Coursework
Master of Modern Languages Education
- CRICOS Code: 095990D
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What will I study?
Overview
Learn how to effectively teach a language other than English. This course focuses on the curriculum, pedagogy, and language as they apply to classroom instruction and the provision of Languages education within school systems.
Study Structure
The Master of Modern Languages Education is comprised of both supported teacher placement and face-to face learning. Entry points to the course are in both semester 1 and 2, designed to suit most schedules. For flexibility around professional or family commitments, we also offer the Master of Modern Languages Education on a part-time (domestic students only) or full-time basis.
Standard program:
- This is the standard offering for those without a teaching qualification or experience
- 200 points of coursework
- Year 1: 4 x compulsory subjects and 4 x electives chosen from the Master of Education. Students must complete the 4 compulsory subjects first in semester 1, before their chosen electives. All 4 compulsory subjects and 4 electives must be completed before students enrol into any additional languages electives for Year 2.
- Year 2 is comprised of either:
- Capstone professional project option, 6 x additional languages electives and 1 x capstone professional project subject; or
- Research pathway option, 4 x additional languages electives and 2 research pathway subjects.
Fast-track program:
- Up to 100 credit points of advanced standing will be given to applicants who have either: A four-year education degree, or equivalent; or an undergraduate degree in any discipline and at least 100 credit points, or equivalent, of graduate study in education.
- Year 2: 4 x core specialisation subjects, 2 x core subjects and 2 x electives.
Successful completion of a major in a language other than English (or a statement of equivalence) is a requirement for Languages teacher accreditation in Victoria.
Also available: Master of TESOL
How will I study?
The delivery mode of our course is face-to-face classes on the Parkville campus, plus supported teacher placement.
Victorian Institute of Teaching accreditation
Students who are eligible for Victorian Institute of Teaching registration but seek additional recognition as an accredited language teacher, must complete the Language Teaching specialisation. This includes four specialist core subjects, two research capstones, two electives, and 22 days of placement at a school or similar setting.
Explore this course
Explore the subjects you could choose as part of this degree.
Compulsory
Complete all four compulsory subjects
- Understanding the Student as Learner 12.5 pts
This subject focuses on the theoretical frameworks and evidence bases that educators use in understanding the development of their learners and in planning suitable instructional sequences that are responsive to the inherent variability of learners. It covers foundational concepts related to learning environments, learning processes and development across individual’s lifespans. It also provides opportunities to explore and discuss implications for teaching that are related to the consideration of learners’ profiles of capabilities and how teachers facilitate the quality, depth and active nature of their learning.
- Research in Educational Relationships 12.5 pts
The subject will support participants to explore the development of educational policy and practice with regards to wellbeing. Students will learn to critically analyse research about creating supportive and safe learning environments at a classroom, institutional and systemic level. Current research is analysed to identify methods and trends in the study of wellbeing approaches such as social and emotional learning and positive education. Comparative and Evaluative tools are used to explore different contextual responses, including those developing in virtual and digital spaces, for fostering resilience and relationships across all partners in the education process.
- Understanding Education in Context 12.5 pts
This subject examines education policy and practice in social and historical context. The subject will provide students with an opportunity to examine key national and international debates in education policy and practice in relation to shifting social, political, economic and political relations. Through this subject students will analyse current education reforms, and the debates that surround them, through careful examination of the relevant research literature. Students will develop key professional skills in policy critical analysis. Through studying different case studies of debates and reform students will consider the variety of issues that underpin education practice, research and policies. This will include engaging with key debates surrounding education and equity, global competitiveness, indigenous rights, sexuality, gender, notions of deficit, and disability and ability.
- Local Literacies in Global Contexts 12.5 pts
This subject will introduce students to the ways in which literacy supports and empowers learning and social change in global contexts, and will explore the impact of literacy practices on learning in real world and virtual communities. Students will be introduced to key theories and approaches to 21 st century literacies and have the opportunity to draw on these to explore their own understanding of literacy and the impact of their personal literacies on their learning experiences. This subject will introduce students to the role of oral language in learning in different cultural traditions and understandings of education, and support them to build on these understandings in practice. Approaches to literacy which support diversity, inclusion and acknowledgement of place will be explored, and the application of these approaches to early childhood contexts, schools, workplaces and social settings will be investigated.
Capstone
- Capstone Professional Project 25 pts
This subject involves students undertaking a substantial project requiring an independent investigation of a topic that they regard as directly related to their own professional practice and/or within their area of specialisation. Students will draw on theory, knowledge and skills developed through their degree to design and complete their professional capstone project. The project can be a:
- workplace investigation negotiated by the student with the relevant host organisation;
- theoretical or explorative study; or
- research project involving secondary data analyses.
Note that students will not be allowed to undertake any project that involves the collection of primary data that requires Human Research Ethics Approval.
Students will demonstrate their ability to define a problem, review relevant theoretical and practical literature, design an approach and apply it to their defined problem. Students will present their scholarly findings in a conference presentation format (designed for the subject) that facilitates peer learning and fosters professional alliances and networks.
Option
Choose six subjects from the following
- Multilingual Practices in Global Times 12.5 pts
The subject examines the international debate on the nature and role of English in the world over the past 25 years. Issues of naming and variety are considered and the politics and economics of the spread of English is examined, as well as charges of linguistic imperialism, hegemony, and its impact on languages education more broadly including the teaching of other languages. Students need to demonstrate understanding of the issues presented and be able to assess a given context of English teaching with respect to the issues and propose ethical, linguistically and interculturally sound procedures for policy development and teaching practices.
- Content and Language Integrated Pedagogy 12.5 pts
This subject focuses on content language integrated pedagogy, in particular issues in the methodology of teaching in a second or foreign language, including such areas as setting goals and objectives; models of Content Language Integrated Learning programs; outcomes (including attainment in the discipline, language proficiency, ethnicity); use and avoidance of the first language; the importance of interaction in constructing meaning, clarifying knowledge and developing relevant language; and the dual role of the CLIL teacher in developing content knowledge and promoting language development. It will include a brief introduction to the theory and practice of second language teaching and learning in so far as it is relevant to CLIL (for example teaching relevant elements of the language such as new vocabulary, dominant structures, or text features and genres of a discipline).
This subject has a TESOL or Modern Languages/LOTE focus, according to the course within which the student is enrolled
- Curriculum Design in a Multilingual Era 12.5 pts
This subject is a theoretical and practical exploration of the process of curriculum design across languages and across sectors (primary and secondary schools and adult contexts including tertiary and vocational education providers). Addressing the needs of multilingual and multicultural contexts of education, the subject uses socio-cultural and critical approaches to bring awareness to how language curriculum is constructed, developed, implemented and evaluated locally and globally (Australian/Victorian curriculum and internationally).
Reflecting these frameworks, weekly topics depict beyond ‘what’ of curriculum to consider ‘why’ and ‘how’, namely: socio-cultural perspectives to language curriculum, multi-literacies and multi-modality, needs analysis and situation analysis, dialogic approach in syllabus design and language curriculum in multilingual contexts, materials development and text selection, and assessment in/for/of curriculum.
This subject has a TESOL or Modern Languages/LOTE focus, according to the course within which the student is enrolled.
- Linguistics and Sociolinguistics of CLIL 12.5 pts
This subject will review the linguistic and sociolinguistic issues involved in content-based programs including such issues as general vs specific purpose language, the language of the discipline (and the integral relationship between them) and of the classroom (including the language of instruction), discipline-specific terminology, and the conventions of writing in a discipline (including text structure and reporting). The subject will also refer to the notion of English as an international language, contextualisation, the nature of the language acquired by students in CLIL programs, and the effect of CLIL and learning through a second or foreign language on the first language, its development, possible domain losses, and the survival of the local language. It will also examine cultural issues in CLIL including issues involved in cross-cultural communication, the relevance of culture, the influence of culture on learning and on world view, ways of facilitating comprehension to promote learning of both content and language, the need for language support for the students, and the forms that such support might take. Reference will be made to the intellectual and cultural consequences of teaching through a second or foreign language and the relationship between culture, language, concepts and cognition and, in particular, the transfer of knowledge acquired through the second or foreign language to the first.
This subject has a TESOL or Modern Languages/LOTE focus, according to the course within which the student is enrolled.
- Grammar for Language Teachers 12.5 pts
This subject aims to develop and apply an understanding of grammar and its place in second language learning and teaching. It addresses grammar at the level of words, phrases, clauses, sentences, texts and discourse. It focuses on grammar as a resource for creating meaning.
- Second Language Teaching Methodology 12.5 pts
A study of the nature of the Second Language Teaching methodology and curriculum design and evaluation in both child and adult second language learning contexts. Topics include the socio-cultural context of second language teaching, including educational, cultural, historical and intergroup issues; different approaches to second language learning and teaching, needs analysis, curriculum design, the planning and evaluation of units of work, strategies, techniques and resources for learning and teaching speaking, listening, reading and writing; assessment and reporting; the design, implementation and evaluation of second language programs, including bilingual programs; and the role of the second language teacher in the workplace and wider educational community.
This subject has a TESOL or Modern Languages/LOTE focus, according to the course within which the student is enrolled.
- Second Language Acquisition and Teaching 12.5 pts
A study of how second languages are learned and used in bilingual and multilingual settings, together with an introduction to the implications of this for language teaching methodology and lesson-planning.
- Supervised Observation (Second Language) 12.5 pts
Students undertake placements totalling 22 days of supervised observation and program involvement in the settings relevant to their current or intended language teaching work.
Students will be enrolled in this subject of they do not meet the language requirement for EDUC90050 Supervised Teaching (Second Language). Students must contact the Placements team, MGSE Academic Support Office by the end of the first week of the Semester to discuss placements.
This subject has a TESOL or Modern Languages/LOTE focus, according to the course within which the student is enrolled
Compulsory
Complete all four subjects
- Grammar for Language Teachers 12.5 pts
This subject aims to develop and apply an understanding of grammar and its place in second language learning and teaching. It addresses grammar at the level of words, phrases, clauses, sentences, texts and discourse. It focuses on grammar as a resource for creating meaning.
- Second Language Teaching Methodology 12.5 pts
A study of the nature of the Second Language Teaching methodology and curriculum design and evaluation in both child and adult second language learning contexts. Topics include the socio-cultural context of second language teaching, including educational, cultural, historical and intergroup issues; different approaches to second language learning and teaching, needs analysis, curriculum design, the planning and evaluation of units of work, strategies, techniques and resources for learning and teaching speaking, listening, reading and writing; assessment and reporting; the design, implementation and evaluation of second language programs, including bilingual programs; and the role of the second language teacher in the workplace and wider educational community.
This subject has a TESOL or Modern Languages/LOTE focus, according to the course within which the student is enrolled.
- Supervised Teaching (Second Language) 12.5 pts
Students undertake 22 days supervised teaching practice and observation in an appropriate TESOL or Languages setting. Teaching practice incorporates appropriate presentation and practice of the target language, both spoken and written; the design, implementation and evaluation of lessons and units of work for students at a variety of language levels, the adaptation of existing materials and development of original work to meet student needs and interests; the assessment and reporting of students' language development; the establishment of collaborative relationships with other staff members and the wider school community and self-reflection and critical evaluation of one's own practice.
This subject has a TESOL or Modern Languages/LOTE focus, according to the course within which the student is enrolled.
- Second Language Acquisition and Teaching 12.5 pts
A study of how second languages are learned and used in bilingual and multilingual settings, together with an introduction to the implications of this for language teaching methodology and lesson-planning.
Capstone
Complete all capstone subjects
- Capstone Professional Project 25 pts
This subject involves students undertaking a substantial project requiring an independent investigation of a topic that they regard as directly related to their own professional practice and/or within their area of specialisation. Students will draw on theory, knowledge and skills developed through their degree to design and complete their professional capstone project. The project can be a:
- workplace investigation negotiated by the student with the relevant host organisation;
- theoretical or explorative study; or
- research project involving secondary data analyses.
Note that students will not be allowed to undertake any project that involves the collection of primary data that requires Human Research Ethics Approval.
Students will demonstrate their ability to define a problem, review relevant theoretical and practical literature, design an approach and apply it to their defined problem. Students will present their scholarly findings in a conference presentation format (designed for the subject) that facilitates peer learning and fosters professional alliances and networks.
Option
Choose two subjects
- Multilingual Practices in Global Times 12.5 pts
The subject examines the international debate on the nature and role of English in the world over the past 25 years. Issues of naming and variety are considered and the politics and economics of the spread of English is examined, as well as charges of linguistic imperialism, hegemony, and its impact on languages education more broadly including the teaching of other languages. Students need to demonstrate understanding of the issues presented and be able to assess a given context of English teaching with respect to the issues and propose ethical, linguistically and interculturally sound procedures for policy development and teaching practices.
- Content and Language Integrated Pedagogy 12.5 pts
This subject focuses on content language integrated pedagogy, in particular issues in the methodology of teaching in a second or foreign language, including such areas as setting goals and objectives; models of Content Language Integrated Learning programs; outcomes (including attainment in the discipline, language proficiency, ethnicity); use and avoidance of the first language; the importance of interaction in constructing meaning, clarifying knowledge and developing relevant language; and the dual role of the CLIL teacher in developing content knowledge and promoting language development. It will include a brief introduction to the theory and practice of second language teaching and learning in so far as it is relevant to CLIL (for example teaching relevant elements of the language such as new vocabulary, dominant structures, or text features and genres of a discipline).
This subject has a TESOL or Modern Languages/LOTE focus, according to the course within which the student is enrolled
- Curriculum Design in a Multilingual Era 12.5 pts
This subject is a theoretical and practical exploration of the process of curriculum design across languages and across sectors (primary and secondary schools and adult contexts including tertiary and vocational education providers). Addressing the needs of multilingual and multicultural contexts of education, the subject uses socio-cultural and critical approaches to bring awareness to how language curriculum is constructed, developed, implemented and evaluated locally and globally (Australian/Victorian curriculum and internationally).
Reflecting these frameworks, weekly topics depict beyond ‘what’ of curriculum to consider ‘why’ and ‘how’, namely: socio-cultural perspectives to language curriculum, multi-literacies and multi-modality, needs analysis and situation analysis, dialogic approach in syllabus design and language curriculum in multilingual contexts, materials development and text selection, and assessment in/for/of curriculum.
This subject has a TESOL or Modern Languages/LOTE focus, according to the course within which the student is enrolled.
- Linguistics and Sociolinguistics of CLIL 12.5 pts
This subject will review the linguistic and sociolinguistic issues involved in content-based programs including such issues as general vs specific purpose language, the language of the discipline (and the integral relationship between them) and of the classroom (including the language of instruction), discipline-specific terminology, and the conventions of writing in a discipline (including text structure and reporting). The subject will also refer to the notion of English as an international language, contextualisation, the nature of the language acquired by students in CLIL programs, and the effect of CLIL and learning through a second or foreign language on the first language, its development, possible domain losses, and the survival of the local language. It will also examine cultural issues in CLIL including issues involved in cross-cultural communication, the relevance of culture, the influence of culture on learning and on world view, ways of facilitating comprehension to promote learning of both content and language, the need for language support for the students, and the forms that such support might take. Reference will be made to the intellectual and cultural consequences of teaching through a second or foreign language and the relationship between culture, language, concepts and cognition and, in particular, the transfer of knowledge acquired through the second or foreign language to the first.
This subject has a TESOL or Modern Languages/LOTE focus, according to the course within which the student is enrolled.
- Grammar for Language Teachers 12.5 pts
This subject aims to develop and apply an understanding of grammar and its place in second language learning and teaching. It addresses grammar at the level of words, phrases, clauses, sentences, texts and discourse. It focuses on grammar as a resource for creating meaning.
- Second Language Teaching Methodology 12.5 pts
A study of the nature of the Second Language Teaching methodology and curriculum design and evaluation in both child and adult second language learning contexts. Topics include the socio-cultural context of second language teaching, including educational, cultural, historical and intergroup issues; different approaches to second language learning and teaching, needs analysis, curriculum design, the planning and evaluation of units of work, strategies, techniques and resources for learning and teaching speaking, listening, reading and writing; assessment and reporting; the design, implementation and evaluation of second language programs, including bilingual programs; and the role of the second language teacher in the workplace and wider educational community.
This subject has a TESOL or Modern Languages/LOTE focus, according to the course within which the student is enrolled.
- Second Language Acquisition and Teaching 12.5 pts
A study of how second languages are learned and used in bilingual and multilingual settings, together with an introduction to the implications of this for language teaching methodology and lesson-planning.
- Supervised Observation (Second Language) 12.5 pts
Students undertake placements totalling 22 days of supervised observation and program involvement in the settings relevant to their current or intended language teaching work.
Students will be enrolled in this subject of they do not meet the language requirement for EDUC90050 Supervised Teaching (Second Language). Students must contact the Placements team, MGSE Academic Support Office by the end of the first week of the Semester to discuss placements.
This subject has a TESOL or Modern Languages/LOTE focus, according to the course within which the student is enrolled