Techniques of Teaching a Foreign Language
28195/28196 MLLL 4813/5813 (900)
Spring 2015
Instructor: Elena Shimanskaya
Office: 225D Kaufman Hall
Mailbox: 206 Kaufman Hall
Phone: 405-325-2433 (office)
Email: elena.m.shimanskaya-1@ou.edu
Class time and location: Wednesday 6:30 – 9:20 Gittinger Hall 0326
Office hours: Wednesday 4:40 pm – 5:40 pm, Friday 2:20 pm – 3:20 pm & by
appointment
Department chair: Nancy LaGreca, Kaufman Hall 202, 405-325-6181
Required texts and materials
Larsen-Freeman, D. & Anderson, M. (2011). Techniques and principles in language
teaching. Oxford University Press.
Brandl, K. (2008). Communicative language teaching in action: Putting principles to
work. Pearson/Prentice Hall.
ACTFL. Standards for foreign language learning in the 21st Century. New York:
ACTFL. (Available on D2L)
ACTFL. Proficiency Guidelines. (Available on D2L)
Oklahoma State Standards for World Languages (Available on D2L)
Recommended
Shrum, J., & Glisan, E. (2009). Teacher's Handbook. Cengage Learning.
Hadley Omaggio, A. (1993). Teaching Language in Context. Boston, MA: Heinle &
Heinle.
VanPatten, B., & Benati, A. G. (2010). Key Terms in Second Language Acquisition.
Bloomsbury Publishing.
Cook, V. (2013). Second language learning and language teaching. Routledge.
Course description
The primary goal of this course is to help students who are taking the class gain
confidence and expertise as classroom instructors of second/foreign languages. This will
be accomplished by providing participants with practical experience in the teaching of
foreign languages and by introducing key issues in teaching methodology and classroom
language acquisition research. Over the course of the semester you will:
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acquire knowledge about teaching approaches and methods by reading the
required text, supplemented by additional readings;
develop skills in critical analysis of pedagogical approaches through
commentaries;
learn through analysis and practice how to design activities for teaching and
testing, including use of the multimedia and the Internet;
evaluate textbooks, get familiar with different proficiency guidelines, acquire
basic knowledge necessary to design assessment instruments;
get feedback on your own teaching from a class observation by the instructor,
followed by a meeting with her;
sharpen observation skills through self-analysis of videotaped classes and
analyses of the classes of others; and
reflect on your own teaching philosophy and practices by preparing a teaching
portfolio that contains artifacts related to teaching and your reflections about
them.
Evaluation
Class participation
Pedagogical activities
Teaching Philosophy
Analysis of an observation
Self-analysis of teaching
Critical commentary of a teaching technique/principle
Portfolio (overall product)
5×7%=
15%
35%
10%
10%
10%
5%
15%
Course requirements
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Class participation (15%)
This class is designed to provide a lively and supportive forum for the ongoing discussion
of and learning about teaching. Your fellow students in this class need your reaction to
their work, just as you need theirs. Your participation in the activities' of the class is a key
component of its usefulness.
Participation in this class includes the following: (a) your regular, active contributions to
class discussions (which entails your careful completion of the readings for each class);
(b) your involvement in the demonstrations and oral reports presented by your
classmates; (c) regular attendance, and (d) satisfactory performance on in-class quizzes.
Every class will start with a short quiz based on the readings you prepared for class
discussion on that day. Each week your performance on the quiz will be taken into
consideration in determining your participation grade.
As (future) instructors of your own courses, you understand the importance of attending
every class. An absence from class due to illness, a mandatory religious observance, or an
emergency should be discussed with me before or immediately after it occurs, depending
on the circumstances. In severe weather, class members should exercise their best
2 judgment as to whether it is safe for them to go to class. Every unexcused absence will
lower your grade by THREE percent (3%). Therefore, if you miss class FIVE times (5)
you will not get any points for participation (15% of your final grade).
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Pedagogical activities (35%)
Among the projects you will undertake in this class are several that involve designing
activities for your students and/or evaluating different components of a foreign language
course. Creating first drafts and making revisions will take a good deal of time and effort
on your part. For that reason, you should include the final drafts of these five activities in
your portfolio. You will be asked to make brief oral presentations of some of the
activities in class.
ü Lesson plan (7%)
The goal of this activity is to provide you with first hand experience in designing lesson
plans following the sequence suggested in your textbook (Brandl Chapter 2). More
information and guidelines for completing this activity are posted on D2L. First draft of
your lesson plan is due in class on February 4th.
ü PACE activity (7%)
In this course you will learn a story-based approach to teaching grammar known as
PACE (Presentation, Attention, Co-Construction, Extension). You will design a sequence
of activities to teach a particular structure (one that is coming up later in your course), use
them in your class, and then reflect on students’ reactions (and yours) and on your
impression of how and what students learn via PACE. You may work either individually
or in groups of 2 or 3 people if all of you teach sections of the same course. First draft of
your cultural activity is due in class on February 18th.
ü Teaching culture through video (7%)
The goal of this activity is to design a lesson for beginner or intermediate level using a
segment of an authentic culturally interesting video. More information, guidelines for
completing this activity, and examples are posted on D2L. First draft of your teaching
culture through video activity is due in class on March 4th.
ü Test evaluation (7%)
The goal of this activity is to describe and analyze a language test or a rubric in light of
your reflections on Chapter 5 of your textbook (Brandl) and the reading “Classroom
Testing”. You may work either individually or in groups of 2 or 3 people. More
information and guidelines for completing this activity are posted on D2L. First draft of
your oral assessment analysis is due in class on March 11th.
Graduate students will write a four-page evaluation.
Undergraduate students will write a two-page evaluation.
3 ü Textbook evaluation (7%)
You will review a recent (2008 or newer) textbook for the level you are teaching and
provide an evaluation of the textbook. More information and guidelines for completing
this activity are posted on D2L. First draft of your textbook evaluation is due in class on
April 15th.
Graduate students will write a four-page evaluation.
Undergraduate students will write a two-page evaluation.
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Analysis of an observation (10%)
You will visit a foreign language class to observe it. After the observation, you will write
a report on the class you observed and what insights you gained about your own teaching
(no more than 4 pages). Not all of you will be able to observe a class in the same
language that you teach (or even in a language you know), so part of your task will be to
learn about different pedagogical cultures in the various language teaching communities.
More information and guidelines for completing this activity are posted on D2L. First
draft of your analysis of an observation is due in class on April 8th.
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Self-analysis of teaching based on a videotaped class/micro-teaching
(10%)
Graduate students (Teaching Assistants): During the second half of the semester, you
will need to videotape one of your classes. This videotape will constitute data for a selfanalysis of your teaching (4 pages). I will ask you to include both general commentary,
along with more detailed comments about one particular aspect of teaching, the choice of
which will be up to you (e.g., your questioning style/techniques, your techniques of error
correction). More information and guidelines for completing this activity are posted on
D2L. First draft of your self-analysis of teaching is due in class on April 1st.
Students who are not currently teaching a foreign language: Each student who is not
currently teaching will prepare a 10-minute teaching demonstration in the language they
plan to teach to “teach” our class. This should be a lesson that will be taught during the
first week of a beginning-level language class. This 10-minute demonstration will be
videotaped. This videotape will constitute data for a self-analysis of your teaching (no
more than 2 pages). I will ask you to include both general commentary, along with a
more detailed comments about one particular aspect of teaching, the choice of which will
be up to you (e.g., your questioning style/techniques, your time management). First draft
of your self-analysis of teaching is due in class on April 1st.
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Teaching Philosophy (10%)
You will write a teaching philosophy. More information, guidelines for completing this
activity, as well as some examples are posted on D2L. First draft of your teaching
philosophy is due in class on March 25th.
4 Graduate students will write a two-page philosophy.
Undergraduate students will write a one-page philosophy.
Education majors: In addition to the teaching philosophy you will also prepare a
resume/CV due on the same day as your Teaching Philosophy. Please contact the Office
of Career Services for assistance in writing a resume. Plan to meet with them well before
the due date. Your final portfolio should include 2 drafts of your resume: your first draft
and the new draft reflecting the changes implemented based on the feedback you received
from the center.
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Critical commentary of a teaching technique (5%)
You will do a short critical commentary (no more than 2 pages) on one of eight (8)
methods/approaches that we will discuss in class during the semester (readings from
Techniques and principles in language teaching by Diane Larsen-Freeman: Direct
method, Audio-Lingual method, Grammar-translation method, Task-based language
teaching, Desuggestopedia, Total physical response, the Silent way, Content-based
instruction). You can choose any of the eight methods/approaches to complete this
activity, however, your critical commentary must be submitted on the day when the
method/approach is discussed in class. Therefore, there is no deadline for this activity
on the calendar. In your critical commentary you will need to explain, in your own words,
the theoretical basis and the main tenets of the method/approach (one paragraph). In the
remainder of the commentary you will discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of
the approach/technique, contexts and age groups where the use of the approach might be
the most beneficial, and topics that could be best taught using this approach.
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Portfolio (15%)
The main purpose of the portfolio is to provide you with several structured opportunities
during the semester to reflect on your teaching and to develop your own philosophy of
foreign language teaching. Your portfolio is due on the last day of class April 29th. Your
portfolio will contain the following parts:
ü a table of contents, with a list of items, short description of each item and the impact
of the work on your teaching/your approach to teaching (see an example on D2L);
ü your Philosophy of Teaching (first and final drafts);
ü five (5) pedagogical activities (first and final drafts for each activity), namely PACE
activity, “Teaching culture through video” activity, Test Evaluation, Textbook
Evaluation, Lesson Plan; and
ü two analyses (first and final drafts for each analysis): self-analysis of teaching and
analysis of an observation.
Failure to provide two drafts of each document (either first or final draft) will result in a
lower portfolio grade.
5 Education majors (only) are required to provide a teaching log as part of their portfolio.
More information, guidelines for completing this activity, as well as some examples are
posted on D2L.
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Instructor observation (for students who are teaching a foreign
language while taking this class)
We will make an appointment for me to observe your class. The purpose of the visit is
purely developmental; that is, this activity will not be graded. Feel free to talk to me
before the observation if you wish to discuss the particular aspects of your teaching you
would like me to focus on; after the observation, I will write a report of what I observed.
If we have had a pre-observation meeting I will try to address in the report the particular
items we discussed previously.
Formatting your assignments
All your assignments should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5" x
11") with 1" margins on all sides. You should use a clear font that is highly readable
(recommended font: 12 pt. Times New Roman). Only hard copies will be accepted for
credit.
6 Week
Course schedule (may be adjusted as needed)
Date
1
Jan 14
Introduction
ACTFL Standards
2
Jan 21
Communicative Language
Teaching
Brandl Chapter 1; Direct method
in Larsen-Freeman Chapter 3
3
Jan 28
Lesson Planning
Brandl Chapter 2; Audio-Lingual
method in Larsen-Freeman
Chapter 4
Teaching Grammar
Brandl Chapter 4; Grammartranslation method in LarsenFreeman Chapter 2; Reading on
D2L “Explicit and Implicit
Learning”
Topics to be covered in
class
Readings
4
Feb 4
5
Proficiency-based
Feb 11
instruction
“ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines”
& Reading on D2L “Story-Based
Approach”
6
Micro-teaching
Feb 18 Teaching for Cultural
Understanding
Micro-teaching; Reading on D2L
“Teaching for Cultural
Understanding”
7
Micro-teaching
Using Technology to
Feb 25
Contextualize and Integrate
Language Instruction
Micro-teaching; Reading on D2L
“Using Technology”; Emerging
uses of Technology in LarsenFreeman Chapter 14
8
March
4
9
March
11
10
March
18
Assignments
due
Lesson
plan
PACE
Creating assessment
instruments
The Role of Feedback
Reading on D2L “Classroom
Testing”; Brandl Chapter 5
Culture
through video
Designing Tasks
Brandl Chapter 6; Task-based
Language Teaching in LarsenFreeman Chapter 11; Reading on
D2L “U-shaped Acquisition”
Test
Evaluation
SPRING BREAK
7 11
March
25
Teaching Vocabulary
Brandl Chapter 3; Reading on D2L Teaching
“Oklahoma Standards”
Philosophy
12
Apr 1
Working on Listening Skills
Brandl Chapter 7;
Desuggestopedia in LarsenFreeman Chapter 6
Self-analysis
of teaching
Working on Speaking
Brandl Chapter 8; Total physical
response in Larsen-Freeman
Chapter 8; Reading on D2L “Input
& Output”
Observation
Textbook
Evaluation
13
Apr 8
14
Apr 15 Developing Reading Skills
Brandl Chapter 9; Silent Way in
Larsen-Freeman Chapter 5
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The Effects of Age on
Apr 22 Second Language Learning
Content-based Instruction
Reading on D2L “Connecting
Language Learning to the
Elementary School Curriculum” &
“Age”; Content-based instruction
in Larsen-Freeman Chapter 10
16
Individual Differences
Apr 29 Non-native Speaker
Teachers
Reading on D2L “Individual
Differences” & “L2 Users and
Native Speakers”; Learning
Strategy Training in LarsenFreeman Chapter 13
Portfolio
8 Grading Scale
100 – 90
89 – 80
79 – 70
A
B
C
69 – 60
D
59 and below F
General Policies
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Late Work
No late work will be accepted. Late work complicates my ability to grade or simply
keep track of your work. More importantly, it devalues the efforts of your classmates who
work very hard to meet their deadlines. Class assignments are due on the due date. The
course schedule includes all the due dates, and it is your responsibility to plan your work
and time accordingly. If alternate arrangements need to be made, the work must be
completed before the due date. The only exception to this policy is documented medical
emergencies. Please remember that work, family vacations, planned trips, social events,
or something like “I forgot we had an assignment for today” are not acceptable excuses
or reasons.
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Extra Credit
There are NO opportunities for extra credit in this course. The best way to improve
your grade is to complete all assignments on time, actively participate in class, and to ask
for assistance from your instructor during his or her office hours.
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Monitoring Your Grade
It is up to you to monitor your own grades. If you have any questions about how to do
this through D2L, ask your instructor. As suggested, after presenting an assignment, you
should examine your grades. Your instructor will post your grades within two (2) weeks
after taking the exam or receiving the assignment. Concerns or queries about a grade
should be made immediately. Again, I will not entertain queries or petitions for missed
work at the end of the semester unless they are related to work immediately prior to the
end of the semester. Please be mindful of your own progress in the class.
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E-mailing Your Instructor
Please use your OU account when e-mailing your instructor. If you use a personal e-mail
account (e.g., hotmail, yahoo, gmail) your instructor will not know whether the message
is junk mail, and therefore, may not respond. OU e-mail is considered by the university to
be official communication, and you should therefore address your instructor
appropriately (e.g., Dear Ms., Mr., Sr., etc.), sign your name, and use a respectful tone.
The instructor will not respond to e-mails that do not address her directly, and/or are not
signed.
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Students with disabilities
Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent her/him from fully
demonstrating her/his abilities should contact the instructor personally as soon as possible
so that accommodations can be made to ensure full participation and to facilitate her/his
educational opportunities. Students with disabilities must be registered with the Office of
Disability Resource Center prior to receiving accommodations in this course. You can
contact the Office of Disability Resource Center located in Goddard Health Center, Suite
166, phone 405-325-3852 or TDD only 405-325-4173.
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Religious Holiday Policy
It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious
observances and to provide without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and
additional required class work that may fall on religious holidays.
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Academic Misconduct (Read Carefully)
Cheating hurts everyone. Students should be aware that cheating or helping others cheat
is a violation of OU’s Academic Integrity Code and is punishable by an F in the course
plus suspension or expulsion from the university. Lesser acts of misconduct may result in
an “admonition” (warning) from the instructor and up to a zero on the assignment. To
report misconduct, contact your instructor or the student Integrity Council,
integrity@ou.edu. For an explanation of the Code, including information on definitions,
reporting and investigations, and contesting an admonition or violation report, see “A
Student’s Guide to Academic Integrity” at http://integrity.ou.edu
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Integrity pledge
Students are expected to honor the Integrity Pledge of the University of Oklahoma. “On
my honor, I affirm that I have neither given nor received inappropriate aid in the
completion of this exercise.”
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Disruptive Behavior
According to the Student Conduct Code disorderly or disruptive behavior that
unreasonably interferes with teaching and learning is prohibited. Students and
faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate and positive
learning environment. Students who fail to adhere to the established code of conduct
may be subject to disciplinary action. Faculty have the professional responsibility to set
reasonable standards and behavioral expectations for their classroom and the obligation
to take the appropriate course of action when student behavior substantially interferes
with the ability of a faculty member to teach or the ability of other students to learn
(http://studentconduct.ou.edu). Your instructor reserves the right to prohibit behaviors
that she or he deems inappropriate (e.g., eating during class and so forth).
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Cell Phones and Electronic Devices
Cell phones and electronic devices are prohibited in class and should be turned off before
the start of class (not set on “vibrate”, but turned OFF). If you have a medical or family
emergency and need to receive a call during class, you should inform your instructor
before class. Students who habitually use cell phones and electronic devices in class may
be dismissed from class and counted as being absent for the day. In order that the
University may notify students of a campus-wide emergency, either the instructor’s, or a
designated student’s cell phone will be set to vibrate during class. Do not text message
in class. Any student caught texting or using cell phones or other electronic devices
during a quiz or exam will automatically fail the exam. There are no exceptions to this
policy.
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Withdrawals
You may officially withdraw from a class any time prior to the end of the tenth week
with an automatic grade of “W”. Withdrawal from a class is the responsibility of the
student.
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