Awareness Studies in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning - MA Seminar 1

Master's seminars

The seminar will offer coverage of selected current issues in the field of EFL teaching and learning (including, but not limited to: CLIL - Content and Language Integrated Learning, language play, vocabulary learning strategies, pedagogical grammar) from the perspective of language awareness. It will investigate the role of attention in learning vs. acquisition, means of developing awareness, types of pedagogical activities for consciousness-raising, sensitization to form vs. meaning.

First semester.

Aims of the seminar:

- to help students choose, negotiate and refine their research area,

- to conduct small scale research projects in the field of ELT methodology (incl. planning, piloting, conducting, analyzing and reporting),

- to assist students in the process of writing the MA thesis (incl. bibliographical quarries, outlining and drafting),

- to provide students with insight into new tendencies in applied linguistics and language pedagogy.

First semester:

- introduction to current issues in FL methodology: I will offer a coverage of selected current issues in the field of EFL teaching and learning with special prominence given to areas of my research interest (language awareness, corpus linguistics, CLIL).

- introduction to research methodology: I will offer a basic coverage of tools and techniques employed in researching the field of foreign language teaching and learning.

- introduction to appraisal of research: I will offer practice in the critical reading of research statements, reviews of literature and research findings.

Second semester:

- research methodology - cont.

- appraisal of research - cont.

- student presentation: you will be expected to present a version of your research-in-progress, including the exposition of the theoretical part of the thesis, the plan of empirical research and draft bibliography.

- a overview of main issues in EFL methodology.

Third semester:

- research methodology - cont.

- an overview of main issues in ELF methodology

- one-to-one tutorials.

Fourth semester:

- one-to-one tutorials.

Bielska, J. (2006) Between Psychology and Foreign Language Learning. Katowice: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego.

Brown, J. D. (1988) Understanding Research in Second Language Learning. Cambridge: CUP.

Brzeziński, J. (2000) Badania eksperymentalne w psychologii i pedagogice. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe SCHOLAR.

Brzeziński, J. (2003) Metodologia badań psychologicznych. Warszawa: PWN.

Cohen, L. and Manion, L. (2000) Research Methods in Education. London and New York: Routledge.

Dakowska, M. (2007) Teaching English as a Foreign Language. A Guide for Professionals. Warszawa: PWN.

Ellis, R. (1994) The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: OUP.

Komorowska, H. (2007) Nauczanie języków obcych. Polska a Europa. Warszawa: Academia.

McCall R. (1994) Fundamental Statistics for Behavioral Sciences. Forth Worth: Hartcourt Brace College Publishers.

Piechurska-Kuciel, E. (2005) The Importance of Being Aware. Advantages of Explicit Grammar Study. Opole: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Opolskiego.

Porte, G. K. (2002) Appraising Research in Second Language Learning. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Richards, J. C. and Renandya W. A. (eds.) (2002) Methodology in Language Teaching. An Anthology of Current Practice. Cambridge: CUP.

Schmidt, R. (ed.) (1995) Attention and Awareness in Foreign Language Learning. Technical Report #9. Honolulu, Ha: University of Hawaii Press.

Seliger, H. W. and Shohamy, E. (1989) Second Language Research Methods. Oxford: OUP.

● Student knows and uses correctly selected terminology from ELT methodology.

● Student understands basic and more advanced notions in the field of applied linguistics.

● Student is able to analyze and receive critically a scientific paper.

● Student understands and is able to employ the structure of a research report.

● Student uses correctly lexical expressions belonging to proper register.

In class discussions students acquire skills of expressing their thoughts in a clear, coherent, logical and precise manner, with the use of language which is correct grammatically, lexically and phonetically.

K_W02 advanced knowledge of key methodologies and theories, contemporary trends and developments in the study of literature, culture and language, with particular emphasis on the English-speaking context;

K_W07 knows and understands the principles of designing advanced philological research, in particular, the creative application of methods and tools in formulating research problems and testing hypotheses;

K_W12 knows the principles and ethical norms in science;

K_U06 is able to evaluate the usefulness of various theoretical concepts for advanced philological research and for diverse practical applications;

K_U07 knows how to analyze research, define it, follow up on it, and conduct his own research tasks; knows how to formulate a problem and determine a method;

K_U10 knows how to proficiently search for information in various sources, evaluate its usefulness, interpret it in theoretical and practical terms in the English context;

K_K03 fully understands the ethical dimension of his/her activity and adheres to the principles of professional ethics;

K_K04 is ready to take full responsibility for his/her own work, at the same time recognizing and respecting the work of others;

K_K07 is able to express himself or herself coherently, clearly, logically and concretely in order to function effectively with others.

Credits based on:

- course attendance (two absences are allowed) and participation in class discussion

- reading the individualized background readings

- fulfilling the home assignments

MA seminar 1 ends in submitting a draft version of the title of the thesis.

If the course is taught in a distance-learning mode, each student is expected to have a working web-cam and a mic.

- does not apply -