Module LANG2151: ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

Department: Language Centre

LANG2151: ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To provide students with the knowledge and tools to compare and evaluate various ELT approaches and methods
• To develop principled awareness and understanding of (English) language teaching practice and procedures, such as classroom management and error correction
• to link ELT approaches and methods to students' own knowledge and experience of language learning
• to have students begin to work out principled ways of choosing and designing classroom materials
• To encourage students to consider whether teaching might be a suitable future career

Content

• Methodology, syllabus design, language teaching methods, theories of communicative competence and communicative language teaching
• Teaching in the skill areas (reading, writing, speaking, listening), teaching different levels (beginners, advanced), the use of authentic materials (music and song, newspapers), literature in language teaching
• Classroom/Teaching techniques and practice; classroom management, approaches to errors and error correction, teaching grammar, teaching vocabulary, teacher talk

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this module students will:
• understand the practices, basic principles of underlying philosophies and the methodological implications of a range of mainstream and alternative approaches to language learning
• be aware of the roles of teachers and learners in language learning and of the ways these vary across different methods and approaches
• have acquired knowledge of the principles of language skills teaching
• have acquired understanding of group dynamics and their impact on learning classroom management options, and the role of teacher talking/instructions during classroom-based interaction

• By the end of this module students will:
• be able to make informed decisions about syllabus content, methods of instruction and materials selection

• Collection, organisation, evaluation and analysis of complex data and information of various kinds, and from various sources, in a structured and systematic manner
• Critical thinking and argumentation
• Independent learning
• Written presentation using appropriate language and conventions

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Contact sessions will be a combination of teacher-fronted lectures, experiential and student-led work:
• Lecture based content will provide an overview of key approaches to English language teaching theory and practice, enabling students to begin forming principled links between the two. This input will also create a firm foundation from which students' own reading and thinking can proceed
• Experiential sessions will ask participants to engage actively with ELT methods and approaches as 'language students' themselves, before then reconsidering these as prospective methodologists and teachers. In this way learners develop an appreciation of (e.g.) student needs, teacher roles, and how theory is borne out in reality. This active cycle of experiencing-reflection-discussion also forces a critical approach to ELT, developing further understanding and heighted awareness of the need for 'principled practice', a central notion on this course.
• Student-led presentations/sessions loop the idea of 'learner centredness', a principle important to modern ELT practice, back to the methodology classroom. Students are given the opportunity to take control, to (e.g.) lead discussions, present their thoughts on readings/videos and, given appropriate logistics, to teach each other. As with experiential learning, it is a firm belief of the module tutor that this form of active engagement with ideas and each other provides the basis for far deeper, effective learning than passive, lecture-only type environments.
• Summative essays will require students to integrate ELT session discussions, experience and lecture insights with wide reading and personal reflection. The first essay will require students to link and critically assess what they have learned in their first term to their own experience of being language learners. The second asks students to focus in detail on one aspect of term 2 content that was personally or professionally interesting or important to them.
• Given students' inexperience, it is deemed inappropriate to assess them on more 'practical' areas of the course, such as lesson planning and task design. Instead these aspects of ELT will be dealt with formatively, during class time. Feedback and discussion form an integral part of this process, but are entirely non-evaluative.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

In class presentations/summaries of assigned readings

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University