Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Code: 44310 ECTS Credits: 15| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Formación de Profesorado de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Enseñanza de Idiomas | OP | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Emilee Sarah Moore De Luca
- Email:
- emilee.moore@uab.cat
Teachers
- Berta Torras Vila
- Marta Mañosa Martí
- Elena Markina Kalakina
- Claudia Vallejo Rubinstein
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
Those set by the Departament d'Educació, Generalitat de Catalunya. Advanced communicative competence in English, equivalent to level C2 of the CEFR, is highly recommended.
Objectives and Contextualisation
This subject is aimed at future teachers of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) so that they may become familiar with basic teaching strategies for teaching English to teenagers and adults in institutional contexts and acquire basic knowledge and skills to help them continue to improve as teachers of English throughout their professional lives. These goals are based on the following learning objectives:
- To become familiar with the basic principles underlying Catalan language policies relating to foreign languages in educational curricula.
- To become familiar with theoretical and methodological principles of learning foreign languages in institutional environments, supported by research in the field.
- To apply appropriate criteria for selecting, adapting and/or creating materials for teaching foreign languages in inclusive multilingual contexts.
- To design teaching proposals that are appropriate for specific learners, according to the principles established in Catalan curricula concerning foreign languages in compulsory and post-compulsory secondary education and Official Language Schools (Escola Oficial d'Idiomes, EOI), and the theoretical and methodological principles of foreign language teaching.
- To analyse and manage interaction in the foreign language classroom.
- To collaborate with other student-teachers to achieve the training objectives by cooperating in the completion of the learning tasks.
Regardless of the language certificates handed in at the pre-enrolment stage, students taking this subject are reminded that on completing all course requirements they are eligible to be English teachers, meaning that they need to be strong language models for students. Students who enrol in this subject are expected to be able to express themselves fluently, accurately and appropriately in English - in terms of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation - in everyday situations and in all situations related to the teaching profession (debates, reports, oral presentations, classroom management, etc.). They should also be able to read and comprehend informative, literary and professional texts without difficulty.
This Master’s Degree is aligned with European policies and guidelines promoting plurilingual competences. For this reason, it is expected that students display a receptive, appreciative an open attitude to the use of languages other than English in this course, whether known to the student or otherwise.
Learning Outcomes
- CA32 (Competence) Create flexible situations for foreign language learning using justified strategies and methodologies to promote inclusive competency-based learning.
- CA33 (Competence) Build educational and training assessment into programming as a tool to check and regulate foreign language learning.
- CA34 (Competence) Integrate dialogic interaction dynamics and the mediating role of the teacher to activate and regulate learning into the proposals of the foreign language classroom.
- CA35 (Competence) Integrate digital technology effectively into foreign language teaching-learning situations.
- KA23 (Knowledge) Describe how language teaching is organised in the school's language project and the educational challenges it has to face in order to diagnose and meet the needs of students with regard to foreign language learning.
- KA24 (Knowledge) Identify a humanistic vision that integrates literary, scientific, social and artistic knowledge in the interpretation of reality for foreign language subjects.
- KA25 (Knowledge) Remember the curricular contents of the foreign language, as well as the body of teaching knowledge around the respective teaching and learning processes.
- SA31 (Skill) Incorporate inclusive measures into the process of teaching and learning the foreign language.
- SA32 (Skill) Apply the gender equity perspective in the planning of educational action and the selection of materials for the foreign language classroom from an intersectional perspective.
- SA33 (Skill) Master oral and written expression both in academic discursive practice and in foreign language teaching practice.
Content
BLOCK 1. Foundations of teaching English as a foreign language
1.1. Theories, approaches, and methods of teaching and learning English. Historical perspective and critical analysis. Plurilingualism and pluriculturality. Linguistic competence, communicative competence, interactive competence, plurilingual and pluricultural competence.
1.2. European policies linked to the promotion of plurilingualism and pluriculturality. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: learning, teaching, and assessment (CEFRL). Reference levels and competence descriptors in the CEFR. Language activities in the CEFR: production, reception, interaction, and mediation. Assessment scales and European certification systems based on the CEFRL. The Framework of Reference for Pluralistic Approaches to Languages and Cultures (CAREP/MAREP/FREPA). Descriptors of plurilingual and pluricultural competence. Pluralistic teaching approaches.
1.3. The linguistic model of the Catalan education system. The school language project. Curricular design for English teaching in secondary education, high school, vocational training, and adult education. Curricular innovation in English teaching. Integrated teaching. The transition between educational stages. External assessment systems.
BLOCK 2. Planning and resources for teaching and assessing English as a foreign language
2.1. Short and long-term planning. Design, implementation and assessment of learning situations. Task and project-based learning. Types of projects, tasks and communicative activities. The role of reflection on language in English learning. Explicit teaching of grammar and other aspects of the English language. Managing errors. Activities to promote metalinguistic and metacommunicative awareness and sociocultural sensitivity. Inclusion and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in English teaching. Types of assessment: diagnostic, formative, summative.
2.2. Teaching strategies, teaching resources and materials design. Planning communication, time, and space management. Communication in the English language classroom: development and evaluation of receptive, productive, interactive, and mediation activities and skills. Integration of communication activities and skills into learning situations. Selection, analysis, adaptation and development of curriculum proposals and materials. Gender perspective and inclusion in the selection and development of teaching materials. Individual, pair, and small group work. Cooperative and collaborative learning. Autonomy and cooperation among learners in face-to-face and virtual classrooms. Strategies and resources for competency-based assessment. ICT and other resources in the English language classroom. Games in the English language classroom.
2.3. Discourse genres in task-based and project-based approaches and in integrated approaches. Oral, written, and multimodal discourse genres and their linguistic and communicative characteristics. Text typologies: narrative, argumentative, descriptive, explanatory, and descriptive. Critical reading.
2.4. Literary, audiovisual and popular culture production for adolescent and adult learners from the perspective of English language teaching. The use of literary texts from the media and other cultural productions, such as film, radio and television, the press, the Internet, song lyrics, comics, etc., relevant to adolescent and adult learners. The choice of literary texts. The representation of women and other underrepresented groups in literary and audiovisual production and popular culture. Literary texts, audiovisual works, and other cultural productions as triggers for teaching proposals.
SECTION 3. Classroom Interaction
3.1. The class session: time and space management. Interactive competence in school. Exolingual and multilingual interaction in the classroom. Exolingual communication strategies in the classroom. Interaction in the English language classroom between student-student and teacher-student. Turn-taking and classroom participation. The influence of gender on classroom participation. Interactional patterns in the classroom. Repair in the English language classroom.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| On-campus instructor-led activities (lectures, classroom practice, examples, case studies) | 97.5 | 3.9 | |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Specialized or on-campus conferences: attention to groups or individuals | 75 | 3 | |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Distance and autonomous learing activities | 202.5 | 8.1 |
The methodology of face-to-face sessions will combine lectures and teacher-led activities with student-led work, pair-work and group-work, presentations, debates and project-based learning. This requires active participation on behalf of students and the sustained use of English. English is the language in which teaching and assessment activities will be carried out.
This subject includes activities to develop students' digital teaching competence.
This subject includes excursions to different schools.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active and collaborative participation in learning and assessment tasks (individual grade, throughout the course) | 10% | 0 | 0 | CA34, CA35, KA24, SA31, SA32, SA33 |
| Design of a learning situation and oral presentation (groups, 18 December 2025) | 30% | 0 | 0 | CA32, CA33, CA34, CA35, KA23, KA24, KA25, SA31, SA32 |
| Design of a task and methodological reflection (groups, 5 December 2025) | 20% | 0 | 0 | CA32, CA34, CA35, KA24, KA25, SA32, SA33 |
| Exam on the design of an assessment strategy (individual, 22 January 2026) | 20% | 0 | 0 | CA33, CA35, KA23, KA25, SA31, SA33 |
| Mind-map linking ideas from the course (individual, 17 May 2026) | 20% | 0 | 0 | CA35, KA23, KA24, KA25, SA33 |
In order to pass the subject it is necessary to:
- Have a PASS in English, which requires demonstrating the efficient, fluent, adequate and accurate use (pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, text organisation, etc.) of the language in academic and teaching tasks, demonstrating a C1 level of general communicative competence based on the CEFR as well as classroom interactional competence, which includes being a good language model and an effective and efficient manager of communication in English in order to teach this language.
- Have a PASS in all individual assessment tasks.
- Show an attitude compatible with the teaching profession, such as: ethical commitment to the deontological principles of the profession, commitment and responsibility with work, respect, participation, active listening, cooperation, empathy, kindness, punctuality, not judging, arguing, etc.
- Make appropriate use of electronic devices (mobile, computer, tablet, etc.) in the classroom. These devices can ONLY be used for activities related to the subject.
For this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively in support tasks, such as bibliographic or information searches and the correction of written texts. Students must clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The final result of the tasks must reflect a significant contribution by the students in the analysis and personal reflection. The lack of transparency in the use of AI in assessable activities or the lack of originality of the results will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may lead to a total penalty (grade of 0) in the grade of the activity.
Assessment activities and dates:
A full program will be provided the first day of class and through the subject's Virtual Campus. Each instructor will explain the tasks and evaluation criteria for the block for which they are responsible during class.
Assignments will be delivered using the subject's virtual classroom. Assignments delivered in incorrect formats, which do not include the names of the authors, or which are delivered after the deadline will not be accepted. The student is responsible for ensuring that the format of the files is compatible with the vitual classroom.
Once officially communicated to students through the course program, assessment dates can only be modified by reasons of force majeure. If this is the case, the change of date will be announced through the subject's Virtual Campus.
The teaching staff will mark assessment activities in a maximum of 20 work days.
Calculation of the overall grade of the module:
As a general rule, the final grade for the subject is the weighted average obtained from all the assessment tasks in the subject.
A grade of not assessed will be obtained if 1) 66% of the assessment activities are not submitted and therefore the student has no right to re-sit, 2) 80% of the classes are have not been attended and a pass grade is not obtained in the re-sit period. In all other cases a numerical grade will be assigned.
Exceptions:
Grades earned on group assessment tasks will average with those earned on individual tasks only if the individual tasks have been passed.
Copying or plagiarism, both in the case of graded work and of examinations, constitutes a crime that may result in failing thecourse. An assignment, activity or exam is considered to be 'copied' when it reproduces all or part of the work of a peer. An assignment or activity is considered to be 'plagiarised' when part of an author's text is presented as one's own without citing the sources, regardless of whether the original sources are on paper or in digital format.
Continuous assessment:
It is necessary to attend a minimum of 80% of the hours assigned to the subject. In case of attendance below this % students will be eligible for re-sit assessment (see below).
Single assessment:
Although due to the characteristics of the subject this option is not advisable, this subject includes the single assessment modality. To qualify, it is necessary to request it within the deadline and following the procedures established by Gestió Acadèmica.
It is necessary to attend a minimum of 80% of the hours assigned to the subject. In case of attendance below this % students will be eligible for re-sit assessment (see below).
The assessment activities are the same and have the same weight as in continuous assessment, with the exception of group work, which will be presented individually if it is not possible to form a group. In addition, an individual interview may be held to confirm that the work submitted is the student's own.
The date for single assessment is May 14, 2026. This day all the work and tests will be submitted.
Global assessment:
This subject does not offer global assessment.
Revision:
When teachers communicate grades to students of the different formal assessment tasks, they will inform of the date, time and place of revision.
Claims:
Demands for clarification or claims about the grades received will be formulated in writing within a week after the revision.
Re-sit:
Students are expected to keep up with the pace of the subject, which includes passing each of the assessment tasks. Students who have handed in 2/3 of the tasks with a minimum average grade of 3.5, will be able to re-take the eligible activities failed on May 28, 2026. The grade for eachof these activities will not exceed 5 points out of 10.
In case of attendance below 80%, an additional individual assignment will be required that must be submitted in writing and orally in the re-sit period (in addition to the other re-sit assignments). The maximum overall grade for the subjectin this case will be a 5 out of 10.
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Software
No specific software is required.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (TEmRD) Teoria (màster RD) | 1 | English | annual | morning-mixed |