Postgraduate Course: Language and the Learner (EDUA11248)
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 is suitable for international and home students, whether they are already practising teachers or have no prior teaching experience, who have an interest in language and the learning and teaching of language. The course gives students the opportunity to develop further their understanding in the following areas:
- first and second language acquisition;
- current approaches to language teaching and learning;
- changing social and cultural contexts of language practice and language education;
- multicultural and multilingual literacies and practices.
The key aim of the course is that participants have the opportunity to develop from an individual perspective their theoretical and practical understanding of language learning and teaching. To achieve this the course emphasises:
- the processes involved in acquiring and learning a first and second language and the factors which facilitate and inhibit effective language learning;
- the teacher/learner perspective on language learning;
- the social and cultural contexts of language learning;
- that elements of teaching and learning cannot be viewed in isolation.
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| Course description |
Outline of content
Individual sessions will interweave the exploration of specific aspects of various approaches to language learning and teaching by focusing on the ways in which perspectives on language learning and teaching can inform practice. Topics include:
Theories of first language acquisition
Theories of second language acquisition
Theories of language learning
From learning to teaching
Language learning and teaching: classroom practices
Multicultural literacies and the construction of national identity
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | - |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
| Course Start Date |
21/09/2015 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 8,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 8,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 8,
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
The assignment requires the students to produce a 4,000-word discussion which is made up of two sections
Section (i) requires the students to highlight at least three theories, related to language acquisition and learning and/or language teaching, covered in the Language and the Learner course, which have influenced, challenged, impacted the student as either a learner or a teacher, or both. It is expected that the student will provide a critical analysis of the theories.
Section (ii) requires the student to apply the theories critically evaluated in (i) to their own context as either a teacher and/or a learner. In this section, the student will discuss how the theories played out in their teaching or learning context and/or draw on experiences which they think are related to the theories under exploration.
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| Feedback |
Students are given personalised written feedback under the categories of:
Knowledge and understanding of concepts
Knowledge and use of the literature
Critical reflection on theory and practice
Application of theory to practice
Constructing academic discourse
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- evaluate critically a range of current theories of first and second language acquisition and learning
- demonstrate an understanding of how these might influence first and second language teaching
- evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of language classroom teaching practices in the light of such theories
- investigate and evaluate multicultural literacies and linguistic practices
- demonstrate critical awareness of strategies which enhance language learning in a range of learning environments
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Reading List
Books:
Benson, P. 2001. Teaching and Researching Autonomy. Harlow: Longman Pearson.
Cook, V. 2001. Second Language Learning and Teaching. Hodder Education.
Entwistle, N., Skinner, D., Entwistle, D. and Orr, S. 2000. Conceptions and Beliefs about "Good Teaching": an integration of contrasting research areas. Higher Education Research and Development, 19, 1, 5-26.
Fisher, R. 2005. Teaching Children to Learn, Cheltnam: Nelson Thornes Ltd
Kumpulainen, K. and Wray, D. (Eds) (2002) Classroom Interaction and Social learning. London: Routledge Falmer.
Lantolf, J. (Ed.). 2000. Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Mercer, N. 2000. Words & Minds: How we use language to think together. London: Routledge.
Mitchell, R. and Myles, F. 2004. Second Language Learning Theories. Second edition. London: Arnold.
Robinson, P. and Ellis, N. 2008. Handbook of Cognitive Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge.
Journal articles:
Benson, P., 2007. 'Autonomy in Language teaching and learning'. Language Teaching 41 (1): 21-40.
Cotterall, S., 1999. 'Key variables in language learning: what do learners believe about them?' System 27: 493-513.
Ehrman, M. E., B.L.Leaver and R. L. Oxford, 2003. 'A brief overview of individual differences in second language learning'. System 31: 313-330.
Ellis, N. 2005. At the interface: Interactions of implicit and explicit learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 27; 294-356
Ellis, R., 2005. Principles of Instructed language learning. System 33: 209-224.
Goldschneider, J.M. and DeKeyser, R. 2001. Explaining the "natural order" of L2 morpheme acquisition in English: A meta-analysis of multiple determinants. Language Learning, 51; 1-50.
Johnson, K.E., 2006. 'The Sociocultural turn and its challenges for second language teacher education'. TESOL Quarterly 40 (1).
Lightbown, P. 2000. Classroom SLA research and second language teaching. Applied Linguistics, 21(4); 431-462.
Pahl,K. and Rowsell,J. 2005. Literacy and Education Understanding the New Literacy Studies in the Classroom. Paul Chapman Publishing
Rayner, S., 2007. A teaching elixir, learning chimera or just fool's gold? Do learning styles matter?' Support for Learning 22 (1).
Robinson, P., 2001. Individual differences, cognitive abilities, aptitude complexes and learning conditions in second language acquisition. Second Language Research 17 (4)
Rodrigo, V., S. Krashen and B. Gribbons, 2004. The effectiveness of two comprehensible-input approaches to foreign language instruction at the intermediate level. System 32: 53-60.
Shor, Ira. 2008. What is Critical Literacy? In Journal for Pedagogy, Pluralism and Practice, 4 (2)
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
8 lectures and 8 two-hour workshops |
| Keywords | Language, learning, first language acquisition, second language acquisition |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Aileen Irvine
Tel: (0131 6)51 6145
Email: aileen.irvine@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Moira Ross
Tel: (0131 6)51 6206
Email: Moira.G.Ross@ed.ac.uk |
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