EDF5629 · Critical issues in English language learning and teaching

Overview

Language learning and teaching occurs in diverse political, social, cultural, and economic contexts. Decisions about language teaching and learning are thus closely tied to matters of politics, society, culture, economics, identity, and power. An important challenge for language educators is to understand how practices of language teaching are connected to broader social, cultural, and political issues. This unit approaches English language learning and teaching as socially and culturally constructed practice and critically explores how issues around language, culture, and identity play out in English language curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. It focuses on key issues in the cultural politics of language education generally and English language education specifically, such as language and culture, identity and difference, globalisation and the spread of English, the emergence of World Englishes, language policy, and language rights.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. describe current issues in English language teaching and learning
2. critically analyse how the social, cultural, and economic contexts of English language teaching and learning impact on the decisions made by educators
3. reflect on how your own practices as educators are impacted by the social, historical and political contexts in which you work
4. apply knowledge of critical social, cultural, economic, and political issues to specific contexts of English language learning and teaching.

Workload

The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per teaching period comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Usually, you can expect to engage with: • a total of 24 hours of scheduled learning. These will typically include 18-24 hours of on-campus regular directed learning activities, with any remaining hours of scheduled learning delivered online via a combination of synchronous and asynchronous directed learning activities and self-directed/independent study OR • a total of 24 hours of scheduled learning delivered online via a combination of synchronous and asynchronous directed learning activities, and the remaining hours to be allocated towards self-directed/independent study^ ^ International students studying in Australia are not permitted to undertake this scheduled learning delivery mode

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.