MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

The MA in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) offered by Nottingham Trent University is a popular course for students from all over the world. This course is for both students who are new to teaching English and those who have experience teaching in their countries and the UK.

Project 1

One core module in the MA TESOL course is Developing Classroom Practice. This module is for novice English language teachers who have little or no prior teaching experience. Students in this course will teach English language classes at NTU, and adult (18+) learners in different community organisations will be invited to come to the NTU city campus to attend English language classes, usually in the evenings from 17:00-19:00 to maximise opportunities for members of the community who work during the day to be able to attend English language classes after work.

Teachers will be MA TESOL students who are new to teaching and will be guided and observed by their supervisors and peers. There will be approximately 11 sessions for learners, depending on the number of available teachers

Classes will be held between early October and December 2026, and between January and April 2027.

Project 2

One core module in the MA TESOL course is Extending Classroom Practice. This module is for experienced English language teachers and aims to enhance their understanding of teaching in varied contexts. Students in this course will teach English language classes onsite and meet the students in their usual community centres. For ease of travel, ideally these centres would be located close to Nottingham City Centre.

Each student will be asked to develop lesson plans for a group of adult learners in the community (refugees, asylum seekers, etc.) and teach five lessons. - There will be approximately 10 sessions for learners (depending on the number of available teachers. To be confirmed). Classes will be held between early October and December 2026 and can be scheduled anytime during the day based on schedules and course availability. Schedules will need to be negotiated.

Teachers will deliver lessons wherever the learners usually meet for language lessons. Specific requests can be made based on the language learning needs of the learners; for example, learning how to participate in job interviews, meeting new people, learning English to travel, etc. Courses can be offered to all levels of learners (from true beginners to advanced levels).

Project 3

An optional module in the MA TESOL course is Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL). This module is for students who are interested in teaching English to young learners (5–17- year-olds). This module is open to any student (novice and experienced teachers).

Students in this course learn theories and principles of how children learn a second or foreign language, and they take part in different activities to experience different ways of teaching young learners, such as, using songs, stories, drama, games, etc.

MA TESOL students are expected to develop a suite of materials to teach English to young learners. These materials typically include detailed lesson plans with rationale, handouts such as activity sheets, links to suggested multimedia, homework tasks, assessments, etc.

If the opportunity arises, students may also teach a class(es) to young learners using the materials they have developed or using prescribed materials (such as materials recommended by schools). This optional module will be offered from January to April 2027.

Examples of previous projects

Thus far, several successful projects have been completed by the MA TESOL team and CenSCE. A concise description is included below:

• As part of ECP (Extending Classroom Practice) teaching practice, English language classes were offered to adult learners in the community at Refugee Roots and Nottingham City Libraries. This teaching practice was part of the course assessment.
• As part of TEYL (Teaching English to Young Learners), MA TESOL students shadowed experienced teachers at NHES and observed students learn English and other school subjects offered on Saturday mornings. Students developed English language teaching and learning materials based on their observation and understanding of how young learners learn.
• As part of an optional TEYL (Teaching English to Young Learners) activity, students volunteered to take part in a one-day school trip. Students attended a full school day 9:00-15:30 at a primary school in Derbyshire, where they observed teaching and learning in the class and outdoors (such as Forest School and other outdoor teaching). Students also taught a short lesson of 30-45 minutes (based on learners’ age), integrating cultural awareness with language learning.
• As part of DCP (Developing Classroom Practice) teaching practice, English language classes were offered to adult learners in the community. Classes were held at Nottingham Trent University, City Campus in the evenings from 17:00-19:00. This teaching practice was part of the course assessment.
• Some MA TESOL students volunteered to teach English to diverse groups of learners at Refugee Roots. Students contacted Refugee Roots directly and received safeguarding training before they commenced teaching.