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PGCert

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL specialism)

This ESOL-specific award takes inspiration from a rights-based approach to language that sees the provision of language education to all members as a right that enables them to participate equally in society.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    February

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

The award is structured to facilitate flexible learning and professional development. Each of the three modules will feature a minimum of one session of face-to-face teaching at our Cardiff Campus.

Module Overview

The postgraduate certificate consists of three, core, 20-credit modules taught in sequence.

Participatory Approaches to the ESOL Classroom
The module aims to provide participants with a thorough understanding of both the theory and practice of participatory language education, to enable participants to be confident in carrying out emergent language teaching, and to empower participants to be confident in enacting a co-constructed, emergent, syllabus.

The Politics of Migrant Language Education
Language educators working with the growing numbers of forced migrants in the ESOL classroom require a broader understanding of inclusion, integration, and related policies in their local contexts. As such, this module offers potential for collaborations with students working on projects relating to public services, social sciences, and global leadership.

Teaching Basic Literacy and Trauma Informed Pedagogy
This module covers the approaches to teaching basic literacy - to people literate in a first language but unfamiliar with Latin script (e.g., Arabic speakers) and to people who are not literate in their first language.

It involves the development of a deep understanding of the role of a trauma informed pedagogy in language education for migrants.

Course Highlights

How you’ll learn

This course features blended learning with block (intensive) delivery: most workshops are online, but participants will also meet during the face-to-face sessions at our Cardiff Campus.

Modules are taught one at a time. The usual schedule will be:

Participatory approaches to the ESOL classroom: February

  • Three sessions of online delivery
  • A minimum of one session face-to-face

The politics of migrant language education March / April

  • Three sessions of online delivery
  • A minimum of one session face-to-face

Teaching Basic Literacy and Trauma Informed Pedagogy: April / May

  • Three sessions of online delivery
  • A minimum of one session face-to-face

The modules are taught through interactive workshops consisting of short lectures, activities, and discussions. 

Assessment

Assessment brings theoretical aspects to bear on practical, context-specific classroom realities. All assessment is through coursework, there are no exams.

Participatory approaches to the ESOL classroom

Assessment is through a project which contributes 100% of marks for the module. The project which can be shaped to learners’ current or planned professional experience.

The Politics of Migrant Language Education

Assessment is through two essays, each contributing 50% of the marks for the module.

Teaching Basic Literacy and Trauma Informed Pedagogy

Assessment is in the form of one essay, contributing 40% of marks for the module, and one project, contributing 60% of marks for the module: the project is an exercise in syllabus design.

Facilities

USW has a strong commitment to providing technology-based learning environments to support students. Whether studying on campus, at home or elsewhere, students have web access to essential course materials anytime and anywhere.

Students will have access to libraries and study spaces at all our campuses. Many library resources are also available digitally.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

An undergraduate degree in any discipline with a minimum 2:2 classification.

An interview may be offered where applicants do not meet this classification. The interview will assess any combination of relevant study, language-teaching qualifications, and work experience, including volunteering.

 

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

For applicants not educated through the medium of English, an IELTS score of 6.5 is required.  Each component minimum required score is IELTS reading 6.0, writing 6.0, listening 6.0 and speaking 6.0.

If your English Language pages is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Busaries Alumni Discount

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

Careers and Employability

Graduate Careers

The need for this highly original and unique course is the culmination of work in the field of ESOL over the last decade or so. Moreover, the current humanitarian crises surrounding forced migration means that the demand for specifically trained tutors of migrants and forced migrants is extremely high.

The ESOL specialism proposed here is a response to feedback from employers, educators, and volunteers in the field. It reflects Welsh government strategy as well as educator needs identified throughout the UK (and beyond) by relevant professional research networks.

Possible career paths

This award is suitable for anyone working or seeking to work in language education for migrants. Colleges, adult education, third sector and local authority employees would benefit from the award’s focus on language, politics and inclusion.

How to apply

There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred start date and mode of study (i.e. full-time or part-time).

International admissions

Please see our international admissions advice for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.

Next Steps

How to Apply
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Studying at USW

Our courses are designed with industry leaders and provide the practical skills and experiences industry demands. Our flexible courses reflect the need for life-long learning. If you value education in practice, not just in theory, then USW is for you.

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Postgraduate fees and funding
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