Postgraduate Course: Teaching the Written Language (EDUA11051)
Course Outline
| School |
Moray House School of Education |
College |
College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type |
Standard |
Availability |
Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) |
SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits |
20 |
| Home subject area |
Education |
Other subject area |
None |
| Course website |
None |
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| Course description |
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
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites |
|
| Prohibited Combinations |
|
Other requirements |
None
|
| Additional Costs |
None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2010/11 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
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WebCT enabled: No |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| Central | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | 11:10 - 12:00 | | | | Central | Lecture | | 1-11 | 11:10 - 12:00 | | | | |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| Additional information |
20 minutes per week for 11 week(s). |
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. |
| Please see Visiting Student Prospectus website for Visiting Student Assessment information |
Special Arrangements
| Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser |
Dr Anthony Lynch
Tel: (0131 6)50 6200
Email: A.J.Lynch@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary |
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copyright 2010 The University of Edinburgh -
1 September 2010 5:52 am
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