EDLA345 - Tesol Techniques

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Unit rationale, description and aim

This unit requires students to explore the latest state and federal documents relating to English as an Additional Language or dialect (EAL/D) and to develop techniques for teaching EAL/D students. Activities and strategies designed to assist second language students develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills will be the focus of this unit. How to assess the language skills of EAL/D students will also be examined in the unit.

The aim of this unit is to enable pre-service teachers to develop diverse techniques for teaching English as an Additional Language or dialect (EAL/D) students, by exploring current state and federal documents relating to EAL/D students.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - plan and effectively implement a syllabus for a group of primary or secondary EAL/D learners (GA4; APST 2.1)

LO2 - create a booklet of TESOL techniques suitable for a particular language level of students in the primary, secondary or adult sector. (GA8; APST 1.5)

LO3 - plan and effectively implement a workshop for teachers in either the primary or secondary sectors whereby a current and effective second language learning technique is demonstrated (GA5; APST 1.5)

LO4 - identifying contemporary EAL/D documents which enable students are to justify the choice of topic, methodology, content and techniques that an Australian teacher would employ with particular groups of second language learning students (GA4; APST 2.3).

Graduate attributes

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - GRADUATE LEVEL

On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should be able to:

Content

Topics will include:

• strategies for teaching speaking/listening/reading/writing/vocabulary to EAL/D students
• activities suitable for teaching language across the curriculum.
• technology for the second language learner
• different methods of syllabus design
• processes for assisting teachers to develop an understanding of the language and cultural needs of EAL/D learners

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Pre-service teachers will be involved in a variety of teaching-learning strategies to progress and demonstrate their understandings in this unit. Participants will be involved in a variety of teaching-learning strategies to support learning, including: on-line activities and discussions, case studies and small group collaboration.

This is a 10-credit point unit and has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total with a normal expectation of 36 hours of directed study and the total contact hours should not exceed 36 hours. Directed study might include lectures, tutorials, webinars, podcasts etc. The balance of the hours then become private study.

Assessment strategy and rationale

A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. The assessment tasks and the weighting for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome. I

Minimum Achievement Standards

In order to pass this unit, Pre-service teachers are required to submit and participate in all assessment tasks.

The total assessment tasks will amount to the equivalent of 4,000 words.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2014). English as an additional language or dialect. Teacher resource EAL/D. Available http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/student_diversity/eald_teacher_resource.html

Derewianka, B. (2011). A new grammar companion for teachers (2nd ed.). Sydney, NSW: Primary English Teaching Association.

Gibbons, P. (2015). Scaffolding language scaffolding learning: Teaching second language learners in the mainstream classroom (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Gibbons, P. (2009). English learners academic literacy and thinking. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Hadfield, J. (1990). Communication games (elementary/intermediate/advanced/writing). Nelson.

Hedge, P. (2000). Teaching and learning in the language classroom. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Humphrey, S., Love, K. & Droga, L. (2011). Working grammar: An introduction for secondary English teachers. Melbourne, Vic: Pearson.

Lightbown, P., & Spada, N (2008). How languages are learned. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Richards, J. C. (2006). Communicative language teaching today. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Zeegers, M. (2013). Grammar matters. South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press.