Postgraduate Course: SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION (EDUA11284)
Course Outline
| School | Moray House School of Education |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course aims to provide an introduction for new TESOL teachers, and an updating for more experienced teachers of TESOL, on a range key issues in professional development for pre-service and in-service second language teachers. Focus of the course units is on the knowledge base of second language teachers and how we, as second language teacher educators, can help teachers learn this knowledge.
It is desirable to have had some relevant experience of TESOL teacher education, although this is not a specific requirement of entry to the course. An immediate outcome of this course will be ideas and understanding, at the level of both theory and practice, of ways of managing innovation and change in teachers' professional classroom practice. Students may wish to develop these ideas further as part of their dissertation. |
| Course description |
We will consider what it means to know a second language and what it means to know how to teach a second language.
There are four interrelated themes:
- the knowledge base of second language teaching
- second language teacher identity
- reflective learning
- language and critical pedagogy.Indicative content
Block 1 (lectures 1-3): introduction to the 4 themes; the knowledge base of second language teachers; knowledge and knowing; the relation between teacher knowledge and teacher identity.
Block 2 (lecture 4): reflective writing and practice for teacher development
Block 3 (lectures 5-6): observing teaching; teacher training and education
Block 4 (lectures 7-8): action research for continuing professional development; putting it altogether - ¿I am a critical language teacher educator who promotes reflective practice on a complex but clearly expressed knowledge base.¿
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
| Course Start Date |
15/01/2018 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 8,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 16,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
172 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assessment
1. Formative assignment
Paired writing task. This assignment is not graded.
Students will work with a Critical Friend and look at their journal entries for weeks 1-4.
Together, they write one short (500-600 word) reflective essay in which they:
- describe an aspect of their learning
- analyse what is changing, or has changed, in their thinking about teacher education
- relate this to a context or contexts with which they are familiar.
Students are encouraged do this with their Critical Friend because the process of writing together involves saying out loud what they are thinking and having to collaborate to reach a shared understanding ¿ helping both of them to sort out what they actually believe. It is easier if students agree on the same aspect of their learning (e.g. the concept of the teacher¿s knowledge base). The writing will perhaps include a comparison how each student feels their thinking is changing. Examples from the journals should be used to support the claims that are made.
References to the relevant academic literature should be included (minimum 3, maximum 10).
Note: This assignment is formative: it practices the skills needed for the Critical Review of Reflective Journal essay (Part 1) of the course assessment.
2. Final assignment
This assignment is in two parts.
Part 1.
Part 1 is based on the reflective journal* which you will write every week during the course.
You are required to write a critical review of the way your ideas about teaching and teacher learning, and your own reflective writing, have developed over the course. You should use the journal entries as data which you can include in the assignment as evidence. This part of the assessment is particularly relevant for
(*The reflective journal is a place for writing about any topics or issues which interest you as a result of studying the Second Language Teacher Education course. You may wish to discuss topics that have reinforced, influenced or changed your ideas on teaching and the training of other teachers. You may also wish to write about your practical experiences in the classroom, or within teacher education contexts, and show how these relate to theory. These reflections must be supported with the relevant literature that is discussed on a weekly basis during the course. You are encouraged to develop your writing to be more than just descriptive so that you begin to ask questions about SLTE and discuss possible answers as you write down your thoughts. In your writing about specific ideas, you are also encouraged to think about the wider social context in which second language teachers work.
You are required to write your journal reflections on a facility set up by the course tutor on LEARN. The journal is a public document which can be seen by class members and tutors. This means that the content of the journal needs to be appropriate and follow professional standards. You are required to post weekly comments on the reflections of two other class members in order to facilitate a critical reflective process. Tutors on the course will comment twice on each student's journal.)
1200 words*. This part is worth 30% of the total.
This part relates to Learning Outcomes 3 and 4.
Part 2.
Part 2 requires you to plan and critically evaluate a proposal for SLTE in a second language teaching context with which you are familiar. The proposal is not for a single training session but rather an appropriate programme of SLTE to meet some needs that you have identified. The decisions you make should be based on current theory of SLTE. Your paper will show that you know what is considered important for teachers to learn and how teachers are thought to learn.
You should make clear how your practical activities are applying the theory. In your writing, there should be a balance theory and practice and you will support your ideas with references to relevant literature.
You should describe the context (in which you have been a teacher or a learner).
You should identify the content of the SLTE you propose and explain what is to be included and why it is relevant and necessary.
You should explain how the SLTE will take place (e.g. the time period, the type of activities the teacher educator and teacher-learners will take part in, how you will evaluate the SLTE). You should justify your ideas with reference to theory about how teachers learn. You should indicate what you think are the strengths and possible weaknesses in you plan.
2,800 words**. This part is worth 70% of the total. This part of the assessment relates to Learning Outcomes 1, 2 and 5.
**References are not part of the word count.
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| Feedback |
The following feedback/feedforward is provided:
1. Tutors comment twice on each student's reflective journal.
2. Tutors provide written feedback on the formative assignment and in particular on the evidence provided of:
- Knowledge and understanding of concepts
- Knowledge and use of literature
- Critical reflection on theory and practice
Tutors will also point out what improvements would gain marks in the final assessment.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical awareness of theories of teacher learning while contextualising, planning and describing objectives for Second Language Teacher Education.
- Demonstrate creative ability in Second Language Teacher Education through synthesizing appropriate content and forms of participation.
- Develop a situated knowledge of Second Language Teacher Education by critical analysis and synthesis of professional context and current theory.
- Exercise professional insight into Second Language Teacher Education roles and relationships when planning input, assessment and evaluation
- Exercise initiative in Second Language Teacher Education based on critical evaluation of ¿best practice¿ and current research.
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Reading List
Core texts:
Burns, A., & Richards, J. C. (Eds.). (2009). The Cambridge Guide to second language teacher education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2012). Language teacher education for a global society. London:
Routledge
Additional reading:
Borg, S. (2006) Teacher Cognition and Language Education. London: Continuum.
Canagarajah, A. S. (2006). TESOL at forty: what are the issues? TESOL Quarterly, 40(1), 9-34.
Cooke, M. and Simpson, J. (2008) ESOL: A Critical Guide. Oxford Handbooks for Language
Teachers. Oxford University Press
Edge, J. (2010). The reflexive teacher educator in TESOL: roots and wings. London: Routledge.
Farrell, T.S.C. (2007) Reflective Language Teaching. London: Continuum.
Freire, P. (1972) Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Harmondsworth: Penguin.
James, P. 2001, Teachers in Action - tasks for in-service language teacher education and development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Johnson, K. (2006). The Sociocultural Turn and Its Challenges for Second Language Teacher
Education. TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 40, (235-257).
Johnson, K. E. (2009). Second language teacher education. A sociocultural perspective.
London: Routledge.
Johnstone, R. 2007. Language Teacher Education. In A. Davies and C. Elder (Eds.), The handbook of applied linguistics (pp. 649-671). Malden MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2001). Towards a postmethod pedagogy. TESOL Quarterly, 35(537-560).
Kuramoto, C. (2002). Improving motivation in oral communication classrooms in
Japan: an action research project. ELTED 6, 45-67.
Leung, C., & Teasdale, A. (1998). ESL teacher competence: professionalism in a social market. Prospect, 13(1), 4-23.
Orr, M. (2014). ¿An inquiring light ¿ learning reflective practice in ELT.¿ English language
research journal, 1, 1-21.
Parrott, M. 1993, Tasks for Language Teachers - A Resource Book for Training and Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Pennycook, A. (2010) Language as a Local Practice. Abingdon: Routledge.
Randall, M. and B. Thornton, 2001, Advising and Supporting Teachers, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Richards, J. (1998). Beyond training. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Richards, J. and D. Nunan (eds), 1990, Second Language Teacher Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Roberts, J. 1998, Language Teacher Education. Arnold,.
Tanner, R. and C. Green, 1998, Tasks for Teacher Education: a reflective approach. Longman.
Tedick, D.J. (2011) Second Language Teacher Education: International Perspectives. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers.
Thornbury, S. 1997, About Language - Tasks for English Language Teachers. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Tripp, Donald. 1993. Critical incidents in teaching. New York: Routledge Falmer.
Wajnryb, R. 1993, Classroom Observation Tasks, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wallace, M. 1991, Training Foreign Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wallace, M. 1998, Action Research for Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
Wang, C. (2012) The relevance of critical pedagogy in Chinese secondary classrooms ¿
Towards developing critical thinking ability and social justice literacy. Paper presented
at the annual meeting of the 56th Annual Conference of the Comparative and
International Education Society. Retrieved from
http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p551089_index.html.
Woodward, T. 1992, Ways of training - Recipes for Teacher Training. Longman.
Zhou, J. and Liu, K. (2011). Development of action research in China: review and
reflection. Asia Pacific Education Review, 12, 271-277.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
1.
Research and enquiry (reflective practice for Lifelong Learning and Aspiration in own Personal Development).
2.
Personal and intellectual autonomy (critical awareness of teacher identity as basis for change for Personal Development for self and others).
3.
Communication (collaborative and dialogic approach to professional development and knowledge creation for Outlook and Engagement).
4.
Personal Effectiveness (understanding of teacher education as learning situated in professional contexts for Enquiry and Lifelong Learning and Engagement).
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| Additional Class Delivery Information |
Fridays
Lecture
9.00am-9.50am
Paterson's Land G43
Workshop
Tuesdays
9.00am-10.50am
Group 1: Thomson's Land G9
Group 2: Thomson's Land G10
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| Keywords | teacher-learning teacher-knowledge teacher-reflection teacher-identity teacher-evaluation |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Michael Orr
Tel: (0131 6)51 4878
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Moira Ross
Tel: (0131 6)51 6206
Email: |
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