English Language in Primary Teaching 2300-NJ-MPNJA-JW

Students are prepared to teach English and to teach English through exercises and activities conducted in English without using the students' mother tongue, i.e. to teach vocabulary using gestures, pictures or games based on TPR (Listen-and-do, e.g.. Simon Says...), to teach grammar implicitly through modelling dialogues, guessing games and stories, to teach linguistic functions in natural communication, to consciously build students' communication skills in a structured way, to organise classroom work using simple, understandable instructions in English, to build a friendly atmosphere around using the language for communication, and to talk in English about their teaching practice. In the course, students broaden and strengthen the content base of English teaching by analysing all the vocabulary, functions and grammar taught in early childhood education, and students with lower language skills have the opportunity to practise the language they need and build a high level of correctness. Students with higher language skills can prepare for the job of a teacher of early childhood education in English (CLIL) and build strategies for dealing with language problems in the context of bilingual teaching.

Type of course

foreign languages
obligatory courses

Mode

Classroom

Prerequisites (description)

The course is based on the following premises: - a foreign language is acquired by children by observing its use in communicative situations in which the child participates, so the English teacher should create such situations in the classroom by teaching in English and using English naturally in communication;

Course coordinators

Paulina Marchlik

Learning outcomes

In terms of knowledge the student knows and understands:
- Stephen Krashen's theory and its implications for the work of the teacher (K_W01),
- the instructions used to organise work in the classroom (K_W08)
- all the vocabulary and functions that are used in teaching English to young children (K_W08, K_W09),
- all the grammatical structures used in teaching English to young children and how to use them (K_W08, K_W09),
- the most common techniques used in teaching English to young children and the language that is used in them (K_W08, K_W09).

In terms of skills, the student is able to:
- Adapt their language to the students' level of understanding and use other means to facilitate understanding (gestures, facial expressions, pictures, etc.) (K_U10),
- Consciously incorporate into their language the linguistic elements they are expected to teach (K_U03),
- Consciously create situations in which it is natural to use the linguistic elements to be taught (K_U09, K_U12),
- Maintain a very high level of linguistic correctness at least within the language used in class (K_U03),
- Organise the work in class by communicating in English, including reacting to unforeseen situations (K_U10, K_U14),
- Describe an event or a situation in class in English and express their professional opinion (K_U03, K_U04).

In terms of social competence, the student is ready to:
- teach English in English (K_K06, K_K07),
- reflect on their work and their professional development in English (K_K01, K_K02).

Assessment criteria

To pass the course, the student must
- Be present in at least 80% of classes and actively participate in class work
- Pass all oral and written assignments in class
- Produce a personal language portfolio
- Prepare and correctly perform a microteaching task using a language exercise suitable for children.

The credit for this element takes into account:
- the choice of the exercise (it should be interesting and substantive, i.e. it should effectively teach, practise or test specific elements of the language, as well as make good use of lesson time; it should also be valuable from the teacher's point of view, i.e. adaptable to different contexts, easy to prepare and carry out, etc.),
- efficiency of the exercise in terms of organisation in English (good instructions, appropriate pace, good materials, etc.),
- the linguistic correctness of both the linguistic content of the exercise (content, materials) and the instructions and explanations of the student leading the exercise.

Practical placement

Bibliography

Slattery M. (2001). English for Primary Teachers. Oxford

Supplementary literature: - Selected according to the topics discussed

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 2300-NJ-MPNJA-JW in USOSweb