The purpose of this course is to help new students develop the skills they need to succeed in the graduate TESOL program. The course is focused on such skills as how to 1) take notes and organize academic lecture material; 2) read academic articles in applied linguistics and TESOL; 3) acquire some of the technical vocabulary in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) and TESOL; 4) interpret test questions and write appropriate answers to those questions, 5) conduct computer-assisted bibliographical research; and 6) write academic papers using APA style. Course participants will also acquire foundational knowledge of the field of SLA. This course is designed to provide the critical academic skills needed for successful performance in the MSEd program.

This course is designed for students who are new to the Master of Science in Education program, who have little or no experience studying in an English-language university, or who are not familiar with formal academic writing style. Registrants who are not native speakers of English should have a TOEFL score of at least 550 on the paper-based test or 80 on the internet-based test.

There will be 13 regular class sessions for this course and in addition to the regular class sessions, students are required to attend one of the two Distinguished Lecturer Weekend Seminars (i.e., the 3-hour public session on Saturday) scheduled in Fall Semester 2024. The instructor will provide you with further details about the seminar requirement in the classroom.

Required Textbook:

• Lightbown, P. M., & Spada, N. (2021). How languages are learned. (5th ed.). Oxford University Press. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

Recommended Textbook:

• American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American psychological association. (7th ed.). Author. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)
• Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. (2010). Longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics. (4th ed.). Routledge. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

The primary purpose of this course is to introduce students to the basics of English phonetics and phonology, with an emphasis on areas of interest to language teachers. The course objectives are to: (1) introduce the basic concepts of phonetics and phonology; (2) provide practice in transcribing and analyzing the sound systems of native speakers and learners of English; (3) consider the place of pronunciation teaching in a foreign language curriculum and instructional approaches; (4) examine methods of assessing pronunciation; and (5) look at the relationship between pronunciation and other language skills. Students will complete a number of weekly assignments, take a mid-term examination and final examination, and conduct a project in which the speech of an English language learner is analyzed, a particular aspect of the English sound system is taught, and the results reported.

Required Textbook:

• Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M., & Goodwin, J. M. (2010). Teaching pronunciation: A course book and reference guide. (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)
• Avery, P., & Ehrlich, S. (Eds.). (1992). Teaching American English pronunciation. Oxford University Press. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

Recommended Textbook:

• American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American psychological association. (7th ed.). Author. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

The first major purpose of this course is to give students the skills they need to develop and design language courses in all skill areas, with a special focus on materials design and assessment practices. The second purpose is to familiarize students with the states of the art in meaning-driven teaching methods (i.e., Task-, Project-, Theme-, and Content-based teaching) while respecting the importance of traditional grammar and vocabulary teaching to EFL audiences. These general principles form a framework within which students are introduced to the principles of cognitive linguistics that are relevant to teaching (e.g., construction and cognitive grammar, construal, and embodied meaning and metaphor). Students will learn to integrate their own situated observations with research findings to generate topically relevant material for any age group that meets the criteria laid out by any curriculum they follow. This material (lesson and task plans, texts, recordings, etc.) will support the teaching of the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) as well as the linguistic competencies of English. That is, students will leave the class able to employ the principles of meaning-based linguistics and pedagogy to create motivating learning experiences that are flexible enough to fluidly switch between form and function foci. Course requirements include completing weekly readings, contributing to group discussions, completing a final examination and course projects, and compiling a teaching portfolio.

Required Textbook:

• Nunan, D. (2004). Task-based language teaching. Cambridge University Press. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)
• Willis, D., & Willis, J. (2007). Doing task-based teaching. Oxford University Press. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)
• Littlemore, J. (2009). Applying cognitive linguistics to second language learning and teaching. Palgrave Macmillan. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)
• Deheane, S. (2021). How we learn: The new science of education and the brain. Penguin Books. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

Recommended Textbook:

• American Psychological Association. (2020). Concise guide to APA style: The official APA style guide for students. (7th ed.). Author. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

The overarching purpose of this course is to canvass ten contemporary theories that are central to modern discussions of second language development (SLD) and to thereby provide the participants with an opportunity to further develop and consolidate their understanding of SLD, models of language representation and use, and issues that directly affect classroom teaching. In the first part of the course, we look at (a) early theories of second language development, (b) linguistic theory and universal grammar, and (c) the concept-oriented approach to SLD. In the second part of the course, the focus is on a number of modern theoretical positions, including (a) usage-based approaches, (b) skill-acquisition theory, and (c) input processing. Finally, in the third part of the course, we read about (a) research on the brain and SLD, (b) processability theory, (c) input, interaction, and output; (d) sociocultural theory, and (e) complexity theory.

The course is best taken by students who have already completed TESL 5611, TESL 5612, TESL 5613, TESL 5614 and TESL 5616. 

Required Textbook:

• VanPatten, B., Keating, G. D., & Wulff, S. (Eds.). (2020). Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction. (3rd ed.). Routledge. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

Recommended Textbook:

• American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American psychological association. (7th ed.). Author. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

This class is concerned with fundamental questions concerning the relationship of culture to language. It explores the complicated interactions of culture, language, society, and mind as it draws on research from linguistic pragmatics, sociolinguistics, linguistic and cognitive anthropology, cultural and cognitive psychology, and language philosophy. By the end of the semester, the student should understand the roles that language and culture play in the perception of self, others, and world; the role language plays in the transmission of cultural values and perspectives; the role of culture in the creation of durable social institutions (like money); the cultural and linguistic foundations of human cognition; and even how different cultural and linguistic practices are related to different educational outcomes. This course will emphasize the constitutive, normative, and interpretive functions of culture in general, but will elaborate those elements of English speaking culture important to language instruction. This course is intended to help pre- and in-service teachers understand and address cultural issues in the classroom, while providing general insight into the cultural functions of language. Successful students will complete all readings and participate in discussions, finish one individual and one group project, and write a final paper.

Required Textbook:

• Henrich, J. (2016). The secret of our success: How culture is driving human evolution, domesticating our species, and making us smarter. Princeton University Press. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)
• Wierzbicka, A. (2006). English: Meaning and culture. Oxford University Press. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)
• Everett, D. L. (2012). Language: The cultural tool. Vintage. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

Recommended Textbook:

• Nisbett, R. (2003). The geography of thought: How Asians and Westerners think differently… and why. Free Press. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

This course surveys the field of language assessment with a focus on assessment in the institutional context, including language testing for admissions, placement, diagnostics, achievement, proficiency, and for measuring change over time. The course introduces topics such as measurement constructs and models of language knowledge, test reliability, the design of tests and assessments, item and task construction, scoring and rating tests and assessments, the training of raters, issues of fairness and standards, and the use of arguments and evidence in the support of test validation. Different perspectives on validity, including face, ecological, content, consequential, concurrent, convergent, divergent, and construct validity are introduced. Students will lead group discussions, take a final examination, and produce a course project in which they experience the process of conceptualizing the theoretical bases of an assessment instrument, produce an instrument designed to measure a particular language skill (e.g., reading, listening, vocabulary, grammar) or affective variable (e.g., motivation, anxiety, self-efficacy), gather and analyze data using that instrument, and write a report on the strengths and weaknesses of the instrument. Although students will use the test analysis software program Winsteps, no prior knowledge of statistics is assumed. Students should be available to work individually on Zoom with the instructor on their course project.

Required Textbook:

• Fulcher, G., & Davidson, F. (2007). Language testing and assessment: An advanced resourse book. Routledge. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)
• Bachman, L., & Damböck, B. (2018). Language assessment for classroom teachers.   Oxford University Press. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

Recommended Textbook:

• American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American psychological association. (7th ed.). Author. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

This course focuses specifically on the academic language and literacy skills needed for English learners (ELs) to   be successful in a variety of academic contexts. How do the challenges of learning to read and write for Multilingual Learners differ from students who are not Multilingual Learners? What do we need to know to improve their reading and writing success? What resources do they bring to their reading and writing, in particular, and to our classrooms, more broadly? This course includes a thorough review of key theories and principles in first and second language acquisition, with an emphasis on foundational knowledge of language structures (i.e., English phonology, morphology, and syntax). The course also looks at the literacy challenges faced by students at different points in their educations (K through 12 as well as adult education) and the role of disciplinary literacies. With this, students will understand the complexities of reading and writing development in more than one language. 

There is no required textbook for this course.

The Canvas site for this course will open approximately one week before the semester starts. This site will contain the syllabus and all course materials.

This course introduces students to the most current approaches to teaching English as a second language. Drawing on contemporary research, the course will focus on creating optimal learning environments that engage, motivate, and support English language learners through meaningful and age/level appropriate activities. This hands-on course provides practical strategies, technologies, and ideas for designing and teaching effective language lessons that integrate reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Additionally, by participating in the required field experience, students will have multiple opportunities to apply and reflect upon approaches, building essential skills as a (future) language educator.

Required Textbook:

• McDonough, J. Shaw, C., & Masuhara. H. (2013). Materials and methods in ELT: A teacher’s guide. (3rd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)

Available online at TULibraries.

Additional reading materials will be provided on Canvas. The Canvas site will open approximately one week before the start of the semester.

PhD students are required to take two 3-credit Research Apprenticeship courses.  

If you wish to take an apprenticeship course, you first need to write a 300-400-word abstract of your proposed project (unless you are assisting a professor with one of his or her studies). This abstract should include basic information such as (a) the gaps in the literature you are addressing, (b) the purpose(s) of the study, (c) specific research questions, and (d) your methodology, including information about the participants, instruments, procedures, and the analyses you will perform. You will then need to send the abstract to the advisor you wish to work with (Consult the list of Apprenticeship advisors on the registration form to see who is available), and if the advisor approves your plan, you can then register for the course with that advisor. 

This course is for those PhD students who have passed the Preliminary Examination and working on their dissertation proposal.

The PhD students are required to take Culminating Courses (6 semester hours overall, minimum 2 semester hours of EDUC 9999). Culminating Courses: Preliminary Preparation Course (EDUC 9994), Dissertation Proposal Design Course (EDUC 9998) and Doctor of Education Dissertation Course (EDUC 9999).

Minimum 2 credit hours of EDUC 9999 are required for the PhD students.

Students wishing to register for this course should obtain permission from the professor and complete the registration process during the registration period.

Classroom Perspectives on Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT): ‘Nonissues and Real Issues’ Revisited by Dr. Jonathan Newton, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, will be conducted by 3-hour online Zoom sessions for four days: Saturday, October 5, Sunday, October 6, Saturday, October 12, and Sunday, October 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (JST).  Students taking this seminar for credit must attend all four days. Students can add/drop this seminar course by 13:00 on Saturday, October 5.

The pre sign-up (or course registration for those who are taking this seminar for credit) is required for anybody attending the public session on Saturday, October 5 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The sign-up process must be completed through "Distinguished Lecturer Series Seminar Sign-Up Form" that is available on TUJ Grad Ed website. The sign-up deadline is Friday, October 4 at 12:00 p.m. The public session Zoom link will be provided to those people who completed the online sign-up (or course registration) process by 18:00 on Friday, October 4. 

In recent decades, task-based language teaching (TBLT) has been adopted to various degrees in contexts where more traditional teaching methods have been or still are widely used. Reflecting the spread of TBLT (and resistance to it), a growing body of research has investigated the implementation of TBLT in diverse contexts, focusing especially on the cognition and experience of teachers. This seminar will draw on this research to critically evaluate TBLT as a researched pedagogy ‘from the bottom up’. This seminar’s focus will be on TBLT in Asian EFL classroom contexts from primary school to tertiary-level EFL. This seminar will examine how teachers in these classroom studies have made sense of, adopted and/or adapted tasks, the contextual affordances and constraints that have informed their decision making, and the reported impact of TBLT on teaching (and teachers), engagement, and learning (and learners).

The title of this lecturer series borrows in part from a 2016 article by Michael Long called, ‘In Defence of Tasks and TBLT: Nonissues and Real Issues’. In this piece, Long distinguished between what he saw as, on the one hand, ‘nonissues’ or misconceptions of TBLT (e.g., The role of the teacher is downgraded in TBLT, and TBLT neglects grammar) and, on the other hand, ‘real issues’ (e.g., how can we grade task complexity, and does performance on one task transfer to another). A selection of these issues will be re-examined in this seminar in the light of TBLT research and scholarship since 2016. In addition, this seminar will go beyond the issues raised by long, teasing out common themes from recent research but also drawing on the pressing questions and practical concerns (and accomplishments) of practitioners who will participating in this seminar.

Reflective Practice: Theory, Practice and Research by Dr. Thomas Farrell, Brock University, Canada, will be conducted by 3-hour online Zoom sessions for four days: Saturday, November 9, Sunday, November 10, Saturday, November 16, and Sunday, November 17 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (JST).  Students taking this seminar for credit must attend all four days. Students can add/drop this seminar course by 13:00 on Saturday, November 9.

The pre sign-up (or course registration for those who are taking this seminar for credit) is required for anybody attending the public session on Saturday, November 9 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The sign-up process must be completed through "Distinguished Lecturer Series Seminar Sign-Up Form" that is available on TUJ Grad Ed website. The sign-up deadline is Friday, November 8 at 12:00 p.m. The public session Zoom link will be provided to those people who completed the online sign-up (or course registration) process by 18:00 on Friday, November 8. 

Reflective practice generally means conscious thinking about what they are doing and why they are doing it and is now used in many different professions such as the legal profession, nursing, and education. Within the field of education reflective practice has had a major impact on virtually all areas of a teacher’s life from teacher education programs for novice teachers to professional development programs for experienced teachers. Reflective practice has also impacted the field of second language education and especially the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages- (TESOL). This seminar introduces the theory, practice and research related to the interesting, yet complex topic of reflective practice in language education. The public session will provide an overview of the concept of reflective practice, as well as practical ideas and principles for implementing reflection in second language education. Specifically, during the seminar participants will be taken through a framework for reflecting on practice. The framework outlines five-stage/level of reflections that start at level 1: Philosophy: level 2: Principles; level 3: Theory-of-practice; level 4: Practice; level 5: Beyond Practice. The framework for reflecting on practice can be used by all second language teachers from pre-service, novice teachers to the most experienced teachers. This seminar emphasizes that reflective practice is central to a language teacher’s development (both novice and experienced) because it helps them to analyze and evaluate what is happening both inside and outside their classes so that they can not only improve the quality of their teaching, but also provide better opportunities for their students to learn.

Recommended Textbook:

• Farrell, Thomas S, C. (2015). Promoting teacher reflection in second language education: A framework for TESOL professionals. Routledge. (Buy on Amazon.co.jp New Tab / Buy on Amazon.com New Tab)