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MASTERS LISTINGS
Learning from

experience

The University of Central Lancashire is an
ELT star known for its research and great
language centre: three of the team tell
Melanie Butler what makes UCLan different UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL LANCASHIRE (UCLAN)

You all did a dizzying array of jobs in International students in the
different countries: ESP in East Germany Worldwise Centre
before the wall came down, teacher
training in Bangladesh and Business J: Plus, we also have the benefit of the techniques which we have all used in our own
English in Belgium and Italy. Which of Worldwise Centre and the Language EFL classrooms.
these experiences most influenced your Academy. The WWC organises some brilliant
thinking about teaching and why? cultural events and has lots of language G: This is equally true of our teaching on
learning resources. The Language Academy, the distance programme. We break down the
Gordon: I learnt very early on to use my on the other hand, provides opportunities input into manageable chunks and we create
students as a resource. I was thrown in at for our students to observe teaching and to opportunities for reflection and discussion
the deep end, teaching EAP to post-doctoral participate in EFL volunteer projects. Again, by making use of learning communities,
researchers in East Germany, so I really had that links the theoretical input we provide to discussion boards, Skype and so on. Again,
to get to know about my students’ wants and real practical teaching situations. this helps us to link theory and practice and
needs and tailor my teaching to them, rather raise students’ awareness of the theoretical
than slavishly following a course book. T: As a team we organise various exciting principles underlying what they do – or will
events such as TESOL Works for do – in their own classrooms.
Tania: I agree totally. Another lesson I learnt Employability, and Supersize Your Cert for our
early on when teaching in Czechoslovakia own and other trainers’ CPD as Cert-TESOL J: On a related note, as we have all worked
was how important it was to take the trainers. We ran this for the first time last year and studied abroad and had to adapt to
students’ cultural context and previous and it was a great day for networking with very different cultures. We are well able to
learning experiences other organisations nationwide. empathise with our international students
into account. who are going through similar things here at
What we value Describe the ideal UCLan UCLan.
Josie: Absolutely, most is a sense of student. For us, international means working not
attention to context only with students from other countries but
is really important, curiosity about the T: We don’t have an ideal also with people who are based abroad. We
and not making hows and whys of student in mind as such. Each all benefit from working in an international
assumptions that what cohort is made up of very environment!
works in one place language learning different individuals: different
will automatically ages and from lots of different
work in the same way and teaching countries all around the world. Tania Horák
somewhere else. They bring a wide variety of is course leader in the
And another point, my work in some backgrounds and experience… MA TESOL with
overseas universities, where most of my Applied Linguistics.
colleagues were not so called ‘native G: But on all the MAs, what we value most
speakers’, really helped me to understand is a sense of curiosity about the hows and
different perspectives on teaching and value whys of language learning and teaching. And Dr Grdon Dobson
different teacher strengths. I think these a willingness to share experiences and learn Course Leader MA TESOL
are beliefs which we share as a team and from each other. We really do consider each with Applied Linguistics
which we try to pass on to our students. application on its merits. by Distance. Teaches on
undergraduate and post-
How does working with the UCLan team All of you have made the switch from EFL graduate TESOL courses
help you? to international education. What do you
think a background in EFL gives you?
G: As Course Leaders and Tutors on MA
courses, we can draw on a wide range of T: The way we teach. So, our MA Josie Leonard
teaching experience in different countries and programmes aim to provide our students with Course Leader MA TESOL
in different contexts. In the TESOL team we the theoretical underpinnings of TESOL. But, Teaches on undergraduate
have an interesting range of research interests because of our classroom experience, we do and postgraduate TESOL
and specialisms, so these inform our teaching our best to make our sessions as interactive as courses
and – we believe – enhance student learning. possible and to demonstrate various teaching
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