First, the students must acquire an insight into the various issues of teaching a foreign language to adults. They are introduced to relevant concepts and theories from applied linguistics so as to understand why and to what extent teaching to adults requires a different approach. They also get acquainted with the psycho-affective characteristics of language education (motivation, fear of failure, the self concept of the learner, learning styles, …) At a later stage, the didactics of language learning (how to organize a course, how to give a vocabulary lesson, a grammar lesson, ...) are discussed at length. Finally, through microteaching, the students are prepared for the language-specific projects which they will face during the second part of the course.

Second part: the exercises.

Acquired theoretical knowledge is to be applied in the framework of language-specific projects. Students teach each other, other non-FLTA students, external students, first Bachelor students, … Students are allocated to four language-specific groups (with both a maximum and a minimum intake) which have elaborated several projects (such as communicative grammar of German, Spanish vocabulary for absolute beginners, English speaking skills for engineers, …).

Prerequisites
None, except mastering the language(s) concerned at a 3rd Bachelor level.

Final Objectives
The student:
- has acquired a conceptual instrument enabling him or her to discuss as a professional the pedagogics and didactics of foreign language teaching;
- has reflected on the didactics of teaching to adults: what does working with a group of adult language learners in a business environment involve? how do you go about it?
- knows how to set up a curriculum adapted to specific linguistic demands, either formulated by his client or detected by himself after a specially tailored needs assessment.
-has been taught to give lessons in both foreign languages.

Materials used
::Click here for additional information::
A syllabus for the first part. Written material to prepare and give the lessons during the second part.

Study costs
Cost: 1.0 EUR
Syllabus: about €1.
Self-made copies of texts for preparing lessons.

Study guidance
Progress talks.

Teaching Methods
Interactive lectures and seminars during the first part. Project approach during the second part.

Assessment
Permanent evaluation and final written and oral examination.

Lecturer(s)
Chris MEULEMAN (F2)
D. Chan (Eh)
I. Mayer-Falk (Da)
R. Van Den Hende (Se)