1999 Education Handbook - Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (PostgradDipTESOL)

Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (PostgradDipTESOL)

General information
Introduction to course
Objectives
Admission requirements
Credit provision
Course structure
- Three core subjects (36 credit points)
- One elective subject (12 credit points)
Length of course/workload required
Further information

General information

Clayton campus
Course code: 0111
Contact: Ms Marie-Therese Jensen (please telephone 9905 2819 or 9905 2784 for initial inquiries)

The Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages is a coursework degree designed primarily to meet the requirements of trained teachers who wish to gain higher professional qualifications and expertise in the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages.
Students who successfully complete the Postgraduate Diploma in TESOL may proceed to a masters degree by completing a further four subjects.

Objectives

The objectives of the PostgradDipTESOL course are to provide students with:

the knowledge and understanding of current research and theories, as well as of teaching methodologies and language policies which relate to the teaching and learning of spoken and written English as a second or foreign language;
skills in developing, delivering and evaluating appropriate TESOL teaching programs and strategies.

Students should engage in learning experiences which should develop attitudes and values to enable them to:

value the cultural and linguistic heritage of ESOL learners in Australia, migrants, refugees and visitors alike;
empower ESOL learners to take part effectively in the broader Australian (or other English-speaking) society.

Admission requirements

Candidates for the postgraduate diploma will usually hold a university degree or its equivalent, be qualified teachers and have had relevant professional experience of at least two years.
Discretionary entrance is sometimes possible, eg three years of training and a number of years of teaching experience in TESOL.
Applicants who are not native speakers of English will be required to demonstrate substantial competence in written and spoken English before admission.
The attention of persons qualified for entry to MEd candidature is drawn to the opportunity they have of completing a masters degree with special reference to TESOL. [See under course information in this handbook for the degree of Master of Education (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.)]

Credit provision

Applicants contemplating admission to this course may seek formal credit or recognition of prior learning. Applicants should apply for credit prior to enrolment but currently enrolled students may also apply. The Faculty of Education considers each application on its merits within the context of the faculty guidelines on credit transfer which are contained in a booklet Learning from experience available from the Professional Development Institute, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Gippsland campus, Churchill 3842 ($7 postage and packing).
Teachers who have taught ESOL for three years full-time or longer may document twenty-two days of lessons in their own classrooms in lieu of undertaking an externally supervised teaching practicum and GED3860F. Teachers who have gained the Royal Society of Arts Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults (RSACTEFLA) may gain an exemption of five days from the teaching practicum.

Course structure

The PostgradDipTESOL course consists of four semester-long subjects. For professional accreditation, a fifteen-day practicum must also be completed during the period of enrolment in the course in association with GED3860F. The PostgradDipTESOL consists of the following subjects.

Three core subjects (36 credit points)

GED2817 Language, society and cultural difference
GED3823 Theory and practice of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL)
GED3860F Advanced practicum in language teaching: TESOL (in association with a fifteen-day placement)

One elective subject (12 credit points)

These subjects are approved subjects for TESOL accreditation:

GED2847 Difference, equity and education: issues of gender, ethnicity and class
GED3809 Literacy and technology
GED3812 Educational applications of second language acquisition research
GED3815 Classroom-based research in second language education
GED3830 Curriculum writing and syllabus design for second language education
GED3832 Functional analysis of discourse
GED3837 Literacy in adult contexts: policies, practices and theories
GED3840 Assessment in foreign and second language education
GED3842 Reading: theory, research and practice

It should be noted that all subjects taught in the PostgradDipTESOL are masters subjects and are assessed at that level. These subjects can also be taken for the MEd(TESOL) and be accredited as such. Candidates for the PostgradDipTESOL who show satisfactory performance (credit level and above) in at least two subjects may, at the discretion of the course coordinator, make application to convert to candidature for the MEd(TESOL).

Length of course/workload required

This course consists of one year of full-time study taken on-campus or two years of part-time study. Each subject will require attendance at a weekly seminar of three hours per week, together with substantial reading and associated assignment work. The expected number of hours per week for a full-time student is forty-eight.

Further information

Details of all subjects, including reading lists, follow the course information in this handbook. Not all subjects are offered each year and students should consult the timetable or the course adviser.
Further information regarding this course may be obtained from the inquiry office, Faculty of Education, Clayton campus (telephone 9905 2819 or 9905 2784) or visit our web site at http://www.education.monash.edu.au/