010070 TESOL Practicum

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

Subject level:

Postgraduate

Description

Students develop classroom teaching skills for teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) through a supervised teaching practicum in an English language centre or other provider of English language and literacy programs. Students develop a reflective approach to their development as English language teachers through a minimum of 18 hours in the practicum placement, weekly lectures and tutorials, microteaching workshops and written reflection.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

• Graduates have specialised skills and knowledge of linguistics, pedagogy and curricula to teach English to speakers of other languages in their chosen context. teach English to speakers of other languages in their chosen context. (1.1)
• Graduates are able to review, analyse, consolidate and synthesise ideas relevant to TESOL, and apply these skills to problem solve in their professional practice. (2.1)
• Graduates are linguistically and culturally aware of local and international contexts of language education and can apply their awareness in their professional practice. (3.1)
• Graduates have appropriate communication skills for relevant academic and professional contexts. (6.1)

Contribution to the development of graduate attributes

This subject addresses the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:

1. Professional Readiness

1.1 Graduates have specialised skills and knowledge of linguistics, pedagogy and curricula to teach English to speakers of other languages in their chosen context. teach English to speakers of other languages in their chosen context.

2. Critical and Creative Inquiry

2.1 Graduates are able to review, analyse, consolidate and synthesise ideas relevant to TESOL, and apply these skills to problem solve in their professional practice.

3. International and Intercultural Engagement

3.1 Graduates are linguistically and culturally aware of local and international contexts of language education and can apply their awareness in their professional practice.

6. Effective Communication

6.1 Graduates have appropriate communication skills for relevant academic and professional contexts.

Teaching and learning strategies

Different kinds of learning experiences are afforded in this subject through the use of different learning spaces. Across these different learning spaces, students develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions as academically informed professional teaching practitioners.

In the university (on-campus and virtual) learning environment, students experience lecturer’s input information about TESOL practices and approaches, and modelling of teaching methods. The lecturer scaffolds the subject readings. Students participate in pair/ group tasks to discuss and analyse input from the lecturer and readings, and participate in microteaching activities where they present micro-lessons, receive feedback from their tutor and peers, and give feedback to their peers.

Microteaching activities play a key role in developing students’ approach to planning, teaching and observing, and reflecting on practice. Students’ microteaching and feedback sessions can be audio or video recorded to facilitate reflection. The activities enable students to develop their skills and understanding that are required to work effectively as a teacher within a community of professional practice.

In the practicum placement, students observe their cooperating teachers’ classes; design, deliver and evaluate their own lessons; reflect upon feedback; and are observed in one or more lessons by a university supervisor. In this environment, students not only develop their skills of lesson delivery, but develop a close understanding of how teachers’ work is organised, and how this is shaped by the particularities of their learner group and the broader contexts of the program.

In their out of class time, students read prescribed readings and view videos on topics following lecturer input that scaffolds the reading/ videos and complete pre-work tasks for the tutorial. Students prepare lesson plans, materials and handouts for the micro-teaching sessions which they deliver in class, and critically reflect on their delivery and approach.

Students also reflect on their observations of lessons in their placement and in their peers’ microteaching sessions; and prepare their own lesson plans, materials and handouts for the lessons they will deliver in these sessions.

Students continually reflect on their development as a teacher, using their own observations as well as feedback from their cooperating teacher, tutor, peers and practicum supervisor. They reflect on and analyse their teaching in their Journal which forms one of the formal assessment tasks.

During Orientation week, students will be provided with an online video orientation to the purpose, expectations and procedures of organising and undertaking a practicum placement. This enables students to access clear and timely information to help them navigate the complex administrative logistics of organising the teaching practicum placement.

Early feedback in the form of formative feedback on students’ reflective approach and academic writing will be provided by the lecturer following a class reflective writing task in week 3.

Content (topics)

The subject content focuses on the professional and practical skills and knowledge that students need to design, deliver and evaluate English language lessons for their learners. These include:

• The learning environment
• Teaching and learning cycle
• Language analysis
• Lesson planning
• Language analysis
• Classroom management
• Resource creation, selection, adaptation
• Feedback
• Reflective practice

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Practicum Placement

Assessment task 2: Practicum Journal

Minimum requirements

1. Students must participate in each of the microteaching tasks. This is an essential component of demonstrating subject Learning objective f: Act and communicate professionally as a member of an English language teaching community in all relevant contexts.
2. Students must pass both Assessment task 1 and Assessment task 2 in order to demonstrate achievement of all of the subject learning objectives.

Required texts

There are required readings for each week. These are available on Canvas.

References

Brookfield, S. D. (1995). Becoming a Critically reflective teacher. Jossey Bass.

Caffarella, R. S. (2013). Planning programs for adult learners: a practical guide (3rd ed.). Wiley.

Churchill, R., Godinho, S., Johnson, N. F., Keddie, A., Letts, W., Lowe, K., Mackay, J., McGill, M., Moss, J., Nagel, M. C. & Shaw, K. (2019). Teaching: making a difference. Wiley.

Crookes, G. (2003). A practicum in TESOL: Professional development through teaching practice. Cambridge University Press.

De Sliva Joyce, H., & Feez, S. (2012). Text-based language and literacy education: programming and methodology. Phoenix Education.

Gower, R., Phillips, D., & Walters, S. (2005). Teaching practice: a handbook for teachers in training. Macmillan.

Harmer, J. (2007). How to teach English (2nd ed.). Essex: Pearson.

Harmer (2015) The practice of English language teaching. Pearson.

Killen, R. (2012). Effective teaching strategies: lessons from research and practice (6th ed.). Cenage,

Paton, A., & Wilkins, M. (Eds.). (2009). Teaching adult ESOL: principles and practice. Open University Press.

Schwab, I., Allemano, J., Mallows, D., & McKeown, A. (2014). Training to teach adults English. NIACE.

Scrivener, J. (2011). Learning teaching (3rd ed.). Macmillan.

Scrivener, J. (2012). Classroom management techniques. Cambridge University Press.