Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Master’s Degree & Postgraduate Certificate/Diploma Programmes – UM GRS

https://grs.um.edu.mo/index.php/prospective-students/master-postgraduate-certificate-diploma-programmes/

Applicants must follow the general admission rules and requirements of the University.

Applicants applying for the programme must hold a bachelor’s Degree in English education or English-related field.

Local applicants must have teacher qualification.

• Applicants who received their Bachelor’s degree from a university where the medium of instruction was not English are required to provide one of the following as proof of English proficiency.
  • Obtained a Level 6 of the College English Test (CET) score of 430 or;
  • Obtained a TOEFL* score of 550 (paper-based examination)/ 80 (Internet-based examination) or;
  • An IELTS* overall score of 6.0 or above with no sub-score lower than 5.5 or;
  • Passed the Level 4 or Level 8 of the Test for English Majors (TEM).

* TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid for two years from the test date.

Note: The University will inform applicants of the above application conditions and information at the time of admission.

The duration for the MA in TESOL Programme is two years. During this period, the student needs to take seven compulsory courses and one required elective course. Students also have to complete a project report. Then he/she will be awarded the degree of Master of Arts after completing the programme of study.

EDUC7701 Teacher Development in TESOL

In this course, participants will develop a comprehensive and situated understanding about various aspects of language teachers’ professional lives, learn about important and updated approaches and strategies about language teacher education, as well as explore how to promote and sustain their professional development as language teachers. Through critical reading and discussion based on assigned materials, video clips and critical cases, and by reflecting on their previous/ongoing learning and teaching experiences, participants will examine their professional values, beliefs and identities and develop professional knowledge and competence to seek and sustain their continuing development in school environments.

EDUC7702 Teaching Reading and Writing

This course provides opportunities to explore various perspectives on theory, research, and pedagogical applications in second language reading and writing. The course aims to equip students with strategies to help second language learners develop the skills necessary for effective reading and writing. Topics include the nature of L2 reading and writing, approaches to teaching L2 reading and writing, L2 reading and writing processes, features of L2 writers’ texts, beliefs and attitudes of L2 readers and writers, feedback on L2 writing, collaborative writing, and assessing reading and writing skills. Course participants will be helped to make connections between theory and practice and understand key issues that underlie second language reading and writing, and acquire skills and techniques for planning, teaching and assessing second language reading and writing.

EDUC7703 Language Testing and Assessment

This course has been designed to suit the needs of MA students in English education to develop a comprehensive and situated understanding of the principles and practices of language testing and assessment. The aims of this course are to highlight key issues in language testing and assessment, review the characteristics of good language tests and provide guidance for constructing valid and reliable language tests and developing appropriate classroom assessment strategies. Both large-scale tests and classroom-based assessment are addressed in this course, covering topics such as teaching and testing, kinds of tests and testing, reliability, validity, washback effect, formative assessment, assessment of/for/as learning, and so forth.

EDUC7704 Teaching Listening and Speaking

This course examines the construct of listening and speaking by considering theories about spoken English and its learning and use in second language contexts. Through a critical reading of research and scholarly discussions, participants will learn about listening and speaking development from cognitive, social, and discourse perspectives. This knowledge will be applied in evaluating and improving current practices in the teaching and assessment of listening and speaking competence in second language classrooms as well as in understanding the role of listening and speaking in learning at home and in school.

EDUC7705 Language and Linguistics

This course introduces key concepts and approaches to the study of language and linguistics. It provides an overview, with basic terminology, of the major subfields of linguistics, investigating the nature, history, and structure of language, and how language relates to the mind, society, and education. It provides the basis of investigation in subsequent courses. Students are encouraged to reflect on their own language experience and apply the theories covered in the course to their own linguistic context.

EDUC7156 Second Language Learning & Teaching

This graduate level course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of second language learning and teaching. The course will cover the theoretical foundations of second language acquisition, as well as practical strategies for second language instruction. Topics will include the role of linguistic and cognitive factors in second language development, the impact of culture and context on second language learning, and the use of technology and authentic materials in second language classrooms. Through readings, discussions, and hands-on activities, students will gain knowledge and skills that will enable them to design and implement effective second language instruction in a variety of settings.

EDUC7180 Pedagogical Grammar for English Language Teachers

This graduate-level pedagogical grammar course provides opportunities for you to develop more profound grammatical knowledge of the English language, as well as pedagogical knowledge of innovative strategies and methodologies in teaching grammar in future ESL/EFL classrooms. Specific attention focuses on syntactical generative process of sentence structures, structures of clauses and phrases, grammar teaching approaches and techniques, evaluation of existing grammar resources and adaptation of these materials to better meet students’ learning needs.

EDUC7798 Project Report

Students are provided with an opportunity to build on interests developed in TESOL through undertaking an individual project normally of 8,000 words by independent study. Examples of possible projects are a critical literature review of an issue or topic of significance in TESOL, a small-scale research project, a relevant professional development activity, a reflection on language curriculum and materials development in a particular instructional context, a teaching practicum report, or any other project related to English language teaching practice. Each student will be assigned an academic supervisor that supports their independent study. For participants who might be aspiring to transition into a doctoral career, they can choose to conduct a TESOL research project and write a longer project report under the supervision of the programme instructors.

EDUC7751 Understanding Second Language Acquisition

The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the field of second language acquisition to help students understand how second or foreign languages are acquired or learned. Students will read about major theories of SLA and learn the individual, social, and cognitive factors and processes that affect the acquisition, development, and use of a second or additional language. Students will also learn to carry out interlanguage data collection and engage in different types of data analysis to inform pedagogy and make connections between abstract knowledge of SLA and practical applications of such knowledge in second/foreign language classrooms.

EDUC7752 Special Topics in TESOL

This course is designed to offer visiting scholars, or existing staff, the opportunity to offer postgraduate level students courses in their particular area of specialization. The topic and content of the courses will vary from year to year depending on the availability of expert staff. Examples of specialized topics that may be offered include teaching and assessing specific language skills, teaching English for academic or specific purposes, technology-supported language teaching and learning, among other relevant topics.

EDUC7753 Social Perspectives on Language Use and Bilingual Education

This course examines the sociolinguistic, social psychological and sociological aspects of language use and bi/multilingual education. The course studies the ways in which groups of people use language, and looks into the close link between languages and the social context in which they are used. Topics such as aspects of language variation and dialects, language and power, language policy and language planning are covered. Bi/multilingualism and bi/multilingual education in different contexts are discussed, drawing implications for the teaching of English as a foreign language in Macao and the Greater Bay Area, and similar EFL contexts.

EDUC7754 Learning and Teaching of English Phonetics and Phonics

This course examines the sound systems of the major varieties of English and reviews methods used in teaching and improving pronunciation. Attention to the difficulties in English pronunciation encountered by learners of English in Macao and the Chinese context is given along with a review of targeted instructional techniques for helping students overcome these difficulties. Specifically, the course helps students to define achievable objectives for pronunciation teaching, diagnose learners’ pronunciation problems and develop a range of techniques to increase students’ awareness of, and concern for, the intelligibility of their spoken English.

EDUC7755 Written and Spoken Discourse for English Language Teaching

This course aims to help students to develop an understanding of the relationship between linguistic structures and functional purposes of language use in classroom contexts. It focuses on analysing discourse features in English as second or foreign language classroom contexts. Through analysing the linguistic and functional characteristics of teacher-learner classroom talk and its sequential structures, students will explore the dynamics and potential of classroom interactions, and their impacts on pedagogical effectiveness in a diversity of classroom contexts relevant to students with different learning needs sand backgrounds.

EDUC7001 Research Methods in English Language Education

This course introduces students to the research designs, approaches, and data collection techniques applicable to English language education researchers. Students are led through the process of designing a pilot study, formulating research questions, writing a comprehensive research proposal, and executing the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data. The culmination of these efforts will yield a fully-fledged, piloted research project, providing students with hands-on experience in conducting English language education research.

EDUC7103 Evaluation of Curriculum, Instruction and Student Performance

This course aims to empower students with knowledge, strategies and techniques essential for evaluating curricula, instruction, and student performance. It involves a critical analysis of the assumptions, strengths, and weaknesses associated with various types of evaluation. Students will engage with evaluation scenarios specific to particular curricula, instructional methods, and student populations. Students will develop assessment tools tailored to a particular teaching context with special emphasis on authentic assessment, performance assessment, portfolio assessment, and self/peer assessment.

EDUC7179 Curriculum Design in English Language Education

This course is designed to acquaint students will the strategies and principles of curriculum design in English language education. It aims to help students develop an understanding of the process of second language curriculum development in general, and of second language course design in particular. Students will have opportunities to engage in critical reflection on both theoretical and practical issues in second language curriculum design as well as gain practical experience in designing English language learning materials relevant to specific student populations.

EDUC7183 Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition

This course provides opportunities to study about vocabulary in second language learning and teaching, including questions regarding how to select vocabulary for direct instruction, factors that influence incidental acquisition, strategies for deliberate learning and teaching, and assessment of vocabulary knowledge. A survey of pivotal published second language vocabulary acquisition research is provided for the purpose of evaluating the quality of the research and considering its practical implications for teaching.

Tuition Fee Scheme of Postgraduate Programmes

https://grs.um.edu.mo/index.php/current-students/tuition-fee/