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2020/2021

English in the Contemporary World: Practicals and Contexts

Code: 103581 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500798 Primary Education OT 4 0
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Àngel Barranqueras Martinez
Email:
Angel.Barranqueras@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
english (eng)
Some groups entirely in English:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

External teachers

Àngel Barranqueras Martínez

Prerequisites

It is necessary to have a WELL-ACHIEVED C1 (CEFR) level of English or Cambridge Advanced English Certificate (CAE) (entry requirement). With a narrowly-passed C1 or CAE exam, students might find the course hard to pass. 

Objectives and Contextualisation

This course aims at providing pre-service English teachers with the necessary linguistic and communicative resources to act efficiently and accurately as teaching professionals in English. For that reason, the first part of this course will be devoted to improving students’ pronunciation. The approach will be applied. The focus will be on segmental aspects of English (vowels and consonants) and emphasis will be placed on the comparison between the phonological systems of Catalan/Spanish and English. The model will be Standard British English, although aspects of the North-American standard (GA) will also be discussed. This standard will also be accepted in students’ productions. The second part of the course aims at widening and specializing both the vocabulary and the communicative strategies of students, so that they are able to manage not only learning but also organizational and behavioural matters in the English classroom entirely in English. Various key aspects of classroom discourse will be discussed from a comparative and functional perspective. 

Competences

  • Be familiar with the languages and literature curriculum.
  • Critically analyse personal work and use resources for professional development.
  • Develop and evaluate contents of the curriculum by means of appropriate didactic resources and promote the corresponding skills in pupils.
  • Develop autonomous learning strategies.
  • Develop critical thinking and reasoning and understand how to communicate effectively both in one’s own languages and in a foreign language.
  • Effectively address language learning situations in multicultural and multilingual contexts.
  • Express oneself orally and in writing in a foreign language.
  • Foster reading and critical analysis of the texts in different scientific fields and cultural contents in the school curriculum.
  • Foster reading and encourage writing.
  • Incorporate information and communications technology to learn, communicate and share in educational contexts.
  • Respect the diversity and the plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  • Understand the basic principles of the sciences of language and communication.
  • Work in teams and with teams (in the same field or interdisciplinary).

Learning Outcomes

  1. Adapt and write textbooks adjusted to the level of cognitive and communicative development of pupils in correct English and with the proper register.
  2. Analyse communication needs and control the process of learning the English language.
  3. Analyse experiences of good practice to address, produce and implement process of collaboration and telecollaboration among different educational agents.
  4. Analyse, individually and with fellow teachers, the practice of teaching, identify areas for professional improvement, and implement strategies to achieve that improvement.
  5. Assessing the value of Spanish language learning strategies and techniques appropriate to primary education.
  6. Being able to analyse sociolinguistic processes critically, as well as expounding one’s own ideas coherently and in a reasoned way.
  7. Being capable of self-assessment and establishing and implementing a plan for improving communicative skills in English.
  8. Being capable of self-assessment and of evaluating the written and oral productions of colleagues in English in a well-argued way.
  9. Critically analyse and discuss theoretical texts from different fields of linguistics.
  10. Demonstrate proficiency level B2 (CEF) in the use of the English language both in informal situations and in professional contexts, in reception, production and interaction activities.
  11. Demonstrate solid pragmatic and sociolinguistic competence in English (equivalent to at least level B2 CEFR).
  12. Design tasks that foster a taste for reading and the development of critical thinking in primary pupils.
  13. Develop critical thinking applied to the selection of appropriate digital tools and resources as instruments of learning aimed at primary school pupils.
  14. Develop reading skills in English to be able to analyse the practical implications of carrying out theoretical proposals in the field of language teaching.
  15. Establish relations between the nursery and primary foreign language curriculum and that of the first language.
  16. Form teams that are capable of carrying out activities effectively both in person and remotely.
  17. Incorporating appropriate CMO activities for the development of CLIL units in the context of national and international programmes (Comenius, etc.).
  18. Knowing how to express oneself in the English language in oral and written form at an advanced level (corresponding at least to Level B2 of the CEFR).
  19. Knowing how to self-assess the level of knowledge of the English language and establish an improvement plan designed to obtain results aimed at excellence in communicative capability.
  20. Perform tasks and criteria of high educational value to promote integrated assessment of content in English.
  21. Produce didactic sequences for teaching and learning English in primary education.
  22. Produce structured teaching sequences in projects that promote both the integrated learning of the school’s languages and the development of digital learning and intercultural skills.
  23. Producing intelligible and fluent oral speech, while respecting the basic principles of pronunciation, rhythm and intonation in the English language.
  24. Recognising languages as a set of varieties that are all equally respectable, and demonstrating the theoretical knowledge needed to describe and explain the variations in the English language and the processes of standardisation.
  25. Understand basic pragmatics and semantics applied to the teaching of English and be able to analyse oral discourse in the classroom.
  26. Understand spoken academic discourse in English, know how to take notes and summarize the main ideas.
  27. Use advanced communication skills and strategies in the English language to suit the level of cognitive and communicative development of learners and interlocutors and be understood in English while efficiently using scaffolding strategies.
  28. Using ICTs in the design, development and self-evaluation of self-learning activities in English.
  29. Using a variety of advanced level communication resources in English properly, fluently and appropriate to the situation (equivalent to at least Level B2 of the CEFR).
  30. Using texts from children's literature in Spanish in order to develop English language learning activities in primary education.
  31. Using the English language as a common vehicle of communication in the university classroom and in the primary school classroom, as well as all academic tasks related to the subject.
  32. Using virtual environments as tools for written communication that respond to a variety of functions (recreational, academic, transactional, etc.) among learners.
  33. Using virtual platforms as a communication and management tool for directed and supervised activities.
  34. Work cooperatively in the production of projects to develop productive, receptive and interactive skills in English.
  35. Working efficiently as part of a team and individually, both in theoretical and practical activities, seeking resources and strategies that are appropriate for each situation.

Content

Part 1: Spoken English: Aspects of pronunciation and stress

1.1. Basic concepts of general phonetic description

1.2. English vowels & consonants

1.3. Homophones

1.4. Transcription

1.6. Suprasegmentals

 

Part 2: The practice of English language use in professional contexts (English for teaching purposes)

2.1. Why English for teaching purposes: characteristics and rationale. 

2.2. Speaking about education in general English: a review of grammar, lexis and idioms. 

2.3. ESP: English for Teaching Purposes. 

2.3.1. Vocabulary: classroom equipment, children's games and past times, translations of frequent expressions/words in Catalan schooling. 

2.3.2. Classroom management: doing a variety of functions in the class; pragmatic considerations.

2.3.2.1. Giving instructions and making requests: issues of register and politeness. 

2.3.2.2. Asking questions; types of questions: linguistic expression and conversational-pedagogical import.

 

Methodology

The teaching methodology is practical and is based on short in-class presentations of basic concepts, individual and joint correction of exercises and practical cases, and on structured discussions in class linked to issues relevant to the teaching of the English language, language models and linguistic variation. 

*Our teaching approach and assessment procedures may be altered if public health authorities impose new restrictions on public gatherings for COVID-19

 

 

 

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Correction and discussion of practical exercises 30 1.2 11, 23, 18, 6, 8, 31, 29
Directed discussions in class 5 0.2 10, 11, 23, 19, 18, 6, 31, 33
Presentation of theoretical concepts 15 0.6 26, 24, 33
Type: Supervised      
Group preparation and oral presentation of a topic 15 0.6 16, 11, 27, 23, 35, 29
Individual or group tutorials 25 1 9, 18, 8, 7
Small-group discussion of theory and practice 9 0.36 11, 23, 29
Type: Autonomous      
Exercises and practical activities 20 0.8 6, 8, 7
Independent study 17 0.68 9, 26, 7
Supplementary readings 8.2 0.33 26, 25, 33

Assessment

Students must bear the following in mind:

1) Only marks equal to or greater than 4.5/10 will be taken into account to calculate the course average. 

2) If a student hands in only ONE evaluation task, not enough evidence will have been submitted for assessment. S/he will be assessed as "no avaluable".

3) If a student hands in MORE THAN ONE evaluation task, enough evidence will have been submitted for assessment. S/he may then fail or pass the course.

4) VERY IMPORTANT: Total or partial plagiarism of any assessment items will mean that students will fail the whole course and not just the specific assignment. PLAGIARISM means copying from sources without identifying them -whether one sentence, one paragraph or a whole text- and then pretending it is the students' (THIS INCLUDES COPYING FROM THE INTERNET), and it is a major offence. Students must learn to respect others' intellectual property rights and to identify sources. It is necessary that they learn to be responsible for the originality and authenticity of their own texts.

5) Students are required to employ non-sexist language in their written and oral productions. For guidelines on how to do this, they are advised to check the website of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA): https://www.linguisticsociety.org/resource/lsa-guidelines-nonsexist-usage. Appropriate use of language will be part of the assessment criteria. 

 

Approximate assessment dates: 

-In-class test on Part I: week 3

-Oral presentation: weeks 11-12

-Part 1 oral exam: week 8

-Part 1 written exam: week 8

-Part 2 written exam: week 14

 

Reassessment:

Reassessment will only be possible in the following cases: 

-Students having passed activities weighing 60% (or greater) of the coursemark. It will only be possible to reassess a maximum of TWO items. 

-A minimum mark of 3.5 will be necessary to reassess any items. 

 

Evaluation Activities Excluded from Reassessment:

The following activities are not eligible for reassessment:

-in-class test on Part I (this is reassessed by passing the written exam for part 1, English pronunciation)

-oral presentation

-significant contribution to classroom discussion and activities

 
The highest grade obtainable after reassessing one activity is 6/10 (PASS). 
 

Procedure for Reviewing Grades Awarded:

On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturer swill inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

 

 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
In-class test on Part 1 10% 1 0.04 26, 18, 7
Oral presentation 20% 0.5 0.02 16, 25, 10, 11, 27, 24, 18, 6, 34, 35, 31, 29
Part 1 oral exam 20% 0.3 0.01 29
Part 1 written exam 20% 1 0.04 9, 26, 23, 18, 29
Part 2 written exam 25% 2 0.08 4, 26, 25, 11, 24, 18, 29
Significant contribution to classroom discussion and activities 5% 1 0.04 1, 3, 2, 26, 25, 14, 20, 13, 12, 21, 22, 15, 17, 23, 24, 19, 6, 8, 7, 32, 28, 33, 30, 5

Bibliography

Part 1:

Hancock, Mark (2012) English Pronunciation in Use. Self-study and Classroom Use. Intermediate (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Estebas Vilaplana, Eva (2009) Teach Yourself English Pronunciation: An Interactive Course for Spanish Speakers. Madrid: UNED.

Smith, Jonathan and Annette Margolis (2007) Pronunciation: Study Book. Reading: Garnet Education.

Solé, Maria-Josep (1991) Stress and Rhythm in English. Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses 4: 145-162. Downloadable from: http://rua.ua.es/dspace/bitstream/10045/5496/1/RAEI_04_13.pdf

Rogerson, Pamela and Judy B. Gilbert (1990) Speaking Clearly. Cambridge: CUP.

O’Connor, Joseph D. (1980) Better English Pronunciation. Cambridge: CUP.

Wells, John C. (2008) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. London: Longman

Web resources:

Department of Phonetics and Linguistics UCL - Identify the symbol:http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/johnm/flash/findrp.htm

The International Phonetic Association: http://www.langsci.ucl.ac.uk/ipa/ipachart.html

Sheep or ship? (vowels): http://www.shiporsheep.com/

Phonetics: The sounds of spoken language (English and Spanish), University of Iowa: http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/# (consonant profiles)

Type IPA phonetic symbols: http://ipa.typeit.org/

 

Part 2:

Hughes, Glyn S. (2001) A Handbook of Classroom English. Oxford:  Oxford University Press. 

Salaberry, Sagrario (1995) Classroom Language. London: Macmillan.

Slattery, Mary and Jane WIllis (2001) English for Primary Teachers: A Handbook ofActivities and Classroom Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 

Spratt, Mary (1994) Language for the Teacher: A Language Development Course. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Web resources

http://www.usingenglish.com/files/pdf/classroom-language-moving-around.pdf

http://www.pearsonlongman.com/young_learners/pdfs/classroomlanguage.pdf

http://finchpark.com/courses/classeng/

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/ELT-17-screen-Language-Improvement.pdf

General reference language materials

Kennedy-Scanlon, Michael, Elisabet Pladevall and Juli Cebrian (2012) Guided Error Correction.: Exercises for Spanish-Speaking Students of English. Level B2. Bellaterra: Publicacions de la UAB.

McCarthy, Michael & Felicity O’Dell (2005) English Vocabularyin Use Advanced. Cambridge: CUP.

McCarthy, Michael & Felicity O’Dell (2005) Test Your English Vocabulary in Use Advanced. Cambridge: CUP.

McCarthy, Michael & Felicity O’Dell (2007) English Phrasal Verbs in Use Advanced. Cambridge: CUP.

McCarthy, Michael & Felicity O’Dell (2008) Academic Vocabulary in Use. Cambridge:  CUP.

Parrott, Martin (2000) Grammar for English Language Teachers. Cambridge:  CUP.

Vince, Michael (2008) MacMillan English Grammar in Context Advanced. London: MacMillan Heinemann.

Vince, Michael and Emmerson, P. (2003) First Certificate Language Practice (with key). Oxford: Macmillan.

Swan, Michael (2005) Practical English Usage (3rd ed.) Oxford: OUP.

Swan, Michael and Catherine Walter (1997) How English Works: A Grammar Practice Book. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Yule, George (2006) Oxford PracticeGrammar. Advanced (with key). Oxford: Oxford University Press

 

A selection of Internet resources for language learning and teaching

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/
http://www.world-english.org/

 

Dictionaries 

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, OUP.

Collins Cobuild English Dictionary, Harper Collins Publishers.

Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, CUP.

Collins English-Spanish/Spanish-English Dictionary, 6th ed., Grijalbo.

Longman Language Activator. Longman.

 

On-line dictionaries

http://www.ldoceonline.com/ (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)

http://www.merriam-webster.com/ (Merriam-Webster dictionaries on line)

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ (Cambridge dictionaries on line)

http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/ (Cambridge official examination practice)

www.els-lab.com (listening exercises with self-correction multiple-choice activities)

www.pbs.org (American public television. Documentaries. American English)

http://5yiso.appspot.com/ (Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English)