Teaching the Written Language (P00389)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : EDU-P-TWLLING

This option course provides a methodological perspective on the range of approaches, methods and techniques now available for the teaching of reading and writing. In the case of reading, it considers the processes, skills, language knowledge and strategies required for effective reading in the foreign language, and the potential of extensive reading programmes for learners' language development. It explores the role of learner's awareness of grammar above the sentence level ('grammar as discourse' - McCarthy), teachers' differing attitudes to grammar, and techniques for teaching it. In the area of writing, the course reviews the three classic approaches to its teaching (product, process and genre), explores more recent reader-oriented views of writing as interaction, and assesses the impact of alternative forms and levels of teacher feedback. Finally the course emphasises the advantages of integrating the written-medium skills rather than treating them separately.

Venue: IALS, 21 Hill Place

Entry Requirements

none

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Education, (The Moray House School of Education, Schedule C)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 3 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

? Other Required Attendance : 20 minutes per week for 11 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
07/01/2008	11:00	13:00			IALS, 21 Hill Place

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Monday	11:10	12:00	Central
Lecture	Wednesday	11:10	12:00	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course students will
- understand the role of lexico-grammatical knowledge in enabling learners to cope with reading and writing tasks in the foreign language
- know about the principal approaches to teaching reading and writing, through the work of leading researchers such as Johns, Grabe and Kaplan
- be able to assess the research evidence for the benefits of extensive reading in assisting learners' language development
- be familiar with a range of techniques for providing feedback on learners' writing
- appreciate the importance, especially in the context of academic writing (cf. Swales and Hyland), of teachers integrating reading and writing activity in realistic tasks.

Assessment Information

A 5,000-word project exploring in depth one of the topics covered in the course. The aim of the project is to allow the students to assess how recent proposals from the literatures of practice or research on that topic could or should influence changes in the way in which that aspect of the foreign language area is taught.
Outline for the project:
1. Introduction to the topic (background, definitions) and a specification of the target teaching context
2. Discussion of the importance of the topic for language teaching in general, and for the target context in particular
3. A concise critical review of the relevant literature, including alternative views where appropriate
4. Reasoned suggestions for implementing changes to teaching and learning (approaches, techniques and materials) in the chosen context.