LANGTCHG 300 : Theory and Practice of Language Teaching

Arts

2021 Semester Two (1215) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

A general introduction to English language teaching. This course requires students to undertake a study of current theory and practice relating to the teaching of the knowledge systems of English and of language skills.

Course Overview

 This course aims to develop a critical understanding of principles and practices of teaching a second/foreign language in various contexts with a particular focus on teaching language systems and skills.  

 Various issues and puzzles related to language teaching explored include:       

How are language teachers’ practices (or what we regard as "good practices") shaped by different sets of principles and ideas? Where do those ideas about language teaching/learning practices come from?  

What are the various diverse social contexts in which language teaching takes place and what effect might it have on our language teaching practices?  

 What cognitive processes are we also developing when we teach language and how might they contribute to language learning?    

 What affective aspects need to be taken into account when conducting a language lesson?  How do we stimulate students’ interest in language learning? (e.g., How do we help students who don’t like reading become interested in reading in a language classroom?)  

 By the end of this course students will be able to:    
 Describe principles involved in teaching language systems and skills  
 
 Explain the rationale behind language teaching activities and tasks  

 Develop a critical awareness of various language teaching practices and theories proposed in the field of language teaching   

Assessment in this course is a series of activities and tasks related to various aspects of language teaching (sociocultural, cognitive and affective aspects). Those activities could help not only with your future career as a language teacher but also with some presentation skills - transferable to not just teaching but also non-teaching related tasks.   

Course teaching format:The course is taught through a combination of lectures, group discussions and group presentations in class.    

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: LANGTCHG 101 or 202 or 30 points passed at Stage II or above or approval of Academic Head or nominee

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of the dimensions of effective language pedagogy and how to apply this knowledge in various language teaching situations (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.3, 3.2, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1 and 5.2)
  2. Understand how to plan, deliver and assess language skills/systems proficiency for learners in an effective manner (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.3, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and 5.2)
  3. Demonstrate evidence of skills in critical thinking, academic literacy and collaborative discussion/presentation (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and 5.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignment 1 10% Individual Coursework
Test 30% Individual Coursework
Reflection -Reading Logs 20% Individual Coursework
Presentation 10% Group Coursework
Portfolio 30% Individual Coursework

Module

See the following webpage for details about the Language Teaching Module:
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/arts/study-with-us/study-options/modules/language-teaching-and-learning.html 

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week on each 15 point course that they are enrolled in, including class time and personal study and assignment preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities which are: a weekly 2-hour lecture and a 1-hour tutorial (8 tutorials throughout the course).


Lectures will be available as recordings. Tutorials will not be available as recordings.

Collaboration outside of course hours with other group members is required toward the end of the course, in preparation for the group's presentation.

Attendance on campus is required for the group presentations at the end of the course.

Learning Resources

Course Prescribed Textbook: (required)
Ur, P. (2012). A course in English language teaching. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

The course is taught through a combination of lectures, group discussions and group presentations in class. The weekly lecture is 2 hours, followed immediately by a 1-hour tutorial for 8 weeks of the course. Note that the lectures are recorded but capture only the lecturer’s audio and visuals of the powerpoint slides. Lectures are ‘interactive’ with pair/group activities completed by students throughout the lecture.
Therefore, it is very important to attend all lectures and complete the in-class work, as the microphone will not pick up student discussions so if you don’t attend then you risk missing important concepts and peer-learning opportunities. Collaborative work contributes in part to your assessment too. A record of attendance at lectures and tutorials will be kept, although in the assessment structure for this course no marks are awarded for attendance only,

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 22/12/2020 04:45 p.m.