FL 4400 • Spring 2012 11:30 - 12:20 MWF • EH 117
Foreign Language Teaching Methods
Prof. Tom Mathews
Office: EH 420
Office Hours: MWF 9:30-11:15; TR 9:00-11:00; or by appointment		 Office Phone: 801 626-6345
Email: tmathews@weber.edu
   
Prerequisites    
 

• FL 3220: Phonetics and Phonology. (for French, German or Spanish). Students must have completed this course with a C or better, or be enrolled now.
• FL 4340: Second Language Acquisition. Must be completed with a C or better.
• ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview. Record of an OPI, administered by Langauge Testing International, must be presented to the instructor and noted in Cattracks. The national standard proficiency is Advanced Low.
       
Objectives   Evidence
  Throughout this class, students will:  
  • Apply current trends in foreign language education (acquisition theory, proficiency and the national standards) to classroom techniques and activities

Peer teaching, lesson plans, class discussions, textbook review, comments on observations, and unit plan.
  • Become acquianted with and practice several methods used in the classroom to teach foreign languages
  • Observe and evaluate peers and professionals as they teach languages
  • Create and teach a series of lessons in order to practice L2 teaching techniques
  • Create and evaluate materials for teaching and assessing foreign languages
   
Text Book    
 

Shrum, J. L., & Glisan, E. W. (2010) Teacher's Handbook: Contextualized Language Instruction (4th Ed.). Boston: Heinle and Heinle. (Available in the WSU Bookstore or online from many vendors).  
   
Assignments and Evaluation  
The following tasks and assessments will be graded::

• Homework (reading, discussions, "case studies" and "episodes").


15%
• Peer teaching (5x) including critiques 25%
• Lesson plans (3x) 15%
• Unit plan (10 days) 15%
• Text book review 15%
• Classroom observations (3x) 15%
All coursework and final grades will be calculated using this scale:
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+ 		93-100
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79		 C
C-
D+
D
D-
E		 73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
0-59
A rubric with criteria for written work can be found here.
A rubric with criteria for oral work and presentations can be found here.

Description of assignments
 • All written work must be turned in typed and double spaced.
• It is possible that an assignment will be returned to you without a grade, in the hopes that you will do it over. In this case, the best grade possible is a B.

• Lesson Plans:
All lesson plans, weather to be handed in alone, as part of the unit plan, or accomanying your peer teaching, must include a behavioral objective, a list of materials (as well as evidence of the actual materials themselves) a timeline of activities and a statement on assessment.
• Peer Teaching:
There will be five short lessons that you will prepare and teach for the class. This is NOT an opportunity to tell us what you would do in a real class, but rather, to teach your lesson with you classmates as "students." Each Peer Lesson will be timed strickly to last eight (8) minutes -- no more, no less.
• Lesson Critiques:
The day after each peer teaching, you will turn in a critique or your teachingas well as a critique of at least one other peer teacher. Guidlines for the critique will be givien in class.
• Observations:
Each student will observe at least three hours (three different class periods) of lower-division language classes -- either 1010, 1020 or 2010. A list of acceptable classes is here. Please call or email the instructor several days before you plan to attend the class and ask for permission as well as whether or not the day you have in mind will be an appropriate day for a visit. Please attend and observe the entire class period. For each class visited, complete this form and hand it in.

• Textbook Review:
You will choose a textbook (several are available in the department) and do a review which must include a description of the way it handles the following elements: grammar, the national standards, assessment, authenticity, diversity and usability (for a group of eclectic teachers). You may wish to use the checklist on p. 65 of our book.

• Unit Plan:
You will prepare a "unit plan" to cover ten (10) days of class in a secondary school (you may choose the topic and the level, as well as a textbook as a supplement, if you desire). Each day's lesson must include (a) objectives (b) a list of materials, and (c) a list of activities. These materials and activities must actually exist or be created by you. In an analysis or comentary (either at the start or end of the unit plan) you will include a discussion of your incorporation of the following:
• the national standards
• the four skills
• use of authentic materials
• assessment
• diversity
• technology
• recycling of concepts

 
Some Rules and Other Information    
Attendance
Consistent, punctual attendance and enthusiastic participation are necessary to succeed and receive good grades in this class.

Late work & Make up
Course work must be turned in on time and exams taken when scheduled. Assignments are due at the beginning of the period on the day indicated in this syllabus. Things WILL be accepted later that day (after class, in my office - EH 420, or to the department - EH 434) but with one letter grade reduction from what they would otherwise have received. Assignments turned in through the next class period, will be reduced by 25%. After that, papers may not be graded. Exceptions to this policy should be arraigned beforehand.

Some Information about Grades
Grade Descriptions
A Note on Curves
If at any time during the semester you want an approximation of your grade, or if after the semester is over, you wish to know what grade you received, email the instructor at tmathews@weber.edu . Include your name and your student ID as well as a request for your grade.

Academic Honesty
It is expected that students will submit their own work. A complete description of cheating and plagiarism can be found in the WSU Student Code (Section IV, Part D, Paragraph 2). Plagiarism will result in failure on an assignment or in the course, depending on its severity. On the other hand, students are encouraged to collaborate on assignments and to have others read their work and give comments and suggestions before turning work in.
Emergency Closure
If for any reason the university is forced to close for an extended period of time, we will conduct our class via e-mail and through Weber online. Look for announcements on your Weber State email account and at canvas.weber.edu.

Students with Disabilities
When students seek accommodation in a regularly scheduled course, they have the responsibility to make such requests at the Center for Students with Disabilities (tel. 626-6413) before the beginning of the semester in which the accommodation is being requested. When a student fails to make such arrangements, interim accommodations can be made by the instructor, pending the determination of the request for a permanent accommodation.

Core Beliefs
Students are to determine, before the last day to drop courses without penalty, if any course requirements conflict with their core beliefs. If there is such a conflict, the student should consider dropping the class. A student who finds this solution impracticable may request a resolution from the instructor. This policy does not oblige the instructor to grant the request, except in those cases when a denial would be arbitrary and capricious or illegal. This request must be made to the instructor in writing and the student must deliver a copy of the request to the office of the department head. The student's request must articulate the burden the requirement would place on the student's beliefs.

Any disclosure by a student, orally or in writing, whether related to class assignments or not, that communicates the possibility of imminent danger to the student or others will be shared with appropriate authorities.
 
CALENDAR
The assignments listed are to be completed before the day on which they appear here.
For example, Chapter 1, pp. 1-6, must be read before coming to class on Jan. 4.
  Date Topic or Activity Assignment
1 2 Jan. Introductions  
  4 Jan. Preliminary Chapter

Read pp. 1-6
  6 Jan.

Ch. 1: The Role of Context
Discuss Vocabulary Lesson

Prepare p. 7 Task 1, 2, or 3.

Review pp. 11-35
 
2 9 Jan. Peer Teaching 1: Vocabulary Prepare Vocabulary Lesson
  11 Jan. continued Begin planning for observation due on Jan. 30
  13 Jan. Ch. 2: Context and the Standards Review pp. 46-56
Read pp. 57-65
 
3 16 Jan. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday--NO CLASS
  18 Jan. Share Learning Scenarios Prepare p. 65-66 Episode 1
  20 Jan. Ch. 3: Organizing Content Read pp. 73-78 and 92-100
 
4 23 Jan. Guest speaker Greg Compton  
  25 Jan. Ch. 4: The Optimal Age for Acquisition Read pp. 108-120
  27 Jan. Dual Immersion Research & Teacher Education Conference--NO CLASS
 
5 30 Jan. Share observation of L1 acquisition Report on L1 observation
  1 Feb.    
  3 Feb. Discussion of classroom observations Classroom observation 1 due
 
6 6 Feb. Ch. 11: Assessment Read pp. 394-418
  8 Feb. continued Read pp. 418-440
  10 Feb. Peer Teaching 2: Integrated Performance Assessment Plan based on Episode Three p. 442
 
7 13 Feb. continued  
  15 Feb. Guest speaker Ralph Vander Heide  
  17 Feb. Discussion  
 
8 20 Feb. Presidents' Day--NO CLASS
  22 Feb. Ch. 8: Interpersonal Skills Read pp. 245-288
  24 Feb. Peer Teaching 3: Information Gap Plan based on Episode One pp. 288-289 (1) or (2)
 
9 27 Feb. Continued  
  29 Feb. Ch. 7: Teaching Grammar Read pp. 216-237
  2 Mar. Peer Teaching 4: PACE Story-Based  Plan based on Episode Two pp. 238-39
 
10 5 Mar. Continued  
  7 Mar. Ch. 12: Using Technology Read pp. 449-473
  9 Mar. Peer Teaching 5: Video Plan using a snippet of authentic video
 
  10 - 18 Mar. Spring Break--NO CLASS
 
11 19 Mar. Continued Classroom observation 2 due
  21 Mar. Sharing of Webquest lessons Lesson: Webquest due
  23 Mar. Ch. 5: Integrating Culture pp. 145-158
 
12 26 Mar. Continued pp. 158-169
  28 Mar. Guest speaker Bonnie Flint  
 

30 Mar.

 National Undergraduate Research Conference--NO CLASS
 
13 2 Apr. Share Case Study One
Use Utah World Langauges Core Curriculum		 Prepare p. 171-174 Case Study One
Write up your scenario to discuss in class and hand in.
  4 Apr. Ch. 6: Teaching Reading pp. 191-206
  6 Apr. Share reading lessons

Prepare a novice lesson using an authentic "text"
Prepare an intermediate lesson using an authentic "text"
 
14 9 Apr. Discussion of classroom observations Classroom observation 3 due
  11 Apr. Ch. 10: Diversity pp. 348-382
  13 Apr. SWCOLT (Southwest Conference on Langauge Teaching)--NO CLASS
 
  16 Apr. Disscussion of text books Text book evaluation due: see instructions above
  There will be no final exam. Your textbook evaluation and unit plan will count as culminating experiences.
Unit Plan due: see instructions above