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Explore our Drama Education and English Language Teaching, taught Master's degree.

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P-X3BA

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MA

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1 year full-time

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3 October 2022

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University of Warwick

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Warwick's Drama Education and English Language Training MA is one of the only programmes in the world that looks at the role of drama education in English Language teaching.

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Study and research how drama education motivates students, creates confidence in speaking and uses language in cultural contexts with purpose at Department of Education Studies. You will learn across two departments, gaining subject knowledge both in drama education and in TESOL materials and strategies. You will work practically and collaboratively to make connections between drama and theatre and language learning.

This unique MA programme offers an in-depth insight into the ways drama and theatre education can enhance teaching and learning in primary, secondary and tertiary education, specifically in the field of English Language Teaching and Learning.

We introduce you to a range of hybrid pedagogic strategies that are underpinned by rigor and that aspire to make language learning accessible, playful, creative and engaging. You will engage with cutting-edge theory and practice-led research related to the ways drama and theatre can be used as pedagogical tools. This MA is aimed at practitioners working in schools and colleges, and community and educational theatre settings and will be of interest to those working in the areas of TESOL.

The course of study provides a planned and structured programme, which is sufficiently flexible to respond to the needs of a wide range of pedagogic and cultural contexts. Practical activities are at the heart of our course structure, so there will be a number of opportunities to work with your peers, collaborating, debating, and researching practical solutions. Your interdisciplinary skill set will be developed throughout the MA, enabling you to pursue a diverse array of career pathways.

Skills from this degree

  • Theoretical understanding of how and why drama can support language learning with particular attention to issues relating to second language learning
  • Awareness of the social dynamics of the classroom and their implications for the teaching-learning process
  • Critical analysis and evaluation of current research in drama education and ELT
  • Formulate a relevant research question and design a valid project to inquire into it
  • Plan and execute successful drama workshops focusing on language development
  • Ability to advocate the use of teaching of ELT

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This course provides practical experience of a wide range of drama and theatre practices. Modules taken in Applied Linguistics develop your understanding of key approaches to Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL).

The weekly practical workshops are run by Module Leaders, invited guests, and students themselves. These workshops give you hands-on experience of drama as well as methods and ideas for using drama and theatre in your workplace. The core modules on this course are assessed through a combination of essays and performances.

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Class Size

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You will have core teaching contact time in Autumn and Spring Term plus rehearsal time and regular trips to local schools and theatres and guest lectures and performances throughout the year.

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You will also complete a dissertation based on an individual research project, with support from a member of academic staff.


Additional course costs

You may wish to undertake some research with children or young people that may require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check or a Certificate of Good Conduct for students from outside of the UK. A DBS check costs around £70 and a Certificate of Good Conduct can vary in price. There may be some theatre trips or visits to schools that will incur a small cost but these are not compulsory.

Find out more about our additional course costs.


Reading lists

Most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library. If you would like to view reading lists for the current cohort of students you can visit our Warwick Library web page.


Your timetable

Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you and you will be able to choose your optional modules when you join us.

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2:ii undergraduate degree (or equivalent).

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  • Band B
  • IELTS score to 7 overall, two at 6.0/6.5 & rest 7.0+

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There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

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Important information

We are making some exciting changes to our Drama Education and English Language Teaching (MA) degree for 2022 entry. Our core and optional modules are currently undergoing approval through the University's rigorous academic processes. As changes are confirmed, we will update the course information on this webpage. It is therefore very important that you check this webpage for the latest information before you apply and prior to accepting an offer.

The Role of Story in Drama and Theatre Education

The new revised MA in Drama and Theatre Education offers teachers in both primary and secondary phases of education a rigorous and relevant course of training and academic study in the theory and practice of drama and theatre education. The course is flexibly designed to respond to and develop the professional needs of both home and overseas students. The course is built upon the research and teaching strengths of the course team who have a national and international reputation for their publications and teaching in the field of drama and theatre education.

This module, The Role of Story in Drama and Theatre Education, connects closely with the module Drama and Theatre Studies in Theory and Practice. Due to its emphasis on practical theatre making, it requires the students to put into practice the theories on culture and semiotics covered in this module and to consider closely how meanings are made and communicated through drama. It connects, too, with the Drama and Literacy module with its stress on stories as conveyors of cultural and moral values.

Foundation Research Methods in Education

This module encourages students in understanding, designing and implementing research in the field of education. It will introduce you to a range of established research strategies and techniques, including data collection and analysis. These skills will enable you to design and carry out a dissertation research project, as well as to disseminate its findings. As part of this module, you will present your research design and have the opportunity to receive feedback ahead of completing your dissertation.

SLA Insights for TESOL Practice

This module explores areas of second language acquisition (SLA) research that are relevant to TESOL practice. It considers how SLA is affected by individual learner characteristics as well as social-interactive processes in the classroom, and focuses specifically on features of SLA that can be positively shaped by teachers.

Literature and Drama in TESOL

Literature and drama provide us with compelling material for involving our students in successful language learning activities. Engagement with story, a rich social context, personal response, and interactive play - all of these acknowledged facilitators of language learning are enabled through the use of literature and drama. When literary texts and drama activities are appropriately chosen and delivered, learners have opportunity to develop their knowledge of the target language at a variety of levels; moreover, reading literature in a second language provides students with cultural insights and provides a genuine source of motivation for learners. However, personal experience and research tell us that literature is not widely used in TESOL and that it is often considered ‘difficult’ by learners. We shall explore why this is and how the situation may be improved through principled text selection and methodologies that focus on developing reader response.

Participants will develop a critically informed understanding of the place of literature and drama in the EFL/ESL classroom and ways in which the teaching of literature or drama and language can be integrated. Although we shall include approaches to teaching ‘classic’ texts, the module will embrace a very broad concept of literature, including the popular novel, children’s literature and film drama.

Foundations of TESOL Methodology 

This module provides students with a solid foundation in TESOL theory and practice. It explores both historical and contemporary developments in TESOL in order to give students a broad understanding of the field of English language teaching. Through such exploration, students are encouraged to reflectively engage with and develop their own beliefs about language learning and teaching, particularly in relation to educational contexts they are familiar with and/or will return to as practicing teachers.

or 

Innovations in TESOL Methodology

This module aims, in the first instance, to enhance participants’ abilities to consider innovation in TESOL from a critical perspective in relation to their own teaching context. Students learn how to engage in and evaluate innovation by means of practitioner research and how to manage innovation. On this foundation, in the last part of the course students will be introduced to and invited to critically appraise a wide variety of recent proposals for innovation.

You can choose either Dissertation by Reflective Practitioner Route (Drama Education) or one of the standard Dissertation modules.


Optional modules

This programme has a number of optional modules to choose from. At least one optional module should have a childhood focus. Our optional module lists are subject to change each year to keep the student learning experience current and up-to-date.

Find the most up-to-date optional module list on the Education Studies website.

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