SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

DESIGNS FOR LEARNING: FRENCH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

INSTRUCTOR: ?

Deborah Swaflield (BEd, MEd)

Phone: 964-4431 (school), 962-8693 (home)

PLACE: ?

College Heights Secondary School, Room 149.

TIME: ?

Fridays 4:30pm to 8:30pm, Saturdays, 9:30am to 3:30pm

FREQUENCY: ?

4 week-end sessions beginning January 20-21, 1995

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course aims at demystifying second language instruction by examining the links and

differences between first and second language acquisition. Second language education has

drawn on knowledge about the first language learning to trace a picture of second

language development. Recent work in this area highlights the similar focus on making

meaning during the acquisition processes across languages. Yet, there remain differences

in the surface features of each linguistic system and in the cultural practices surrounding

language use. Moreover, the status of the first and second language can vary according to

social and educational contexts. This naturally has an impact on the particular type of

classroom support needed to foster growth in a given language.

Through a variety of large group, small cooperative groups and individual activities, we

will explore our own processes as second language learners and work with a number of

classroom approaches which can be applied to teaching French as a second language.

Current Ministry documents, curriculum practices, and teaching materials related to the

second language classroom will be examined.

OUTLINE OF TOPICS:

(a)

Second Language Acquisition (based on current research)

(b)

Role of the First Language in Second Language Learning

(c)

The Use of Contextual Clues for Comprehension

(d) Strategies for Teaching in the Second Language Classroom

- cooperative learning techniques

- modeling

(e)

Analysis of the Integrative Approach

- other subject integration (i.e. Music, Social Studies. Phys Ed. etc.)

- experiential learning

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(f) Practical Classroom Applications

- getting started

- keeping student interest and motivation

- teaching grammar and vocabulary in context

(g)

Curriculum concerns

- specific objectives

- classroom interaction

- use of authentic sources for cultural context

- evaluation of the 4 areas of second language acquisition

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Term project and presentation ...................................40%

Portfolio of resources and materials ...........................30%

Curriculum overview ................................................20%

Language acquisition research ...................................10%

REQUIRED TEXT:

Rivers, W. (1987). Interactive Language Teaching. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge

University Press.

RECOMMENDED TEXTS:

Nunaan, D. (1991). Language Teaching Methodology. Englewood, NJ: Prentice Hall

Skehan, P. (1989) Individual Differences in Second Language Learning. London, UK:

Routledge.

Stern, H.H. (1992). Issues and Options in Language Teaching. Oxford, UK: Oxford

University Press.

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