Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
Prerequisites
NilUnit rationale, description and aim
At a time of rapid ongoing change as a result of globalisation, internationalisation and developing information communication technologies, effective English language and intercultural skills are of increasing importance. Educational institutions, therefore, require teachers and allied professionals with specialist knowledge and skills in language, culture and communication. In this first unit in the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) specialisation, students will examine the interface between language and culture and the ways in which this may be manifest in multilingual environments. With particular reference to English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) learners, students will consider those elements that constitute language as social action and explore aspects and models of communication that both empower and disempower the individual in educational contexts and other environments. Links between ideology, power and language will be studied, together with concepts of class and gender. In relation to this theoretical framework, students will also explore the relationship between the teaching of English as an additional language/dialect and the explicit teaching of culture as a means of increasing both curricular access and broader opportunities for equitable social participation by EAL/D speakers. Therefore, the aim of this unit is to support students in developing the required specialist knowledge, understanding and skills in language, culture and communication in preparation for the other TESOL specialisation units.
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.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description | Relevant Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Identify the ways in which language encodes cultural meanings – in general and for students with diverse backgrounds (APST 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 6.2, 6.3 [all at HA & Lead levels) | GC1, GC2, GC7 |
| LO2 | Articulate the links between ideology, power and language (APST 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 6.2, 6.3 [all at HA & Lead levels] ) | GC1, GC2, GC7 |
| LO3 | Critically evaluate linguistically and culturally appropriate resources (including digital and other multimodal resources) for teaching language and culture (APST 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.6, 3.4, 3.6, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4 [all at HA & Lead levels]) | GC1, GC2, GC7, GC9, GC10 |
| LO4 | Investigate and communicate the consequences of the information revolution for the development of English as a global language and the teaching of English as an additional language/dialect (APST 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.6, 3.4, 3.6, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4 [all at HA & Lead levels]) | GC1, GC2, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11 |
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS
On successful completion of this unit, students should have gained evidence towards the following standards:
1.3 students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds (Highly Accomplished/Lead) |
1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (Highly Accomplished/Lead) |
2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area (Highly Accomplished/Lead) |
2.2 Content selection and organisation (Highly Accomplished/Lead) |
2.6 Information and communication technology (ICT) (Highly Accomplished/Lead) |
3.4 Select and use resources (Highly Accomplished/Lead) |
3.6 Evaluate and improve teaching programs (Highly Accomplished/Lead) |
6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice (Highly Accomplished/Lead) |
6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice (Highly Accomplished/Lead) |
6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning (Highly Accomplished/Lead) |
Content
Topics will include:
• Culture encoded in language
- sociocultural influences on language including: registers, dialects, standard, regional and individual varieties of language
- intercultural and cross-cultural communication
• Relationships between language and power and ideology
- issues of culture, ethnicity, class and gender
- concepts of critical literacy and multi-literacies
• Linguistically and culturally appropriate resources for teaching English
- principles for selection/design of resources
- evaluation of digital and other multimodal resources
• The information (ICT) revolution and English as a global language
- English and the world wide web
- varieties of English across the globe
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit is offered in multi-mode and will be supported by a Canvas site. Engagement for learning is the key driver in the delivery of this curriculum. The unit will facilitate active participation in pedagogical approaches that demonstrate alignment of teaching, learning and assessment. Students will study readings and other online learning materials and participate in online discussions and other independent/collaborative learning experiences on- and offline.
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 across the semester. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, students will find it helpful to engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments utilised in this unit, as described in the learning and teaching strategy and the assessment strategy. The learning and teaching and assessment strategies include a range of approaches to support your learning such as reading, reflection, discussion, webinars, podcasts, videos, workshops, assignments, etc.
Assessment strategy and rationale
In order to successfully complete this unit, postgraduate students need to complete and submit two graded assessment tasks. The assessment strategy used allows students to demonstrate their knowledge and skill related to language, culture and communication
The first task (40%) focuses on the relationship between learning language and culture and the second assignment (60%)applies knowledge to design, select and evaluate resources for teaching students with EAL/D. The second task (60%) requires students to develop and/or implement and action plan that enhances students’ learning skills, social and emotional capability, relationships and engagement in learning.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Extended written task Students will write an essay on the relationship between learning language and culture – and the impact of this on the teaching of English as a global language | 40% | LO1, LO2, LO4 |
Assessment Task 2: Written Assignment Students will design/select and evaluate resources for teaching students with EAL/D | 60% | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
Representative texts and references
Kubota, R. (2013). ‘Language is only a tool’: Japanese expatriates working in China and implications for language teaching. Multilingual Education, 3(4), 1-20.
Liddicoat, A., & Scarino, A. (2013). Intercultural language teaching and learning. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Malcolm, I. G. (2013). The ownership of Aboriginal English in Australia. World Englishes, 32(1), 42-53.
Obaidul Hamid, M. (2014). World Englishes in international proficiency tests. World Englishes, 33(2), 263-277.
Obaidul Hamid, M., Nguyen, H. T. M., & Baldauf, R. B. (2013). Medium of instruction in Asia: Context, processes and outcomes. Current Issues in Language Planning, 14(1), 1-15.
Skutnabb-Kangas, T. (2013). Today’s indigenous education is a crime against humanity: Mother-tongue-based multilingual education as an alternative? TESOL in Context, 23(1/2), 82-124.
Skutnabb-Kangas, T. & Heugh, K. (2012). (Eds). Multilingual education and sustainable diversity work: From the periphery to center. New York: Routledge
Recommended Journals
International Journal of Multicultural Education
Language, Culture and Curriculum
Language and Education
Language and Intercultural Communication
Multicultural Perspectives
Prospect: An Australian Journal of TESOL
TESOL Quarterly
TESOL in Context