ELT Writing Materials

• Successful graduates of the course are entitled to join a professional ELT database that is accessed by publishers seeking authors.
• The programme is endorsed by an independent ELT publisher based in Oxford and includes the participation of established materials writers and editors in the ELT field. Students of this course will leave the programme with employable skills, opportunities and networks.
• The course can be taken online, on campus, or a combination of both. If on-campus, students will be studying in the vibrant and unique learning culture of Oxford.
• The course is designed to enhance the teaching context of the student, wherever they teach and at whatever level.
• There are few similar programmes dedicated to ELT Materials writing in the UK. This one has attracted the attention of materials writing interest groups such as the IATEFL special interest group (MaWSIG), and has led to publications and joint symposium.

There are three modules, outlined as follows:

ELT Changing Methodologies

This module is designed to give the TESOL practitioner an engagement with some of the key debates current in the profession, such as the place of the mother tongue in the classroom, the impact of corpus on language teaching, and current understandings of the learning process.

ELT Materials Writing

This module explores different modes in which materials are generated for learners and engages with professional dialogue about the value and effectiveness of teaching resources. You will engage in small-scale market research and materials design projects and will connect with real-world projects in the ELT publishing industry.

Investigative practice

This independent study module seeks to promote a habit of practical theorising through research and autonomous enquiry usually situated in your own professional practice and workplace and reflecting a specialist aspect of school / professional improvement. You will have an opportunity to develop your own understanding of existing research and research methodology. You will also develop your own research skills and consider ethical issues in education research.

Please note: as our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the list of modules you choose from may vary from that shown here.

Teaching and learning

• Evaluation of published materials and resources in group discussion (online or in class).
• Seminars to discuss and share the critical literature related to materials writing, conducted either face to face or online.
• Micro-teaching materials in progress.
• Peer review evaluation of materials in progress.
• Observation of materials piloted by another teacher.
• Presentation of materials in progress to an editorial board.
• Private study of online networks, resources, readings.

Specialist facilities

All ELT Writing Materials students will have access to dedicated materials written for potential authors by Teacher2Writer; an independent publisher based in Oxford and committed to the development of teachers to become materials writers.

Approach to assessment

The course is assessed through:

1. Report tracking the stages of materials development, including analysis of the needs of a chosen learner group; planning and developing first ideas; researching the background; comparing the market; insights gained through piloting; responses to student and peer feedback; analysis of the materials in relation to current research and current resources
2. The materials themselves highlighting the revisions at different stages, and the reasons for these revisions.

Sample work

Dr Jane Spiro and two of the student’s on the course talk to the editor of the MaWSIG blog (the IATEFL Materials Writing special interest group):

Training teachers to write materials on an MA TESOL

The trainee material writer’s perspective

ELT Writing Materials

The materials designed during this programme need to be piloted by another teacher in a learning/teaching context.

Attendance pattern

The course is flexible and can be completed online as well as on campus (Harcourt Hill). The on-campus timetable is currently as follows:

• ELT Changing Methodologies: Semester 1 and 2 (Sept-March), Wednesday 10:00-12:00
• ELT Materials Writing: Semester 2 (Jan-May), Tuesday 13:00-15.30pm
• Investigating practice: Semester 3 (May-July), Independent study

Programme changes

On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our Changes to programmes page.

Tuition fees

Home/EU - part time fee: 2018/19: £610 per single module 2019/20: £620 per single module

International - part time fee: 2018/19: 1,470 per single module 2019/20: £1,500 per single module

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course, if any, are detailed in the 'This course in detail' window above.

Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
+44 (0)1865 483088
finance-fees@brookes.ac.uk

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Research highlights

Sustained excellence in research and publication has ensured that a significant proportion of our School of Education staff were entered for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) in 2014 (UoA 25). Almost 90% of our research was deemed to be of international merit, with around one half either ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Contributions to the REF were spread across all of our research groups.

Our research aims to create impact on contemporary educational issues - supporting knowledge creation and developing innovative approaches to researching pedagogic practices. The School’s research strategy functions at all spatial scales, from local to global. We publish our highest quality research in leading peer-reviewed journals. Emeritus, Honorary and Visiting Research Fellows contribute to our research programmes and outputs.

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Members of the School are engaged in a variety of funded and unfunded research projects; we have previously enjoyed prestigious funded scholarships (such as the Fulbright – Peabody scholarship) and, when feasible, offer funded Research Studentships to doctoral applicants. Our Centre for Educational Consultancy and Development (CECD) regularly secures consultancy and research money.

As might be expected in such a research active school, many staff are engaged as editors, editorial board members, or reviewers for various peer reviewed academic and professional journals, as well as online journals.

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The School of Education at Oxford Brookes University is a thriving centre for educational research and teacher professional development. Students on master's level programmes therefore join a large research community comprising researchers at all levels of higher education study.

The School’s six research groups reflect a thriving research community of academics, scholars and students. They exist to encourage engagement in research, publication, conference presentations, seminars and workshops. These groups focus on:

• Inclusion and Wellbeing
• Policy, Partnership and Leadership
• STEAM pedagogy and learning
• Humanistic Perpectives on Education
• Applied Linguistics.

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