Course summary

TESOL & English Language students get to know each other and the teaching staff very well, and regard their lecturers as friendly and approachable. The students benefit hugely from this close interaction, which enables progress to be carefully monitored. TESOL & English Language undergraduates come from a range of backgrounds, and all individuals are encouraged to make the best of their abilities. A distinguishing feature of the course is the expertise and enthusiasm of the teaching staff in face-to-face contact with students. The interactive and communicative methodology used ensures that a clear group identity is quickly established. Students are encouraged to work together throughout the course in order to support each other, build confidence and develop cooperative skills. The innovative nature of our assessments has been highlighted as a particular strength. TESOL & English Language graduates from our School are gaining an excellent reputation locally, nationally and globally. They are regarded as professional, confident, committed, independent and resourceful with a high degree of practical and theoretical knowledge. They are highly employable, and those who progress to a PGCE or equivalent have an advantage over students from a non-teaching background. The English Language & TESOL course aims to develop your understanding of the nature of language and how it works. This includes the processes involved in language learning; the main features of the linguistic systems; the formal, sociological, psychological and applied perspectives of systematic language study; the applicability of current language teaching approaches; a range of technologies; appropriate learning objectives for different materials, and areas of cultural diversity. The course seeks to equip you with the practical and theoretical knowledge and skills, and the personal and professional values needed to achieve success. Many of our students opt for a career using ESOL, and eventually take on leading roles in local, national and global communities. Others choose a related career path requiring an in-depth knowledge of language, including forensic linguistics, computational research, speech and language therapy and publishing. The course also provides a solid foundation from which to undertake continuing professional development after graduation. We welcome students from a wide range of backgrounds and we make no assumptions about your prior experience of the study of English Language or the teaching of English in the ESOL classroom.