HENA03631U Engelsk - Frit emne: Introduction to Foreign Language Acquisition

This course is an introductory course to foreign language acquisition and teaching. The foreign language learner needs to acquire a range of skills related to various components of communicative competence (i.e. both linguistics, pragmatics and discourse as well as a range of communicative and learning strategies) to be able to function in a foreign language - both in writing and speaking as well as when listening and reading. Foreign language learners will already have acquired a first language, and they will often be competent to various degrees in one or two other languages as well. Some of these will have been acquired outside the classroom while others have been learnt in a more formal classroom setting. The aim of this course is to introduce the course participants to central theories of communicative competence, language learning and language processing which may explain the complex processes involved both in using and learning languages in different contexts. We will explore the role of learner variables and learning factors and discuss different approaches to language teaching in the classroom. One of the aims will be to investigate how the teacher can create an optimal learning environment which takes a communicative approach to language teaching as a starting point, but which also enables the learner to focus on the language form and push the language learning process forward. What type of learning activities can be introduced and what is the potential for language learning of using various forms of learner-centred tasks? Much empirical research has been carried out in an attempt to answer these questions and to explore the validity of the many different – often competing - theoretical approaches to language learning and teaching. One of the central aims of the course is therefore to introduce a range of empirical research studies which employ different types of research approaches and tools. Through discussions of these studies, the course participant will develop the ability to read, discuss and evaluate the background to and design of empirical research and to critically evaluate the findings presented in the studies. The course will be conducted using a mixture of lectures, group work and discussion. Course material will be based on a course book and a number of empirical research articles.
                  Note that participation in Module 1 C “Introduction to Foreign Language Acquisition and Teaching” is an obligatory condition for taking the other obligatory Module 3 C “Special Topics including foreign Language Acquisition” offered in the master’s programme for teaching in the Danish upper secondary school (den gymnasierettede profil).