English Didactics and Preparation for Teaching Practice

Recommended Prerequisites

At least 80 ECTS in English; C1 level of English.

Teaching Methods

The following teaching methods will be included:

- Expository presentations by the teacher and/or guests;

- Critical analysis of instructional materials;

- Delivery and observation of short sequences within lessons (microteaching);

- Research and presentations by students;

- Completion of tasks by students.

Learning Outcomes

The students are expected to:

- Design coherently staged lesson plans with appropriate analysis of language to be taught as well as clearly defined aims, showing an awareness of the different components of a lesson plan;

- Make principled selections and use of pedagogical materials, including teacher resources, such as grammars and dictionaries;

- Use English appropriately for a range of classroom functions, displaying awareness of common patterns of classroom interaction;

- Identify, analyze and provide effective feedback on common learner errors;

- Display awareness of a range of assessment types and tasks, and design tasks for classroom assessment;

- Microteach a short sequence of classroom activities and provide observational feedback to colleagues.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

The syllabus includes the following topics:

- Lesson planning: language analysis for lesson preparation, anticipating problems, defining lesson aims, structuring lesson stages, identifying the different components of a lesson plan, planning individual lessons and sequences of lessons;

- Researching teaching materials (including digital resources), and developing criteria for the selection and exploration of materials, as well as using resources such as grammars and dictionaries;

- Analysis of classroom interaction using recorded extracts;

- Identification, analysis and correction of common learner errors;

- Classroom observation and microteaching: criteria for analyzing classroom performance, observation tasks, principles for reflective practice;

- Theory and practice of language assessment: types of assessment and tasks, development of tasks and test items.

Head Lecturer(s)

Celeste Maria de Oliveira Costa Correia Simões

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Oral presentations : 20.0%
Project: 35.0%
Mini Tests: 45.0%

Bibliography

Austin, E. (2023). Going Global in the World Language Classroom: Ideas, Strategies, and Resources for Teaching and Learning With the World. Routledge.  

Blaz, D., & Alsop, T. (2023). Sparking Creativity in the World Language Classroom: Strategies and Ideas to Build Your Students’ Language Skills. Routledge.

Hinkel, E. (2023). Handbook of Practical Second Language Learning and Teaching. Routledge.

Mackay, C. (2019). Learning to Plan Modern Languages Lessons: Understanding the Basic Ingredients. Routledge.

Thompson, C., Spenceley, L., Tinney, M., Battams, E., & Solomon, A. (2024). The Ultimate Guide to Lesson Planning: Practical Planning for Everyday Teaching. Routledge.

Ur, P. (2023). A Course in English Language Teaching (3rd ed). CUP.

Watson, A., & Newman, R. (2022). A Practical Guide to Teaching English in the Secondary School. Routledge.