Sharif University of Technology

Languages and Linguistics Center

Second Semester, 1391/92-2013

Practicum in ELT
(31316)
2 credits

Instructor: Saeed Rezaei

Location: Languages and Linguistics Center
Office Hours: Saturdays, Sundays, & Mondays
Contact: E-mail: srezaei@sharif.edu Fax: 66029166
Webpage: www.language.sharif.edu

Address: Sharif University of Technology, Azadi Avenue, Tehran, IRAN

Postal Code: 11365-11155

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Course Description
This course is intended to enrich English language teaching practice in M.A. TEFL students.
Students language teaching philosophy is expected to be shaped or reshaped after this course as
the result of exposure to several practical materials. This course is a practical application of what
the students have already gained in their Language Teaching Methodology and Teaching
Language Skills. Students will have classroom observations at language institutes and
universities to get familiar with language teaching methods and also learn to reflect on the
mainstream approaches to language teaching in Iran. The class will involve practical narratives
from the instructor accompanied by the students reflections on their experiences and class
observations. The optimum objective is to develop professional practice in the students. As the
course evolves, both theoretical and practical aspects of language teaching are discussed. The
course commences on 15/11/1391 and will finish on 12/3/1392.

Course Outcomes
Among many objectives, students are to learn how to:
teach English, i.e. how to teach grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, reading, writing,
and speaking, and how to assess them skillfully in their classes.
implement computer and technology in their classes.
develop and tailor materials for their classes depending on their audiences and for
different purposes including EAP and ESP inter alia.
plan a lesson and write a syllabus for a course in English.
develop critical reflection in their teaching practice (Reflective Teaching).
critique language teaching methods.

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Course Requirements
Readings: Students are required to read the materials carefully and participate in classes
with their reflective journals and subsequently report their peer-observations or self-
reflections.
Demonstration: Students are required to have two demonstrations during the course. One
is given prior to the end of the term and one at the end of the term.
Institute Class Observation Report 1 : The students should observe one English class
outside the university and write a reflective report on their observations. The report
should give an account of the class atmosphere, teacher, students, time, place,
methodology, teacher correction technique, teacher and learner talks, non-verbal
communication, whiteboard use, assessment, and classroom management along with a
critical reflection at the end. This report is due on Esfand, 16th and will be discussed in
class. The length can be 500-700 words.
University Class Observation Report: Similar to the previous report, this report is based
on your observation of an English class (GE, ESP, or EAP) at a university. This report is
due on Ordibehesht, 12th and will be discussed in class. The preferred length is 500-700
words.
To write the observation reports, students are required to observe six different classes
taught by different instructors. They are expected to follow the instructions given by
Wajnryb (1992).
Critique: Students need to choose a language teaching method, e.g. task-based language
teaching or post-method, and then write a critique on it. This critique should be at least
2000 words (without references and appendix or table). A minimum of ten local and
international publications need to be cited. This critique is due on Khordad, 20th after the
term ends.
Statement of Teaching Philosophy: Write a 300-word teaching philosophy. You need to
discuss what teaching philosophy you have as a language teacher based on the theories
you have read and the methodologies you have observed in classes. This assignment is
due for session two.

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Both of these reports should follow the academic genre of classroom observation report.

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 Teaching Materials: Students will be asked regularly to bring their own teaching
materials, e.g. a grammar lesson, and share it with their peers.
Videos: Some volunteer students will video-tape one session of their classes and bring it
to class for discussion. If there were no volunteers, the instructor himself will bring a
video to class for group discussion.
Notes!
I appreciate the completion of assignments on time and in a timely fashion. Late
assignments are discarded and only in rare cases with convincing causes this rule is
waived (unless under certain extenuating circumstances or the instructors own
extension!). Requests for extensions must reach me no later than a week before the
assignment is due.
Three or more unexcused absences will result in the failure of the course! Also
absences/tardiness will negatively affect your final score!
Students are expected to be courteous during the (demo) sessions and avoid any side
conversations!

Academic Honesty
Sharif University of Technology cannot tolerate any form of academic dishonesty. Any form of
plagiarism or cheating receives maximum penalties from the university and the instructor. The
penalties could result in the suspension or expulsion of the student from the course and
university. All submitted reports from the students are considered to be each students own
product though students are encouraged to confer with each other for their assignments.

Course Assessment
a) Class Participation 20%
b) Demonstration 1 20%
c) Demonstration 2 30%
d) Reports 20%
e) Critique 10%

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Set Readings
Doff, A. (1988). Teach English trainer's handbook: A training course for teachers.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Richards, J. C., & Farrell, T. S. C. (2005). Professional development for language
teachers: Strategies for teacher learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wajnryb, R. (1992). Classroom observation tasks: A resource book for language
teachers and trainers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Supplementary Readings
Crookes, G. (2003). A practicum in TESOL: Professional development through teaching
practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hubbard, P., & Levy, M. (Eds.) (2006). Teacher education in CALL. Amsterdam: John
Benjamins Publishing Company.
Nation, I.S.P. (2009). Teaching ESL/EFL reading and writing. London: Routledge.
Nation, I.S.P., & Newton, J. (2009). Teaching ESL/EFL listening and speaking. London:
Routledge.
Richards, J. C., & Lockhart, C. (1994). Reflective teaching in second language
classrooms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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Course Schedule
Session 1 (15/11/1391)
Introducing the course and its syllabus
In this session, the students will introduce themselves to the class and they will be enquired
about their teaching experiences and philosophies. The whole course and its syllabus are
introduced to the students. Major academic journals, books, and forums on teacher professional
development and training are also introduced.
Assignment due: Write your teaching philosophy and give it to the instructor the next session.

Session 2 (29/11/1391)
Teaching and Assessing Grammar and Vocabulary: Practical Techniques
Doff (1988): Ch. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6
In this session, the instructor will introduce the main practical techniques for teaching and
assessing grammar and vocabulary. Students are expected to reflect on these techniques and give
their critical comments on each of the steps for teaching and assessing grammar and vocabulary.
They are also expected to critique the techniques provided by Doff and argue if they are all
practical in their classes. A sample lesson will also be brought and discussed. At the end, a video
is played and the students are asked to bring theoretical and practical reasons for their arguments.

Session 3 (6/12/1391)
Teaching and Assessing Reading and Writing: Practical Techniques
Doff (1988): Ch. 9, 11, 13, & 15
In this session, students will be presented with the main theories and techniques of teaching and
assessing reading and writing. The focus will be on the practice which is duly informed by
theories in the literature. Similar to the previous session, students are required to reflect on the
practicality of these techniques and provide theoretical reasons for their arguments. A sample
lesson will be brought to the class and discussed with the students. Finally, a reading/writing
video is played and the students are asked to brainstorm about the strong and weak points of the
class in the video.

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 Session 4 (13/12/1391)
Teaching and Assessing Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation: Practical Techniques
Doff (1988): 10, 17, 18, 19, & 20
Similar to the past two sessions, the instructor will provide the practical techniques for teaching
and assessing listening, speaking, and pronunciation. Teaching strategies are introduced to make
the students aware of the strategies that their students need to learn for listening and speaking.
The techniques provided by Doff are food for thoughts in the class to reflect more on new
strategies and techniques of teaching listening, speaking, and pronunciation. At the end, a video
is played and students will discuss the practices executed in the video for teaching reading and
writing.
Assignment due: Institute Class Observation Report (16th of Esfand)

Session 5 (20/12/1391)
Visual Aids, Pair & Group Work, Elicitation, & Error Correction: Practical Techniques
Students Observation Reports: Group Discussion
Doff (1988): 7, 12, 14, & 16
Wajnryb (1992): Ch. 2 &5
In this session, four chapters of Doff are discussed in class. Students are expected to brainstorm
the techniques and expand on the techniques presented in Doff. The instructor will also bring his
own teaching narratives. Some of the students will be also selected to present their observation
reports to the class and other students are also expected to reflect on the reports and argue based
on their experiences and theories in the literature.

Session 6 (18/1/1392)
Classroom Management, Workshops and Monitoring in Teacher Education Programs
Wajnryb (1992): Ch. 6
Richards & Farrell (2005): Ch. 1, 2, & 3
In this session, the materials presented in chapters 1, 2, and 3 of Richards and Farrell are
discussed. The main focus will be on reflection in language teaching. Students are also expected
to form research questions based on their readings of the materials in this session. At the end of
the class (if time allows), a short video is played to see how monitoring/observation works in
language classes.

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 Session 7 (MAKE-UP session)
Students Demos and Reports
No Text Required
In this session students will have their first demos and some others will report their observation
records.

Session 8 (1/2/1392)
Teacher Support Groups, Keeping a Teaching Journal, and Peer Observation
Richards & Farrell (2005): Ch. 4, 5, & 6
In this session, students are introduced to some teacher training and education SIGs in Iran and
abroad. They will also be taught how to create a useful teaching journal to keep their language
teaching experience alive. The practicality of teaching journals in Iran will also be mooted. After
that, peer observation forms are given to the students and narrative experiences from class
observations are related. Some of the students will be asked to report their observations to the
class and mention the strong and weak points of the teacher and the class they have observed.

Session 9 (8/2/1392)
Portfolios, Critical Incidents in Language Class, and Case Analysis
Richards & Farrell (2005): Ch. 7, 8, & 9
In this session, students will be introduced to teaching portfolios in more detail as it has already
been discussed in previous sessions. The merits of teaching portfolio are discussed in group.
Students consciousness is raised about critical incidents in language classes and how to deal
with them. Chapters 7, 8, and 9 are reviewed and the reflection points in the book are brought
forth.
Assignment due: University Class Observation Report (Ordibehesht, 12th)

Session 10 (15/2/1392)
Peer Coaching, Team Teaching, and Action Research
Richards & Farrell (2005): Ch. 10, 11, & 12
After discussing chapter 10, 11, and 12 on peer coaching, team teaching, and action research, the
merits and demerits of these practices in the Iranian language teaching atmosphere are discussed.
Students will be encouraged to formulate research questions based on their teaching experiences
in their classes to meet the criteria for action research. A video will be also played to be critically
discussed in class. Two of the students are also asked to report their observations in the class and
the students are expected to reflect on their reports.

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 Session 11 (22/2/1392)
Computer and Technology in Language Classroom
Students Demos and Reports
No Text Required
In this session, students will get the familiar with some useful online gadgets and forums for
language learning and teaching purposes. Some useful websites for teaching each of the skills are
also introduced and the practical issues are debated. After all this, students reports will be read
in the class and they will have their demos in front of their classmates. The demos will be
evaluated by both the instructor and the students in class. The students will be informed about
the evaluation form before this session so that they would know what to do and what not to! A
sample evaluation sheet is given to the students.

Session 12 (29/2/1392)
Students Demos and Reports
No Text Required
Students will have their demos in front of the class and they will be evaluated by both the
instructor and the students.

Session 13 (8/2/1392)
Students Demos and Reports
No Text Required
Students will have their demos in front of the class and they will be evaluated by both the
instructor and the students.

Session 14 (12/3/1392)
Students Demos and Reports
No Text Required
Students will have their demos in front of the class and they will be evaluated by both the
instructor and the students.

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Online Sources/Journals
English Teaching Forum (http://americanenglish.state.gov/english-teaching-forum)
Internet TESL Journal (http://iteslj.org/)
English Language Teacher Education and Development (ELTED) Journal
(http://www.elted.net/)
RELC Journal (http://rel.sagepub.com/)
Teaching and Teacher Education (http://www.journals.elsevier.com/teaching-and-
teacher-education/)
TESL-EJ (http://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/)
Roshd Foreign Language Teaching (http://www.roshdmag.ir/)
Australian Journal of Teacher Education (http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/)
Columbia University Working Papers in TESOL and Applied Linguistics
(http://journals.tc-library.org/index.php/tesol)
TESL Canada Journal (http://teslcanadajournal.ca/index.php/tesl)
TESOL in Context (http://www.tesol.org.au/Publications/TESOL-in-Context)

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