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English 2 - In-depth Analysis of Selected Topics

Semester 1 · 12449 · 5 year master degree in Primary Education - German section · 5CP · EN


The English module in year 5 aims to provide participants with knowledge, competences, and professional skills regarding learning and teaching ap-proaches, syllabuses, lesson plans, assessment, and materials in teaching English to young learners (TEYL) both at kindergarten and primary level. De-tails on contents are provided in the lecture and lab. descriptions that follow.

Lecturers: Martina Irsara, Cecilia Lazzeretti, Helen Victoria Forsyth

Teaching Hours: 30
Lab Hours: 20
Mandatory Attendance: In accordance with the regulation

Course Topics
See the individual course modules

Teaching format
30-hour lecture & 20-hour lab

Educational objectives
On completing the Year 5 English module, students are expected to have acquired the following competences. As regards knowledge and understanding, on completion of the course participants are expected to: - demonstrate knowledge of issues pertaining to instructed English language learning in childhood; - demonstrate awareness of current teaching approaches and practices in the field of TEYL; - be familiar with theoretical principles underpinning the creation of pedagogically sound YL lesson plans; - understand how to plan and create a Teaching Unit with all its components for English language learning at preschool or primary school. As regards applying knowledge and understanding, on completion of the course participants are expected to: - demonstrate their developing expertise through the selection of suitable teaching approaches and resources; - demonstrate their developing expertise in planning lessons that include a focus on holistic techniques, as well as on other YL-appropriate strategies; - demonstrate knowledge and understanding of macroplanning and microplanning theories and methods in the creation of a Teaching Unit; - demonstrate knowledge and understanding of critical alignment in planning learning aims, instructional strategies and assessment practices when creating a Teaching Unit. As regards making judgments, on completion of the course participants are expected to: - be able to develop and convey viewpoints, underpinning them with references to relevant literature; - show an ability to think critically about relevant pedagogical issues pertaining to the English module; - show an ability to analyse, select, adapt, and supplement English language learning resources; - show an ability to evaluate advantages and disadvantages of various pedagogical proposals and practices, and to make informed choices; - select suitable materials and activities for English language learning at preschool and primary school; - identify age-appropriate and stage-appropriate language learning activities for skills practice in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in early learning; - discern best practices in designing teaching units, lesson plans, and assessments based on learning theories and practices for ELT with YLs; - show an ability to think critically about and evaluate progress through self-awareness of one’s own competences; - adopt a self-critical perspective with a view to continuous development of their knowledge and competences. As regards communication skills, on completion of the course participants are expected to: - be able to provide critical and well-informed answers to general and specific questions on topics covered in the module; - use English linguistic forms correctly to model the target language for YLs; - use English fluently and accurately for presenting work in the lab. As regards learning skills, on completion of the course participants are expected to: - be able to take notes on readings and lectures and to organise this content coherently and effectively; - be able to make connections between key concepts, to weigh strengths and weaknesses of arguments, and make informed decisions; - be able to draw on knowledge, experience, and group and individual feedback from the module lecturers in order to improve competences; - be able to refer to appropriate resources so as to select and deploy pedagogically principled strategies in order to achieve specific learning objectives; - be able to consult reference materials, use them selectively, and integrate them correctly into their own work; - be able to autonomously design teaching units, lessons, and their components for English language learning with YLs.

Assessment
Final assignment: written test (cloze and multiple-choice tasks) on basic concepts and topics covered in the lecture. A simulation test, which will serve as an orientation on the type and complexity of the examination test, will be provided on OLE a few days before the final test

Evaluation criteria
Final assignment: students will be assessed according to their ability to understand and respond to questions related to the content of the lecture, demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the concepts dealt with during the lecture, critical judgement, and self-reflection. The final mark conflates all of the assessments relating to the lecture (60%) and the lab. activities and tasks (40%), and is decided collegially during the grading meeting between all teachers of the module on the basis of such assessments. In the case of a negative assessment, any positively assessed components of the module will be credited at the next module examination. Please note, however, that a negative assessment will also be included in the count of test attempts. According to the examination regulations, failing to pass three times results in a suspension from three examination dates. (See also Article 6, Paragraph 4 of the current examination regulations).

Required readings

References will be made to these books during the course:

  • Bland, J. (Ed.). (2015). Teaching English to Young Learners: Critical issues in language teaching with 3-12 year olds. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
  • Cameron, L. (2001). Teaching languages to young learners. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Garton, S., & Copland, F. (Eds.). (2018). The Routledge handbook of teaching English to young learners. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
  • Gottardi, G., & Gottardi, G. (2016). Il mio primo lapbook. Modelli e materiali da costruire per imparare a studiare meglio. Trento: Erickson. https://www.laboratoriointerattivomanuale.com
  • McGrath, I. (2008). Materials evaluation and design for language teaching. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
  • Pinter, A. (2006). Teaching young language learners. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Proši-Santovac, D., & Rixon, S. (2019). Integrating assessment into early language learning and teaching. Bristol, Blue Ridge Summit: Multilingual Matters. https://doi-org.libproxy.unibz.it/10.21832/9781788924825
  • Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T.S. (2001). Approaches and methods in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Scrivener, J. (2011) Learning teaching: The essential guide to English language teaching (3rd ed.). Oxford: Macmillan Education.
  • Shin, K. S., & Crandall, J. (2014). Teaching young learners English: From theory to practice. Boston: National Geographic.
  • Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2014). The understanding by design guide set. Alexandria, VA: ASCD publisher.


Supplementary readings
  • Articles from academic journals and relevant websites to be announced in due course.
  • Slattery, M., & Willis, J. (2001). English for primary teachers: A handbook of activities and classroom language. Oxford: Oxford UP.




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Sustainable Development Goals
This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals.

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Modules

Semester 1 · 12449A · 5 year master degree in Primary Education - German section · 3CP · EN

Module A — English Language Teaching-L3: Approaches, syllabuses, lesson plans, assessment and materials in TEYL. Theoretical foundations

Participants will consolidate, deepen, and expand skills, knowledge and competences acquired during the English courses attended in year 4, as well as move into new fields of study in TEYL. Students will be able to understand and participate in extended speech and lectures and follow complex lines of argument on course topics.

In particular, the course addresses theoretical and practical issues related to learning and teaching approaches, course design, lesson planning, assessment, and materials in TEYL. Current theories and key aspects of the acquisition of English by children at the pre-primary and primary education levels will be used to discuss several key teaching approaches and practices. Emphasis will be placed on contemporary approaches, including communicative language teaching, the lexical approach, total physical response (TPR), as well as holistic approaches to language, such as multimodal and story-based strategies. Participants will be shown how perspectives on language learning and teaching can be incorporated into syllabus design with reference to young learners (YLs). Underlying principles and elements of lesson planning will be described and discussed, focusing on structures and procedures that have been found to be particularly effective with young and very young learners of English as a second and further language. Furthermore, key principles underlying the evaluation, selection, adaptation, and supplementation of materials for YLs will be presented and reflected upon. Finally, principles of evaluation of English language teaching to YLs will be addressed, focusing in particular on teacher self-evaluation as an integral part of a teaching process.

Overall, participants will develop a concrete understanding of elements that inform best practice in TEYL.

Lecturers: Martina Irsara

Teaching Hours: 30
Lab Hours: 0

Course Topics
Course topics will include theoretical notions on: - principles in YL teaching contexts; - key methods and approaches in TEYL; - practices in TEYL; - storytelling with YLs; - the contemporary classroom and language learner in a globalised world; - teaching materials for YLs; - teacher talk and discourse techniques in the YL classroom; - evaluation of teaching in YL contexts.

Teaching format
Lecture

Required readings

References will be made to extracts of these books during the course:

  • Bland, J. (Ed.). (2015). Teaching English to young learners: Critical issues in language teaching with 3–12 year olds. ProQuest Ebook Central. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
  • Cameron, L. (2001). Teaching languages to young learners. Cambridge University Press.
  • Garton, S., & Copland, F. (Eds.). (2018). The Routledge handbook of teaching English to young learners. ProQuest Ebook Central. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
  • McGrath, I. (2008). Materials evaluation and design for language teaching. Edinburgh University Press.
  • Pinter, A. (2006). Teaching young language learners. Oxford University Press.
  • Proši-Santovac, D., & Rixon, S. (2019). Integrating assessment into early language learning and teaching. Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781788924825
  • Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). Approaches and methods in language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
  • Scrivener, J. (2011). Learning teaching: The essential guide to English language teaching (3rd ed.). Macmillan Education.
  • Shin, K. S., & Crandall, J. (2014). Teaching young learners English: From theory to practice. National Geographic Learning.
  • Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2014). The understanding by design guide set. ASCD.


Supplementary readings

Articles from academic journals and relevant websites to be announced in due course.

  • Slattery, M., & Willis, J. (2001). English for primary teachers: A handbook of activities and classroom language. Oxford University Press.


Semester 1 · 12449B · 5 year master degree in Primary Education - German section · 2CP · EN

Module B — English Language Teaching-L3: Approaches, syllabuses, lesson plans, assessment and materials in TEYL. Applications (Lab.)

The laboratory offers a space where teacher-trainees can operationalise the knowledge and competences gained through lectures in a hands-on fashion in order to practise instructed language learning in English as a foreign language (EFL) with young learners. The lab. adopts a project-based approach in which participants work on concrete tasks in order to plan and create a teaching unit (TU) suitable for preschool or primary school, applying strategies of macroplanning and microplanning. The TU comprises lesson plans, instructional activities, assessments, and materials aimed at helping young learners develop their knowledge of English lexis and grammar structures and their use of English for communication through the functional skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

Lecturers: Cecilia Lazzeretti, Helen Victoria Forsyth

Teaching Hours: 0
Lab Hours: 20 Gruppe 1 und 2: Dr. Cecilia Lazzeretti Gruppe 3, 4 und 5: Dr. Helen Victoria Forsyth

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