Professional Documents
Culture Documents
GRADUATE SCHOOL
MASTER IN TESOL PROGRAM
COURSE OUTLINE
1. Course aims
This course aims to provide an introductory study in contemporary developments in the
theories of English language learning and teaching. The course includes an examination of a
range of theories (behaviorist, cognitivist, constructivist, and social constructivist) and
research, and factors affecting the process of learning and teaching a foreign/second
language, such as individual, sociological, and psychological, and their implications. It also
relates to changes in context and culture of English language learning and teaching in
Vietnam. By carefully examining these theories, the participants will be able to identify
different instruments which may be useful in learning and teaching in a variety of settings.
Owing to the practical application of the course, learners are requested to flexibly link
their insights and reflection to current observation of ELT learning and teaching.
to extend and develop awareness of the major theories of learning and their
applications in actual learning/teaching environments;
to critically examine how learning theory informs classroom activity from both learner
and teacher perspectives;
to develop the learners’ ability to find and interpret research material, and to enable
them to use recent academic research in the field to support their own approach to
learning and teaching;
The course is organized as a four-hour session, incorporating reading, lectures,
participating in group presentations/workshop activities, and discussions. Learners are
expected to participate and actively contribute to the class outcomes during the
contact hours. Owing to the practical and interactive nature of the course, learners’
attendance is strongly recommended and is included in the assessment. Class
participation, work and processes are essential to the knowledge and understandings
needed for the assessment items;
All learners will be randomly assigned a reading topic. They may work individually or in
pairs/small groups. They are strongly encouraged to consult other resources beyond
the required reading(s) (TBA).
Course outcomes
On completion of the course, the successful learners will be able:
to identify the essentials of key theories of language learning and teaching;
to describe the basic vocabulary, concepts, and theories of learning and teaching in
terms of behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and social constructivism;
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to develop a critical awareness and sound understanding of these theories;
to apply these theories and their implications in practical classroom individual learning
and teaching, and to support learners’ cognitive and social development;
to reflect on factors influencing individual differences in teaching in general and
learning in particular; and
to be able to critically evaluate language learning and teaching theories,
Readings:
1.1 Introduction: Learners and Learning, Classroom and Context.
In Lewis, M & Hill, J., Language and Language Learning. London. OUP. 1992.
pp 22-38.
1.2 Mitchell, R & Myles, F. 2004. Second Language Learning: Key Concepts and
Issues. In Theories of Second Language Teaching and Learning. London. Arnold.
pp. 11-27.
Readings:
2.1 Johnson, K. E. & Golombek, P. R. 2011. A Sociocultural Theoretical Perspective
on Teacher Professional Development. . In Research on Second Language
Teacher Education. New York. Routledge. Chapter 1. pp. 1- 12.
2.2 Kumaradivelu. B. 2003. Conceptualizing Teaching Acts. In Beyond Methods:
Macrostrategies for Language Teaching. New Haven. Yale University Press.
Chapter 1. pp. 5-22.
2.3 Pritchard, A., & Woolard, J. 2010. Introduction. In Psychology for the Classroom:
Constructivism and Social Learning. London. Routledge. Chapter 1. pp. 1-19
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Week 3: Focus on Learning Theories
Overview: This session will examine the learning power and tries to tap the power which
every learner possesses and make every of them aware of such a powerful capacity so as to
help them bring their best one(s) into full play.
Questions:
- What kind of learning power do you think you are in possession of?
- Regarding learning theories, which one do you think facilitate your learning a
language?
Readings:
3.1 Crick, R. 2006. Learning Power: what is it? In Learning Power in Practice: A Guide
for Teachers. London. Paul Chapman Publishing. pp. 1-14.
3.2 Johnson, K. E. 2009. Language as Social Practice. In Second Language Teacher
Education - A Sociocultural Perspective. New York. Routledge. Chapter 4. pp. 42-
61.
3.3 Galton, M. 2007. Learning Theory. In Learning and Teaching in the Primary
Classroom. Chapter 2. New Delhi. Sage. pp. 15-29.
Questions:
- What kind of learning do you think you are better able to apply in your teaching
context?
- What is the difference between adult’s and children’s learning a foreign language?
Readings:
4.1 Murphy, L., Mufti, E., & Kassem, D. 2008. How People Learn. In
Education Studies: An Introduction. London. Open University Press.
pp. 89-101.
4.2 Cameron, L. 2001. Children Learning a Foreign Language. In
Teaching Languages to Young Learners. 8th ed. Cambridge.
CUP. pp. 1-20.
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Readings:
5.1 Johnson, K. E. 2009. Teachers as Learners of Teaching. In Second Language
Teacher Education - A Sociocultural Perspective. New York. Routledge. Chapter 3.
pp. 17 - 40.
Readings:
6.1 Kumaravadivelu, B. 2006. Language: Concepts and Precepts. In
Understanding Language Teaching. London. Erlbaum Lawrence. pp. 3-24
6.2 Crabbe, D. 2007. Learning Opportunities: Adding Learning Value to Tasks.
ELT Journal. 61(2). pp. 117-125.
Readings:
7.1 Kumaravadivelu, B. 2006. Learning: Factors and Processes. In Understanding
Language Teaching. London. Erlbaum Lawrence. pp. 25-53.
7.2 Hall, G. 2011. Focus on the Language Learner: Individual Attributes and Attitudes.
In Exploring English Language Teaching – Language in Action. London.
Routledge. pp. 123-142.
Readings:
8.1 Kumaravadivelu, B. 2006. Teaching: Input and Interaction. In Understanding
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Language Teaching. London. Erlbaum Lawrence, 2006. pp. 55- 80
8.2 Walsh, S. 2006. Learning in the Second Language Classroom. In
Investigating Classroom Discourse. New York. Routledge. Chapter
2. pp. 17-38.
Readings:
10.1 Pritchard, A. 2007. ICT, the Internet and Theories of Learning. In Effective
Teaching with Effective Technologies: Pedagogy and Practice. London. Sage. pp.
1-12.
10.2 Motteram, G. 2014. Developing and Extending Our Understanding of Language
Learning and Technology. In Innovations in Learning Technologies for ELT.
Cambridge. CUP. pp. 177 - 191.
(https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/C607%20Information
%20and%20Communication_WEB%20ONLY_FINAL.pdf)
3. Course assessment
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This is a “seminar” class, so your ideas and input are important and highly
appreciated. Participation will involve group discussions, oral presentations, and individual
comment on presentations/ discussions/ readings.
This paper is an opportunities to explore, through your own writing, exactly how you
see yourself involved in the learning and teaching process, how you see yourself as a
facilitator of learning environments. It will also address how you view children and/or adult as
learners. It is a guiding philosophy of what you aim to do as a teacher. This is a document
you should keep because it may be useful for teaching job interviews. It is something you
should evolve and alter throughout the semester. The readings and the class activities we do
should help you to think about this more deeply as time passes. It is expected that you will
begin with a draft, somewhat sketchy, in the mid of the course, and be challenged to add
detail as we progress through the course content.
This reflective critique will be 10 pages in length and 1 and ½ spacing, properly
formatted in APA writing style. The paper will present your responses/opinions regarding the
article.
Assessment
For the final assessment, students are required to draw on theory for the practice that
they are asked to demonstrate in class activities and final paper. Students also need to think
reflectively on what they have read, what they have gained from the course and experienced
in their own teaching. An individual student’s assessment mark may be varied (up or down)
by 10 per cent to reflect differences in contribution.
Academic Honesty
Learners must neither cheat nor contribute to cheating by others in writing the final
assignment. Plagiarism can therefore be avoided by observing the following rules:
if other writer’s ideas or facts are used, they must be fully sourced, and
if another writer’s phrasing is used, the source must not only be well cited, using
quotation marks or indent from the body of the paper.
In other words, you are expected to turn in work of your own, with proper reference
and citation of all sources that you use in your papers.
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Referencing
All sources of references must be explicitly and clearly acknowledged and students
are to observe recognized referencing conventions. APA style is recommended
Plagiarism
Assignments that include plagiarism, unintentionally or deliberately, are not
acceptable. Plagiarism will result in a failing grade
Attendance Policy
Class attendance is mandatory. You are expected to be on time and well prepared for
each class. You are expected to participate actively in class by taking part in all class
discussions, completing readings promptly, and finishing the final assignment properly and in
due course. Each student is responsible for all information from each class session.
Attendance at all classes is important. In case you are unable to attend a class, you
are to inform me of the reason for the absence. Failure to do this will result in a
corresponding lower of your course grade.
Course Evaluation
Your views on the course content, teaching, resources, etc. will be requested by
means of an anonymous questionnaire at the end of the course.
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SOME TIPS ON CLASS PARTICIPATION AND ASSIGNMENT
A primary goal of reflection is to better understand one's self and to impact positive
change in one's teaching behaviors. Writing a reflective essay will allow you to organize your
thinking about your past and present language teaching and language learning experiences
and to incorporate into your thinking new insights and information that you have acquired
about ESL issues and pedagogy during the past several months.
As you begin this course, you will explore, in writing, your reflections upon topics and
issues in ESL that impact your teaching and/or that we have explored in the program thus far.
This opportunity for reflection will also help you begin to draft your own rationale for many of
the current teaching and learning strategies critical in the field of ESL which you may be
called upon to share with your administrators and colleagues, as well as with your students
and their parents.
We, teachers, attribute "lack of time" as a definite barrier to effective collaboration with
our peers. Because of this, we may be unaware of our colleague's outstanding teaching
ideas, and we many often find ourselves 'reinventing the wheel,' in our efforts to come up
with creative ways to present course material or to engage students in learning.
One way to share and acquire quality teaching ideas from our colleagues is through
an interactive "Share Fair," during which participants present successful teaching ideas from
their classrooms. During the "Share Fair," each of us will have the opportunity to gain a
variety of new ideas which we may take and adapt to our own specific teaching contexts.
Many of you have sent us topics and questions that you would like to know more
about but which can't all be covered within the time constraints of our summer course.
Choose one of your own questions to research, and share what you find out with us. You
choose the question and the way you will present it. (Scary, huh?) Your rubric will include
your rationale for choosing this topic, your research journey, and a description of how this
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information and the process you engaged in will be useful for you and other teachers of ELL
students.
Guidelines for writing the reflective assignment on the Readings and/or Class
Discussions
This assignment will help you become a more critical reader and thinker on issues that
you encounter in the contexts of learning and teaching. You may address one or a
combination of the following responses at least for a total of 10 pages or 2,500 words.
Written assignments should be carefully prepared, proofread, and typed. APA style
should be followed (refer to The Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (6th ed.). More specific instructions for the paper will be provided during the
semester.
NOTE: All written work must be done on a word processor and must conform to APA style
standards. Any work not conforming to APA style will not be accepted.
4. Materials
Johnson, K. E. & Golombek, P. R. 2011. A Sociocultural Theoretical Perspective on Teacher
Professional Development. . In Research on Second Language Teacher Education.
New York. Routledge. Chapter 1. pp. 1- 12.
Kumaradivelu. B. 2003. Conceptualizing Teaching Acts. In Beyond Methods: Macrostrategies
for Language Teaching. New Haven. Yale University Press. Chapter 1. pp. 5-22.
Pritchard, A., & Woolard, J. 2010. Introduction. In Psychology for the Classroom:
Constructivism and Social Learning. London. Routledge. Chapter 1. pp. 1-19
Crick, R. 2006. Learning Power: what is it? In Learning Power in Practice: A Guide for
Teachers. London. Paul Chapman Publishing. pp. 1-14.
Johnson, K. E. 2009. Language as Social Practice. In Second Language Teacher Education
- A Sociocultural Perspective. New York. Routledge. Chapter 4. pp.42- 61.
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Galton, M. 2007. Learning Theory. In Learning and Teaching in the Primary Classroom.
Chapter 2. New Delhi. Sage. pp. 15-29.
Murphy, L., Mufti, E., & Kassem, D. 2009. How People Learn. In Education
Studies: An Introduction. London. Open University Press. pp. 89-101.
Cameron, L. 2005. Children Learning a Foreign Language. In Teaching
Languages to Young Learners. 8th ed. Cambridge. CUP. pp. 1-20.
Motteram, G. 2014. Developing and Extending Our Understanding of Language Learning and
Technology. In Innovations in Learning Technologies for ELT. Cambridge. CUP. pp.
177 - 191. (https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/C607%20Information
%20and%20Communication_WEB%20ONLY_FINAL.pdf)
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