Principles and Practices in Second/Foreign Language Teaching

Module description

This module looks at principles and theories which develop from and underpin the practice of language teaching. Its aims are to enable you to:

• develop an understanding of key theories, frameworks, approaches and methods that impact on language pedagogy;

• develop an understanding of the concept of a language education curriculum, and how it relates to language teaching in different contexts;

• explore the following dimensions of the curriculum so as to develop an ability to evaluate and use the methodological frameworks currently available to teachers:

  • Curriculum design and development;

  • Learning activities;

  • Materials design and evaluation;

• Use current theoretical frameworks and principles to analyse your own professional practice, and identify areas and directions for development.

This module, then, explores the relationship between ideas about how to teach languages and ideas about why to teach in that way. It is about understanding and making the most of this relationship, one which is constantly in tension but also has the potential for mutually informing and developing practices and principles.

Assessment details

• 1 x 1,500 word Critical Review (worth 35% of the module)
• 1 x 3,000 word essay (worth 65% of the module)

Educational aims & objectives

1. To provide students with an advanced level of understanding of how key theories of language and key theories of second language acquisition are related to approaches and principles for language teaching;
2. To provide students with a critical overview of different approaches and methods in the field of language teaching, and conceptual frameworks for analysing, comparing and evaluating approaches and methods.
3. To provide students with a theoretically-informed understanding of the concept of a language education curriculum and how it relates to language teaching in different contexts;
4. To enable students to critically evaluate the following dimensions of the curriculum with reference to established perspectives:
   1. Syllabus Design
   2. Learning Activities
   3. Materials Design
   4. Classroom Management
   5. Roles of teachers and learners
   6. Curriculum development and renewal processes
5. Increase and expand students' understanding of the constitutive components of using a second/foreign language as discourse in respect of reading, writing, listening and speaking from a learner point of view.
6. Introduce students to high level theory and to research underpinning the range of approaches, task types and techniques for teaching reading, writing, speaking and listening in a foreign/second language
7. Enable students to use current theoretical frameworks to reflexively analyse their own professional practice, and identify areas and directions for development.
8. Develop students' critical capacity to evaluate their own practice. 

Module description disclaimer

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Please note that the module descriptions above are related to the current academic year and are subject to change.