EL2019 Teaching English as a second language : Modern Languages : University of Leicester

EL2019 Teaching English as a second language

Module Title: Teaching English as a second language
Module Code: EL 2019
Module Definition: Level 2
Credits: 20
Semester: 1
(Joint Honours and ‘with’ German degrees only)

Course Description

This 10-week course was first set up to meet the needs of Leicester University Modern Language students, in order to prepare them for working abroad as language assistants. It has therefore been designed as an introduction to current language teaching methodology and is equally suitable for students who are about to embark on teaching either English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) or other modern languages.

The course has two distinct strands: 1) Methodology and 2) Language Awareness. Whilst these sessions are treated separately, the latter should be seen to feed into the former and the former to be informed by the latter.

Methodology

The course has a high practical orientation rather than theoretical, focusing on the practical needs of teachers, such as lesson planning and classroom material preparation. Trainees will be involved in a wide variety of practical activities and will be able to build up a resource bank for future use. Sessions will begin with a short input phase, followed by an active part. Background reading from the prescribed text will be set for each session. You are therefore expected to buy How to Teach English by Jeremy Harmer (Longman). Other materials are provided in handout form. Additional published materials and resources are available for reference in the Self-Access Centre, Level 6, Ken Edwards building.

Aims

The aims of the methodology sessions are:

to provide initial preparation for the modern language teaching classroom
to practice teaching techniques related to different skill areas
to develop the skill of planning lessons for different levels and types of learners
to develop the skill of preparing appropriate and effective teaching materials
to practice evaluation of oneself as a teacher and of published materials

Sessions Outline

The sessions will cover the following aspects:

An Introduction to TESOL
Communication activities
Presenting new language
Teaching reading skills
Teaching speaking and listening skills
Teaching writing skills
Teaching vocabulary
Lesson planning and course design
Evaluating published materials
Project work
Teaching young learners

Language Awareness

It is obvious that a language teacher is involved in teaching language and whilst, as native speakers, we communicate in our mother tongue on a daily basis, not all of us could explain the conventions and limitations which lead to one utterance being considered correct and acceptable and yet another incorrect and inappropriate. These sessions are designed to cover the main areas of English language in terms of grammar, lexis and function so that trainees have a fundamental grasp of form and meaning in order to be able to teach these clearly and accurately in a communicative context.

Aims

The aims of these sessions are:

to introduce the basic grammatical and linguistic terms currently used in TESOL
to ensure knowledge of the correct structural formation of main grammatical items
to check understanding of the concepts involved in the selected areas, to heighten awareness of the importance of accuracy, for teacher and learner, and of the correspondence between form and intended meaning.

Sessions outline

The first session involves a test which incorporates an introduction of terminology and will identify areas of weakness or confusion as well as any differences of terms used in modern languages. These should be noted and learnt as quickly as possible. The following 8 sessions each take a separate area of focus and will involve input, some individual practice and in some cases will explicitly relate to methodology. The final session will be an exam of material covered during the course.

The sessions will cover:

Verbs and tenses
Conditional sentences
Passive voice
Modal verbs
Articles
Phrasal verbs
Lexis
Teaching grammar

Course requirements

In order to be eligible for the 20 credits, participants are required to:

attend at least 75% of the classes
submit a file of work, including lesson plans and teaching materials (details will be given on the course)
complete successfully the Language Awareness exam
Trainees must pass both the Methodology and the Language Awareness components in order to pass the course overall to gain the 20 credits.