GRADUATE SCHOOL THE MORAY HOUSE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH MSc TESOL PROGRAMME HANDBOOK 2013-2014
WELCOME FROM THE PROGRAMME TEAM Welcome to Edinburgh and to The Moray House School of Education. We hope you will have an enjoyable and rewarding time during your stay in Edinburgh. CONTENTS Page 1 STAFF 4 1.1 Teaching Staff 4 1.2 Administrative Staff 4 2 PROGRAMME AIMS 5 3 AWARDS 5 3.1 The Post-graduate Certificate in TESOL 5 3.2 The Post-graduate Diploma in TESOL 5 3.3 The MSc TESOL 5 3.4 Assessment 5 4 PROGRAMME OUTLINE 6 4.1 Three Semester Structure 6 Semester 1 (September December) 6 Semester 2 (January April) 6 Semester 3 (May August) 6 4.2 Option Courses 6 5 LEARNING AND SUPPORT GROUPS 7 5.1 Learning Groups 7 Course Formats 7 s 7 Pre-workshop Groups 7 Dissertation Supervisor Meetings 8 Notification of Absence 8 Feedback 8 5.2 Support for Students 8 Programme Tutorials 8 Personal Tutor Systems 8 Staff-Student Liaison Committee and the Student Voice 8 2
Page 5.3 Communication 9 From Staff to Students 9 To Students to Staff 10 6 MESSAGE FROM PROGRAMME DIRECTOR 10 7 ALL YEAR CALENDAR 11 8 WEEKLY TIMETABLE 14 7.1 Semester 1 14 7.2 Semester 2 16 3
1 STAFF 1.1 TEACHING STAFF Programme Director Dr Kenneth Fordyce Charteris 5.09A kenneth.fordyce@ed.ac.uk Deputy Programme Director Dr Bróna Murphy Charteris 4.07B brona.murphy@ed.ac.uk Dr Florence Bonacina-Pugh Charteris 5.19 F.bonacina-pugh@ed.ac.uk Dr Joan Cutting Charteris 5.09 joan.cutting@ed.ac.uk Dr Maria Dasli Charteris 5.07 maria.dasli@ed.ac.uk Dr Yvonne Foley St John s Land 1.05 yvonne.foley@ed.ac.uk Dr Nicola Galloway Charteris 5.06 nicola.galloway@ed.ac.uk Dr Mairin Hennebry Charteris 5.08 mairin.hennebry@ed.ac.uk Dr Eleni Mariou Charteris 5.17 eleni.mariou@ed.ac.uk Dr Claudia Rosenhan Charteris 5.16 claudia.rosenhan@ed.ac.uk Assistant Tutors Emma Guion Akdag Janet De Vigne Ruth Humphreys Liam Rodger egakdag@staffmail.ed.ac.uk v1jdevig@ed.ac.uk rhumphre@ed.ac.uk Liam.Rodger@ed.ac.uk Other Language Programmes: Programme Director - MSc Education: Language Theory, Practice and Literacy Richard Easton Charteris 4.10 richard.easton@ed.ac.uk Programme Director - MSc Language Teaching Dr Aileen Irvine Charteris 3.05B aileen.irvine@ed.ac.uk Mike Lynch Charteris 4.23 michael.lynch@ed.ac.uk Lynne Pratt Charteris 4.22 lynne.pratt@ed.ac.uk Ruby Rennie Charteris 3.6 ruby.rennie@ed.ac.uk Dr Pauline Sangster St John s Land 2.01 pauline.sangster@ed.ac.uk 1.2 ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Teaching Secretary Moira Ross Thomson s Land 1.01 0131 651 6206 tesol@ed.ac.uk 4
Please note that this Handbook should be read in conjunction with the Taught Masters Generic Handbook 2013-2014, which contains extensive information common to Masters programmes across Moray House School of Education. 2 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 conventions 3 AWARDS 3.1 THE POST-GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN TESOL This will be awarded to students who successfully complete 60 credits of compulsory courses, and who do not complete other courses. 3.2 THE POST-GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN TESOL This will be awarded to students who successfully complete all the compulsory courses and two option courses, and who do not proceed to the MSc. 3.3 THE MSC TESOL This will be awarded to those who successfully complete all the compulsory courses and two option courses, and who successfully complete a dissertation. 3.4 ASSESSMENT Full details on assessment procedures and assessment criteria are described in the Taught Masters Generic Handbook. 5
4 PROGRAMME OUTLINE 4.1 THREE SEMESTER STRUCTURE Students take eight courses (six compulsory and two options) and write a dissertation (total of 180 credits). A 20-credit course requires a notional 200 hours to complete and a 10-credit course requires 100 hours; this time includes lectures, workshops, independent study time, and work on the assessment. Course descriptors for all the courses listed below can be found on Learn in the TESOL Student Guide, and also online at this address: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/education/graduate-school/taughtdegrees/tesol/courses-dissertation SEMESTER 1: September-December 2013 Students take four compulsory courses during this semester (*CO = Course Organiser): TESOL Methodology EDUA11256 20 credits CO*: Yvonne Foley Second Language Teaching Curriculum EDUA11257 20 credits CO: Joan Cutting Language and the Learner EDUA11248 20 credits CO: Aileen Irvine Research Methods I: Sources of Knowledge REDU11046 SV1 10 credits CO: Pete Allison SEMESTER 2: January-April 2014 Students take two compulsory courses and two option courses (see below) during this semester: Compulsory courses: Research Methods II: Conceptualising Research: Foundations, Assumptions And Praxis REDU11045 10 credits CO: Mairin Hennebry Research Methods III: Planning Research REDU11045 10 credits CO: Rory Ewins SEMESTER 3: May-August 2014 Dissertation preparation self-study period, with tutorials with a supervisor. (50 credits) 4.2 OPTION COURSES Students must complete two option courses in Semester 2. All options are 20-credit courses. The courses listed below are expected to run this academic year, although the final decision on this depends on demand and the resources available. One of the options must be from the following list (these options are situated within the three MSc Language Master s programmes: MSc TESOL / MSc Education: Language / MSc Language Teaching): Global Englishes for Language Teaching EDUA11305 CO: Nicola Galloway Investigating Individual Learner Differences EDUA11282 CO: Mairin Hennebry Language Awareness for Second Language Teachers EDUA11283 CO: Kenneth Fordyce Language and Culture Pedagogy EDUA11281 CO: Maria Dasli 6
Language Testing EDUA11045 CO: Claudia Rosenhan Second Language Teacher Education EDUA11284 CO: to be confirmed Teaching Text Across Borders EDUA11206 CO: Lynn Pratt Theory and Practice of Second Language Learning EDUA11203 CO: Mike Lynch Online Language Learning EDUA11212 CO: Ruby Rennie Evaluation and Design of TESOL Materials EDUA11255 (the running of this course is still to be confirmed) The second option can be one further course from the list above from the three Language Master s Programmes one course from the wider university Master s (level 11 with 20 credits) courses; this has to be approved by the Programme Directors. one negotiated course for self-study on a topic within the field of TESOL. 5 LEARNING AND SUPPORT GROUPS 5.1 LEARNING GROUPS Course Formats Courses typically run over a period of eight weeks and operate with one of these two formats: (1) A one-hour lecture followed by a two-hour workshop a few days later. (2) A three-hour workshop each week. s The style of workshops will depend on the teaching-style of the course organiser/tutor. However, they will typically include a combination of both directive and participatory elements, with the emphasis on the latter. Where a course has more than one workshop group, the groups will broadly contain the same balance of students from a variety of backgrounds and interests, although for some courses, groups will be organised based on the teaching experience of participants. Student lists for workshop groups will be posted on Learn, on the TESOL notice-board on the 5 th floor of Charteris Land, and on the noticeboards outside the Graduate Office in Thomson s Land. Full-time students are expected to attend their allocated workshops; part-time students should discuss workshop times with the course organiser. Active participation is expected from all students: this means reading any materials indicated by the lecturer before the workshop, as well as reading more widely, and then taking part in group and plenary discussions throughout the workshop. Students who consistently read and take part are more likely to benefit from the courses and be successful in their studies. Pre-workshop Groups Some courses also organize pre-workshop groups. Students will be given a designated group which is expected to meet between a lecture and the following workshop in order to discuss specified readings and pre-workshop tasks. 7
Dissertation Supervisor Meetings In Semester 2, students will each be allocated a dissertation supervisor who will work with them through to Semester 3. While most supervisors meet on a one-to-one basis, others prefer to meet their supervisees in groups some or all of the time. Supervisors support students and guide them in the planning of the dissertation. The Taught Masters Generic Handbook contains further information about dissertation supervision. You will also receive detailed information about the dissertation and the supervisor allocation process in the MSc TESOL programme tutorials. Notification of Absence If you are going to be absent from a lecture or workshop, it is essential that you inform the Course Organiser by email (and tutor, if different from the Course Organiser) in advance of the class, as far as is possible. If you are absent from classes for more than two days, you must inform the Programme Director. Feedback In all courses, there will be at least one formative feedback or feedforward event. Feedback and feedforward can take many forms, including: verbal feedback from the tutor on presentations, posters or workshop tasks; feedforward provided on an outline of an assessment; generic feedback on short writing tasks. You will also receive summative feedback on assignments according to a published timetable. If feedback is delayed (this can happen in the case of staff illness or other unforeseen circumstances), your course organiser will inform you of the delay and provide you with a revised date for marks and feedback. 5.2 SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS Programme Tutorials The Programme Director holds regular programme tutorials with all the students together. In Semester 1, These tutorials take place in Paterson s Land, G1. They will be on Wednesdays at 3pm in Semester 1, and on Tuesdays at 1pm in Semester 2. The aim of these sessions is to provide essential information on regulations, procedures and other areas of professional development, as well as to provide academic support and advice in relation to academic reading and writing. Important notices are handed out in these sessions and they are also an opportunity for students to ask questions on general issues relevant to the whole group. Powerpoints from the sessions are put on Learn in the TESOL Student Guide, so that students have an extra record of regulations, procedures, support and advice, in addition to that found in the Taught Masters Generic Handbook and Dissertation Guide. Students are strongly recommended to attend these tutorials and consider them as an essential component of the programme. 8
Personal Tutor System You will each be allocated a personal tutor from the TESOL staff team. You will have one designated meeting in the first and second semesters with your personal tutor. You may also have group meetings with your personal tutor; and the MSc TESOL programme tutorial also provides the academic support which is a key component of the Personal Tutor system. You can find more details about the Personal Tutor system in the Taught Masters Generic Handbook. The Senior Personal Tutor for the postgraduate students is Richard Easton richard.easton@ed.ac.uk). Staff-Student Liaison Committee and the Student Voice Students are invited to select class representatives to represent their views on the programme and courses in the Staff-Student Liaison Committee. There are five meetings in the year (check the calendar for the times). The TESOL student cohort will be divided into groups and each representative will collect opinions on the programme from the members of their group. Comments about the programme raised at the meetings are very important for the smooth running of the programme, and staff take the concerns of students very seriously. Further information and guidelines can be found on http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/src/academic/acrepguide.pdf and in the Taught Masters Generic Handbook. Also, the Programme Director strongly encourages students to express constructive views on the programme. At each Programme Tutorial feedback papers will be available if students wish to ask questions about the programme or provide feedback on programme-related issues. External Examiner The MSc TESOL programme has an external examiner who attends the Board of Examiners meetings in October and June, and usually meets with student representatives during at least one of those visits. The current external examiner is: Professor Constant Leung Professor of Educational Linguistics, Department of Education & Professional Studies, King s College London 5.3 COMMUNICATION From Staff to Students The Programme Director, course organisers, personal tutors, administrative staff and the wider university send students information regularly to students university email addresses. It is essential that you check your university email on a daily basis and also that you use your university email address when communicating with members of staff. The University assumes that students have opened and acted on these communications; failure to do so will not be an acceptable excuse or ground for appeal. Staff also put notices on Learn. It is your responsibility to check these sources frequently. 9
From Students to Staff It is best to arrange meetings with staff by email or by going to their office hour, if they have one. If you have a complaint, or an issue to discuss relating to a class, keep to the following system: first, talk to the relevant lecturer or workshop tutor; if you are not satisfied with the answer, or the issue is not related to the lecturer or workshop tutor, you should go to the organiser of the course in question; if you are not satisfied with the course organiser s answer or response, or the issue is not related to one particular course, you should speak to your Personal Tutor; if the Personal Tutor is unable to help you resolve the issue, you should request a meeting with the Programme Director; if the Programme Director is unable to help you resolve the problem, you should request a meeting with Evelyn McGregor, Director of the Graduate School Students who send an email to a member of staff can expect to receive an answer within three working days (this does not include weekends). Out of courtesy, unless the issue is very urgent, please avoid resending the email until three days have passed. Also, in order to allow staff and students a good balance between work and personal life, it is strongly encouraged to avoid emailing on Saturday and Sundays. TESOL staff are always ready to support and guide students in person because students are their priority, but students also need to understand that staff also have a research role and are sometimes busy working on research projects and publications. The TESOL staff team at the University of Edinburgh is able to provide you with expert knowledge in the fields of TESOL, Applied Linguistics, Language Education, Second Language Acquisition, and many more. They also consistently receive positive feedback from students for their enthusiasm about research and teaching, and the level of support they provide to students. However, please also remember that we are working to help you develop as independent teacherresearchers. Therefore, in most cases we will not tell you what to do; we will help you find out for yourself what you need to do! 10
6 MESSAGE FROM PROGRAMME DIRECTOR A one-year taught Masters degree is a very demanding academic experience. Success on the programme will depend on your working consistently hard throughout the year (don t take too many holidays!!). At the same time you need to be careful to take care of yourself and spread your effort over the whole year (take a nice long refreshing walk when you feel that your brain has reached capacity!). At times, you may find yourself wondering why you are learning about certain ideas and theories, and why you are being asked to read and write so much! But in a few years you will look back and be amazed at how much you learnt and how much you developed during this year. And I also strongly expect that you will have discovered that much of what you have learnt is indeed highly relevant in the language classroom. I look forward to getting to know you over the year, and I wish you the very best of luck with this challenge! Kenneth Fordyce, September 2013 11
7 ALL YEAR CALENDAR Please note that there may be some changes in this calendar of the academic year; the Programme Director and lecturers inform students about this on Learn or by email. September 2013 9-13 Wed 11 September: TESOL Induction Day 16-20 Sem 1 Wk 1 START OF SEMESTER 1 23-27 Sem 1 Wk 2 October 2013 30-4 Sem 1 Wk 3 Wed 2 October: Staff-Student Liaison Committee (12.00-1.30pm) 7-11 Sem 1 Wk 4 ETAL Seminar 1 (provisional) 14-18 Sem 1 Wk 5 21-25 Sem 1 Wk 6 ETAL Seminar 2 (provisional) 28-1 Sem 1 Wk 7 TESOL SCHOOL VISITS WEEK November 2013 4-8 Sem 1 Wk 8 ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION: Fri 8 November: RM1 - Sources of Knowledge 11-15 Sem 1 Wk 9 Wed 13 November: ETAL Seminar 3 Professor Tony Lynch (4.30-6.00pm) 18-22 Sem 1 Wk 10 Wed 20 November: Staff-Student Liaison Committee (12.00-1.30pm) 25-29 Sem 1 Wk 11 ETAL Seminar 4 (provisional) December 2013 2-6 1 st Semester ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION: Mon 2 December: Second Language Teaching Curriculum 9-13 1 st Semester 16-20 1 st Semester 23-27 Winter Vacation January 2014 30-3 Winter Vacation 12
6-10 1 st Semester 13-17 Sem 2 Wk 1 START OF SEMESTER 2 ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION: Wed 15 January: Language and the Learner 20-24 Sem 2 Wk 2 Wed 22 January: Staff-Student Liaison Committee (12.00-1.30pm) Wed 22 January: ETAL Seminar 5 (provisional) 27-31 Sem 2 Wk 3 February 2014 3-7 Sem 2 Wk 4 ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION: Wed 5 February: TESOL Methodology 10-14 Sem 2 Wk 5 Wed 12 February: ETAL Seminar 6 (provisional) Dissertations students fill in area choice form, indicating possible research questions / study / topics 17-21 Sem 2 Wk 6 INNOVATIVE LEARNING WEEK 24-28 Sem 2 Wk 7 Wed 26 February: ETAL Seminar 7 (provisional) March 2014 The dissertation supervision process will begin during March. You will receive further details nearer the time. 3-7 Sem 2 Wk 8 Wed 5 March: Staff-Student Liaison Committee (12.00-1.30pm) 10-14 Sem 2 Wk 9 ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION: Fri 14 March: RM2 - Conceptualising Research 17-21 Sem 2 Wk 10 24-28 Sem 2 Wk 11 April 2014 31-4 2 nd Semester 7-11 2 nd Semester 14-18 2 nd Semester ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION (option courses): Fri 11 April: Investigating Individual Differences Fri 11 April: Global English for Language Teaching Fri 11 April: Theory and Practice of Second Language Learning ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION (option courses): Wed 16 April: Second Language Teacher Education Wed 16 April: Teaching Texts Across Borders Fri 18 April: Language Awareness for Second Language Teachers 13
21-25 2 nd Semester ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION (option courses): Tues 22 April: Language and Culture Pedagogy Tues 22 April: Online Language Learning Fri 25 April: Language Testing 28-2 2 nd Semester ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION (RM3 + option courses): Mon 28 April: RM3 - Planning Research May 2014 It is recommended that a good time for you to take a short break is between submission of your final coursework assignment and turning your full attention to your dissertation. The first or second week of May is a good time for this break. 5-9 12-16 Dissertation Wed 14 May: Staff-Student Liaison Committee (12.00-1.30pm) 19-23 Dissertation 26-30 Dissertation June 2014 2-6 Dissertation 9-13 Dissertation 16-20 Dissertation 23-27 Dissertation July 2014 30-4 Dissertation 7-11 Dissertation 14-18 Dissertation 21-25 Dissertation 28-1 Dissertation August 2014 4-8 Dissertation 11-15 Dissertation Fri 15 August: Dissertation Submission Please note that there may be some changes in this semester timetable; the Programme Director and lecturers inform students about this on Learn or by email. 14
8 WEEKLY TIMETABLE 8.1 SEMESTER 1 Week 1: 16-20 September TIME MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY 09.00 10.00 Second Language Teaching Curriculum Lecture 10.00am-11.00am 11.00 Language & The Learner Lecture 11.00am-12 noon 12.00 1.00 TESOL Methodology Lecture 1.00pm-2.00pm 2.00 3.00 MSc TESOL PROGRAMME TUTORIAL 3.00pm-4.00pm 4.00 5.00 CH = Charteris Land PL = Paterson s Land TL = Thomson s Land 15
Weeks 2-11: Monday 23 September onwards TIME MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY 09.00 Research Methods 10.00 Second Language Teaching Curriculum* Lecture 10.00am-11.00am 9.00am-12.30pm 11.00 Language & the Learner 11.00am-1.00pm Group 1: TL G10 Language & the Learner Lecture 11.00am-12 noon Group 2: PL 1.19 Group 3: CH 3.13 12.00 Second Language Teaching Group 4: CH 5.4 TESOL Methodology 1.00 Curriculum 12.00noon-2.00pm Group 1: CH 5.3 Group 2: CH 5.4 Group 3: CH 4.2 Group 4: TL G9 12.00noon-2.00pm Group 1: TL G9 Group 2: TL G10 Group 3: CH 5.3 Group 4: CH 5.4 TESOL 2.00 Language & the 3.00 Second Language Teaching Curriculum 3.00pm-5.00pm Group 5: CH 5.3 Group 6: CH 5.4 Group 7: CH 5.15 Group 8: TL G9 Learner 2.00pm-4.00pm Group 5: PL 1.21 Group 6: TL G10 Group 7: CH 5.3 Group 8: CH 5.4 Group 9: CH 3.13 MSc TESOL PROGRAMME TUTORIAL 3.00pm-4.00pm 4.00 Edinburgh Applied Language Seminar** (EALS) 4.30pm-6.00pm PL LG34 5.00 TESOL Methodology 3.00pm-5.00pm Group 5: TL G9 Group 6: TL G10 Group 7: CH 5.3 Group 8: CH 5.4 Methodology Lecture 1.00pm-2.00pm * Please note that in Week 2 this Lecture will take place on Wednesday 24 September at 2.00pm- 3.00pm (instead of Tuesday 23 September) in Paterson s Land G1. ** Edinburgh Applied Language seminar dates: Wednesday 9 October 4.30pm-6.00pm Wednesday 23 October 4.30pm-6.00pm Wednesday 13 November 4.30-6.00pm Wednesday 27 November 4.30-6.00pm 16
8.2 SEMESTER 2 TIME MONDAY TUESDAYS WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY 09.00 Second Language Teacher Education Lecture & 9.00am- 12 noon Language & Culture Pedagogy Lecture & Teaching Text Across Borders Lecture & 10.00 Group 1: TL G9 Language Group 2: TL G10 9.00am-12.00noon PL 1.21 9.00am-12 noon Group 1: CH 4.4 Group 2: CH 5.3 Awareness for Second Language Teachers Lecture 10.00am- 11.00am CH 2.3 11.00 Online Language Learning Lecture & 12.00 Investigating Individual Learning Differences Lecture 12 noon-1.00pm CH 2.3 1.00 MSc TESOL PROGRAMME TUTORIAL 1.00pm-2.00pm 2.00 Global Englishes for Language 3.00 Teaching Lecture & 2.00pm-5.00pm 4.00 Group 1: PL 1.21 Group 2: tbc Theory & Practice of Second Language Learning Lecture & 2.00pm-5.00pm Group 1: TL G10 Group 2: CH 3.4 Research Methods 2 & 3 1.00pm-4.30pm 5.00 Edinburgh Applied Language Seminars * (EALS) 5.00pm-6.30pm PL G43 * Edinburgh Applied Language seminar dates: Wednesday 22 January 5.00pm-6.30pm Wednesday 12 February 5.00pm-6.30pm Wednesday 26 February 5.00pm-6.30pm Language Awareness for Second Language Teachers 12 noon- 2.00pm Group 1: CH2.3 Group 2: tbc Language Testing Lecture & 2.00pm-5.00pm Group 1: TL G9 Group 2: TL G10 11pm-1.00pm TL 1.14 Investigating Individual Learning Differences 1.00pm-3.00pm Group 1: CH 5.15 Group 2: CH 5.4 17