MA E-LINGO – Teaching English to Young Learners (Pre-school and Primary School)

E-LINGO is a part-time two-year post-graduate blended-learning master's program leading to a qualification in the teaching of English to young learners. The E-LINGO master's award also gives access to degree courses in teacher education and research at university level.

What makes E-LINGO special?

E-LINGO is a well-established master's program, which has successfully qualified teachers of English for young learners for more than a decade. It has received excellent reviews and has been used as a model for other blended-learning teacher qualification courses.

Acknowledges your work experience

Previous work experience is one of the entry requirements and makes up 60 of the 240 credit points necessary to start the MA program.

Blended learning

A flexible post-graduate program combining 5 x 2 days of face-to-face teaching sessions on-campus in Freiburg, Germany and distance-learning online.

Flexibility

Part-time study allows you to combine academic study with work or other commitments. The majority of the program is delivered online using the E-LINGO learning platform.

Integration of language and content

Language skills and teaching methodology are developed simultaneously by completing coursework in English, supported by native speakers.

Theory and practice

You will have the opportunity to develop research skills and gain practical experience through the combination of theory and practice.

You will:

• discuss recent theories of teaching language to young learners and consider how they can be applied in authentic contexts
• analyze authentic classroom videos and teaching/learning resources for primary and pre-school education
• cooperate to develop classroom research projects in authentic teaching contexts
• participate in a two-week placement in a language classroom.

An international master's program The E-LINGO master's award is fully Bologna-compatible, which means that it is recognized across Europe and respected worldwide. E-LINGO attracts students from all over the world. The program enables you to gain insights into a range of teaching contexts and to share your experience with teaching professionals as well as students from diverse backgrounds.

What is the course about?

E-LINGO is a blended-learning program combining online coursework with 5 x 2 days of face-to-face teaching sessions at the University of Education (Freiburg, Southern Germany). A two-week placement in a language classroom also forms part of the program.

Who is this program for?

E-LINGO is an attractive post-graduate study program for people with heterogeneous backgrounds interested in English at pre-school and primary level. Whatever your BA degree specializes in you may now embark on new careers related to the teaching of English to young learners.

What are the career prospects?

All over the world children start learning foreign languages at an increasingly early age. E-LINGO qualifies you to teach English to young learners. It is an excellent form of professional development if you are already working in early years education or in a field related to the English language (eg translator, publishing).

What makes E-LINGO stand out is that it not only qualifies you to teach English to young learners but also opens up an academic path in the field as the program allows you to develop research skills as well as gaining practical experience. This combination gives access to a wide range of job opportunities, for example

• in nursery schools and playgroups
• in kindergartens and pre-schools
• in language courses for children offered by private institutions (language schools, community centers etc.)
• in primary and bilingual schools
• at universities (post-graduate research, teacher education, doctoral degree [Ph.D.])
• with publishers (materials design)
• in school administration (curriculum development, in-service teacher education).
• What are the requirements?

You will need an undergraduate degree from a university, University of education or private university, a one year's work experience and very good English language competences (level B2). The application procedure will include an online-interview.

To apply you need to have:

• a BA degree (based on 3 years of study) in any discipline (need NOT be language- or teaching-related), with 180, 210 or 240 credit points;
• one year's full-time work experience (longer if you have worked part-time) in the field of education or in a language-related area (the equivalent of 60 credit points);
• good target language competence (English – Level B2 of the Common European Framework for Languages or equivalent).

How and when to apply

The E-LINGO program starts once every two years in October. The deadline for application is September 15th of the year the course starts. The next course will start in October 2016. The first face-to-face meeting will be on October 28th/29th 2016. Please submit your application in writing to the admissions office: the University of Education Freiburg Studierendensekretariat Kunzenweg 21 D- 79117 Freiburg Germany Please submit the following documents:

Curriculum vitae in English School-leaving certificates which qualify the holder for undergraduate study at university (e.g. Germany – Abitur; UK – A-levels). These may vary from country to country. Certificate of a university degree (240 ECTS) or – in case of fewer credit points – proof of any other relevant experience and/or vocational qualifications Evidence of qualified employees in the field of education or in a language-related area of at least one year’s duration (proportionally longer if employment was part-time) Evidence of the required English language ability. If you are a native speaker of the English language or have completed your undergraduate study in English, the evidence is not needed. Personal statement in English setting out reasons for wanting to take part in the course (max. 3,000 words = approx. 2 pages A4) Signed statement that the above is the student’s own work Diploma Supplement and Transcript of Records of the applicant’s first degree (see point 3 above) A statement to the effect that the applicant has neither failed nor been excluded from either the Master’s examination in the same degree course or one with similar content, at the Freiburg University of Education or any other university The documents listed in point 2 and from point 5 to point 8 must be submitted as copies of the originals and should be in German or English. Any translations must be officially certified. The University reserves the right to ask to see the originals or certified copies at matriculation.

The University of Education, Freiburg (in German: Pädagogische Hochschule, or PH for short) was founded in 1962 and gained university status in 1971. It is the largest of six Universities of Education in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, which is known throughout Germany for the high quality of its education. There are currently 250 academic staff and some 5,100 students at the Freiburg University of Education. With its broad range of Bachelor and Master courses along with teacher training programmes, the University offers excellent research-based first-degree level qualifications and further education complemented by a large share of professionally accompanied practical and application-based modules. The change from State Examination to the Bologna structure means that the University of Education now works in close cooperation with the Albert Ludwigs University, Freiburg. The new Freiburg Advanced Center for Education (FACE) provides a forum for collaborative work in Teacher Education and is the central focus for all key players. FACE combines Initial Teacher Education, Practice and In-service Training, Educational Research and Quality Assurance. FACE’s online campus provides entrants to the teaching profession with all the most important information, reforms, and opportunities for the exchange of ideas, and thus a space to develop their professional identity. This cooperation means that the University of Education covers Teacher Education for all levels: Primary, Secondary 1 and Secondary 2. Moreover, frequently the University’s international/languages and maths/natural science profile serves as the decisive factor for choosing the Freiburg University.

Main academic focus areas

Intercultural and cross-border courses Research with an emphasis on Europe This focus area comprises a large variety of undergraduate and graduate courses as well as renowned research projects that fully and systematically exploit Freiburg’s locational advantage. Emphasis on mathematics/natural sciences in research and teaching This focus area encompasses a large variety of courses as well as numerous interesting research projects run by the University. In addition, various chemistry, physics, geography and maths “learning labs” prepare students adequately for their future (practical and experimental) tasks. Here, too, theory and practice are closely linked: experiments in classes, e.g. as part of the NAWIlino project provide students with insight into the everyday life of a teacher. Involvement in topical research projects provides an impression of what it means to learn by discovering: for example the EU project mascil (research- and discovery-based in the classroom) or the project MATHElino (research the learning process of Kindergarten kids and primary school children).

Other features of Freiburg University

Targeted promotion of young researchers Various Ph.D. programmes and a large number of other (European) research projects promote a wide range of young researchers. Apart from the programme mentioned above, these include the research programme “Learning for the Knowledge Society”, “Task-based Learning and Teaching” and “Being Able to Explain”. In total, the University runs approx. 90 research projects. This lends the Freiburg University of Education a key position within Baden-Württemberg in the promotion of young researchers. More than studying Finally, the University boasts an equally ambitious and varied cultural campus life. The University offers numerous opportunities for creative activity: the University choir, orchestra, big band, sports activities, a literary workshop, drama groups in German, English, and French, and the campus radio station, to name just a few.