Master in Applied Linguistics: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Second language learning and teaching

1. Second language acquisition

   This subject introduces the main models of second language acquisition and explores their implications for classroom teaching. First language acquisition is also considered and parallels are drawn between the two processes. The influence of context on second language acquisition is explored, and you are encouraged to reflect on the factors, which may affect the language acquisition of learners in your particular context.

2. Teaching pronunciation

   This subject provides a formal introduction to the field of phonetics and phonology in the English language. Aspects of phonology such as stress, intonation and sounds are examined in some detail. Current debates over the teaching of phonology are reviewed, and we examine the practical implications for the teaching of pronunciation in the classroom.

3. Individual factors in the learner's development

   All classrooms are made up of groups of individuals each with their own life experience, patterns of language, emotional and intellectual development, and learning styles. Recently, research has put increasing emphasis on the role of individual factors in the learner’s language development. This subject looks at the cognitive, affective, physical and psychological factors, which influence the individual’s language learning. Constructs such as intelligence, aptitude, motivation and personality are critically examined.

4. Observation and research in the language classroom

   This subject introduces the major research traditions and the views of knowledge that underpin them. Current approaches to classroom research are explored, as is the assumption that all observation is selective and culturally constructed. This subject provides a solid base of knowledge and techniques from which to approach your Practicum and Final Project.

5. Approaches to language in the classroom context

   This subject provides an introduction to the most important current psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic theories. We examine how perceptions towards the nature of learner language have changed over the last few decades. The concept of interlanguage is explored in depth, and research into classroom interaction is critically reviewed. We also look at the role of input in language learning, and the current psycholinguistic notions of ’noticing’ and ’restructuring’ are presented.

6. Content & Language Integrated Learning

   CLIL (Content & Language Integrated Learning) looks like a good candidate for the next revolution in language teaching, although its growing tentacles reach out into other areas of the curriculum and force us to consider more seriously the role of content, how we define that content, how we choose it and how we can teach it more effectively. CLIL also raises interesting questions about the relationship between language and cognition that are too often neglected at classroom level. This subject looks at its brief history, its theoretical bases, and how it might represent the future of language teaching.

Methodologies and materials in language learning and teaching

1. Methodological approaches

   This subject familiarises you with the main methodological approaches in ELT. Methods such as Grammar-Translation, the Audio-lingual Method and the Direct Method etc. are reviewed historically. Contemporary approaches such as humanistic, communicative, lexical and learner-centred approaches are discussed, and the notion of ‘method’ is analysed in depth.

2. Developing language skills in the classroom

   This subject looks in detail at approaches to the teaching of the macro skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in ELT. Current views based on recent research into these skills are presented, and the teaching of grammar and vocabulary are also examined. A range of practical classroom activities and teaching techniques for developing learners’ use of the language are evaluated.

3. Materials and resources in EFL - design, creation, adaptation and evaluation

   This subject includes an examination of EFL materials (textbooks and supplementary materials) that are currently used in the profession, and explores their strengths and weaknesses in relation to features of context and curricula. Principles of materials evaluation are identified and prioritised. The process of materials design, creation, trial and revision in specific teachings contexts is highlighted.

4. Classroom management techniques and reflections on practice

   This subject identifies some of the key features of management in classrooms, such as classroom talk, corrective feedback, group work and the use of L1. Current views on mixed ability teaching and discipline are also touched on. The important area of teachers’ beliefs, known as ‘teaching thinking’, is covered thoroughly.

5. Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL)

   This subject introduces students to the ways in which computer software can be used to develop learners' language skills and examines how CALL relates to teaching methodologies. You will be made aware of the issues involved in using computers to assist language learning. You will evaluate software including developments in multimedia software and Internet applications.

6. Teaching English through Translation

   This subject, written by the University of Vigo, starts with a brief history of translation as an introduction to how translation can be used in the EFL classroom. The differences between teaching translation as a subject per se and as a tool in the teaching of a foreign language are also explored, and different approaches to how translation can be used to enhance the learning process, even in communicative classrooms, are considered.

Curriculum and course design

1. Tasks and Projects

   This subject presents an approach to teaching structured around tasks and projects. We examine the structure of a learning task, its components, and the effective sequencing of different types of tasks within units of work (’unidades didácticas’). The criteria for the evaluation of tasks are examined, and the current debate on the need for a focus on form in tasks is reviewed. We analyse the implications of task-based teaching for syllabus and curriculum design, specifically in the context of project work.

2. Learning strategies

   This subject examines research into learning strategies, and considers how we can encourage our students to develop these further. Taxonomies of learning strategies are presented and related to current trends in ELT course books.

3. English in the community

   This subject on sociolinguistics looks at the social and cultural context in which language is situated and in which it is learned. The global position of English will be explored to gain a better understanding of its future status, its likely expansion or decline. We examine how gender and race affect language use, as well as the notion of language shift. Important current issues such as the social implications of bilingualism are also explored.

4. Assessment and testing in the classroom

   This subject looks at the purposes which assessment serves and describes current practices and trends in assessment and testing in ELT. The fundamental principles of testing are examined, and both formal and informal approaches to testing are explored.

5. Curriculum and course design - principles and practice

   This subject looks at models of curriculum and course design, and their planning, implementation and evaluation in a variety of national contexts. Two main paradigms of curricula are presented, and the principles of syllabus design are examined in depth. An outline of the most significant syllabus types is provided.

Practicum Final Project

Even if it seems that the Practicum and the Research Project are not related, they are two different stages of one project. Broadly speaking, the process consists of choosing a topic in which you are interested and doing a monographic project on it. The Practicum is the work camp and the analysis and design is the research.

This project can be a practical piece of research (e.g. teachers that want to improve their teaching methodology), a theoretical one (e.g. teachers that want to research into applied linguistics in the TELF field) or, even, a mixture of them both.

Observação: O conteúdo do programa acadêmico pode estar submetido a ligeiras modificações, em função das atualizações ou das melhorias efetuadas.