MA Teaching English To Speakers Of Other Languages (Tesol)
To help you feel prepared for your postgraduate studies, we’ve gathered together a range of course related activities including suggested reading, useful websites and some suggested tasks.
Suggested reading
You’ll be given lots of information about which textbooks to read and introduced to the University Library, as well as the many ebooks we have for you to access, when you begin your studies in September. We don’t recommend rushing out to buy texts before you arrive. But if you can pick some up second hand, borrow from a library or access online, we suggest:
- Gass, S. M., Plonsky, L., & Behney, J. (2020). Second language acquisition : an introductory course (5th ed.). Routledge.
- Ortega, L. (2013). Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge.
- Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and methods in language teaching (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press
- Tomlinson, B., & Masuhara, H. (2017). The complete guide to the theory and practice of materials development for language learning. John Wiley & Sons.
Suggested activities
- Familiarise yourself with some of the key journals listed in the website links below
- Ensure you are familiar with APA referencing conventions
- Familiarise yourself with the programme structure and module specifications
- Consider becoming a member of institutions such as BAAL and IALTEFL
- Think about what you’ll do after the programme finishes. And start to map your journey of how you’ll get there.
Useful websites
One useful website that gives a critical overview of the field is applying tesol.
Key journals that you can explore online include:
Useful videos to watch
This YouTube channel has some interesting videos on TESOL especially around second language acquisition.
Suggested tasks before your course begins
Start thinking about potential ideas for your dissertation. The earlier you start thinking about it the better. Maybe start a journal in which you jot down dissertation ideas.