EUN643 Second Language Teaching Methodology
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | EUN643 |
|---|---|
| Equivalent(s): | LCN638, EUZ643 |
| Assumed Knowledge: | It is assumed that students understand educational practices in education settings and have practitioner experiences within a related education field or support profession. |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $592 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $3,468 |
| International unit fee | $4,740 |
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | EUN643 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | LCN638, EUZ643 |
| Assumed Knowledge: | It is assumed that students understand educational practices in education settings and have practitioner experiences within a related education field or support profession. |
| Coordinator: | Ronan Kelly | ronan.kelly@qut.edu.au |
Overview
At a time of increasing migration and global interconnectedness, knowledge and skills in promoting learning in second language contexts is essential for teachers, educational leaders and policymakers. This covers a diverse range of contexts including English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D) in Australian schools, adult migrant English in Australia, English for academic purposes (EAP) in tertiary education, and English as a foreign language (EFL) in many international contexts. This unit introduces you to advanced knowledge about second language teaching and learning, and practical teaching methods and techniques for second language learners. The key focus of the unit is the integration of theory and practice, that is, applying TESOL principles to promote improvement in your teaching.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Discuss and integrate advanced knowledge of second language teaching and learning principles, including recent research in the field.
- Critically apply advanced knowledge of second language teaching methodologies to explain and reflexively analyse existing teaching practice.
- Design and justify innovative solutions to develop improvements in teaching practices for second language learners in your context.
- Evaluate scholarly literature on second language teaching methodologies and apply it to professional planning.
- Use academically appropriate oral and written communication forms to transmit knowledge, skills and ideas related to second language teaching methodology.
Content
This unit includes the following topics:
- Theories of language and second language acquisition and their implications for practitioners in diverse contexts;
- Second language learners and issues of autonomy, strategy use, and motivation, as well as different language learning settings and curricula requirements;
- Classroom talk and scaffolding learning: Teacher questioning and corrective feedback;
- Current approaches, methods and techniques for teaching the macroskills of speaking, listening, reading and writing as well as vocabulary and grammar;
- Second language teaching and learning in specific contexts including schools, workplaces, higher education and community settings; and
- Critical reflection for the purposes of recognition and improvement in practice.
Learning Approaches
In this unit you will learn through engaging in the following:
- tutorials (online and on-campus)
- online learning activities
- readings
- modules to support research and writing skills
- using Generative AI to produce lesson plans
- authentic assessment tasks in which you will apply scholarly knowledge to real world scenarios and in your own context.
This unit employs interactive and discussion-based learning, case study based activities and critical reflection on the intersection of theory and experience.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- a range of formative exercises discussed and undertaken throughout the unit
- feedback from peers as you investigate and discuss issues raised throughout the unit
- self assessment through reflective practice
- comments about summative assessment work included with your grade
- general summative assessment feedback posted to the whole cohort via the unit Canvas site.
Assessment
Overview
The unit has two assessments:
1. Critique (oral) - Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice: You are required to discuss and integrate advanced knowledge of second language teaching and learning principles, and critically apply these to explain and reflexively analyse existing teaching practice. The application is a form of reflection, identifying existing strengths and areas for improvement.
2. Professional plan (written) - Innovation in second language teaching practice: You are required to identify an issue and plan an innovation in response to the issue that you would like to apply in your future teaching. You will then design and justify an innovative lesson plan to illustrate how you would improve your teaching practice in response to the issue.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice
You will use a teaching activity in the form of 30-minute sequence and reflexively analyse it by drawing on theory, principles and methods in second language teaching. You will present your analysis and reflection and respond to questions at a scheduled time.
The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.
Some components of this assessment are eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Innovation in second language teaching practice
You will identify an issue and plan an innovation in response to the issue that you would like to apply in your future teaching. You will then design and justify an innovative lesson plan to illustrate how you would improve your teaching practice in response to the issue. Generative AI tools will be used to create the lesson plan. You must clearly annotate the AI generated lesson plan to show how you have enhanced it and critique its strengths and weaknesses with support from scholarly sources.
The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
There are no resources that are required to be purchased for this unit. There are some recommended texts that are referred to frequently in this unit. Other resources will be available in the unit's Canvas site.
Resource Materials
Recommended text(s)
Harmer, J. (2015). The practice of English language teaching. (5th Ed.). Harlow, England: Pearson.
Horwitz, E.K. (2013). Becoming a language teacher: A practical guide to second language learning and teaching. Boston & London: Pearson.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with this unit.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.EU60 Graduate Certificate in Education
- Discuss and evaluate advanced discipline-specific knowledge related to professional educational practice.
Relates to: ULO1, Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice, Innovation in second language teaching practice - Reflect on and reflexively analyse own practice to improve professional knowledge and practice.
Relates to: ULO2, Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice - Design and justify innovative solutions to authentic problems of educational practice through the application of discipline-specific knowledge and skills.
Relates to: ULO3, Innovation in second language teaching practice - Source and evaluate scholarly and professional literature and apply it to educational contexts and scenarios.
Relates to: ULO4, Innovation in second language teaching practice - Employ a range of communication modes to transmit knowledge, skills, and ideas to others.
Relates to: ULO5, Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice, Innovation in second language teaching practice
EU71 Master of Education
- Demonstrate cognitive, technical and creative skills to investigate, analyse and synthesize complex information, problems, concepts and theories and to apply established theories to different bodies of knowledge or practice in education (CLO2.2).
Relates to: ULO3 - Demonstrate technical and communication skills to design, evaluate, implement, analyse and theorise about developments that contribute to professional education practice or scholarship (CLO2.4).
Relates to: ULO5
EU74 Master of Education
- Discuss, evaluate, and integrate advanced discipline-specific knowledge related to professional educational practice and research.
Relates to: ULO1, ULO4, Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice, Innovation in second language teaching practice - Reflect on and reflexively analyse own practice, integrating theoretical frameworks to improve professional knowledge and practice.
Relates to: ULO2, Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice - Design and justify innovative solutions to authentic problems of educational practice, drawing on discipline-specific knowledge and skills to lead and influence positive change.
Relates to: ULO3, Innovation in second language teaching practice - Employ a range of communication modes to transmit knowledge, skills and ideas to specialist and non-specialist audiences in professional and scholarly contexts.
Relates to: ULO5, Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice, Innovation in second language teaching practice
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Online
| Unit code: | EUN643 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | LCN638, EUZ643 |
| Assumed Knowledge: | It is assumed that students understand educational practices in education settings and have practitioner experiences within a related education field or support profession. |
Overview
At a time of increasing migration and global interconnectedness, knowledge and skills in promoting learning in second language contexts is essential for teachers, educational leaders and policymakers. This covers a diverse range of contexts including English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D) in Australian schools, adult migrant English in Australia, English for academic purposes (EAP) in tertiary education, and English as a foreign language (EFL) in many international contexts. This unit introduces you to advanced knowledge about second language teaching and learning, and practical teaching methods and techniques for second language learners. The key focus of the unit is the integration of theory and practice, that is, applying TESOL principles to promote improvement in your teaching.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Discuss and integrate advanced knowledge of second language teaching and learning principles, including recent research in the field.
- Critically apply advanced knowledge of second language teaching methodologies to explain and reflexively analyse existing teaching practice.
- Design and justify innovative solutions to develop improvements in teaching practices for second language learners in your context.
- Evaluate scholarly literature on second language teaching methodologies and apply it to professional planning.
- Use academically appropriate oral and written communication forms to transmit knowledge, skills and ideas related to second language teaching methodology.
Content
This unit includes the following topics:
- Theories of language and second language acquisition and their implications for practitioners in diverse contexts;
- Second language learners and issues of autonomy, strategy use, and motivation, as well as different language learning settings and curricula requirements;
- Classroom talk and scaffolding learning: Teacher questioning and corrective feedback;
- Current approaches, methods and techniques for teaching the macroskills of speaking, listening, reading and writing as well as vocabulary and grammar;
- Second language teaching and learning in specific contexts including schools, workplaces, higher education and community settings; and
- Critical reflection for the purposes of recognition and improvement in practice.
Learning Approaches
In this unit you will learn through engaging in the following:
- tutorials (online and on-campus)
- online learning activities
- readings
- modules to support research and writing skills
- using Generative AI to produce lesson plans
- authentic assessment tasks in which you will apply scholarly knowledge to real world scenarios and in your own context.
This unit employs interactive and discussion-based learning, case study based activities and critical reflection on the intersection of theory and experience.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:
- a range of formative exercises discussed and undertaken throughout the unit
- feedback from peers as you investigate and discuss issues raised throughout the unit
- self assessment through reflective practice
- comments about summative assessment work included with your grade
- general summative assessment feedback posted to the whole cohort via the unit Canvas site.
Assessment
Overview
The unit has two assessments:
1. Critique (oral) - Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice: You are required to discuss and integrate advanced knowledge of second language teaching and learning principles, and critically apply these to explain and reflexively analyse existing teaching practice. The application is a form of reflection, identifying existing strengths and areas for improvement.
2. Professional plan (written) - Innovation in second language teaching practice: You are required to identify an issue and plan an innovation in response to the issue that you would like to apply in your future teaching. You will then design and justify an innovative lesson plan to illustrate how you would improve your teaching practice in response to the issue.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice
You will use a teaching activity in the form of 30-minute sequence and reflexively analyse it by drawing on theory, principles and methods in second language teaching. You will present your analysis and reflection and respond to questions at a scheduled time.
The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.
Some components of this assessment are eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Innovation in second language teaching practice
You will identify an issue and plan an innovation in response to the issue that you would like to apply in your future teaching. You will then design and justify an innovative lesson plan to illustrate how you would improve your teaching practice in response to the issue. Generative AI tools will be used to create the lesson plan. You must clearly annotate the AI generated lesson plan to show how you have enhanced it and critique its strengths and weaknesses with support from scholarly sources.
The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
There are no resources that are required to be purchased for this unit. There are some recommended texts that are referred to frequently in this unit. Other resources will be available in the unit's Canvas site.
Resource Materials
Recommended text(s)
Harmer, J. (2015). The practice of English language teaching. (5th Ed.). Harlow, England: Pearson.
Horwitz, E.K. (2013). Becoming a language teacher: A practical guide to second language learning and teaching. Boston & London: Pearson.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with this unit.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.EU60 Graduate Certificate in Education
- Discuss and evaluate advanced discipline-specific knowledge related to professional educational practice.
Relates to: ULO1, Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice, Innovation in second language teaching practice - Reflect on and reflexively analyse own practice to improve professional knowledge and practice.
Relates to: ULO2, Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice - Design and justify innovative solutions to authentic problems of educational practice through the application of discipline-specific knowledge and skills.
Relates to: ULO3, Innovation in second language teaching practice - Source and evaluate scholarly and professional literature and apply it to educational contexts and scenarios.
Relates to: ULO4, Innovation in second language teaching practice - Employ a range of communication modes to transmit knowledge, skills, and ideas to others.
Relates to: ULO5, Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice, Innovation in second language teaching practice
EU71 Master of Education
- Demonstrate cognitive, technical and creative skills to investigate, analyse and synthesize complex information, problems, concepts and theories and to apply established theories to different bodies of knowledge or practice in education (CLO2.2).
Relates to: ULO3 - Demonstrate technical and communication skills to design, evaluate, implement, analyse and theorise about developments that contribute to professional education practice or scholarship (CLO2.4).
Relates to: ULO5
EU74 Master of Education
- Discuss, evaluate, and integrate advanced discipline-specific knowledge related to professional educational practice and research.
Relates to: ULO1, ULO4, Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice, Innovation in second language teaching practice - Reflect on and reflexively analyse own practice, integrating theoretical frameworks to improve professional knowledge and practice.
Relates to: ULO2, Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice - Design and justify innovative solutions to authentic problems of educational practice, drawing on discipline-specific knowledge and skills to lead and influence positive change.
Relates to: ULO3, Innovation in second language teaching practice - Employ a range of communication modes to transmit knowledge, skills and ideas to specialist and non-specialist audiences in professional and scholarly contexts.
Relates to: ULO5, Reflexive analysis of second language teaching practice, Innovation in second language teaching practice