Fast tracking, master teacher education 1st degree English

Advanced Bachelor’s students who are interested in taking Master’s level courses can follow the Fast Tracking Master Teacher Education 1st degree English minor. This minor consists of 6 master’s courses in Literature, Linguistics, Writing, Drama and Differentiation. The courses are designed to further students’ knowledge of both the subject matter and its relevance to upper secondary level teaching, while developing and exercising students’ critical thinking and research skills. 

This minor is meant for students from the bachelor teacher education programme English who are planning to pursue their 1st Degree English teacher certification and/or those who are looking for more depth in their teacher training. Through this minor you will be able to start the master’s programme by earning 25 ECs of the required credits. The additional 5 EC course (Differentiation) will allow you to gain expertise for your 2nd degree teaching practice, as well as help you further prepare for the master’s. Once you have passed the 25 ECs as outlined below, you will not have to take these courses when pursuing your master’s.  

Admission

Students need to show an adequate level of language skills. HU students need to have passed two of the three following courses: Writing 3, Literature 3, and Speaking 3. Outside students need to prove C2 level and comparable level coursework in Writing, Literature (analysis), and Speaking. Students from outside of the HU will need to participate in an intake meeting if they cannot produce comparable coursework and/or C2-level certification.  

The Examination Board determines which minors do not have a higher professional education level and/or have an unacceptable overlap with the compulsory curriculum of your own study programme. Check at the page Not allowed minor courses under your institute which minors are not allowed. This page will be updated from 29 February for the 2024-2025 minor offer.

Content

As mentioned above, this minor allows you to get a head start in the master’s program by completing 5 of the 12 English department courses required for the master’s program, as well as an extra enrichment course on differentiation. This means that students who later go on to complete the master’s program need only 35 additional credits of English courses, along with the 30EC of General Education courses.  

The master’s programme prepares students to teach English language and literature to the higher classes of Dutch higher secondary and tertiary education (HAVO, VWO and HBO in Dutch). During your time in this minor you grow as both an educator and an English language specialist. The programme is both practical and meant to strengthen your teaching know-how. Not only will you master English at a very high level, you are also taught a critical approach to education quality and innovation. You are expected to have an internship during the course of the minor, as you will need access to a group of students in order to complete some of the coursework (for example, collecting data from students for your Differentiation research, or teaching drama lessons to students for Drama in the Curriculum). 

Courses

Academic Writing

This class is designed to strengthen your writing skills to prepare you for the writing tasks that are required for other Master’s courses. You will learn to recognize and utilize the key structural elements of the deductive essay, which is the foundation for all academic writing tasks. You will practice writing in a formal academic style, using a variety of simple and complex grammatical structures as well as academic vocabulary. Along the way, the readings for this course will expose you to high level academic writing which will reinforce the skills covered in the class. 

The learning goals of this course: 

1. You can read and understand English at the C2 level of the Common European Framework or Reference for Languages.
   
2. You can produce written English texts at the C2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
3. You can analyze and evaluate recent scientific studies on teaching writing in an effective written format in accordance with the criteria specified in the assessment rubric. 

Differentiaton
Each teacher needs to adapt teaching strategies to suit the needs of her/his students, keeping in mind that there is no “recipe” for differentiation. Just as everyone has a unique fingerprint, every student has an individual learning preference. This means that not all of your students understand a subject in the same way or share the same level of ability. So how will you teach to reach everyone in your class? Firstly, you need to determine what your own learning and teaching style is, how you understand differentiation and how you get to know your students better. The course will take on the journey to find these answers and learn strategies, approaches and differentiated instruction to master differentiation in the classroom. Learning activities. In this module you will research differences between students. You will first reflect on what is written in the literature about differentiation, and then translate it into daily teaching practice. During the sessions, we will look at the different parts on which differentiation can be made. You will decide which interventions are appropriate for your learners by differentiating instruction, content and time, scaffolding, and learning preferences. This course is completed with the report (online learning diary). Students are strongly encouraged to attend classes, give and receive feedback each step of the way and give a presentation at the end of the course (formative assessment). 

Learning goals of this course: 

1. You will be able to draw up a substantiated, personal vision about ‘differentiating in the classroom.
   
2. You will know how to accommodate the differences between students in the classroom.
3. You will be able to devise and implement interventions to accommodate the differences in their class(es).  

Literary Toolbox
The student acquires knowledge of literary and literary theoretical concepts, approaches and terminology and learns to apply these by means of text interpretation, analysis and appreciation of a great variety of literary texts. Students will acquire the knowledge and skills to tackle new texts on their own to enrich their future teaching practice. These will include poetry, short stories, a novel and a Shakespearean play. Subjects that will be discussed include imagery, meter, rhyme, perspective, setting, etc. During the course, the following working methods and materials will be used: literary texts, texts on literary analysis, recommended internet sources, lectures (these are offered online), working groups with plenary discussions and self-study.  

Learning goals of this course: 

1. You will be introduced to a very diverse spectrum of literary texts.
   
2. You acquire literary-critical and literary-theoretical knowledge.
   
3. You develop skills to apply this knowledge to literary texts in order to interpret and evaluate them.
   
4. You are able to draw attention to a well-founded statement in a clear argument, both orally and in writing and to defend it adequately on the basis of knowledge and insight. 

Highlights from English Literature
You read a number of novels from the canon of English literary history from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. The novels are discussed from both a literary historical and a thematic point of view. One novel per class week is read and there are often elective opportunities. The novels are read within historical context so that you learn to recognize and name literary historical features. In addition, the works are approached thematically, from the theme of “heroes and villains. 

Learning goals of this course: 

1. You have an overview of the historical development of English-language (here British) literature, distinguish the main movements and periods, and have read and studied representative literary texts and place these works in their social and historical context. 
2. You formally and substantively analyze, interpret, and discuss literary texts using literary and literary theory concepts, approaches, and terminology. 
3. You place artistic and socially significant phenomena within their historical and cultural contexts.  
4. You place a literary work in the broad context of a cultural movement and name the common features of cultural expressions. 

Drama in the Curriculum
This course offers a general introduction to the cultural backgrounds and history of theatre in the English-speaking world and explores the possibilities of using drama in upper-level language classrooms. Students become familiar with improvisation, dialogues, role-plays, and other drama techniques geared toward the development of advanced language skills. Students study plays from the point of view of literary analysis and as performance pieces; in response they will make an electronic documentary-style presentation and participate in an interview based on an analysis of three plays from a modern playwright or movement from the English-speaking world. Students also put together a teacher pack including materials they have found and/or created for upper-level English class, as well as making a recording of a lesson in which one activity is conducted with upper-level students and verbally reflected upon. Throughout the course students work on their own speaking skills and should be able to demonstrate CEFR C2-level by the end of the course. 

Learning goals of this course: 

1. You apply different drama techniques and dramatic literature in a first-degree English curriculum and reflect on them in connection with theories of language acquisition. 
2. You analyze dramatic literature in English and critically analyze related secondary sources. 
3. You express yourself in a dynamic way and at CEFR level C2 for both speaking and having conversations.

Assessment

Test             Course                                  Assessment form
Period

A or B           Academic Writing                  Portfolio of revised essays & Take-home exam

A or B           Differentiation                        Report & Essay

B or C           Literary Toolbox                    Written Exam

B or C           Highlights from                      Written Exam & Workshop presentation
English Literature

C or D           Linguistics 1                            Digital Test & Research Report

C or D           Drama in the Curriculum    Oral Exam & Teacher Pack

Literature

Academic Writing 

Reading materials available on the Canvas site

Differentiation 

• Tomlinson, C.A. (2017). How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms (3rd ed). Virginia, USA: ASCD
• Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms (2nd ed). Virginia, USA: ASCD

Literary Toolbox 

Mandatory: 

• Bainbridge, Beryl. (1974) The Bottle Factory Outing.  
• Murfin, Ross and Ray, Supryia M. (2009) The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary  
• Terms. Boston, New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s 
• Shakespeare, William. (1606/1623) Macbeth. (an annotated edition like from the series Cambridge School Shakespeare)  

Highlights from English Literature 

Mandatory: 

• Terry Eagleton, The English Novel, ISBN 978-1-4051-1707-4, , 1e druk, 2005, Blackwell Publishing 
• Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1813 
• Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights 1847 
• Daniel Defoe, Moll Flanders, 1721 
• Choice: Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, 1961 OR Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, 1932, 
• Choice: Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness, 1903 OR Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D’Ubervilles, 1891 
• Choice: Charles Dickens, Great Expectations, 1861 OR W.M. Thackerey, Vanity Fair. 1848 
• Choice: David Herbert Lawrence, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, 1928 OR Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway, 1925 

Linguistics 1: Linguistics in Practice 

Mandatory: 

• Mitchell, R, Myles, F and Marsden, E., Second Language Learning Theories, by Rosamond, Taylor & Francis Ltd , Fourth Edition

Drama in the Curriculum: 

Mandatory: 

• Maley, A. & Duff, A. (2005) Drama Techniques: A Resource Book of Communication Activities for Language Teachers. 3rd revised edition, Cambridge University Press ISBN: 9780521601191  
• 3 contemporary plays originally written in English upon teacher approval 

Recommended: 

• Schrivener, J. (2010) Teaching English Grammar, Macmillan Education ISBN: 9780230723214 (Recommended) 

Schedule

Wednesday from 12:30 pm to 7:00 pm.

With the exception of the first teaching period of the academic year (starting September), the lesson and test schedules are always posted on Mijn Rooster four weeks before the start of each teaching period. The schedule for the first teaching period of the academic year can be found on the site three weeks before the start. The most up-to-date schedule is always visible on Mijn Rooster.
At HU, full-time education may be scheduled between 08:30 and 19:00.

Additional costs

Aside from the mandatory books, there are no additional costs for this minor. 

* While we do not anticipate any alterations to the master’s curriculum, courses are subject to change. All courses except Differentiation will nonetheless count toward completion of your master’s degree.  It is also important to note that after completing these courses, it will still likely take you 2 years to complete your master’s once you officially enroll after graduating with your bachelor’s. This is due to the fact that the series of research courses you will take are designed to be completed over two years, and you will need to complete 80 hours of upper-level teaching per year (160 hours in total). Nonetheless, if you have already completed these courses, you will have a much lighter course load, which will allow you to concentrate more fully on teaching and research.