School of Education, Languages and Linguistics (SELL)
Explore the teaching and research taking place within SELL
Teaching | Partnerships | Research | Our staff | News and blogs | Explore our faculty | Contact us
At the School of Education, Languages and Linguistics (SELL), we examine the world through the ways we learn and communicate.
Our teaching and research aim to prepare the next generation of teachers and educational leaders, and help our students open doors into all kinds of professions through language, in the UK and around the world.
Understanding the interconnected roles of education and communication is vital in meeting the demands of international business and global crises, and in giving marginalised people a voice. That's why we value and promote diversity, seeking to equip our students with the skills and intercultural awareness to live and work in a global community.
Three principles underpin our work – a global perspective, high-quality learning and teaching, and personalised support for our students.
A global perspective
SELL belongs to a long-established global community of students, staff and partner organisations – an inclusive multi-cultural environment where all are welcome. We are the University's hub for language learning, providing classes to students from all faculties and professional training for educators internationally. We offer opportunities to understand, work with and learn from others.
High-quality learning and teaching
Our learning experience starts with high-quality, research-informed teaching by staff with excellent interdisciplinary expertise. Our staff use their skills and specialist knowledge to expand the learning environment beyond the classroom, supported by our investment in learning technology.
Personalised support for students
Our students have access to a wide range of dedicated academic guidance and pastoral support. We do all we can to enable them to be successful and enjoy their studies, which is reflected in the positive student feedback we receive each year.
Teaching
We provide courses for undergraduate and postgraduate students, including PGCE teacher training and research qualifications. A number of our courses are available to study both on campus and/or online via distance learning.
Our teaching places students at the centre of the learning experience, ensuring sessions are engaging and interactive with time for discussion and debate. We offer opportunities for our students to gain real-world experience through professional and teaching placements and the chance to study and/or work overseas as part of their studies.
Students from any faculty can learn another language for free with us as an extracurricular activity through the Institution Wide Language Programme (IWLP). We offer eight languages – Arabic, British Sign Language, Italian, French, German, Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese.
We deliver a BALEAP-accredited Pre-Sessional English programme which supports hundreds of international students every year to improve their English language skills, so they can study at the University. We also offer Summer Schools each year – combining English Language development, team activities and cultural visits – for international students considering study in the UK.
Our teaching is supported by the latest technology, including our specialist Learning Resource Centre, Language Laboratories and Televic Interpreter Training Suite.
Our teaching areas
Explore the undergraduate and postgraduate degrees we offer within the following areas.
Childhood, youth studies and education courses
Want a rewarding career shaping how children and young people learn and develop? Choose one of our childhood, youth studies and education courses.
Languages courses
Develop an in-demand skill set, and get a deeper insight into the culture, history and politics of another country, with a Languages degree.
Partnerships and collaborations
SELL has a well-established global network of over 60 partners in 12 countries across the world.
We collaborate with schools, colleges and education settings regionally and nationally, to provide placement opportunities for our students and/or research collaborations for our researchers. We work with several partner institutions to deliver our courses across a broader area, allowing students to study with us at their local college.
Find out more about collaborating with the School of Education, Languages and Linguistics.
Research
Our research feeds consistently into our teaching, so our undergraduate and postgraduate students benefit directly from our work.
We're investigating how education, language and linguistics can act as drivers of development in economic and social structures. This work has two main applications – within the context of how educational institutions can create an excellent student/pupil experience, and how global organisations use multiple languages and specific translations every day.
We also work with businesses, government and the local community to improve their organisational communication skills, language competences and use of educational technologies. We’ve worked on a variety of consultancy and knowledge transfer projects including:
- using a research-informed approach to the classroom
- research on lecturing to international students
- professional development for English language teachers working overseas
- medical English within the NHS
- professional development for translators
If you’d like to discuss working on a project with us, or you’d like further information about our consultancy offering, please contact us at sell@port.ac.uk.
We also offer postgraduate research opportunities within education and languages and applied linguistics.
Early years education
In this area of expertise, we're exploring the experiences and opportunities that play a role in the development of young children.
Further education
We're exploring all aspects of further education, from adult education to transitions from military service, leadership and management to further education student experience.
Higher education
We're researching into issues in higher education, and finding solutions to them. Explore our higher education research.
Gender, race and education
Our work is identifying, exploring and engaging with forms of discrimination across gender and race in the education system.
Youth, development and social practices
Our work provides a platform that showcases research, innovation and wider activities being developed in collaboration with young people, community members and practitioner and academic colleagues.
Our languages and applied linguistics research
Find out more about the work we're doing across our four areas of research expertise in languages and applied linguistics.
Corpus linguistics
We're looking at huge datasets of natural language – often many billions of words – to explore how language is used in different regions, genres and situations.
Discourse analysis
We're researching how ideas, concepts and people are represented through language, and exploring how language is used in real-life contexts.
Professional communication
Our research in professional communication explores how spoken and written language is used in workplaces to develop relationships and achieve institutional objectives.
Sociolinguistics
Through our work in sociolinguistics, we're studying the ways in which language can affect, and is affected, by social phenomena.
Teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL)
We're focusing on the learning and teaching of English as a second or foreign language, in primary, secondary and adult learning contexts.
Translation
We're exploring how texts are translated and the practices around the translation of texts, including professional training, the use of technologies, and non-professional translation communities.
Our research centres and groups
Much of our exceptional research takes place within the following cross-disciplinary research centres and groups.
Centre for European and International Studies Research
We're researching topics such as citizenship, race, language across borders, social theory and transnational politics.
Education, Social Justice and Transformation Research Group
This group seeks to open up opportunities to share and explore critical, radical, alternative and liberatory approaches to the research and practice of education across multiple global contexts.
Our staff
SELL news and blogs
Latest news
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Outstanding Ofsted for Secondary Education Training at University of Portsmouth
New study calls for inclusion of death education in school curriculum
New project to help young women deal with social media body image pressures
It’s child’s play – students and staff join forces to create innovative new learning space
University works with Uzbekistan government to boost educational outcomes in the country
Latest blogs
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Teacher apprenticeships may encourage more people into the profession – but greater change is needed to get them to stay
Minds and Machines: Navigating the Ethical Journey of the Use of AI in Education and Beyond
Books on toddler sleep can give inflexible advice – parents should be reassured that one size doesn’t fit all
Explore our faculty
Explore the other schools and departments that make up our Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Read more about the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, and explore the teaching and research activities that take place within it.
School of Area Studies, Sociology, History, Politics and Literature
Explore the School of Area Studies, Sociology, History, Politics and Literature, and find out more about the teaching and research activities happening now within the school.
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Explore more about the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, teaching and research activities taking place across the faculty's four schools and institutes.
Contact us
To get in touch, please contact our Faculty office.
Phone: +44 (0)23 9284 2992
Email: hss-enquiries@port.ac.uk