Category Archives: TESOL

New book from one of our graduates — Graham Stanley

Posted on 5, April 2011 by | Leave a comment

Graham Stanley, one of our graduates, and his colleague at the British Council in Barcelona, Kyle Mawer, have a new book coming out soon with Delta Publishing on Digital Games in language teaching. Have a look at the book here: http://www.deltapublishing.co.uk/uncategorized/why-its-digital-playtime-in-elt and join in the discussion about this topic.

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Posted in TESOL, The educational technologist

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New edition of a book from CUP

Posted on 14, February 2011 by | Leave a comment

There is a new issue of a book edited by Brian Tomlinson that many of you will be familiar with, but in which this time Gary has a chapter :-)

There is a also downloadedable chapter on using concordancers in materials development and some other useful links to relevant publications concerned with materials development.

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Posted in General links, TESOL, The educational technologist

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Dylan Williams publishes his dissertation

Posted on 14, February 2011 by | Leave a comment

You may be interested in publishing your dissertation has Dylan has done here: http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/thesis.php

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Posted in General links, Student links, TESOL

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A TESOL terminology wiki ….

Posted on 4, November 2010 by | Leave a comment

Hi All

Richard W (a current MA onsite participant) writes:

I have created a wiki with the idea that we can share definitions of terminology that we come across during the course. I don’t know about anyone else, but I keep having to investigate the meanings of various terms whenever I’m reading and sometimes that means messing around for few minutes in google.

The idea is that when you ‘discover’ a new word you can go to the wiki and add it to the list, with a quick definition and maybe a link to a page of information online.

I think if we cooperate on this we will end up with a fantastic resource for easy access during the course. It will also give everyone a further opportunity to practise using a wiki!

Just follow this link: www.chtesolglossary.pbworks.com and request access. Then I’ll make you an editor so that you can participate.

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Posted in TESOL

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Grammar – a virtual seminar

Posted on 3, October 2010 by | Leave a comment

Gary alerts us to this soon upcoming event:

http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/sec_document.asp?CID=1426&DID=13353#more

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Posted in General links, TESOL

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New Journal

Posted on 28, September 2010 by | Leave a comment

NEW ENGLISH PROFILE JOURNAL: FREE AND ONLINE NOW

We are delighted to announce the publication of the first issue of the free online ‘English Profile Journal’ by Cambridge University Press. This brand new journal is an initiative that will disseminate cutting-edge research emerging out of the English Profile program.

Full details of the journal, including how to submit a paper and register for content updates, can be found here (http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=EPJ)

Abstracts from the Journal are also available on the English Profile website with links through to the articles themselves.

The English Profile Journal is edited by Professor Michael McCarthy, University of Nottingham, and Professor John Hawkins, director of the University of Cambridge’s Research Centre for English and Applied Linguistics. The editors are assisted by an international editorial board consisting of Dr Anthony Green of the University of Bedfordshire (UK), Professor Miyoko Kobayashi of Kumamoto University (Japan), Dr Igor Lakic of the University of Montenegro (Montenegro), Professor Francisco Gomes de Matos of the Federal University of Pernambuco (Brazil), Professor Barry O’Sullivan of Roehampton University (UK), Professor Randi Reppen of Northern Arizona University (USA) , Professor Paul Seedhouse of Newcastle University (UK), Dr Carmen Gregori Signes of the University of Valencia (Spain), Professor Diana Slade of the University of Technology in Sydney (Australia) and Professor Martin Warren of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong).

We hope you enjoy using this new resource.

Best wishes,

Melissa Good

Senior Development Editor,

English Profile

Cambridge University Press

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Posted in General links, TESOL

MA TESOL pathways from September 2010

Posted on 24, June 2010 by | Leave a comment

From September 2010, we are introducing three ‘named pathways’ to the MA TESOL degree so that graduates from it can exit with one of the following certificates:

  • MA TESOL
  • MA TESOL (Intercultural Education)
  • MA TESOL (Teacher Education)
  • MA TESOL (Educational Technology)

These options are for the MA TESOL programme only at the moment - the MA EdTech & TESOL programme continues as before.

For all three of these pathways, MA TESOL participants will take:

  1. the two core course units (i.e. Beyond approaches, methods, techniques + Language learning and technology);
  2. the pathway flagship course unit (i.e. respectively, Language education as intercultural practice, The education of language teachers, or one of the other educational technology course units);
  3. the Developing researcher competence course unit with a study focused in the ICE pathway area; and
  4. the Dissertation with a study focused in the ICE pathway area.

They complete the remainder of the programme (i.e. 3 x 15-credit course units) with electives of their own choice from the menus available (e.g. MA TESOL menu, MA EdTech & TESOL menu, MA AppLing menu, ISS, etc).

This development targets important dimensions of TESOL practitioner development as well as foregrounding the LTE areas of expertise/specialism in: educational technology & TESOL; (language) teacher education; and intercultural education.

Any/all reactions/feedback, most welcome.

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Posted in Teacher education, TESOL, The interculturalist

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Introducing Applied Linguistics … (Juup’s chapter)

Posted on 17, June 2010 by | Leave a comment

Have you seen Juup’s new book chapter:

Chapter 5: What is communicative language teaching

“There are two reasons for why I wrote this chapter called ‘what is communicative language teaching’. As a tutor on an MA TESOL course I meet English language teachers from around the world, and a common question I get is: What is communicative language teaching? Trying to respond to this question again and again I have come to understand that there is no straightforward answer. This is especially true if you imagine how communicative language teaching (CLT) may change as it is interpreted by teachers in very different parts of the world. This brings me to the second reason for why I wrote this chapter. There is currently a ‘movement’ within TESOL that says it is inappropriate to use a standard teaching method across different teaching contexts and with different learners. CLT is often a ‘casualty’ of this argument.

This is no surprise as there have been frequent attempts to impose a standard version of CLT in teaching contexts around the world. I wrote the chapter because I think it is a mistake to reject CLT on this basis, and I believe it is a mistake to think that there is such a think as a standard version of CLT. Instead, I think that because communication can be understood in many different ways, communicative language teaching can be, and probably should be, understood differently by teachers working in different contexts around the world. You may say, then, that I wrote the chapter to encourage English language teachers to formulate their own understanding of what communicative language teaching is, thereby saving me the effort of trying to answer a question that they can answer so much better themselves.”

This chapter appears in the following edited volume:

  • Introducing Applied Linguistics: Concepts and Skills
  • edited by Susan Hunston and David Oakey
  • Published by Routledge (2010)

Read more about the authors here including LTE’s Juup Stelma.

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Posted in TESOL

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TIRF funding for Dissertations

Posted on 22, April 2010 by | Leave a comment

Subject: [TESOL] TIRF Doctoral Dissertation Grant

April 21, 2010

 The deadline is May 15, 2010 for the TIRF 2010 Doctoral Dissertation Grant (DDG) competition. For more details about the grants and how to apply for the 2010 awards, visit TIRF’s website www.tirfonline.org

TIRF, The International Research Foundation for English Language Education (TIRF) is a non-profit organization whose goal is to generate new knowledge about English language teaching and learning.

It aims:

To promote the application of research to practical language problems

To collect, organize, and disseminate information and research on the teaching and learning of language

To influence the formation and implementation of appropriate language education policies, taking cognizance of the complementarity of English as an international language and indigenous languages and cultures worldwide

TIRF is committed to the development of a research agenda that is flexible and dynamic, both addressing perennial issues and evolving as critical questions present themselves. The foundation’s current focus is on promoting research and best practices that will improve the use of English in the emerging global knowledge economy of the 21st century.

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Posted in TESOL

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PhD Scholarship – World Englishes

Posted on 16, February 2010 by | Leave a comment

Please find below details of the following PhD studentship at Northumbria University (deadline for applications is 18th March 2010). Please forward to potential applicants:

 

English Language and Linguistics, The Department of Humanities at Northumbria University invites applications for a PhD studentship in Language Attitudes and World Englishes/English as an International Language.

Applications are welcomed in relation to the investigation of outer/expanding circle Englishes and especially in the following areas: attitudes towards varieties of English; language and identity; spread of English; language policy and planning; second language acquisition.

The successful applicant will receive:

A full fee waiver (home and EU students only);

£5k per annum bursary for 3 years (all students, including international);

A 30-hour teaching preparation course involving teaching practice and shadowing of experienced staff;

Guaranteed teaching hours in years 2 and 3 of the programme;

A dedicated work station within a good quality working environment;

Access to funds to support research expenses (conferences or library visits).

Eligibility

Applicants are normally expected to hold a MA degree in Applied Linguistics, Sociolinguistics or a closely related field.

Further information about the PhD studentship is available here:

English Language and Linguistics at Northumbria University is a diverse subject that covers a wide range of topics from language evolution and change to language spread and metaphor, with particular strengths in language learning and teaching, sociolinguistics and the psychology of language. While most of our research focuses on English (including historical varieties and world Englishes), our staff members have also worked on or have an active interest in a number of other languages, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, French, German and Polish.

For further information about the Department of Humanities and the English Language and Linguistics group at Northumbria University please visit us and more specifically here:

For additional information about the PhD studentship and an application form, interested applicants should contact:

Gill Drinkald, Senior Research Administrator,

Email: gill.drinkald@northumbria.ac.uk Tel: 0191 227 3880

 

Dr Robert M. McKenzie

Senior Lecturer

English Language and Linguistics

School of Arts & Social Sciences

Northumbria University

Lipman Building

Sandyford Road

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE1 8ST

Tel: +44 (0) 191 227 3122

email: robert.mckenzie@northumbria.ac.uk

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Posted in TESOL, The interculturalist

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