Language Teaching

This new programme will become highly relevant in the near future because of the EU-wide demand for language teachers, (especially speakers of some non-European languages,) and awards you a qualification that satisfies international standards. You will develop an advanced conceptual understanding that will enable you to evaluate language teaching methodologies and to carry out research and enquiry in the area of language teaching and learning.

• Suitable for students who wish to obtain a general language teaching qualification for Europe and beyond.
• The degree is advisable for students who wish to teach their mother tongue, or any other language they speak, on an adequate level.
• The programme focuses on general, theoretical aspects of language teaching.
• It will allow you to develop a global perspective.

Why study with us?

Our language departments were ranked highly in 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), and our Linguistics department was rated top in the last two RAEs. Students are taught by internationally recognised experts.

We consistently rank highly in the National Student Survey; in 2011, our language courses were ranked in the top ten across the country for overall student satisfaction.

• Graduates of the MA in Language Teaching will have a thorough theoretical foundation to teach any language.
• Students will develop a systematic understanding of knowledge and a critical awareness of current problems and new insights concerning language teaching and learning theory.
• Students will profit from London's international English-speaking environment.
• This is the only MA course of this kind. There is nothing comparable in the UK.

Facilities

The Multimedia Language Resource Centre is a modern, multi-media language learning facility, designed to provide a technology-enhanced learning environment for the Language Centre within the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film.

You will have access to facilities and equipment, including:

• Three large and two small multimedia digital labs for language teaching and self-access language learning
• Powerful teacher and student workstations running the AVIDAnet® Tenjin multimedia laboratory software
• SMARTBoard™ interactive whiteboard to provide media-enhanced teaching and learning
• TV software for viewing live international satellite television broadcasts

You will also have access to postgraduate-only resources including the Lock-keeper's Cottage graduate centre, dedicated solely to the use of graduate students in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences with the use of a common room and interdisciplinary training workshops.

Programme structure

Contact hours

Full-time

Undertaking a Masters programme is a serious commitment, with weekly contact hours being in addition to numerous hours of independent learning and research needed to progress at the required level. When coursework or examination deadlines are approaching independent learning hours may need to increase significantly. Please contact the course convenor for precise information on the number of contact hours per week for this programme.

Part-time

Part-time study options often mean that the number of modules taken is reduced per semester, with the full modules required to complete the programme spread over a number of years. Teaching is generally done during the day and part-time students should contact the course convenor to get an idea of when these teaching hours are likely to take place. Timetables are likely to finalised in September but you may be able to gain an expectation of what will be required.

Core modules

• Language Teaching - Approaches and Methods
• Dissertation in Language Teaching

Option modules

• Educational Technology and Language Teaching I - Technology in the Classroom
• Educational Technology and Language Teaching II - Creating Digital Language Learning Materials
• Assessment in Language Teaching
• Syllabus Development in Language Teaching
• Analysing and Teaching of Spoken Language
• Corpus Linguistics and Language
• Teachers as Learners - Learners as Teachers

Visit the webpage:
www.sllf.qmul.ac.uk

Teaching and assessment

You can expect 2-3 hours of contact time per module, per week. A range of teaching and learning techniques will be used, tailored to the learning outcomes of the different modules. These will include lectures, seminar discussions, directed readings, practical tasks, material development, library-based research, presentations, group work and knowledge transfer activities.

A wide range of assessment techniques will also be used. These will include essays, portfolios, continuous assessment, presentations, practical tasks, material development. You will also be assessed on a 10,000-12,000 word dissertation.

Teaching staff include: Dr Falco Pfalzgraf, Dr Sylvia Jaworska, Mrs Rosa Martin, Mr Martin Barge and Mr Martyn Ellis.

You will gain;

• Transferable skills
• Appropriate core and specialist teaching knowledge and skills including using Educational Technology, Quality Assurance and Curriculum Development

Disertation

You will be assessed on a 10,000-12,000 word dissertation.

Entry requirements

Upper second-class honours (or overseas equivalent) in an undergraduate degree in language, or in a field related to language/culture; or a degree in Language Education

IELTS 7.0 with 7.0 in writing (or equivalent) required of overseas applicants whose first language is not English.

International applicants

Students from outside of the UK help form a global community here at Queen Mary. For detailed country specific entry requirements please visit the International section of our website. If your first language is not English, you must provide evidence of your English language proficiency. You can find details on our English language entry requirements here: www.qmul.ac.uk/international/languagerequirements

If you are unable to find the information you require, please contact the Admissions Office for assistance.

Career prospects

Graduates will be ready to take up a wide range of careers within language teaching, consulting, or continue onto further research.

Specific and transferable skills that you will develop on this programme include;

• Evaluation of different sources of information
• Evidence-based decision-making and creative thinking
• Initiative and personal responsibility
• Decision-making
• Independent learning ability required for continuing professional development
• Acquire additional language skills.

Where Language Teaching graduates work

We aim to help our students become self-sufficient and confident teachers, whose skills make them attractive to a wide range of employers including universities in this country and abroad, in private language schools, companies, or starting their own business. (For example, a language school, or business support and consulting.)

Continuing onto further research

You will also be ideally placed to pursue further research around the area of Corpus Linguistics. The programme offers you fundamental language teacher training that provides a solid knowledge of the current and emerging issues and techniques in language teaching.

Careers support from Queen Mary

QM Careers provides careers information, advice and guidance to all students of the College on everything from choosing a career to finding work. We run employer events on campus, manage full and part-time vacancy information and offer one-to-one careers advice; practice interviews, CV checks, psychometric test preparation and lots more.

We are part of The Careers Group, University of London the largest careers service in the country, and we are accredited by the Matrix quality standard which assures quality of advice, information and guidance.