FLF/S 500 - Issues and Trends in Foreign Language Education (FLE)

FLF/S 500 - Issues and Trends in Foreign Language Education (FLE)

COURSE DESCRIPTION: (See Sample Syllabus)

COURSE JUSTIFICATION:

FLF/S 500 is one of the two foreign language methodology courses that are required of students who elect to minor in Education and work towards obtaining an advanced “M” licensure. (In addition to these two courses, students are also required to elect three courses among a selection of courses in the Curriculum and Instruction core.) As such, FLF/S 500 serves as an integral part of the students’ knowledge base in the field of foreign language education. The advanced study and investigation of current issues, trends and applied research in foreign language education is critical for teachers at all levels in order to become reflective educators, academic leaders, and teacher scholars.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: (See Sample Syllabus)

RESOURCES:

No new resources are required.

INTERDEPARTMENTAL CONSULTATION:

No other departments at NC State are affected by the establishment of this course. This course will be administered by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.

SAMPLE SYLLABUS AND SAMPLE LIST OF TEXTBOOKS: (See Sample Syllabus)

GRADING FORMULA: (See Sample Syllabus)

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS LIST JUSTIFICATION:

Not applicable. This is a graduate course.

REQUIRED TEXTS: (See Sample Syllabus)

SUPPLEMENTAL TEXTS: (See Sample Syllabus)

CLASS FORMAT:

Class sessions will consist of a mixture of lectures and discussion of the text material, as well as the investigation of case studies, student presentations and class observations.

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Regular attendance is expected of all graduate students. All missed work must be made up within a reasonable amount of time. The student must notify the instructor in advance if any assignments will be late or exams missed. If a student is absent from class, he/she is expected to find out what about the work missed and to be prepared for the next class. The University attendance policy can be found at

DISABILITY POLICY:

For all students currently registered with the Office of Disability Services for Students (DSS), an accommodation letter will be sent to the instructor at the beginning of the semester. This letter verifies that appropriate documentation is on file and that the student has a substantiated disability requiring effective reasonable accommodations. Any student requesting accommodations for whom a letter has not been written must see a DSS service provider in Suite 1900, Student Health Center. For information, see:

ACADEMIC HONESTY:

Students are expected to adhere to the honor pledge when signing an exam or any assignment. The Honor Pledge is as follows: “ I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on the test or assignment”. The academic “Code of Student Conduct” is available online at

DIVERSITY POLICY

All courses in the French and Spanish M.A. degree program are designed to promote reflection and critical thinking concerning aspects of the French and Spanish-speaking world in order to expand and develop cultural understanding in a larger perspective. Teaching for diversity is a principal aim of the foreign language education proram. The University policy can be found at

SAMPLE SYLLABUS:

COURSE SYLLABUS
FL 500 ISSUES AND TRENDS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION:
THEORY AND PRACTICE

Instructor Information:

Dr. Arlene Malinowski Rm. 131, 1911 Bldg.
Office Hours MWF 12:30 - 3:30 and by appointment
515-9295

Course Description:

An identification and exploration of current issues and future trends related to foreign language teaching, grades K-12. Inquiry into the impact of second language acquisition (SLA) research on the development of the National Standards and learning scenarios, on the integration of culture into the curriculum, on the role of grammar in the language classroom, and on teaching diverse learners, including students with disabilities. Students will examine case studies related to these topics and use pertinent findings in SLA research to formulate their responses. They will be asked to think critically about the issue under discussion and to share their findings and insights with the class. Students will also be required to formulate and execute a classroom research project and to then present their work in the course in a teaching portfolio. This portfolio will be designed to address some of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards requirements as the graduate student teachers begin to work toward those goals.

Course Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:

1) Prove informed practice of various teaching methodologies through the study of second language acquisition research findings.
2) Demonstrate knowledge of the theories that inform second language acquisition research through the examination of case studies, readings, reflections, mini-lessons, and in-class discussions. teaching portfolio, and the formulation and execution of an action research project.
3) Reflect upon their own professional growth and development as well as their leadership abilities by means of a teaching portfolio.
4) Engage in the 'Scholarship of Teaching' by designing and executing an action research project based upon an actual foreign language classroom setting.

Required Textbooks:

Shrum, Judith L., and Eileen W. Glisan. Teacher's Handbook: ContextualizedLanguageInstruction (Second Edition). 2000. $ 58.95
Lee, James F., and Bill Van Patten. Making Communicative Language Teaching Happen.
1995. $71.75
Wallace, Michael J. Training Foreign Language Teachers: A Reflective Approach. 1991.
$22

Supplemental texts:

Omaggio-Hadley, Alice. Teaching Language in Context (Third Edtion). 2001. $ 64.95
Vygotsky, Lev. Thought and Language (Rev'd Edition) 1986. $ 25.

Grade Distribution:

Participation and response to case studies 15%
Class presentations/mini-lessons 15%
Take-home final exam 20%
Classroom action research project 30%
Teaching portfolio 20%

Course Outline:

FUTURE TRENDS

Weeks 1 and 2:

What role has second language acquisition research played in the development of the National Standards and what impact will the Standards have on foreign language teaching?

(Handbook, pp. 1-47; Lee/Van Patten, pp. 3-88)

Case studies, Reflections, Articles

Weeks 3 and 4:

How do we put the National Standards into practice through the design of learning scenarios?

(Handbook, pp.48-99; Wallace, Chapter 2)