Postgraduate - UnitEDF5675 - Directions in teaching languages: Foundation to year 10

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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12 points, SCA Band 1, 0.250 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Postgraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Education
Offered	Not offered in 2015

Synopsis

This unit explores how issues around language and culture play out in language policies, curriculum and practice in both Australian and international contexts and the implications of these for leading languages education. The unit focuses on contemporary research findings in language acquisition, including oracy and literacy development in the first and second language. It explores how views of language and culture have informed different approaches to language teaching and curricula, and how the tensions between the products of high culture and popular culture are addressed and integrated into languages teaching. It presents new understandings of how transcultural and intercultural learning impacts on languages and the need for effective and adaptive communication including in online settings.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit students should be able to:

critically evaluate how policy shapes language teaching and is in turn shaped by research in first and second language acquisition and pedagogy
investigate how policy influences curriculum frameworks
understand how curriculum frameworks are interpreted in the local context
demonstrate an awareness of the impact of transcultural and intercultural factors on learning and interaction in a range of modes
apply understandings of how views of language learning and culture have informed different approaches to language teaching.

Assessment

Journal compilation (4000 words, 50%)
Critical analysis of a syllabus or teaching program (4000 words, 50%)

Workload requirements

Flexible mode offers a stand-alone online offering that allows students to learn and engage in content and assessment in a supported way. It also provides a face-to-face component of 12 hours over the semester to engage students with the online learning content, which students are encouraged to attend if they are able.

Minimum total expected workload equals 288 hours per semester comprising:

(a.) Contact hours for flexible students:

12 contact hours and 24 hours equivalent of online activities over the semester or
36 hours equivalent of online activities over the semester

(b.) Additional requirements (all students):

independent study to meet the minimum required hours per semester

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Leadership

Prerequisites

Equivalent of 36 credit points (post Year 12) in a language other than English plus proficiency in spoken and written language. Native speakers of the language must seek a statement of equivalence from a Victorian university to verify that they meet the standard of a 'post Year 12 major study'.