Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2026 (23/02/2026 - 20/06/2026)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Education School
This course takes a critical perspective on current trends and issues in TESOL education internationally, with a specific focus on the problems and challenges of teaching TESOL in educational contexts. This course may not be offered in person if the enrolment is less than 10 students.
Since its emergence as a field in the post-World War II period, ESL/EFL has been dominated by a search for appropriate methods and theories for classroom pedagogy and teaching. Itﾠ relied on the paradigms of the day, and this ﾠled, until recently, to a strong reliance on psychological, linguistic, psycholinguistic and applied linguistic models and theories of teaching and learning.
By contrast, in the fields of language education and literacy studies more generally, there has been a 'turn' and an increasing focus on culture, politics and social institutions. If there is a lesson from ethnography of communication and sociolinguistics, it is that language and literacy learning and use always occur in relation to a social context. But what does it mean to say that language learning is social? Is it simply that people are social creatures, or that we learn language interactively and socially? As any of us living and working in multilingual countries know, who speaks which languages, with what kinds of force and consequences, is as much a matter of contending cultures, economic power, social and community interests and ideologies, as it is a matter of technical language proficiency. As all of us who have taught children and adults know, how, when and with what consequences people learn language is not purely an individual or idiosyncratic matter; their learning is contingent upon their lived social lives, cultural beliefs and systems. Educational systems and their programs are a prime focus for deciding what is learned in what contexts.
Culture, society and economy are relevant contexts and issues forﾠ ESL/EFL teachers and researchers particularly because ESL/EFL has historically tended to occur in social contexts involving immigrant and refugee populations, in emergent and long standing multicultural and multilingual societies, in polities where language is a matter of political contest, and for populations and communities for whom the connections between language, cultural identity and economic status and power are critical. These contexts take on an increasing importance since English is the first foreign language for many countries in the Asia-Pacific region and the perceived need for proficiency in a globalising world has increasingly pushed its study further down into the primary school curriculum.ﾠ
Language teaching and learning, then, has become closely tied to matters of economics, politics, identity, power and culture. The kinds of decisions that ESL/EFL teachers (or their educational systems) must make about which curricula, instructional approaches, evaluation methods to use for which students are dependent on our abilities to critically read, analyse and engage with learners' social contexts. Increasingly, our employment, work and lives as ﾠESL/EFL teachers also are dependent on our understandings of and engagements with these same contexts where language is taught and learned. Therefore, the course draws on a range of fields (i.e., cultural anthropology, cultural studies and critical theory, educational studies, literacy studies, political economy and sociology as well as applied linguistics and interactional sociolinguistics), to introduce ﾠESL/EFL teachers to key theories and ideas that might inform their decisions and practices.
Given the pervasive role of technology in general and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in particular in all aspects of language education, the course has been updated to ensure critical engagement with AI and other technologies.
Course requirements
Assumed background
The course design is based on an in-service approach, that is, it assumes that participants are 1) qualified teachers withﾠsome background in ESL/EFL or a language other than English and 2) have at least a year's teaching experience. While it is possible for teacher colleagues or other helping professionals without this experience to enrol and complete the assessment for the course, they may find it more challenging because it assumes a reflective practice model, i.e. students will be able to relateﾠaspects of criticalﾠtheory to classroom / school / educational (or some other) contexts and practices.
Restrictions
Restricted to students enrolled in the GCEdSt, MEdSt, GCAppLing or MAppLing.
Jointly taught details
This course is jointly-taught with:
- Another instance of the same course
EDUC7032 (SI-NET ID 6060) External mode. The In Personal and External modes are taught together and are merged in the course blackboard.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Tutor
Ms Hang Mai
Mr Md Rabiul Alam
Dr Thao Nguyen
Ms Amalia Sari
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Please check your mySI-net for time of the class.
Aims and outcomes
- To develop a critical understanding of current trends and issues inﾠESL/EFL education internationally, with a specific focus on the problems and challenges of teaching ESL/EFL in educational settings such as schools.
- To understand and critically assess issues around educational change and globalisation, literacy acquisition, cultural identity, language ideologies, language planning and politics, the complexities of language acquisition and use in multilingual societies and communities, and
- To consider how these critical issues relate to practice in particular contexts.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Critically reflect on ESL/EFL and/or ESL/EFL related situations.
LO2.
Examine your own teaching situation and context from a critical perspective.
LO3.
Develop a critical understanding of critical approaches to different areas of language education.
LO4.
Demonstrate how society and culture contextualise language and language teaching in particular settings.
LO5.
Use critical analysis to explore alternate perspectives and ethical positions relevant to language learning and teaching.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflection | Learning Reflection | 30% 1800 words |
2/04/2026 2:00 pm |
| Presentation |
Oral Presentation
|
30% 20 mins |
17/04/2026 - 29/05/2026 |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Critical Discourse Analysis | 40% 2700 words |
11/06/2026 2:00 pm
Texts for analysis will be shared with students by Week 7 of the class. |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Learning Reflection
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Reflection
- Weight
- 30% 1800 words
- Due date
2/04/2026 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
For this assessment, you will write a reflective piece based on what you have learned in the first five weeks of the course. Your aim is to develop a reflective argument about the critical approach: what it is, why it matters, what it can offer for teaching and learning, and what its limitations are. You are encouraged to connect your reflection to your own background, language learning experiences, and future career goals.
Your reflection should draw on the course readings, key ideas and theories discussed in lectures, and the discussions and activities from tutorials. Rather than writing a week-by-week summary, it will be more effective to organise your reflection around a few key themes.
You are welcome to include readings beyond the course materials. For authors who are part of the course readings, you do not need full references—simply use the author’s surname and year (e.g., Pennycook, 2021).
This is not an evaluation of the course or the teaching. However, you are encouraged to think critically. If you disagree with certain ideas, concepts, or readings, you may explain and reflect on those disagreements in a constructive way.
Overall, your aim is to show how the first five weeks of the course have helped you grow—intellectually, theoretically, pedagogically, ethically, and socially.
The following questions are provided as guidance only. You do not need to answer all of them:
- What topics, ideas, and theories were introduced in the first five weeks?
- How has your understanding of “critical” thinking and pedagogy changed?
- What have you learned, and how does it compare with your initial expectations?
- How can you bring your learning together in a meaningful way?
- How does this learning connect to the course learning outcomes?
- How might this learning support you as a student, a teacher, and a member of society?
You are welcome to use AI for this assignment, but you have to acknowledge how you used it and what kind of interaction you had with AI.
There is no prescribed structure for the assignment. However, a typical structure of introduction, development and conclusion is expected.
You will make sure you have addressed all criteria for the assessment task.
As this is a personal critical reflection of your learning, it should preferably be written in the first person. This will foreground your authorial voice. We would encourage you to briefly record your reflection each week as you prepare so this assignment becomes more manageable and efficient.
Submission guidelines
The assignment will be submitted through Turnitin on the course Blackbaord.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.
All assessment tasks are due by 2:00 pm on the due date. Late submission of assessment tasks without official approval will result in
penalties being applied. (See Penalties for Late Submission below)
Oral Presentation
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Online
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 30% 20 mins
- Due date
17/04/2026 - 29/05/2026
- Other conditions
- Time limited.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L03, L05
Task description
For this assessment, you will prepare and deliver an oral presentation on one of the assigned topics. The topics will be drawn from the key ideas, issues, and debates from the course readings, lectures, and learning activities.
In your presentation, you will examine the topic and present a clear argument. To help you prepare, your presentation should include:
- An introduction to the topic and the main debates or issues
- Key concepts and/or theories related to the topic
- A brief review of relevant publications
- Your main argument
- Any theoretical and/or pedagogical implications
Each presentation will be 20 minutes long. From this, 5 minutes will be reserved for questions from the audience and/or tutor. Presentations will be delivered live: in class for on-campus students and online for external students. Recorded presentations will not be accepted. You may use PowerPoint slides. Presentations longer than 23 minutes may be penalised.
Presentations will begin in Week 7. If not all presentations can be scheduled during class time, alternative arrangements will be made. All presentations will be recorded for assessment purposes. The topic will be shared with students in Week 5.
Please refer to the assessment criteria for detailed marking information.
You are not permitted to use AI during the presentation itself, but you may use AI tools to help with preparation.
Hurdle requirements
Students must pass this assessment task to pass this course. A minimus pass is Grade 4 out of 7.Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.
Critical Discourse Analysis
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 40% 2700 words
- Due date
11/06/2026 2:00 pm
Texts for analysis will be shared with students by Week 7 of the class.
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L04, L05
Task description
Critical applied linguistics views language learning as a social and interactive process that takes place in real-world contexts, where language is used for different purposes. With the development of computer and information technology, language learning also now often takes place through websites and other online materials. Like printed textbooks, language-learning websites can act as powerful sources of knowledge, presenting particular perspectives and ways of understanding the world.
Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) argues that all texts carry messages about how society and people are represented. When texts are produced by governments or other institutions, these messages are often carefully selected and purposeful. Through the ideologies embedded in discourse, texts can reveal attitudes, values, power relations, and social orientations related to both the target language (English) and the wider society or online community.
In this assessment, you will analyse texts from textbooks, websites, or media to identify these issues. For practical reasons, all texts must be in English. Norman Fairclough’s work provides the main framework for CDA, and the course will introduce you to examples of CDA from different contexts.
You will be randomly assigned one or more texts from different sources to analyse using Fairclough’s CDA framework. To complete the assignment successfully, you should address the following questions:
- What main discourse(s) are constructed in the text(s)? (e.g. gender, national identity)
- How are these discourses supported through linguistic and textual features at different levels?
- What social factors help explain the discourse?
- What do we know about the production (who created the text, where, and in what form), dissemination (how it is shared), and consumption (who the audience is)?
- How does Fairclough’s CDA framework help identify and analyse the discourse?
The word count does not include the analysed text(s), which should be included as an appendix.
You may use AI tools for this assignment, but you must clearly acknowledge how you used them and describe the type of interaction you had with AI.
Submission guidelines
This assignment will be submitted to the course blackboard.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Fails to fullfil most or all of the course requirements. |
| 2 (Fail) |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Fails to provide evidence of the understanding of or ability to apply critical teaching and learning principles and strategies from the course. No evaluative comment and/or poor communication skills, or some assessment not submitted. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: Superficial understanding of critical language teaching and learning principles; limited ability to apply these principles; little or no critical evaluation; resources and materials are unconvincing or in appropriate; or quality of written or oral communication is poor. |
| 4 (Pass) |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Adequate understanding of critical language teaching and learning principles; limited critical evaluation; sequencing is sometimes inappropriate or inconsistent; written communication is largely free of errors that effect readability. |
| 5 (Credit) |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Some understanding of critical language teaching and learning principles and awareness of their relevance; aspects of critical evaluation; some attempt to vary resources and strategies, and to sequence materials, infrequent errors. |
| 6 (Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Frequent evidence of original thought, some critical thought and evaluation; some diversity of resources, strategies and use of critical perspectives, logical sequencing of materials, useable formats for learning and teaching. |
| 7 (High Distinction) |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Consistent evidence of substantial thought, an ability to critique and evaluate; use of a diversity of resources, strategies, and critical perspectives; logical sequencing of materials, engaging formats for teaching and learning, error free. |
Additional course grading information
Determining final grades: The final grades are determined by consideration of the weighting of individual assessment items, through the use of weighting formula and the profile of individual grades across accumulated assessment tasks.
An exemplar to show calculation of the final grade:
All three assignments in this course will be provided a grade out of 7. The final grade will be calculated using the weighting and the individual assignment grades as follows.
Example:
A student receives the following three grades:
Assignmentﾠ 1 (A1) : grade of 6 at 30% weighting
Assignment 2 (A2): grade of 5 at 30% weighting
Assignment 3 (A3): grade of 6 at 40% weighting
The final grade for this student taking into account the weighting of each assignment would be:
ﾠﾠﾠ (A1)ﾠﾠﾠﾠ +ﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠ (A2)ﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠ +ﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠ (A3)ﾠﾠﾠﾠ
(0.3 x 6) + (0.3 x 5) + (0.4 x 6) = 1.8 + 1.5 + 2.4 = 5.7
The final grade would be rounded up to the nearest whole number; in this case the grade would be 6.
In the case where the final grade is 0.5 or above, the grade will be rounded up to the nearest whole number (e.g. 5.5 would become 6). In the case where the final grade is 0.49 or below, the grade will be rounded down to the nearest whole number (e.g. 6.49 would become 6).
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
The following applies to all assessments in this course:
Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the 'Assessment' folder in Blackboard for this course.
Release of assessment item marks and feedback
In addition to the grade awarded, feedback will be provided in a timely manner to enable students to apply the feedback to further tasks within the course or program and/or plan for supplementary assessment, requests for re-mark, or re-enrolment. However, as per UQ Policy and Procedures Library under the Assessment Policy, results for the final assessment item are to be released only after the final grade for the course has been released. Time frames for applications for assessment re-mark are indicated under the Assessment Procedure.
Re-mark policy
After each assessable item, students will be given the opportunity to view their assessment and so satisfy themselves that a marking or administrative error has not occurred. The formal process of querying a course result (requesting a remark on academic grounds) is set out in the UQ Policy and Procedures Library under the Assessment Procedure.
Use of AI/MT to support or inform assessment
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
SAPD Extension Request
Students who hold a SAP for the current semester may be approved for up to 7 days extension initially, any further extension request(s) will require an explanation and further supporting documentation such as a medical certificate.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
The use of Blackboard is a requirement for this course. All students are automatically enrolled in Blackboard. Many of the required and additional materials are available only through Blackboard.ﾠ
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (23 Feb - 01 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 1: Introduction to critical perspectives on TESOL Introduction and course overview Learning outcomes: L01, L04 |
Week 2 (02 Mar - 08 Mar) |
Seminar |
Week 2: Critical TESOL educators: To be or not...? Why critical TESOL teacher education; roles and challenges for critical TESOL teacher educators. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04 |
Week 3 (09 Mar - 15 Mar) |
Seminar |
Week 3: The politics of the global spread of English Spread of English, its agents and beneficiaries; theorising spread of English and pedagogical implications Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 4 (16 Mar - 22 Mar) |
Seminar |
Week 4: The politics of ELT development aid Issues relating to ELT projects as development aid for educational innovation and change Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04 |
Week 5 (23 Mar - 29 Mar) |
Seminar |
Week 5: The politics of Standard English Varieties of Englishes in the world and their speakers and pedagogical implications Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L04 |
Week 6 (30 Mar - 05 Apr) |
Lecture |
Week 6: The politics of discourse Introduction to discourse and critical discourse analysis; understanding how language relates to society Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
Mid-sem break (06 Apr - 12 Apr) |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Mid-semester break |
Week 7 (13 Apr - 19 Apr) |
Seminar |
Week 7: The politics of text Doing Critical Discourse analysis; methods, strategies and illustrations Learning outcomes: L01, L03 |
Week 8 (20 Apr - 26 Apr) |
Seminar |
Week 8: The politics of post-truth An introduction to post-truth and its implications for language education Learning outcomes: L03, L05 |
Week 9 (27 Apr - 03 May) |
Seminar |
Week 9: The politics of AI How issues of identity and difference relate to language use and their implications Learning outcomes: L02, L04, L05 |
Week 10 (04 May - 10 May) |
Seminar |
Week 10: The politics of identity and difference Overview of ideological positions on TESOL and their ethical and professional implications Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 11 (11 May - 17 May) |
Seminar |
Week 11: The politics of TESOL Models of critical pedagogy; what might a critical pedagogy look like; teacher/ student power relations; Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Week 12 (18 May - 24 May) |
Seminar |
Week 12: The politics of pedagogy What is the impact of language testing on teaching? TESOL programs? Teachers? Other domains? Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L05 |
Week 13 (25 May - 31 May) |
Seminar |
Week 13: The politics of language testing Is critical thinking Western? Eastern? Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
- AI for Assessment Guide
- Recording of Teaching Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.