Fachdidaktik website: http://www.uni-graz.

at/angl3www/
Moodle: http://moodle.uni-graz.at/

With special thanks to David Newby for sharing materials.

 Fachdidaktik am Institut für Anglistik - Notes for students

English Language Didactics

The courses which comprise the didactics component of your teacher education in
the English Department consist of 13 hours of lectures and Proseminare, in which
your two teaching practices will be embedded. In addition, the lecture ‘Applied
Linguistics for Language Teachers’ will focus on links between linguistic theory and
language teaching. An optional Research Seminar is offered to all students;
attendance is essential for those who write a Diplomarbeit in Fachdidaktik.

AIMS
The aims of the English didactics (Fachdidaktik) courses are:
• to provide you with important theoretical insights relevant to learning and
teaching English as a foreign language
• to help you to become aware of didactic competences that teachers need to
develop by providing a framework for reflexion, analysis and discussion
(EPOSTL)
• to acquaint you with various methodological options for teaching EFL
• to help you to develop some of the skills and competences you will need as
future teachers of English (Schulpraktikum)

The focus throughout will be on both theoretical and practical aspects of teaching
and learning.

The practical implementation of principles of methodology will be dealt with by

classroom teachers from various Gymnasien in Graz.

In addition, Dr. Pfandl-Buchegger and Dr. Elicker will hold courses on phonetics. Dr.
Mercer will hold the Didactics Research seminar.

Further information about Fachdidaktik at the Anglistik can be found on our website:
http://www.uni-graz.at/angl3www/. (You can also find a comprehensive bibliography
there.)
If you have any problems or questions you can consult:
• Sarah Mercer: sarah.mercer@uni-graz.at Office hour: Tuesdays 9.30-10.30,
Zi 323
• Anita Lämmerer (Studienassistentin Fachdidaktik)

1
 Fachdidaktik: CURRICULUM STRUCTURE

The courses comprise two compulsory and one optional modules, as follows:

Modul H: (1. Studienabschnitt)

Lecture (Vorlesung mit Übung): Introduction to ELT methodology, in which you
will learn about the main issues and aspects of modern language teaching.
PS1: Methods and techniques of FL teaching will focus on practical aspects of
teaching and provide a hands-on introduction. Preparation, support and
discussion of the first teaching practice.
PS2: Communicative grammar, which will be concerned with new approaches to
teaching grammar.
PS 3: Advanced pronunciation for teachers, will provide theoretical and practical
insights into teaching phonetics and phonology.

Module I: (2. Studienabschnitt)

PS4: Methodology of Teaching Literature and Culture. This PS will be concerned

with the specific nature of developing awareness of these important aspects of
language education.
PS5: School Practice Facilitation. Preparation, support and discussion of the
second teaching practice.
PS6: Language Education for Specific Contexts. The focus will be on ‘language
for specific purpose’ (Fachsprachen) and will consider contexts such as
teaching at a BHS, HTL etc. and teaching ‘English across the Curriculum’
(Englisch als Arbeitssprache).

Modul K: Vertiefungsfach (Freies Wahlfach)

English Didactics Research Seminar. This seminar will focus on various aspects of
research into foreign language teaching. A different area of research is examined
each semester, in order to explore both the implications of the research for teaching
but also to help students develop their skills as researchers by critically examining
research methods. The course will also allow students working on theses at master’s
and doctoral level in Fachdidaktik to pilot aspects of their research and discuss
issues arising in their work.

In addition to your Fachdidaktik programme, two other courses are designed

especially for future language teachers:

• Error analysis and assessment

• Applied linguistics for language teachers

2
 Institut für Anglistik/Amerikanistik – Fachdidaktik – CURRICULUM ab WS 2008/9

ERSTER STUDIENABSCHNITT

Institut für Romanistik ODER Introduction to Foreign Language ODER Institut für Slawistik
Didactics (DN)
Schulpraktikum I

PS1: Methods and PS 2. Communicative PS 3. Advanced

Techniques of FL teaching - Grammar pronunciation for teachers
Vorbereitung, Begleitung
und Nachbereitung von
Praktikum I

Sprachwissenschaft: Applied Linguistics for Language Teachers

ZWEITER STUDIENABSCHNITT
Schulpraktikum II

PS 5: School practice PS 4: Methodology of PS 6: Language Education for

facilitation. Vorbereitung, teaching lit. and culture Specific Contexts
Begleitung und Nachbereitung
von Praktikum II

Sprachausbildung: Error Analysis and Assessment

Vertiefungsfach (Wahlfach): Diplomarbeit/ Diplomprüfung

OPTIONAL English didactics research in Fachdidaktik
seminar (oder Sprach- , Literatur- oder Kulturwiss.)

Pfeile weisen auf Voraussetzungen hin

3
 VU: Introduction to Foreign Language Didactics

Course materials
The main materials for Introduction to Foreign Language Didactics (IFLD) will be made
available on the Moodle platform. You will be expected to prepare the reading in advance
and bring the relevant materials with you to class every week. In addition, we will be working
with EPOSTL, which you will refer to throughout your studies.
How to pass the course

• You must attend regularly.

• You must complete assignments you will be given. These assignments are an essential
part of the course and will help you to gain knowledge and expertise beyond what you
learn during the lecture.
• You will carry out, and continually update, reflection tasks online based on the European
Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages.
• Your semester grade will be based on a written examination taken at the end of the
semester. You will find an example of extracts from a recent examination on the Moodle
website.

This is your first didactics course you have taken and it will give you the opportunity to think
about whether you are suited to your future profession. The course requires not only quite a
lot of work but a high degree of engagement on your part. That is to say, you will spend a lot
of time on classroom discussions, on reflecting on your own competence, on doing
assignments, some of which are optional. If you find you are not particularly interested in the
course content or if you are not devoting enough time or mental energy to the course, you
should re-think whether you have made the right professional choice.

MOODLE - Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment

In this course we shall be making extensive use of MOODLE – a learning platform which is
used widely at the University. You should have been registered automatically in Moodle. If
this is not the case, you must register immediately. To do this, enter through the link
http://moodle.uni-graz.at/ and register for IFLD (note that there are three parallel groups so
make sure you register for the one you are attending). It would be helpful to me if you also
upload a photo of yourself.

Moodle will be used for the following purposes:

• You will download course materials from Moodle.
• You will upload all assignments to Moodle. Please note that under no circumstances will
assignments be accepted if not uploaded to Moodle. Homework sent by email or handed
in in paper form will not be read. All assignments have a deadline. Make a note of this
deadline and make sure that you keep to it. Moodle will block uploading after this
deadline and your homework will not be read. Note that there are no exceptions to this
rule. Please do not send me an email asking for special treatment!
• You will write your reflection tasks on Moodle.

4
 Additional materials
To supplement the course handout, you may wish to consult or purchase a copy of one of
the books below. Our personal recommendation to accompany you throughout your studies
would be Harmer’s ‘The practice of English Language Teaching’. These books will help you
to get a broader picture of didactics than that offered in the limited scope of the introductory
course. Please also become familiar with the books in our HAPP.

Recommended introductions to Language Teaching Methodology:

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6
IFLD EPOSTL

Introduction to the EPOSTL

In additional to the course handout, we shall be making frequent use of
the “European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages”
(EPOSTL). We shall use EPOSTL in most sessions so make sure that
you always have it with you. (You may find it convenient to put both the
course handout and EPOSTL in a single ring folder.) EPOSTL will also
be used in all your Fachdidaktik courses at the Anglistik and will be
very important in your two teaching practices. If you study a second
language it may also be used in these Fachdidaktik courses.

What is the EPOSTL for?

EPOSTL will help you to understand what competences a teacher of foreign languages
needs to acquire; it will
• help you to reflect on and analyse what a teacher’s professional competence consists of
• help you to reflect on and self-assess your developing competence
• chart your progress throughout your teacher education.

The EPOSTL consists of three sections: Personal statement, Self-assessment, Dossier.

PERSONAL STATEMENT

Although you are only at the beginning of your teacher education, you are not a tabula rasa
as far as your didactic knowledge is concerned. Having learnt languages for many years, you
already have some clear ideas about how to teach, and probably about how not to teach.
EPOSTL will help you to activate and demonstrate this latent knowledge but also to
challenge ideas that you may hold. This section will help you to think about your own
experiences of being taught and your own expectations both of your teacher education
course and the teaching profession.

SELF ASSESSMENT COMPETENCE DESCRIPTORS

The main part of the EPOSTL contains a catalogue of 195 ‘competence descriptors’, which
serve the purpose of both reflection and self-assessment. You will be given ‘reflection
tasks’ both during the course and for homework.
From time to time during the semester, you will be asked to make a ‘self-assessment’ of your
own knowledge or competence with regard to particular skills. Don’t be afraid to do this! This
self-assessment is for your own personal use and your teacher will not see how you have
assessed yourself (though your fellow-students may). Note that self-assessment plays no
role in the grade you will be given at the end of the semester. Making regular self-
assessments during your studies and during your teaching practice will help you to chart your
progress.

DOSSIER
Another important part of the EPOSTL is the ‘Dossier’ section, in which you will collect pieces
of work – short essays, examples of teaching materials, your own reflection on aspects of
didactics etc. Dossier tasks may or may not be collected in or graded by your teacher.
However, it is important that you do the dossier assignments as they will play an important

7
IFLD EPOSTL

role in your professional development. Note that your ability to work autonomously is an
essential part of the IFLD course.
The EPOSTL is a Council of Europe publication and was developed by an international team
of teacher educators. It is used by student teachers both at other Austrian universities and
Pädagogische Hochschulen and in countries across Europe and beyond. It has been
translated into twelve languages. In addition to English, there are versions in French,
German, Polish, Italian, Greek, Romanian, Hungarian, Japanese, Lithuanian, Spanish,
Croatian and Russian. Most of these translations are downloadable from the EPOSTL
website: http://epostl2.ecml.at/ - resources.