English Didactics

Recommended Prerequisites

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

Teaching Methods

The following teaching methods will be included:

- lectures by the instructor or guest experts;

- analysis and discussion of articles, language policy documents, and language teaching/learning materials;

- research and oral presentations by students;

- design of activities and resources;

- individual and/or group reflections on issues related to foreign language teaching and learning.

Learning Outcomes

The students are expected to:

- Understand and reflect on the purposes, methods, and current approaches in English language teaching and learning;

- Analyze key guiding documents and become familiar with current national legislation;

- Critically examine instructional materials and design their own teaching resources;

- Create digital content and learn how to manage hybrid learning environments;

- Develop lesson planning skills and create lesson/unit plans;

- Recognize different types of assessment and feedback.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

- Purposes, approaches, and current methods in ELT;

- Key guiding documents and current legislation;

- Critical analysis of instructional materials (e.g., coursebooks);

- Material design in ELT (reading, writing, listening, speaking, vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation);

- Digital educational resources and hybrid learning environments;

- Learning styles and profiles;

- Lesson planning (didactic rationale; teaching objectives and learning outcomes; skills – the four skills and mediation; communicative, strategic, and intercultural competences; pre-/while-/post-activities; classroom management; diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment, online assessment.

Head Lecturer(s)

Mónica Sofia Marques Lourenço

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Oral presentations: 20.0%
Synthesis work: 35.0%
Project: 45.0%

Bibliography

Alarcão, I. (2010). A constituição da área disciplinar da didáctica de línguas em Portugal. Linguarum Arena, 1(1), 61-79.

Harmer, J. (2015). The Practice of English Language Teaching (5th ed). Pearson.

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

Hughes, A., & Hughes, J. (2020). Testing for Language Teachers. CUP.

Scrivener, J. (2011). Learning Teaching: A Guidebook for English Language Teachers (3rd ed). Macmillan.

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.

Thornbury, S. (2018). The New A-Z of ELT. Macmillan Education.

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.