תואר שני באנגלית

Talpiot College’s M.Ed. program in Teaching English as an International Language takes pride in its dedicated, experienced, and highly professional staff who mentor students to become leaders and researchers in the field.

Requirements for Admission

1. B.A. or B.Ed. in English Linguistics or Literature from a recognized academic institution
2. Teaching License or Teachings Certificate recognized by the Ministry of Education
3. Three years of experience in teaching English as a foreign language.
4. Personal Interview
5. Writing sample (e.g. seminar paper from B.Ed. or B.A.)
6. Candidates who do not meet these admission requirements of the program can be accepted for the following reasons: to increase access to higher education in Israel, to achieve a diverse  and multicultural student population, and for special personal and academic reasons which justify waiver of requirements. Up to 10% of candidates can be accepted in this category.

Program Structure

The program involves four clusters of courses: (1) Foundation courses in writing, research methods and linguistics; (2) Pedagogy with a focus on the technologies in language teaching and collaborative learning; (3) Literary and cultural studies; and (4) Educational linguistics, including language policy in an international context.

Duration: 3 semesters

The courses meet on Wednesdays from 8:30-18:45 with seven of the 14 weeks each semester on the Talpiot campus in Holon and the remainder on Zoom

Introduction

The M.Ed. program at Talpiot College focuses on Teaching English as an International Language. In our globalized world, English teachers have been asked to broaden and deepen their knowledge of English and become familiar with innovative pedagogies in order to prepare their pupils for life where most communication – from shopping and entertainment to connecting with experts in specific fields – are conducted in English.

The program encourages teachers to become educators who encourage growth, curiosity and joy of discovery in their classrooms while engaging in authentic communication in English. By acquiring a high level of academic competence involving theoretical knowledge relevant to the field of teaching English as an international language together with innovative pedagogy, our M.Ed. students become independent and critical thinkers and practitioners. They shift their focus and emphasis from traditional teaching strategies to pedagogy involving the latest digital technologies and project-based learning which stresses the need for communication and collaboration. Our graduates are able to prepare their pupils for a constantly changing reality and become agents of cultural sensitivity, diversity and multilingualism.

The courses are designed to gain in-depth knowledge of recent theoretical work and applications in Educational Linguistics and Language Policy, Pedagogy and Technology, and in Literary and Cultural Studies.

Faculty

Prof. Joel Walters – Department Head
Dr. Sveta Fichman
Dr. Melodie Rosenfeld
Judie Segal
Dr. Jen Sundick

Course Offerings

I Foundation Courses

Course Name: Creative Writing Workshop
Instructor: Dr. Melodie Rosenfeld
Format: Blended
Credit: 1 Hour, Semester I

The course aims at improving and encouraging the students to experiment in writing within a supportive framework. This course aims at stimulating the students to widen and deepen their awareness of the mechanisms of storytelling and narrative alongside the opportunity to perfect their written proficiency and also to allow them to use figurative literary techniques. It will relate also to how technology can aid the writer. The creative writing exercises will be edited by peers engaging in constructive peer criticism. The students will become more aware of linguistic structures used in certain registers of the English language.

Course name: Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods in Education
Instructor: Dr. Sveta Fichman and Prof. Joel Walters
Format: Lecture and Workshop
Credit: 2 Hours, Semesters I & II

This two-course sequence is given in the first year of studies in order to acquaint students with published research as well as the tools to carry out their own research. The course is given in a workshop format, where students discuss with lecturers and peers how to conduct research on topics connected to teaching English. The qualitative research course include surveys the major paradigms (e.g. action research, narrative, case studies) and demonstrates how to conduct sociolinguistic interviews and collect observational data.. The tools acquired in this course will enable students to understand and analyze the findings of published research and prepare them for a modest research project conducted at this initial stage, and for the final project which will be completed in the second year. 

Course Name: Bilingualism / Multilingualism
Instructor: Dr. Sveta Fichman
Format: Lecture/Discussion
Credit: 1 Hour, Semester I

The goal of the course is to analyze linguistic, cognitive, and social dimensions of bilingualism and their relevance in education. Topics to be covered include  linguistic and psycholinguistic foundations of bilingualism, the relationship between language and identity, and the ways in which the status of English as a global language affects multilingualism in Israel for Hebrew, Arabic, Russian and Amharic native speakers. Requirements include a short paper and an oral presentation.

II Literature and cultural studies Cluster

Course Name: Immigrant Voices through Literature
Instructor: Dr. Jen Sundick
Format: Lecture
Credit: 1 Hour, Semester II

This course will look at a variety of immigrant texts as a means of refreshing some basic concepts of literary analysis. We will consider issues such as first and second generation texts, the pain of immigration, marginal status, stereotyping. Some texts will reflect students’ status as teachers of language and literature and will model using these texts in the TESOL classroom.

Course Name: Diaspora English Literature
Instructor: Dr. Jen Sundick
Format: Seminar
Credit: 1 Hour, Semester II

This course will introduce students to some of the literatures written by English speakers in English diaspora communities where the dominant language was not English. Most of these texts were written when the country in which the writer was living was still a colony of England. The students will discuss and write about the usual subjects of literary study, namely, language, genre, narrative voice, plot, theme, and characterization. But the historical contexts of fiction will be the central focus of the course, with students studying the variations of all of the above topics that are due to the specific colonial and or diaspora contexts. Language and ethnic variety will be focal.

III Pedagogy and Technology Cluster

Course Name: Emerging Educational Technologies
Instructor: Judie Segal and Prof. Joel Walters
Format:  Workshop and Lecture (Blended)
Credit: 1 Hour, Semesters I

This course will give the theoretical background and models for integrating technology in English language teaching. The participants will make their own online project collaborating between pupils from different background/cultures based on a model or combination of models. The students will carry out the project in the school system applying cutting edge emerging technologies in order to enhance language learning.

Course Name: Individualized Learning Differences in English as a Foreign Language
Instructor: Dr. Melodie Rosenfeld
Format: Lecture
Credit: 1 Hour, Semester II

This course will introduce the theoretical aspects of Individual Learning Differences (ILDs) to participants who are instructors of English as a foreign international language and who are engaged in school leadership. In the 21^st Century, effective educators appreciate the impact of ILDs, have a wide repertoire for dealing with pupils’ learning differences, and show patience towards pupils who learn optimally in a wide variety of ways. Participants will investigate the theories, models, methods and research literature as well as engage in research concerning their own and colleagues’ individual learning differences so as to raise their knowledge and sensitivity to this timely topic. Participants will become familiar with the latest research literature and expect to undergo changes in their own language, beliefs and practice concerning individual learning differences. Dr. Rosenfeld has been involved in teacher development and research in the area of ILDs for almost two decades.

Course Name: Literacy Development of English for Pupils with Reading Difficulties
Instructor: Dr. Melodie Rosenfeld
Format: Lecture
Credit: 1 Hour (offered in alternate years)

This course will introduce the theoretical aspects of developing literacy in English, a foreign international language, specifically for learners with reading difficulties. Students will examine the theories, models, methods, and latest research related to teaching literacy to pupils with learning challenges. Emphasis will be placed on the changes that have taken place over the past decade making it necessary to learn English, an international language, as the key to communication in our globalized world leading to success in pupils’ studies and their future endeavors.  Focus will be placed upon the cognitive aspects in lower-level and higher-level processing. Lower-level processing will be examined including word recognition, phonological awareness, semantics, syntax, orphology, automaticity and fluency. In addition, higher-level processing which contributes to the comprehension process will be examined with emphasis on memory, implicit and explicit learning, and schema. Social context, foreign language and specific tools will also be considered. Analysis of the research and different methods of intervention, diagnosis and correction will enable students to implement appropriate pedagogy for their pupils with learning challenges.

Course Name: Pragmatics in the EFL Classroom
Instructor: Dr. Sveta Fichman
Format: Lecture/Discussion
Credit: 1 Hour, Semester II

This course offers theoretical and practical knowledge on how to integrate Pragmatics into the EFL classroom. Topics discussed and illustrated included: crosscultural pragmatics, speech acts, pragmatic markers and how to incorporate pragmatic abilities in the teaching of Speaking and Writing. The course will introduce students to the latest techniques for using Role Playing and interactive collaboration in classroom activities.

Course Name: Discourse Analysis
Instructor: Dr. Sveta Fichman
Format: Lecture/Discussion
Credit: 1 Hour, Semester II

Discourse Analysis has highly influenced EFL teaching practices since its inception in the 1960’s and 1970’s. This course is designed to provide EFL teachers with both the theoretical background and the practical tools to enable them to use Discourse Analysis to enhance their own teaching methods. The course is divided into three sections. In the first section the field of discourse analysis will be introduced and explored. The second section focuses on the impact discourse analysis has had on EFL pedagogy. In this section we will also analyze the revised English curriculum in light of current discourse-based research. The third and final section provides the EFL practitioner with practical uses of discourse analysis to implement in the classroom.

Course Name: EFL Pedagogies for Millennial Students
Instructor: Judie Segal
Format: Lecture/Discussion
Credit: 1 Hour, Semester I

This course will expose students to innovative global pedagogies and methodologies for reaching students. Topics include: relevance, differentiation, social learning, independent study and how to conduct action research and present findings.  All of these topics are part and parcel of the English Curriculum 2020 and the broad changes now being made in the Ministry of Education in general. The course will begin with exposure to these new teaching principles in relation to EFL in Israel. The nest section of the course will be hands-on: How to best utilize new tools to create lifelong English language learners. Finally, we will reflect on ourselves and our teaching methods in order to adapt them to today’s new generation of students.

IV Educational Linguistics and Language Policy

Course Name: Topics in Teaching English as an International Language
Instructors: Prof. Joel Walters and Guest lecturers
Format: Lectures, Workshops, Simulations
Credit: 2 Hours, Semesters I & II

This course brings to the Talpiot campus leading figures in English language teaching and language learning, multilingualism/multiculturalism, educational technology and policy. Guest speakers in the past have included: Tziona Levy, Penny Ur, Arona Gvaryahu, Fran Widerker, Mila Schwartz, Mona Saba as well as recorded lectures from world renowned figures in the field on topics ranging from ‘teaching vocabulary,’ ‘special needs students in the EFL classroom’, teaching EFL to the deaf and hearing impaired, Family Language Policy.

Seminar and Final Project Workshop

Course Name: Seminar in Educational Linguistics
Instructor: Dr. Sveta Fichman
Format: Seminar
Credit: 2 Hours, Semesters I & II

The aim of the seminar is to explore pragmatic knowledge of native speakers and of learners of English as an International Language. We will analyze a variety of aspects of language use and examine differences and similarities across languages. Objectives are to enable students to give students the tools to investigate pragmatic aspects of language such as politeness, humor, irony and sarcasm, certainty and uncertainty, etc. and to examine implications from educational, linguistic, and cultural perspectives. Students will be guided through the process of choosing a topic, conducting a literature review, collection, coding and analysis of data, and writing a research report.

Course name: Final Project Workshop
Instructor: Prof Joel Walters with Advisors
Format: Workshop/Mentoring
Credit: 2 Hours, Semesters I & II

The final project will enable the students to apply their newly acquired theoretical knowledge on teaching and learning skills. All second year students will participate in this department workshop where they will receive guidance, support and peer evaluation through the process of researching and writing their final project. Students will meet regularly with mentors and the course instructor  individually and in small groups whose topics or methodologies are related.