods
Initially 1-5 are assessed through a 3000 word written assignment for each module, either of the essay type (e.g. literature review, or argumentative, or proposing/evaluating teaching materials) or practical exercises. 1-5 are also assessed later in an integrative way when the learner has to draw on this knowledge selectively for the dissertation.
B: Intellectual/Cognitive Skills
Learning Outcomes
B1 : Critical skills needed to evaluate disparate sources of information, both academic (e.g. lectures, books) and experiential, and collate, select, and apply the information to a specific teaching issue or situation
B2 : Ability to reflect independently on own teaching experience and relate it to the ideas and research in the field
B3 : Ability to identify a research question or hypothesis, choose appropriate research methods, and interpret own and others' data and see the implications for a hypothesis or question
B4 : Ability to apply critical thinking to linguistic evidence
Teaching Methods
1-3 are fostered repeatedly by all the means of teaching/learning described in (A) above. 4 mainly by one taught module on Foundations of Language.
Assessment Methods
1-2 are assessed primarily via 3000 word written assignments of the literature review or argumentative type, and finally collectively in the dissertation research project.
3-4 are assessed mainly through exercises.
C: Practical Skills
Learning Outcomes
C1 : Ability to seek and retrieve relevant information from a variety of sources (e.g. library, journals, WWW)
C2 : Ability to communicate lucidly in speech and writing about teaching and learning issues and own experience, in appropriate style
C3 : Basic practical skills in language analysis (e.g. syntactic, phonemic)
C4 : Basic skills in conducting and reporting empirical research (e.g. use of data gathering instruments like observation, tests or questionnaires, simple data analysis)
C5 : Ability to propose, plan, execute and write up an original, complete but limited study related to teaching young learners with due treatment of appropriate prior research and theory, generation of research aims, application of relevant methods (e.g. empirical data gathering, or syllabus/materials design or evaluation) and management and presentation of the whole project with due attention to proper professional practice and ethics
Teaching Methods
1 is promoted by library staff guidance and by the IT induction course, as well as being guided by staff teaching particular modules, and giving advice
2 is promoted by the oral and written tasks associated with the taught modules, and feedback on them, and by guidance in course booklet and an unassessed module on assignment and dissertation writing
3 and 4 have modules dedicated to them with practical tasks
5 is promoted by supervision of the obligatory dissertation
1-5 are further supported by advice from staff in consultation hours or by email, and by web-based self-access material
Assessment Methods
1 and 2 are assessed indirectly via the written or oral assessments for the taught modules generally
3 and 4 are assessed specifically in the modules dedicated to them, by exercises and essay
5 is assessed primarily via the dissertation, along with 1-4 again.
D: Key Skills
Learning Outcomes
D1 : a. Oral participation in group discussion and lectures b. Academic writing, both in the form of argumentative academic papers and research reports, in appropriate style c. Critical reading: researching and utilising information, including scanning, recognising opinion and bias, detecting relevant points, collating different sources.
D2 : Using advanced computational tools and software packages to obtain, store and process information stored in electronic form (e.g. from the Library, WWW or CD-rom), and (where appropriate) SPSS to analyse data and results
D3 : a. Use of simple descriptive and inferential statistics b. Making and interpreting graphs and tables
D4 : a. Analysis of tasks and identification of objectives b. Identification and use of relevant information sources c. Establishing main features of a complex problem d. Planning and selection of approach to reach a solution
D5 : Participation in pair/group class tasks (including organising and evaluating own and others' contributions)
D6 : a. Use of independent time management skills, initiative, and different approaches to working autonomously to meet assignment and dissertation targets b. Use of feedback and support from peers, lecturers and supervisor to meet targets and improve over the year
Teaching Methods
1 and 5 are promoted by many taught modules, and involves listening and note taking in lectures. They are also facilitated by feedback.
2 is promoted mainly by the practical tasks of the IT induction course, and specific modules which introduce SPSS or other specialist software through practical tasks, as well as self access material on WWW. Students will be expected to become familiar with basic PC management and the word processing of academic documents. In their research for assignments and towards their dissertations students will gain familiarity with internet searching and electronic library and bibliographical databases. They may require skills in specific software packages (eg for Phonetic, corpus or qualitative analysis.)
3 is promoted specifically by several modules dealing with research methods
4 and 6 are promoted via the assignments and dissertation which impose requirements for students to apply these skills
1-6 are all further practised for the dissertation, and aided when necessary by staff advice by email or consultation
Assessment Methods
1-6 are assessed integratively with other skills/knowledge in the module assessed work and the dissertation, apart from 2 and 3 which have targeted hand-in tasks.