OVERVIEW

The course Didáctica de ELE (Spanish as a Foreign Language) aims to introduce, familiarise students with, and help them apply certain theoretical principles that should guide the planning of communicative activities in Spanish.

Lectures, independent and group study, and presentations by participating students also will help students become aware of the various online resources available to ELE teachers.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to make students aware of the main synchronic and diachronic aspects of communication in Spanish, so that they can actively take these into account when planning teaching for the learning of Spanish as a foreign language in both formal and informal educational settings (lower and upper secondary schools and private centres).

The course employs an active approach, involving both individual and group work, which necessarily involves exploring many dimensions of foreign language teaching through innovative methods, as well as learning and assessment in relation to all possible communicative activities.

It is understood that this course is primarily intended for students attending classes in person.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The main aim of the course is to enable learners to recognise and evaluate different communicative activities and to reflect on the methods and strategies that should be used to teach and learn them in Spanish.

This aim is linked to knowledge and critical awareness of the proposals regarding the dimensions and effects of teaching, learning and assessing foreign languages, as set out in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (in the 2001 Spanish version and the 2020 supplementary volume).

By the end of the course, students should have achieved

• an understanding of the main ideas underpinning the theoretical concepts of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR); 
• the ability to recognise all types of communicative activities (including mediation and interaction) with their possible variations; 
• sufficient skills to engage with fellow students in proposing communicative activities that genuinely meet the need for communication in the foreign language in realistic situations.

TEACHING METHODS

Lessons take place in the classroom, with face-to-face teaching.

This course requires students to commit to independent study but, above all, to group work. During the first month of the course, the teacher will present the main ideas of the syllabus, along with the materials available for students to develop their knowledge and skills independently. Over the following two months, students will be required to present an aspect of the theories and practices agreed upon with the teacher and the group. The presentation of the topic that each student must prepare requires research using the information sources identified at the start of the course, a demonstration of functional literacy skills and proficiency in the communication of knowledge (including in digital format), and a willingness to engage in group discussion and peer assessment (which will be taken into account for the final assessment of each course module).

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

1. Communicative activities and communicative skills.
2. Content of the CEFR and the supplementary volume.
3. The action-oriented approach: communicative skills and activities.
4. The concepts of competence (general and communicative), knowledge, skills and reference levels.
5. Distinction between objectives, strategies, activities and projects.
6. Reference levels addressed through various parameters and communicative-pragmatic interests.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

All students are required to be familiar with the content of the two versions of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (the 2002 Spanish version and the 2021 supplementary volume).

1. Marco común europeo de referencia para las lenguas: aprendizaje, enseñanza, evaluación (ed. en español, 2002) https://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/biblioteca_ele/marco/default.htm 
2. Marco común europeo de referencia para las lenguas: aprendizaje, enseñanza, evaluación. Volumen complementario  (ed. en español, 2021) https://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/biblioteca_ele/marco_complementario/mcer_volumen-complementario.pdf

The remaining reading list will be researched and selected by those attending the course lessons and shared with everyone, accompanied by critical reading notes. Further details will be posted on the Aulaweb portal for non-attending students (although this option is not recommended).

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

First week of the first term.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of an oral assessment designed to evaluate the functional literacy skills acquired throughout the course (through ongoing discussion with students), as well as to assess students’ comprehension of the required reading and their critical thinking skills.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The exam consists of two short parts:

1.  a presentation and discussion of the content of the compulsory reading;
2. a comparison between the topic presented by each candidate and those presented by the others.

Non-attending students will be provided with guidance on how to draw on various sources of information to prepare for the exam independently.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students who have duly submitted documentation of a disability, specific learning difficulties (SLD) or other special educational needs are advised to contact both the course coordinator, Prof. Sara Dickinson (sara.dickinson@unige.it), and the lecturer at the start of the course, in order to agree on teaching and assessment arrangements which, whilst adhering to the course objectives, take into account individual learning styles and provide appropriate support measures.