DEPARTMENT OF CURRICULUM AND TEACHING

GRADUATE PROGRAM OPTION:

Organization of Program in Foreign Language (CTSE)

Course Syllabus

Course Number:	CTSE 7536

Course Title:	Organization of Programs in Foreign Languages

Credit Hours:	3 hours

Prerequisite:	Admission to Graduate School

Corequisites:	None

Date Syllabus Prepared:	February 2002

Faculty:	Dr. Sue Barry

Textbook or assigned readings:

Lee, J. F. & VanPatten, B. (1995) Making communicative language teaching happen. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Omaggio Hadley, A. H. (2000). Teaching language in context. (2nd ed.) Boston: Heinle and Heinle.

Meyer Meinbach, A., Rothlein, L. & Fredericks, A.D. (1995) The complete guide to thematic units: Creating the integrated curriculum. Norwood, MA: Christopher Gordon.

Additional readings for current topics are available from E-
Reserve.

___________________________________________

Course Description:

This course provides an in-depth look at the theory and professed standards that the foreign language profession would like to see as the organizing principles for curriculum development with a special emphasis on reading. We will show how to fit theory to practice.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Upon completion of this course, the students will:

1. define communicative competence and proficiency, apply these constructs to instructional practices, and explain how they relate to National Standards and the Alabama Course of Study for Foreign Languages.

2. explain current methodologies, their theoretical bases, and demonstrate appropriate instructional activities for each.

3) explain reading theory: knowledge structures and the components of the memory traces in the reader's mental representations of the text.

4) discuss the concepts of "whole language" and "thematic units" in the foreign language curriculum.

5) develop and demonstrate activities for listening, speaking, reading and writing using culturally-authentic materials in a whole language/thematic unit for any level of French or Spanish.

DAILY ASSIGNMENTS

Weeks:

1-3	Locating resources: Library and LRC Orientation

Bachman's Model of Communicative Language Ability

Reading Theory: Mental Representations of Texts

Using the Internet to create webquest activities (3 hour workshop)

4	A Framework for Assisting L2 Learners to Comprehend Written Language:

Pre-reading, guided interaction, assimilation, and personalization.

Professor Demonstration: Adapting the Framework for Short Stories

5-6	Developing and Using Thematic Units with Strategies for Success

Student Demonstrations: Pre-reading, During reading, and Post-reading Strategies

7-8	Popular Music in a Whole Language Approach to Foreign Language Teaching:

Relating Theory to Practice

Dramatic Play in the Foreign Language Classroom

Professor Demonstrations: La inmigración al mundo hispano (Spanish) and
Madeleine et Brel en classe de français (French).

9	Quiz: Applying Theory to Practice

Question/answer chat: Materials and instruction for thematic units

10	Storytelling and Total Physical Response

Demonstrations to be announced

11-13	The Role of Context in Comprehension and Learning

Relating Theory to Practice: Levels One through Four

Supervised library work on thematic units

14-15 Student demonstrations of activities developed for their thematic units.

Note: Weeks 1-3 and 11-13 (18 hours)will be covered in the two required weekend seminars for both on-campus and distance students. The main purpose of the weekend seminars is to integrate the two groups. Also, in this course students will have opportunities to use both Draughn Library and the Learning Resource Center.

Course Requirements

1.	Assigned readings: All texts will be discussed in class and on bulletin board/chat. These readings contain information that will be included in projects and other course requirements. Students will participate on-
line.

2.	Demonstration lessons for different teaching methods: Each student will demonstrate a strategy for successful reading. All presenters will provide a copy of their text along with the strategies they are presenting, at least two days prior to their presentation. These materials will be delivered to the instructor and all on-campus students as a file attachment (.doc or .htm file) via WebCT. The demonstration will be submitted as a videotape via postal mail to the Office of Distance Learning and must be received by the office of Distance Learning by the deadline announced in class. Students will be expected to view all of the videotaped demonstrations on the Web. Students may ask questions of the presenters or make comments about the presentations via the class discussion board.

3.	Demonstration lessons from Thematic Units: Each student will demonstrate one lesson from his/her thematic unit and explain how the lesson fits into the unit. These lessons will exemplify a Whole Language Approach. All presenters will provide a copy of the text along with the strategies they are presenting, at least two days prior to their presentation, via the discussion board. These materials will be delivered to the instructor and all on-campus students as a file attachment (.doc or .htm file) via WebCT. Students will be expected to view all of the videotaped demonstrations on the Web. The demonstration will be submitted as a videotape via postal mail to the Office of Distance Learning and must be received by the office of Distance Learning by the deadline announced in class. Students will be expected to view all of the videotaped demonstrations on the Web. Student may ask questions of the presenters or make comments about the presentations via the class discussion board.

4.	Mid-term and Final Exams: The exams will be over readings in assigned texts, class presentations and discussion through WebCt. The mid-term and final will follow the guidelines below.

To ensure academic honesty during the final, the following procedures will be used. An official proctor will be recruited by each student and confirmed by the instructor at the beginning of the course. Students will provide all data needed to contact the proctors via e-mail, phone and fax. The proctor must be a dean, department head, military education officer, or school principal with e-mail and a fax machine. The person cannot have a vested interest in the student's success in the program. The proctor must have face-to-face access to the student to oversee the student's examination.

The exams will be administered through WebCT. Students must log on to WebCT to take the exam during a face-to-face meeting (planned according to their schedules) with the proctor who will administer the test to the student. The student may log on to the exam only once. The proctor must physically observe this examination process, as it will occur with the student responding to items via computer. The test-taker and proctor will sign a one page document stating that the rules of academic honesty in the examination were properly followed by the student and observed by the proctor. This statement will also include the date and time that the test began and the time that it ended. The statement will also include photocopies of the photo I.D. of each party. The statement will be faxed to the instructor. This procedure will be carried out for all exams.

Special Projects:

1.	Rationale for a Thematic Unit: All students will write and defend a rationale for Thematic Units and Whole Language as an Approach to Foreign Language Teaching. They will explain the relationship between whole language and thematic units and will give some examples of appropriate activities. Students will submit the paper as a file attachment (.doc or .htm file) via WebCT.

2.	Thematic Unit: All students will create a thematic unit using some of the concepts of whole language to develop activities. They must include at least four texts that represent different genre. All units will include the following items:

a) a cover page

b) a table of contents

c) a planning web

d) reading selections followed by the appropriate reference

e) interdisciplinary reading activities for each text

f) a final page with a list of references for all materials

Students may submit the unit as a file attachment (.doc or .htm file) via WebCt. Due to the length of the thematic units and the visuals that may be included, some students may prefer to send a hard copy along with a diskette with the corresponding files. However, these hard copies must arrive by the due date as stated in the syllabus.

Note: Students will access detailed rubrics for course requirements 2 & 3 as well as Special Projects 1 & 2 on the instructor's web site.

EVALUATIONS: Students must complete all assignments successfully and in a timely manner in order to receive credit for the course. All assignments will be weighted as follows:

Participation, demonstrations, and quizzes	30%

Rationale and Thematic Unit	50%

Final examination	20%

Grading Procedures:

92-100	= A

82-91	= B

72-81	= C

62-71	= D

CLASS POLICY:

Attendance and Participation: Students are expected to attend all scheduled class meetings, to arrive on time, and not to leave early. When absences are unavoidable, students are responsible for turning in any work that is due and for finding out about material presented and assignments made. As a professional courtesy, students should notify the instructor about an absence ahead of time. Grades on late assignments will be lowered one letter grade. Final grades will be lowered one letter grade if a student accumulates tow unexcused absences.

Academic Honesty: Evidence of plagiarism or academic dishonesty will result in application of measures outlined in the Auburn University student Academic Honesty Code(See Tiger Cub).

Special Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Anyone requiring special accommodations should make an appointment, as soon as possible, to discuss the Accommodation Memo with the instructor. Students with disabilities may also contact the Program for Students with Disabilities in 1244 Haley Center (844-2096 V/TTY).

Other: An advanced level of proficiency in Spanish or French is desirable to successfully meet the course objectives required to pass this course.

Justification for offering CTSE 7536 Evaluations – Foreign Languages

This course provides current teachers and pre-service teachers, who desire an "A" Certificate, opportunities to develop an in-depth understanding of the organizing principles for curriculum development with a special emphasis on reading.

INFORMATION FOR DISTANCE APPROVAL PROCESS

DELIVERY SYSTEMS

This course consists of lectures, discussions as well as oral and written reports addressing the evaluation of foreign language students, teachers, and curriculum. Lectures and student presentations will be distributed via streaming video. See class statements above concerning communication between students and faculty. Video conversion will be done by graduate students in foreign language education using equipment in Curriculum and Teaching and Office of Distance Learning Staff. Application projects will be done in local high schools. The instructor will arrange for on-campus placements. Distance students will work in their own schools. No other services or facilities beyond that normally provided for on-campus courses or distance students are needed.

RESOURCES

Students will need equipment and Internet access as described in the syllabus. They will also need access to a VHS video camera. Normal student support for WebCT and IT will be required.

ADJUSTMENTS

Distance students will participate in discussion via live chat and class discussion board. Distance students will submit videotapes of their oral presentations.

STUDENT EVALUATION

Evaluation processes are identical to the on-campus course. Students will follow the instructions in the syllabus for proctored examinations. Student participation will be evaluated by the frequency (at least once per lecture) and content (does it apply to the lecture) of chat discussion board postings.

COURSE REVIEW

This course will be evaluated with the AU Survey of Teaching Effectiveness and anonymous surveys concerning the delivery mode. Faculty involved in the Masters of Foreign Language Education will meet to periodically review the effectiveness of the distance courses.

TARGET POPULATION

Approximately 400 foreign language teachers in the state of Alabama would qualify for this program, assuming they may be admitted to graduate school.

LOGISTICAL SUPPORT

Two 1/4 time graduate assistants in foreign language education will be responsible for materials duplication and dissemination. Office staff in Curriculum and Teaching will be responsible for financial management. The program advisor will coordinate marketing.

FINANCIAL ASPECTS

The tuition rate is set as part of the Distance Master in Foreign Language Education.