TEACHING LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE - 2023/4

Module Overview

This module takes students off campus and into local schools. They work closely with MFL or English Literature teachers, shadowing them or taking small groups of school students, and gaining an insight into the teaching profession. This module complements ELA2012 Introduction to TEFL, by allowing students to see teaching strategies and techniques in the real world.

The Module has the backing of the "Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme" (www.uas.ac.uk).

Module provider

Literature & Languages

Module Leader

MARLEY Dawn (Lit & Langs)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None.

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• Two classroom sessions on campus: introduction and basic training; assessments advice and Q&A


• Around 30 hours spent in a local school shadowing and assisting teachers


• May involve supporting small groups of students or supporting teacher in whole class group


• May also involve extra-curricular activities


• Keeping a record of observations, interactions and reflections on teaching experience


• May include micro-teaching practice

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

If a student needs to give the presentation at an alternative assessment period, they may do so in front of the module convenor and one or more academic colleagues.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate 

• knowledge and understanding of their subject (MFL/ English Literature)


• ability to present their knowledge to students in schools


• ability to adapt to professional life in schools


• ability to use IT skills to find and present relevant information, both orally and in writing


• ability to write in an appropriate academic style in English

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Teacher-mentor's report (20%)

Allows input from teacher, on practical performance in the school.

•  Written assignment (40%)

Takes the form of a portfolio, with an account of the experience in school, reflecting on teaching issues and demonstrating wider understanding of the teaching profession.

• Presentation (40%)

Wherever possible, this is a live presentation in front of the student group. It provides the opportunity to focus on one issue and present a detailed analysis, whilst demonstrating communication and presentation skills.

Formative assessment and feedback

• Detailed verbal feedback will be provided, in group meetings and in individual meetings with module leader.


• Verbal feedback from teacher-mentors in local schools.


• Students will be provided with detailed written feedback following coursework assignments.

Module aims

• To provide an opportunity for students to gain first hand experience of teaching languages or literature through a mentoring
  scheme with teachers in local schools.
• enable students to gain confidence in communicating their subject and develop strong organisational and interpersonal
  skills
• enable students to understand how to address the needs of individuals and devise and develop teaching materials
  appropriate to engage the relevant age group they are working with
• allow students to act as enthusiastic role models for pupils interested in foreign languages or English literature, and allow
  them to act as ambassadors for their subject at the University of Surrey

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy will enable students to:

• work and learn independently, through going into local schools and interacting with staff and students


• develop research skills, through reading and presenting findings, in the school and in assignments


• engage in analytical and evaluative thinking, to analyse and interpret their own classroom experience, and see this in a wider context through texts and other cultural products


• develop communication skills through their classroom experience

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Mentoring and guidance from the teacher(s) in a local school.


• Attending an initial training session and an assessment information session


• Discussion, directed reading and interaction between the student and teacher


• Preparation of appropriate teaching materials, the practice of teaching; background reading, and researching and preparing the assignments

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: LAN2004

Other information

Surrey's Curriculum Framework 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 to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities in the following areas:

Digital Capabilities: students will develop their ability to source and select appropriate online resources and justify their use. They will learn to distinguish between different types of online resources, including video and audio, and to discern the features that make some sources valid and reliable. They may also engage with constantly evolving digital resources for teaching, such as online learning platforms, including games. They may also gain insight into the significance of online safeguarding issues as they relate to children and young people.

Employability: this module gives students a first-hand insight into working life for secondary school teachers. They observe and shadow teachers over a period of several weeks, learning about the positive and negative aspects of the job. They also have to develop a professional approach to dealing with the school, as they are representing the University. This is a valuable opportunity to learn first hand about the multiple challenges involved in professional life and to develop some mechanisms and strategies for handling them. They will develop awareness of the need to remain neutral in difficult situations and to reserve judgement when not in full possession of the facts.

Global and Cultural Capabilities: students often find themselves in schools very different to the ones they attended and are exposed to students and teachers from different backgrounds. Part of the challenge of the module is adapting to this and being open to different cultural norms, attitudes and behaviours. This could be due to a school's religious affiliation or a particular stance on discipline, or due to the social, economic or ethnic backgrounds of the students and/ or staff. Students may realise that there are always different ways of teaching and learning.

Resourcefulness and Resilience: going into a secondary school in a teaching role can be quite daunting for students and they have to develop some resilience as they work on presenting a professional face to students not much younger than themselves. They may need to be resourceful in creating a classroom persona, in order to create a clear distinction between themselves and the school students. They may also find themselves having to 'think on their feet' in some classroom situation, and develop resourcefulness, as they face unexpected questions and situations.

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.