Welcome to Teaching Practical English - a unique online application designed to assist teachers-in-training as they come to grips with what is involved in bringing a more practical edge to their English language teaching style.
This course was originally designed as a full credit-level subject (Methodology of Teaching Practical English) for application in the English Education Department of the Teacher's College at Kyungpook National University (Daegu, South Korea). However, it is also open as a non-credit application for teachers of English in any context from all over the world. This is based on the view that collaboration and discussion among teachers in all/any English language teaching contexts can be fruitful, exciting, awareness-raising and motivating!
Please note that the course is generally geared towards developing the ability to understand and apply practical English lessons in secondary school classrooms in English as a Foreign Language contexts. It can of course be applied beyond that, but this is the assumed general context and the basis of most of the tasks and discussion topics.
The course invites you to progress through a set sequence of topics, lectures, lesson materials and discussion prompts. It is heavily dependent on your own willingness to apply critical thinking and discussion skills.
The full course menu is expected to be completed by November, 2008. For now, please feel free to start the course and progress using the following course menu sequence:
1. Introductory Topic: What does Practical English mean to you?
2. Principles and Challenges of Teaching Practical English in your country
3. Examine Lesson Set 1 (Movie Reviews)
4. Post your own movie review (as follow up to Lesson Set 1)
http://global-english.lefora.com/2008/09/09/post-your-movie-reviews-here/page1/
5. Task-based Instruction for Teaching Practical English (brief PowerPoint presentation)
6. Online Discussion Topic 1: Relating a practical English lesson plan to principles and task-based learning
7. Examine Lesson Set 2 (Tour Inquiries)
8. Contact a tour company (Follow up online assignment for Lesson Set 2)
http://global-english.lefora.com/2008/09/16/lesson-set-2-tour-inquiries-online-assignment/page1/
9. Facilitating Integrated Skills for Practical English (coming soon!)
Check back here for regular updates to the course taskwork and information. Please also feel free to post any comments or questions you have here as a response to this specific thread.
In the meantime, good luck with your practical English teaching skills!
Best wishes,
~ Jason D. Renshaw
