This course is intended to familiarize students with the issues and procedures involved in developing a language curriculum and to enable them to design their own curriculum for a specific group of learners.
This course takes the view that technology can be both tool and tutor in language education. The role of technology in language education is examined as an aspect of curriculum design, that is, the starting point is needs analysis and resulting curriculum, rather than technology. The course will describe the characteristics of various applications such as email, computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and webpages. It will help participants evaluate the role of information technology in language teaching and learning. Participants will explore the use of technology in different educational settings, and how to integrate it in course design. Students will be required to develop a unit of work for an ELT class, integrating technology and to prepare a research proposal to investigate an aspect of technology in language education.
1. how teachers learn to teach a second language
2. the nature of language
3. how second languages are taught and learned
4. social, cultural, and historical influences on the second language teaching profession
5. the spectrum and roles of second language teachers’ professional development.