Graduate Diploma in TESOL and Applied Linguistics

This is a course designed to help you become a specialist teacher in one of the following three fields: 1) English language, literacy and/ or numeracy teaching in the adult education sector, 2) English as an additional language or dialect teaching in the primary or secondary education sector or 3) academic English teaching in the post-secondary education sector. As a student in the course, you will develop the knowledge and skills for professional practice in one of the three fields that you choose.

The course is distinctive in three ways. Firstly, the course is open to both career changers, new to teaching, and to qualified teachers seeking an additional specialist qualification. If you belong to the latter group, you may have the option of some credit recognition. Secondly, you will have the benefit of two periods of supervised teaching practicums in authentic teaching contexts relevant to the specialist area you have chosen. Thirdly, you will experience modelling and treatment of strength-based approaches to teaching that view the full range of linguistic repertoires and life experiences that learners bring as resources and assets for learning.

After developing foundational knowledge and skills about teaching language and literacy learners, you will develop and apply specialist knowledge and skills for your chosen field. You will learn how to analyse the needs and goals of learners and critically evaluate the suitability of available programs. You will work with current industry tools such as curricula and assessment frameworks used in your specialist field, to plan and apply sequences of lessons and assessments for groups of learners.

You will have the benefit of learning from academics who have strong connections with industry partners as well as research engagement in your chosen field. This means that you will not only be taught what you need to be ‘job-ready’, but also develop the scholarly resources to think critically about alternative approaches that might benefit your learners.

The course features flexible study options, with classes held at times suitable for students working standard full-time hours. Credit recognition may be available if you are already a qualified teacher.

The course enables students to gain a recognised specialist teaching qualification in one of three streams. The first stream focuses on teaching English for academic purposes (EAP) where graduates teach English to international students who are studying or seeking to study university courses in institutions where English is the medium of instruction. The second stream is designed for teaching adults who are developing their English language, literacy and/ or numeracy skills as part of a migrant education and settlement program; a ‘second chance’ education program; a job-seeker, vocational or workplace program; or a community education program. The third stream is for qualified school teachers who work in Australia or overseas, and who wish to add specialisation in teaching English as an additional language and literacy to primary or secondary school students. Graduates of the course can expect to have their qualifications recognised for teaching EAP in English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) colleges; teaching in government funded adult migrant English programs, job-seeker programs and community-based English language, literacy and numeracy courses in vocational education and training (VET) and community colleges; or for teaching EAL/D and literacy in primary or secondary schools, depending on their specialist stream.

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