Missouri Western State University

School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism

FRE/GER/SPA 301
Methods in Teaching Foreign Language

 

Spring 2008

MWF

1:00-1:50

JGM 108

 

 

Dr. Susie Hennessy

Eder 212B

hennessy@missouriwestern.edu

271-5813

Office hours: MW 2-3, Tu 8:30-11:30


Textbooks

Shrum, Judith L. and Eileen W. Glisan. 2005. Teacher's Handbook: Contextualized Language Instruction, 3rd Edition. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers. (Required)

Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century. 1999. National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project. Yonkers, NY. (Recommended)

Note: Appendices and ancillary materials for the textbook can be found at http://thandbook.heinle.com.

 

Course Goals and Objectives

This course is designed for those students who are considering foreign language teaching as a profession and who have had no prior teaching experience or training. In this course, we will examine current trends in foreign language pedagogy, including the state/national standards, Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century, and the ACTFL/NCATE Standards for Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers. Our study will include at least the following areas:

State/National Standards

Contextualization

Speaking

Language Acquisition Theory

Oral Proficiency

Assessment

Reading

Planning for Instruction

Technology in Language Learning

Culture

Writing

Foreign Languages in the Middle School

Student Learning Styles

Professionalism

Listening

Communicative modes


The outcomes for this course are based on the INTASC Standards for Beginning Foreign Language Teachers

Upon completion of the course, the teacher candidate will:

·        demonstrate an understanding of the relationship of best practices and approaches to foreign language teaching.

·        make instructional decisions and analyze and evaluate how they affect the learning process.

·        recognize relationships among teacher expectations, instructional planning, learning styles, and student behavior.

·        create long-range and daily lesson plans that integrate the National Foreign Language Standards with state guidelines.

·        design a variety of authentic assessments.

·        demonstrate the effective use of technology to enhance instruction.

·        model international and cultural awareness.

·        participate in professional activities and organizations.

·        demonstrate ethical conduct and professionalism.

·        understand the role of teacher as researcher engaged in a continuing development process.

·        evaluate, select, adapt materials, including textbooks, workbooks, videos, software, authentic texts, for the communicative language classroom.


In this class, you will become familiar with professional foreign language organizations and professional publications. To this end, you may be asked to read articles in general as well as in specialized foreign language areas or to consult specified web sites. In some cases, you may select the article to read or the web site based on the topic being studied; in other cases, specific articles or sites will be assigned. You are expected to have announced readings and assigned chapters in the textbook read before we begin class discussion.


Assignments

You will design four mini-lessons in the course of the semester, two of which you will “teach” in class.  Detailed instructions and models will be provided.  Lessons will be evaluated by the instructor and by your peers.  You are expected to teach these lessons in the target language.

 

You will have weekly written assignments, including: Case Studies, Episodes (from textbook), and article reviews. All assignments (except Episodes) must be word processed.  Article reviews (3) are assigned with due dates already on the syllabus. You will receive grading criteria during the first week of class.

 

You will observe four different high school language classrooms and complete written observations of these experiences.  You will need to schedule these visits for observation with the teachers well in advance.

 

You will prepare a plan for a complete unit, consisting of the overall content, objectives and strategies. You will receive detailed instructions and models in class.

 

There will be a take-home final examination.

Attendance/participation

This portion of the grade includes your active participation in class and in campus events.  You begin with 100 points. For each late arrival/absence, 5 points are deducted. Each cultural event is worth 10 points. In order to receive full credit for participation, you must attend a minimum of three international/cultural events on campus during the spring semester. Examples of events: Pause Café, Foreign Film Series on campus, and lectures on French/German/Spanish or multicultural themes. You will need to provide written documentation of your attendance.


FLTEACH

Each student will subscribe to the Foreign Language TEACHing Forum (FLTEACH) for at least a four-week period. FLTEACH is a listserv established by Jean LeLoup and Robert Ponterio at SUNY-Cortland. It includes foreign language teaching methods, high school/college articulation, training of student teachers, and curriculum. Many teachers from all over the world post questions and suggestions. There is also an archive that you can visit to search information on a wide variety of topics, as well as Resources for Language Teachers.  Before you subscribe to FLTEACH, you should go to its website — http://www.cortland.edu/flteach — and read the general information on FLTEACH, including what it is, FLTEACH Archives and Biographies, Subscribing and setting your options, and other information.


Course Grade

The course grade will be determined as follows:

Attendance and participation – 10%

Four mini-lessons  — 25%

Assignments (case studies, article reviews) —30%

Unit Plan — 20%

  Final Examination — 15%


Assistance:  Please  come  and  see  me  during  my  office  hours  or  make  an  appointment  with  me.   Do not  hesitate  to  forward  any  question  you  might  have  through  email  as  well. 

 

Handicapped  Policy:  Any  student  in  this  course  who  has  a  disability  that  prevents  the  fullest   

expression  of  abilities  should  contact  me  personally  as  soon  as  possible  so we  can  discuss  class  requirements. 

 

Academic Honesty  Policy and Due Process 

Academic honesty is required in all academic endeavors.  Violations of academic honesty include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for another’s work, falsifying documents or academic records, or any other fraudulent activity.  Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure in the course, or expulsion from the University.  When a student’s grade has been affected, violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or designated representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report forms.

 

Please see the 2006-07 Student Handbook and Calendar on page 21 for specific activities identified as violations of this policy and the student due process procedure. This handbook is also available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf

 

Cheating or plagiarism on assignments or tests are not acceptable.  You will receive a grade of F for the paper that shows evidence of cheating and/or plagiarism. 

 


DATE

ASSIGNMENTS AND TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

KEY TERMS TO KNOW

Jan. 14-18

Introduction to course

Professional organizations

Professional journals

Read the preliminary chapter (pp. 1-10). 

ACTFL, AATF, AATG, AATSEEL, AATSP

 

Regional Organizations: CSC, SCOLT, FLAM

English as a Second/Foreign Language: TESOL

Early Language Learning: NNELL

Foreign Language Advocacy and Lobbying Group: Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL) and the National Council for Languages and International Studies (NCLIS)

 

The following site will give you links to state and foreign language standards, national foreign language teaching associations, other important national language research and support organizations, state foreign language teaching associations, and other professional resources: TFLTA Professional Resource Center

Foreign Language Publications:

Foreign Language Annals
The Modern Language Journal
The French Review
The Canadian Modern Language Review
Hispania
Die Unterrichtspraxis
The German Quarterly

Note: You will encounter many new ... and different acronyms in this course. Click here for a list of many common acronyms that are currently used in foreign languages.

 

Follow the link: "Rationale for Studying a Second Language" and study it carefully. You must complete the assignment in this module and hand it in for this course. The assignment is due in two weeks, i.e., on January 28, 2008.

Jan. 21 - 25

What is Proficiency?
What are the national standards?
What are the ACTFL K-12 Performance Guidelines?

You are to study carefully the module on "What Learners Should Know and Be Able to Do". This module contains introductory information on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, the National Standards, the ACTFL K-12 Performance Guidelines, and many links to state and local frameworks and standards of learning.

All students should become familiar with the Annenberg series, Teaching Foreign Languages K–12, which is a video library illustrating effective instruction and assessment strategies for teaching foreign languages. The language classrooms shown in this library include Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Latin, Russian, and Chinese. All classroom videos are subtitled in English and are appropriate for K–12 teachers of any foreign language. Created in conjunction with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), the library includes a 30-minute introduction and 60-minute overviews of ACTFL's Standards for Foreign Language Learning and new assessment practices, as well as 27 classroom programs. In the half-hour classroom programs, teachers from schools across the country model interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes of communication throughout a range of grade and competency levels. Concepts of culture, comparisons, connections to students' lives, and the importance of community are also integrated into the lessons. A Web site and print guide accompany the video programs, providing a complete professional development experience.

You must watch all of program 2: "Standards and the Five Cs." Just click on the icon beside the program you want to watch.

Jan. 28 – Feb. 1

Chapter 12: "Using Technology to Support Contextualized Language Instruction" (pp. 407-438)

Read the guidelines for video use at the PICS site .

Visit the site of the Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO) and also examine its journal, the CALICO Journal.

You should study this entire Web listing: "A Communications Technology Module for the Foreign Language Methods Course" — http://www.cortland.edu/flteach/methods

Carefully examine the information on the website of Jean LeLoup and Robert Ponterio containing an outline of their presentation, "Exploring the Pedagogical Use of Technology," that was presented at the 2001 ACTFL Annual Conference.

Study carefully the module on Technology. You are to complete all activities and the test included in this module and submit it to me. (Ignore the request to add this to a portfolio.) You will have two weeks after the completion of this chapter, i.e., until February 14, 2008.

Feb. 4 - 8

Chapter 1: "Understanding the Role of Contextualized Input and Output in the Language Learning Process" (pp.11-39)

Feb. 11-15

 Chapter 2: "Contextualizing and Integrating Language Instruction to Address Goals of the Standards for Foreign Language Learning" (pp. 40-64)

 

Teach mini-lessons on Feb. 20.

Feb. 20-22

Chapter 3: "Organizing Content and Planning for Integrated Language Instruction" (pp. 66-94)

Read an article on block scheduling and present your article review in class.

Feb. 25-29

 

Chapter 4: "Connecting Language Learning in the Elementary School" (pp. 95-123)

Become very familiar with the following three sites:

Curricular Models [Study the component on FLES/FLEX/Immersion]

NNELL — The National Network for Early Language Learning

National FLES* Institute

 

Teach mini-lessons on March 5.

 Mar. 3-7

 

Chapter 5: "Integrating Language Study in the Middle School Curriculum" (pp. 127-150)

Study the component on middle schools in Curricular Models

Mar. 17-21

Chapter 6: "Using an Interactive Approach to Develop Interpretive Communication" (pp. 154-184)

N.B. As you study the following chapters in Shrum & Glisan, you should become familiar with the remaining information in the module on Curricular Models (Foreign Language Study at the High School Level, Foreign Language Study K-12, Foreign Language Study at the Post-Secondary Level).

Teach mini-lessons on March 26.

Mar. 24-28

Chapter 7: "Using a Story-Based Approach to Teach Grammar" (pp. 189-213)

Read an article on the PACE model of instruction and present your article review in class.

Mar. 31

- Apr. 4

Chapter 8: "Developing Oral and Written Interpersonal Communication" (pp. 214-259)

Apr. 7-11

Chapter 9: "Developing Oral and Written Presentational Communication" (pp. 265-313)

Apr. 14-18

Chapter 10: "Addressing Diverse Needs of Learners in the Language Classroom" (pp. 314-354)

Watch the Annenberg workshop #6, "Valuing Diversity in Learners".

Teach mini-lessons on April 23.

Apr. 21-25

Chapter 11: "Assessing Standards-Based Language Performance in Context" (pp. 355-406)

Read an article on performance-based assessment and present your article review in class.

Watch  workshop #7, "Planning for Assessment" in the Annenberg series

Presentation of unit plans — April 28, 2008


NOTE: The final exam for this course will be handed out on April 28

and must be turned in on the date scheduled for the final exam.