2009-10 AM Teaching for Communicative Competence

English Didactics
Educational Terminology
Online Resources for ELT
Online Journals for Foreign Language Teaching
Literary Research for Didactics
Secondary Literature for ELT

• Lecturer: Wolfgang Gehring
• Language tutor: Lindsay
• Time: Tuesdays, 2-4pm
• Venue: A10 1-121

 Notice: The English didactics template to the right has been updated. See especially
 the sections "Educational Terminology" and "Secondary Literature for ELT."

• Grundlagen der Leistungsbewertung in AM 7 und AM 8
• Erwartungshorizont von AM 7 und AM 8

Week 1 - October 20, 2009

Writing/developing a poster AND CLT in plans and syllabuses

• In this session we will take a closer look at official guidelines and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

 Before class please look at the topics for this semester and choose two possible dates when you would be able to give a
 presentation.

For this session please download:

• Referenzrahmen: Hueber wiki

• Core curriculum: Niedersächsisches Kulturministerium

Week 2 - October 27, 2009

What makes lesson plans communicative?

• Please collect definitions of communicative competence (the following link to google books may be helpful).

• Please outline basic elements of the concept of communicative competence as it is used in the Niedersachen core curricula (of your school form).

Week 3 - November 3, 2009

Skill development and CLT

References:

• Appel, Joachim. "Sprechen als performance." Der Fremdsprachliche Unterricht Englisch 47 (2000): 28-31.
• De Florio-Hansen, Inez. "Sinnvolles Üben - kommunikationsorientiert." Praxis Fremdsprachenunterricht 4 (2007): 6-11.
• Kieweg, Werner. "Coffee? Mmh. Milk, too? Die kommunikative Relevanz der Grammatik reflektieren." Der Fremdsprachliche Unterricht Englisch 82 (2006): 31-36.
• Kieweg, Werner. "Mündliche Leistungen beurteilen." Der Fremdsprachliche Unterricht Englisch 40 (2007): 10-13.
• Massler, Ute. "Aufgaben zur Entwicklung interkultureller kommunikativer Kompetenz in medial vermittelten Begegnungssituationen." Englisch 3 (2005): 1-10.
• Taubenböck, Andrea. "Sprache kommt von sprechen. Ein Plädoyer für mehr Mündlichkeit im Englischunterricht." Der Fremdsprachliche Unterricht Englisch 90 (2007): 2-8.

Week 4 - November 10, 2009

Concepts of CLT

• Action Item: Write a review of the lesson plan "zoo". Do not write more than 250 words. Apply your indicators. Be prepared to read your text aloud in class.

Week 5 - November 17, 2009

Pedagogical perspectives on CLT

• Learning strategies (Rebecca Oxford)
• Good language learners (Naimann et al)
• Action item: a) Please define five features for evaluating lesson plans. b) Apply your features by analyzing "Shop" (see download on Stud-ip)
• Preparation: Please outline questions that aim at gaining data about learning strategies that individual learners apply.

Task 1: Describe a classroom (used in a figurative sense) that supports good language learning strategies. Consider

• the role of the teacher
• the design of activities
• the attitude toward errors
• the explicit teaching of strategies
• the role of explicit teaching
• the learning outcomes

Task 2: Outline a research project on strategy use

• describe why strategies play an important role in modern ELT
• develop from this your hypothesis/your research question
• outline the method you would apply

References:

• Griffiths, Carol, ed. Lessons from Good Language Learners. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
• Oxford, Rebecca. "Language Learning Strategies." The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Eds. Ronald Carter and David Nunan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. 166-172.
• Oxford, Rebecca. "Language Learning Strategies in a Nutshell: Update and ESL Suggestions." Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. Eds. Jack C. Richards and Willy A. Renandya. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. 124-132.
• Chapters 8.3 and 8.4. in: Johnson, Keith. An Introduction to Foreign Language Learning and Teaching. 2001. 2nd ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, 2008. 142-158.

Week 6 - November 24, 2009

How should we teach grammar?

References:

• Section 7: "Teaching Grammar." Methodology in language teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. Eds. Jack C. Richards and Willy A. Renandya. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. 145-174.
• Pachler, Norbert and Jo Bond. "Teaching and learning grammar." Teaching Modern Foreign Languages at Advanced Level. Ed. Norbert Pachler. London: Routledge, 1999. 93-116.
• Gnutzmann, Claus, and Frank G. Königs, eds. Perspektiven des Grammatikunterrichts. Tübingen: Gunther Narr Verlag, 1999.

Week 7 - December 1, 2009

How should we teach grammar?/Poster research

 Homework due Dec. 1:
 1. Your task (workload): Is grammar teaching always necessary? Please write a paraphraph with no more than 400 words.
 2. Activities: Form-focused and function-focused grammar practise (see Richard text in stud-ip folder for 24.11.09)
 3. The role of consciousness-raising (see Ellis text in stud-ip folder for 24.11.09)
 4. PPP: Lesson planning and grammar teaching (see Ziegeser text in stud-ip folder for 24.11.09)
 Please be prepared to outline your reserach project for the poster session!!!!!!

Suggestions for actions items (3KP) and research projects/posters (6KP):

• Action Item 1 (3KP): How form-focused or task-focused are grammar activities in ____(book title)?
• Research Project 1 (6KP): On the same topic, but based on a corpus of: 4-8 books (classes 5/6; 7/8, Cornelsen, Klett, Diesterweg)

• Action Item 2 (3KP): Research proposal: Mnemonic strategies learners apply in vocabulary learning.
• Research Project 2 (6KP): On the same topic

• Action Item 3 (3KP): What strategies are promoted in class through textbooks?
• Research Project 3 (6KP): What strategies do learners prefer for vocabulary learning (young learners/adult learners/fellow students....)?

• Action Item 4 (3KP): Attitudes in "Einführungen" toward grammar teaching. A comparison of English/French/German as a foreign language.
• Research Project 4 (6KP): What are good language learners? Questionnaire for primary/Realschule/Gymnasium teachers and a comparison of data.

• Action Item 5 (3KP): Tips for learning vocabulary efficiently: What textbooks recommend and the perspective of research.
• Research Project 5 (6KP): see AI 5

• Action Item 6 (3KP): Research proposal for AI 5

Feel free to suggest a topic of your own choice.

Week 8 - December 8, 2009

How should we teach vocabulary?

• Action Item: How do you select vocabulary for a given level? What do modern introductions to methodology or didactics tell us? (5-6 pages, 3 KP)
• Research (6KP): How do teachers at different schools select, introduce, and routinize vocabulary?
• Research (6KP): How do modern textbooks deal with vocabulary learning (in the short term/long term)?
• Reserach (6KP): What didactic fields are practitioners interested in? (And do introductions to ELT respond to this at all?)

References:

• Adamczak-Krysztofowicz, Sylwia and Antje Stork. “Zum Vokabellernen befähigen: Lernstrategien vermitteln.” Praxis Fremdsprachenunterricht 6 (2007): 27-31.
• Aßbeck, Johann. "Schaut Euch dann bis zur nächsten Stunde die Wörter an! Hausaufgaben und Wörterlernen.“ Der Fremdsprachliche Unterricht Englisch 22 (1996): 25-30.
• Bahns, Jens. Kollokationen und Wortschatzarbeit im Englischunterricht. Tübingen: Gunther Narr Verlag, 1997.
• Birkenbihl, Vera F. “Warum Vokabellernen nicht funktioniert.” Sprachenlernen leichtgemacht!: Die Birkenbihl-Methode zum Fremdsprachenlernen. 1987. 31st ed. Speyer: GABAL-Verlag, 2006. 21-23.
• Carter, Ronald. “Vocabulary.” The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Eds. Ronald Carter and David Nunan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. 42-47.
• De Florio-Hansen, Inez. “Lernen, wie man Wortschatz lernt: von der Instruktion zur Lernerautonomie.“ Der Fremdsprachliche Unterricht Französisch 23 (1996): 4-11.
• Finger, Hans. “Wieviel Kontext beim Wörterlernen im Englischunterricht?“ Praxis des neusprachlichen Unterrichts 44.3 (1997): 252-256.
• Kieweg, Werner. “15 Tricks zum Vokabellernen.” Lernchancen 53.9 (2006): 21-36.
• Kreyer, Rolf. “Das Korpus im Klassenzimmer.” Praxis Fremdsprachenunterricht 6 (2007): 17-21.
• Neveling, Christiane. Wörterlernen mit Wörternetzen: Eine Untersuchung zu Wörternetzen als Lernstrategie und als Forschungsverfahren. Tübingen: Gunther Narr Verlag, 2004.
• Sommerschuh, Günther. “Any unknown words? Let me show you what I know! Schüleraktivierende Methoden in der Sekundarstufe I.“ Praxis Fremdsprachenunterricht 4.4 (2007): 40-44.
• Stork, Antje. Vokabellernen: Eine Untersuchung zur Effizienz von Vokabellernstrategien. Tübingen: Günther Narr Verlag, 2003.

Week 9 - December 15, 2009

Principles of lesson planning

• Class description
• Timetable fit
• Anticipated problems
• Content selection
• Activities, procedures, and timing
• Lesson aims/learning outcomes
• Formal plan

 For this session: Please be prepared to explain in detail how to practice vocabulary (possibly the list you dealt with in 
 your group work session).

• Action Item: Lesson planning: A comparison of didactic views and perspectives at Studienseminare
• Action Item: A comparison of lesson planning in German and in international ELT publications

Reference:

• Bailey, Kathleen M. "The best laid plans: teachers‘ in-class decisions to depart from their lesson plans." Voices From the Language Classroom: Qualitative Research in Second Language Acquisition. Eds. David Nunan and Kathleen M. Bailey. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. 15-40.

Week 10 - January 5, 2010

Practicing language

Facilitation: Christel, Anja, Anbneka, Daniel

References:

• Was sind Übungen?
• Was sind Aufgaben?
• Ch. 5.3 "Übungstypologie." Roche, Jörg. Interkulturelle Sprachdidaktik: Eine Einführung. Tübingen: Narr, 2001. 185ff.

Week 11 - January 12, 2010

Speaking and writing

Facilitation: Voigt, Walter, Niklas, Stefan

Week 12 - January 19, 2010

Listening and reading

Facilitation: Friederike Tiemerding, Anne-Sophie Sauer, Henrike von Delft, Ann-Kristin Bux

References:

• Oral texts/written texts: Edmondson, Willis. Twelve Lectures on Second Language Acquisition: Foreign Language Teaching and Learning Perspectives. Tübingen: Gunther Narr Verlag, 1999.

• Ur, Penny. Teaching Listening Comprehension. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984.

• "Section 10: Teaching Listening." Methodology in language teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. Eds. Jack C. Richards and Willy A. Renandya. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. 235-254.

• "Section 12: Teaching Reading." Methodology in language teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. Eds. Jack C. Richards and Willy A. Renandya. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. 273-302.

Week 13 - January 26, 2010

Media in ELT

Week 14 - February 2, 2010

Individual counselling