Module LANG40130: LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODS AND PRACTICE

Department: English Language Centre

LANG40130: LANGUAGE TEACHING METHODS AND PRACTICE

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• at the end of the module, students will:
• be able to draw on methodology and theories of language learning to underpin choices made in teaching practice and lesson planning
• become familiar with a range of techniques and practices that inform the language classroom and be able to demonstrate the practical application of these in their own teaching and lesson planning
• be able to recognise the practical application of Communicative Language Teaching in a number of lesson types and have reflected on different teaching contexts and be aware how CLT can be used in these
• be able to deliver lessons appropriate to the needs of a specific context and group of learners
• be able to design an appropriate lesson plan to fit the needs of a specific group of learners with specific reference to materials, language analysis and rationale for lesson choices and design
• be able to critically reflect on teaching practice both as observers and as practitioners

Content

• the aim of this module is to provide an introduction to practical classroom techniques for English language teaching for students who have little or no previous language teaching experience or training
• this module primarily focuses on issues surronding the practice of English language teaching, paying particular attention to the specific context in which lessons are planned and realised in terms of methodology
• it serves as an interface between the more theoretical components of the MA programme, drawing on current methods and approaches in ELT with the aim of informing the student's future practice, showing their relevance to the classroom
• the focus of this course is on practical language teaching, therefore students will be introduced to a range of practical classroom management and teaching techniques appropriate to the language classroom. This will include general classroom management, lesson planning, methods, principles and approaches to teaching all four skills, teacher and learner roles and context, drawing on existing pedagogical literature and language teaching materials
• during the course students are expected to fully participate in a variety of workshop-style 'lectures' (sessions) discussing and practising key elements of classroom practice, for example giving instructions, presenting vocabulary, staging a reading lesson and reflecting on mini lessons. Students will be encouraged to reflect on how issues discussed in the classroom which can be adapted to best suit their own teaching context
• one of the key components of this module is the practical teaching element which aims to provide students with some initial teacher training and develop students as reflective practitioners
• in addition to timetabled lectures/workshops, there will be 5 classroom teaching sessions each term. All students will have the opportunity to teach a part of a lesson, observe their peers teaching and take part in feedback after each lesson. This provides a valuable insight into lesson planning and 'real' classroom practice

Learning Outcomes

• understanding of the scope of language teaching techniques and methodologies currently available
• understanding of issues of and techniques for classroom management
• knowledge of lesson plan design based on the range of current techniques in language pedagogy
• understanding the notion of reflective practice

• ability to critically appraise the language teaching techniques and methodologies currently available
• ability to critically evaluate teaching techniques and reflect on own and other's practice
• development of pedagogical creativity
• ability to apply appropriate techniques for classroom management
• ability to design lesson plans that fully reflect a critical mastery of the techniques now available
• ability to design lesson plans that reflect the needs of specific learners and contexts
• ability to analyse language as appropriate for language teaching purposes

• ability to read and understand primary texts in language pedagogy
• ability to understand and critically evaluate ones's own performance and that of others

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

• lectures/workshops will provide background in language teaching, the learner and learning styles, classroom management and lesson preparation. This input will provide the basis for writing the lesson plans that form a component of the assessment
• seminars/teaching practice sessions will provide an opportunity for students to 'teach', 'observe' and reflect on their own and other's teaching. These sessions will be student-led and will be followed by group feedback where observations on practice will be discussed
• tutorials/teaching practice preparation provide an opportunity to discuss the planning of the coming week's teaching practice and any difficulties that may arise in the planning stages

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative Lesson Plan

■ 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