Theory & Practice of Second Language Tea

This graduate seminar serves as an introduction to second language (SL) teaching for in-service instructors of language, and language and content courses. It highlights pedagogical principles, methodological strategies, and practical activities that are critical for new instructors teaching SL courses at the university level for the first time at Columbia University.

Students consider major theoretical constructs (culture, language, mind, metaphor, communication, context) and contemporary teaching approaches in the field of instructed second language acquisition (concept-based teaching, communicative language teaching, literacy-oriented approaches, task-project based learning). They will also engage with basic teaching techniques (lesson planning, use of the target language, technology integration, task design, grammar teaching, utilization of written and oral authentic materials in the classroom), reflective teaching practices (teachers as learners of teaching, dynamics of classroom communication, the role of teachers’ beliefs about pedagogical practices), and the design of testing and assessment measures (contextualized test design, portfolios, and grading criteria).

The main goal of the course is to connect critical pedagogy as well as sociocultural and cognitive theories with classroom practice through guest workshops, collaborative discussion, online forums, lesson plan design, observation of SL classrooms, peer feedback, and portfolio development.