INTRODUCTION TO TEFL - 2023/4

Module Overview

This is a module for Level 5 students in the School of  Literature and Languages. It is taught over one semester, with three contact hours per teaching week.The module considers a range of approaches to teaching English as a Foreign Language, approaches which can be applied to the teaching of other languages. It provides practice and assessment in lesson planning and in teaching through peer teaching tasks. The skills developed on the module such as speaking in front of groups and decision making are transferable to a number of other careers.
The module is capped at 14 students in each semester.

 

Module provider

School of Literature and Languages

Module Leader

SYMMONDS Natalie (Lit & Langs)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): 14

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None.  

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• language teaching methodologies


• theories of second language learning


• roles of the teacher and learner


• English language learning contexts


• principles of lesson planning


• classroom management


• teaching grammar


• teaching vocabulary


• teaching the four skills


• error correction


• materials design

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate that they have achieved the modules learning outcomes and, by association, developed employability skills, global and cultural awareness  and resourcefulness and resilience among other module attributes.


Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

* an individual lesson plan for a one-hour lesson mid-semester (40%)

which feeds directly into

* an observed teaching practice towards the end of the semester (60%) 
This is a peer-teaching session using a twenty-minute section of the lesson plan.

Written tutor feedback is provided on the lesson plan, followed by a one-to-one meeting to discuss aspects of the feedback/feedforward and points to consider for improvement looking ahead to the teaching practice for which the lesson plan is an essential foundation. 
This sequence of events gives the student opportunity to reflect on and evaluate their submission thereby encouraging active participation in the subsequent one-to-one discussion.
These assessments are designed to increase familiarity with real-life teaching practice.

 

Formative assessment

This consists of a group lesson plan for which written feedback will be provided by the tutor with opportunities for redrafting. This verbal and written feedback serves as feedforward into the first  assessment which is an individual lesson plan.

In addition to practicing individual teaching techniques such as drilling, concept checking and error correction, there will be a micro-teaching session in which each student will peer teach a small set of vocabulary. This will give each student an experience of teaching a class before they do their assessed teaching practice in weeks 10 and 11.  There will be an opportunity for verbal peer and tutor feedback and written feedback will also be provided by the tutor.

 

Module aims

• This module aims to: develop an understanding of different approaches to teaching English as a foreign language and the teaching of different language skills (transferable to the teaching of other languages)
  
• develop an understanding of the elements and organization of a plan for a language lesson
• develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to deliver an English language lesson
• develop transferable skills in communication, decision making, adaptability and problem solving

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

* Engage students with different learning and linguistic backgrounds by drawing on their own language learning backgrounds during class and group discussions.
* Enable students to develop the knowledge, communication skills and confidence to plan and deliver English as a Foreign Language lessons based on teaching materials provided (transferable to other languages)
* Provide opportunities for students to broaden their awareness of different language teaching contexts
* Guide students in reflecting on their own teaching and that of others in order to further develop their teaching skills.

The learning and teaching methods include:

Interactive lectures involving the students in active discussion and tasks, workshops in which students work together with the support of the tutor on specific aspects of lesson planning and language teaching, pair and group work focussing on analysing and developing lesson plans and teaching resources, analysis of example online EFL lessons and reflection on their own teaching practice, micro-teaching sessions focussing on language teaching skills and techniques, and peer feedback. As in other modules, students are expected to consult books and articles on the reading list and to make use of additional material and captured content provided on Surreylearn to support each topic.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ELA2012

Other information

The School of Literature and Languages is committed to developing graduates with strengths in employability, digital capabilities, global and cultural capabilities, sustainability, and resourcefulness and resilience. This module is designed to allow students in the School of Literature and Languages to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:

Employability: This module provides an introduction to a range of language teaching contexts, methodologies and techniques with a focus on Communicative Language Teaching, a common approach to English Language teaching in the UK and many parts of the world. Students will learn and be assessed on the fundamentals of planning an English language lesson and gain teaching practice experience through peer teaching in formative tasks and through a summative assessed peer-teaching lesson. These planning and language teaching methods and techniques are key for students who are planning to do a PTY teaching English or another language or are considering a career in language teaching. The peer teaching tasks also provide opportunities for students to develop confidence in speaking in front of a group, developing the presentation skills practiced in other modules, and a number of other soft skills including verbal, non-verbal and visual communication,  adaptability, creativity, providing clear and constructive feedback and problem solving, all of which are transferable to many other careers.

Global and Cultural Capabilities: As in other modules, students will have frequent opportunities to interact and collaborate in pair and group work, learning from and respecting the diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds of other students and the perspectives that they bring to the content of the module. Students will be guided in providing constructive feedback to peers on teaching techniques during formative teaching practice tasks and will consider and practice different approaches to providing feedback and error correction to students of different ages and cultures. They will also consider ways in which lesson content and teaching methodology needs to be adapted for different cultures.

Resourcefulness and Resilience: Through the formative and assessed peer-teaching practices, students will develop important transferrable skills such as gaining confidence in speaking in front of an audience. This will complement the experience gained in other modules, for example in assessed presentations. Students will develop a sense of self-reliance demonstrated in the need to respond appropriately to problems and challenges as they arise in a lesson, requiring them to make informed decisions to facilitate learning. The ability to do this will be supported by lesson planning, which entails anticipation of possible problems and possible resolutions to address these. The aim to increase students’ ability to identify and evaluate their own levels of competence in specific areas enables them to focus on their strengths and plan improvements to weaker areas and this informs the lesson planning and observed teaching in the formative assessments.  Students will be encouraged to reflect on and learn from these assessments, based on feedback provided.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2023/4 academic year.