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

P-X3BA

MA

1 year full-time

2 October 2023

Education Studies

University of Warwick

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.

Study and research how drama education motivates students, creates confidence in speaking and uses language in cultural contexts with purpose at the 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 rigour 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, colleges, 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

Modules for this course are delivered by two departments. All modules are delivered in-person at our well-equipped university campus. Drama-focused modules provide practical experience of a wide range of drama and theatre practices. Other modules, from both Education Studies and Applied Linguistics are delivered in a range of formats to suit (these may include lectures, seminars, group work and practical workshops, for example). Modules taken in the Department of Applied Linguistics develop your understanding of key approaches to Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL).

In addition to taught sessions, you will be given various pre- and post- session tasks and readings to support your learning.

Class Size

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.

Assessment types vary depending on modules selected but may include different types of assignments, of varying lengths, as well as oral or performance presentations. 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

Our module reading lists are 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 pageLink opens in a new window.

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.

2:ii undergraduate degree (or equivalent).

• Band B
• IELTS score to 7 overall, no more than two components at 6.0/6.5 & rest 7.0+

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

Storytelling Drama for Education

The storytelling drama for education module offers an opportunity to explore the potential for learning through practical drama exploration. The module explores a range of theoretical lenses through which narrative and culture can be critically examined making links between practical drama exploration and theoretical positioning. Due to its emphasis on practical drama exploration, it encourages students to consider how storytelling exploration can offer learning opportunities, and to consider how meanings are made, communicated and / or constructed through story.

Through this module, students will explore the role of story and narrative in contemporary and historical traditions relevant to performance and education. They will develop understanding of the didactic and pedagogic claims of storytelling with particular reference to the notion of traditional stories arising from the oral tradition. It is a module that offers opportunities to develop systematic understanding whilst applying practical techniques for real-world situations.

Drama and Literacy

The Drama and Literacy module is responsive to the stress placed internationally on the development of literacy in education establishments in recent years. Following on from Drama and Theatre Studies in Theory and Practice, it looks specifically at theories of literacy that emphasise the importance of cultural semiotics and social context. It considers the close historical relationship between drama and English in schools and explores the specific contribution drama can make to children’s language development in general and the development of reading and writing in particular.

Foundation Research Methods in Education (alternative online module available for part-time students if required)

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.

Dissertation

The dissertation is an opportunity to explore, in depth, an area of academic and/or professional interest related to your degree. Building on the knowledge and skills developed during the Foundation Research Methods module, and your other modules, you will conduct an independent research project, developing a deeper understanding of your chosen topic. From your research project, you will produce a dissertation, with guidance from a supervisor who will be allocated to you. Through the dissertation, you will demonstrate the ability to analyse and synthesise relevant literature, produce coherent arguments supported by relevant evidence and logical discussion, and acknowledge sources of ideas and information.

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. Additionally, 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.

You 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 students’ 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

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.Link opens in a new window

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.

We have revised the information on this page since publication. See the edits we have made and content history.

This is a holding content block which does not currently display on the page. To make it live, update the copy above, change the Title to remove the brackets, and delete this sentence.