Second Language Teaching Methodology
Course Outline
Instructor: Dr. Molnár Erzsébet
1. Course Objectives
This course will enable students to:
- understand the contexts in which teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) is taught.
- understand various approaches and methodologies appropriate to TEFL.
- plan language teaching programs based on well designed activities, lessons, units of work
and teaching sequences which will enable learners to develop skills in speaking, listening,
reading and writing.
- prepare materials suitable for a range of learner types.
- assess student skills and achievements.
2. Course Structure
This is a 2-semester course and consists of 11 topics over 2 semesters. Each topic covers a key
aspect of language teaching methodology as it relates to language teaching.
3. Workload
The course material is quite comprehensive and it is not possible to cover all the course content
in the available contact seminars. Consequently, in order to complete the activities, readings and
tests, students are required to devote approximately 4 – 6 hours per week of private study to
this course.
4. Course Perspectives
In this course we will be studying teaching methodology from the perspective of learning and
teaching English as a foreign language. The content and methodologies are based on a reflective
model of teacher education, in which students reflect both on their experiences as they do tasks
and on their past experiences as a language learner, and learn from them.
Reading and Resources
The core readings and activities for this course are taken from the following books:
Feez, S. (1998). Text-based Syllabus Design. Sydney, Australia: National Centre for English
Language Teaching and Research (NCELTR).
Tanner, R. & Green, C. (1998). Tasks for Teacher Education: A Reflective Approach. Harlow,
England: Longman.
Ur, P. (1999). A Course in Language Teaching: Practice and Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
The list below represents some other texts referred to in the course materials:
Burns, A. & Joyce, H. (1997). Focus on Speaking. Sydney, Australia: NCELTR.
Butt, D., Fahey, R., Feez, S., Spinks, S. & Yallop, C. (2000). Using Functional Grammar: An
Explorers Guide. 2nd Edition. Sydney, Australia: NCELTR.
Celce-Muria, M. & McIntosh, L. (1979). Teaching English as a Second Language. Rowley, Mass:
Newbury House.
Deller, S. (1990). Lessons From the Learner: Student-generated Activities for the Language
Classroom. Canturbury, England: Pilgrims.
De Silva Joyce, H. & Burns, A. (1999). Focus on Grammar. Sydney, Australia: NCELTR.
Halliday, M. & Hasan, R. (1985). Language Context and Text. Geelong, Australia: Deakin
University Press.
Hammond, J., Burns, A., Joyce, H, Brosnan, D. & Gerot, L. (1992). English for Social Purposes.
Sydney, Australia: NCELTR.
Harmer, J. (1991). The Practice of English Language Teaching. New York: Longman.
Hood, S., Solomon, N. & Burns, A. (1996). Focus on Reading. Sydney, Australia: NCELTR.
Klippel, F. (1984). Keep Talking: Communicative Fluency Activities for Language Teaching.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Richards, J. & Rodgers, T. (1986). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Wajnryb, R. (1992). Classroom Observation Tasks: A Resource Book for Language Teachers and
Trainers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Willis, J. (1981). Teaching English through English: A Course in Classroom Language and
Techniques. Harlow, England: Longman.
6. Course Content
Semester 1
• Introduction to TEFL
• Communicative Activity Design
• Materials and Resources
• Lesson Design
• Managing the Classroom
• Planning Units of Work
Semester 2
• Developing Listening and Speaking Skills
• Developing Reading Skills
• Developing Writing Skills
• Teaching Grammar
• Assessment and Evaluation
7. Assessment
There will be continuous assessment in the forms of written assignments, written mid-term
tests, peer-teaching and a final oral exam. This exam will assess students language teaching
knowledge and skills gained from the work covered in both semesters.
The weighting of written tests and course assignments is as follows:
Tests: 20%
Assignment 1: 20%
Assignment 2: 20%
Assignment 3: 20%
Peer-teaching: 20%
Peer-teaching
Students will be required to give a short peer-teaching presentation to the members of the class,
in which students will demonstrate teaching practice on tasks covered in Assignment 2.
Weighting: 20% (Presentations will be scheduled to be included in class time throughout
Semester 2.)
Assignment 1
The goal of this assignment is to familiarise students with EFL teaching materials and give an
opportunity to evaluate their usefulness in the classroom.
Topic
Choose two foreign language textbooks or sets of teaching materials; evaluate their
effectiveness with reference to the reading on Topic 3: Materials and Resources.
Students should discuss:
- the kinds of tasks which are included
- how the tasks are organised and sequenced
- the strengths and weaknesses of the materials
- the methodological principles by which the materials are organised
- the view of language in each resource, as shown by the way 2 or 3 grammar points are
taught
Weighting: 20% (equivalent to approximately 1500-2000 words)
Due date: Week 8, Semester 1
Assignment 2
The goal of this assignment is to provide participants with an opportunity to design teaching
tasks for the classroom.
Four short assessment tasks:
2a
- Design a task for teaching listening (due week 4, Semester 2)
- Design a task for teaching speaking (due week 4, Semester 2)
2b
-
Design a task for teaching reading (due week 6, Semester 2)
Design a task for teaching writing (due week 6, Semester 2)
Students should include
a) a learner profile (number of students, age, sex, nationality, language level, needs)
b) objectives or learning outcomes
c) the place of the task in the lesson
d) the sequencing and development of the task, showing how each part is taught and the
relationship between parts of the task
e) classroom management procedures, including instructions
f) the materials for your task, ready for use
Weighting: 20%, comprising 5% for each task (equivalent to approximately 500 words per task)
Assignment 3
The goal of this assignment is to provide an opportunity to design a unit of work integrating the
four macro skills and relating theory to practice.
Topic
Prepare a unit of work for a specific group of learners. The unit should cover approximately 4
hours of instruction and give a theoretical rationale for your choices.
Students should specify
- the learner profile
- location of the unit within a course or syllabus
- objectives or learning outcomes
- learning content and activities, specifying how one task leads to another
- types of teaching/learning materials, giving specific examples
- how you assess student achievement
Weighting: 20% (equivalent to approximately 2500-3000 words)
Due date: Week 10, Semester 2
8. Due Dates
All work should be submitted on or before the due date. Any work received after the due date
will be rejected.
9. Plagiarism
Work which is plagiarised is unacceptable and will be rejected, so DO NOT PLAGIARISE – that is,
do not try to pass off as your own work passages which you have either paraphrased or lifted
intact from other people’s work, books or articles. Essays which show evidence of plagiarism will
usually be returned unmarked. A full bibliography must be included with every assignment