Page 19 - ELG2207 Jul Issue 481

SPECIAL FEATURE
Case study: University of

Birmingham

Every university has its specialties, so make sure your choice matches your interests

he very first question you need to You can get that in Birmingham, but in the
ask yourself when you start looking department of education.
for an ELT- related Master’s is: For teachers with a little more experience,
Twhich am I more interested in – the department offers an MA in Applied
English? Language generally? Or teaching Linguistics with TESOL, designed for those
and learning? Of course, all good departments wanting to stay in ELT and progress their
will cover all three, but in research-active career, perhaps by getting a job teaching
departments, the area they submit their English at a university or moving into PHOTO BY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
research is where they have most expertise. teacher training. Again, there are four core
Suppose you choose English language, modules including syllabus design, language
then you need to look at departments whose description and research methods.
research is submitted to the REF in that field. But the fourth module asks a fundamental
Take, for example, the Department of English question: “Are you interested in the University of Brimingham, North Gate
Language and Linguistics at the University of relationship between language and society
Birmingham. or in how language is organised in the mind? carefully at the optional modules. One
The next question you need to ask yourself Sociolinguistics or cognitive psycholinguistics? unhappy Master’s graduate we met wanted
is, do they have a Master’s for a teacher Choose one.” to concentrate on syntax, but it was never
at my level? The answer at Birmingham is Finding a specialist area is a feature of the mentioned after the first term.
probably yes. department’s third MA, this time in applied If our syntax nerd had looked at the
For teachers with less than a year’s teaching linguistics, which adds corpus linguistics grammar option at Birmingham, he would
experience there’s an MATESOL, with and discourse analysis to the list, and offers have found a corpus- based course which
four core modules: syllabus design; second options in everything from language and “highlights variation and gradience in the
language learning and teaching; teaching gesture to business discourse. English grammatical system” and “how
and learning grammar and vocabulary; and So we come to the third question you categories and constructions emerge and
classroom research methods. The only thing must ask: does this course cover what I change”. Is this the course for him? It’s up to
it doesn’t offer is extensive teaching practice. want to learn? To find out you need to look him to decide.

upskill and develop your career

Explore the university of birmingham's new TESOL short

courses and Distance learning opportunities

Our range of TESOL programmes and English and Applied Linguistics
degrees will help you progress your career and develop key skills.

Our courses are a great way to continue your professional and personal
development, wherever you are in the world.

For more information visit:
www.birmingham.ac.uk/pg-elal

editorial@elgazette.com 19