Critical Appraisal of Language Teaching Methodologies

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• major language teaching approaches and methods, especially those within the communicative approach
• Links between theory and practice, teaching and pedagogic principles
• issues of planning in language teaching and implementation (different forms of curricula, syllabus and their relation to course material and assessment)
• Analysis and evaluation of course-books

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Assess the value of a range of methodological approaches to particular contexts;
• Reflectively reassess your individual experience in language teaching and learning.
• Formulate problems and issues in language education, which most directly suit your professional and academic milieu;
• Select and evaluate relevant academic publications and discuss them critically; Analyse and critically assess language teaching in relation to language learning;
• Evaluate language teaching materials in terms of pedagogic principles and their underlying theoretical rationale;

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Communicate about language teaching and learning in a range of formats and registers, spoken and written, for a range of audiences;
• Use information technology where appropriate.
• Identify, select and use a wide range of professional/ authentic materials from different sources;
• Access theoretical and research materials and assess relative strengths and weaknesses;
• Develop and maintain module notes and bibliography;
• Monitor your own progress and evaluate your understanding of key concepts;

After providing an overview of general learning theories, the core of this module will focus on the methodologies of teaching foreign languages, with English being used as the most frequent, but not the only, example. Modern approaches and methods will be discussed in the light of their theoretical underpinnings, including their conceptualisations of language, learning and pedagogy. A clear focus will be given to Communicative Language Teaching and Task-Based-Language Teaching. A range of contemporary approaches to curriculum and syllabus design will be discussed, alongside different approaches to course-book evaluation material design.

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include

Lecturer and student presentations;

Presentation and analysis of video and teaching materials;

Discussion of pre-read articles and book chapters;

Group activities and exercises.

Learning activities include

Reading of key texts;

Presentations;

Video data analysis;

Evaluation of teaching materials

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Hedge, T. (2000). Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. Oxford: OUP.

McGrath, I. (2016). Materials evaluation and design for Language Teaching. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Thornbury, S (2001). Uncovering grammar.. Oxford: Macmillan.

Savignon, S. (Ed) (2002). Interpreting Communicative Language Teaching. Yale University Press.

Richards, J and Rodgers, T (2001). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press.

Walsh, S. (2013). Classroom Discourse and Teacher Development. Edinburgh: Routledge.

Gray, J. (ed.) (2013). Critical Perspectives on Language Teaching Materials. Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External