Peter Beech

English Teacher & Teacher Trainer

Since 1999, I have worked as a lecturer for the Open University on the courses detailed below.

E841 -  Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Worldwide

This course offers a global perspective on the changing uses and forms of English and develops your skills in analysing them, drawing in particular on systemic functional linguistics. It covers sociolinguistic, ethnographic and social-psychological approaches to TESOL and introduces the literature on second language acquisition. It provides research methods for critical analysis of TESOL practice, and theoretical frameworks and practical tools for understanding how ELT classroom curricula can be analysed, developed and evaluated. Tuition is by computer conferencing. The course is part of our master’s programme in education – MA or MEd (Applied Linguistics) but can also be studied on its own.

H805 -  Understanding Distributed and Flexible Learning

H805 presents recent theoretical perspectives that can be used to understand flexible, distance, and distributed, learning. This module focuses on social and cultural approaches to learning and in particular, to the uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs).

T171 - You, Your Computer and the Net 

Using set books, a course website, and online teaching and assessment, the course examines how the PC and the internet reached their present state, the implications of the information technology revolution, and how the internet affects our lives, work and business.

T183 - Design and the Web 

This ten-week course shows how design principles can be applied to the creation of well-designed web pages and web sites. It is based on a specially-prepared website of learning materials and explores the elements of web page design, text, colour, images, and assembling them as layout. The course also covers usability issues such as navigation, access, interactivity, and designing virtual experiences. You will get to play the role of a designer commissioned to design a web site for the course team for your final assessment.

T186 - Understanding e-learning

This online course is for those people who are interested in the impact of the Internet and related technologies on teaching and learning. The Internet is a medium based around communication, interactivity and personalisation - values which are also at the heart of the learning process; it is therefore an ideal technology for use in education. This course aims to provide an introduction to the issues and technologies surrounding e-learning. It is ideal for teachers, educators, decision makers, students or anyone with a general interest in e-learning and how children of today can use this technology to enhance their learning.