Analysing Language for ELT/TESOL

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Reflect on your own teaching practice and identify areas for change
• Critically compare different approaches to grammatical analysis
• Relate your prior teaching experience to current theories and debates on the teaching of grammar
• Explore an inductive approach to teaching and learning grammar
• Notice and investigate features of grammar in context

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Identify, select and use critically in professional communication a range of reference resources, printed and electronic
• Monitor and evaluate professional activity including self-evaluation
• Communicate effectively in a variety of written formats

Knowledge and Understanding

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

• principles for grammatical explanation and classroom teaching activities
• form-meaning relationships (speech functions and notions, grammatical concepts, etc) in a variety of contexts
• differing perspectives on grammar and their relevance to teaching practice
• the interaction between grammar and other language systems
• classifications of language competence relevant to syllabus and materials design
• apply analytical procedures to English language data

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• apply analytical procedures to English language data, including a variety of grammatical forms and functions in a range of texts
• Use suitable terminology for describing grammar
• Anticipate and analyse the nature of learner difficulties with aspects of the grammatical system
• Prepare explanations and tasks for areas of learner difficulty

The module explores:

• approaches to grammatical analysis and teaching and the skills and competences involved in teaching grammar.
• analytic processes with selected grammatical areas.
• the relationship between grammar and other levels of analysis – phonology, lexis and discourse.
• pedagogic grammar and the application of your analytical skills and awareness to classroom practice.

The examples and main references in the module will be for English.

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include:

• Lectures
• Student-led workshops

Learning activities include:

• Group discussions
• Interactive tasks in topic learning objects
• Formative assignments, e.g. analysis of language data
• Essay writing
• Summative analytical tasks

Each week there will be one lecture and one activity-based workshop session.

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Thornbury, S. (2017). About Language: Tasks for teachers of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Yule, G. (1998). Explaining English Grammar: A guide to explaining grammar for teachers of English as a second or foreign language. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bygate, M., Tonkyn, A. and Williams , E. (1994). Grammar and the Language Teacher. Prentice Hall.

Swan, M. (2016). Practical English Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bolitho, R. and Tomlinson, B. (2005). Discover English: Language Awareness for Teachers. Macmillan Education.

Parrott, M. (2010). Grammar for English Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Larsen-Freeman, D. (2003). Teaching Languages: From Grammar to Grammaring. Heinle & Heinle.

Carter, R. and McCarthy, M. (2006). Cambridge Grammar of English: A Comprehensive Guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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