Delta 3 specialisms, learning styles, motivations

Neil McMahon Delta 3 1

Delta Module Three

Extending practice

and English

language teaching specialisation

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Session One:

Friday August 27th

3pm – 6pm

A review of key issues relevant to candidates’ specialities

Learning styles and motivations

Neil McMahon Delta 3

3Neil McMahon Delta 3

Delta Module Three – Choosing Your Specialism

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Module Three aims to develop candidates’ knowledge of and

competence in:

a chosen specialism


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To achieve these aims, candidates need to:

research a chosen specialism


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Candidates must select one specialism where the candidate already has

experience or one which they would like to explore for

future employment


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The specialism can be narrowed down from those

on the official list in order to research a specific aspect in

appropriate depth.


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An individual learner may be chosen as a specialist

subject for this assignment.


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Grasp of topic – maximum 35 marks

• Review of the relevant literature in the topic area

• Understanding of key issues in the topic area

• Application of knowledge to practice and identification of key issues




The choices on offer



• Business English (BE)• Teaching young learners/young adults (specified agegroup required with 5-year range e.g. 8–13, 14–19) (YL)

• English for Special Purposes (ESP)• English for Academic Purposes (EAP)• Teaching examination classes (EX)

• Teaching one-to-one (1to1)• ESOL learners with literacy needs (ESOL)

• CLIL/Embedded ESOL (teaching English throughsubject/work-based learning) (CLIL)



• Teaching monolingual classes (MON)• Teaching multilingual classes (MUL)

• Teaching in an English-speaking environment (ESE) • Teaching in a non-English-speaking environment. (NESE)

• Teaching learners online/through distance/blendedlearning (DL)

• Teaching English to learners with special requirementse.g. visual/hearing impairment, dyslexia, ASD (SR)

• Language development for teachers (LDT)• Language support (e.g. on mainstream teaching

programmes, specialist skills support, such assupporting writing needs) (LS)



Focusing your specialism

Candidates may choose to focus the selected specialism in order to research a specific aspect in appropriate depth




ESP = Teaching communication skills to doctors working in a general hospital.




Teaching Young learners = Designing course programmes for 11-12

year old learners in Uruguay




Teaching FCE Or

= Preparing candidates for the FCE listening test




However, candidates should beware of choosing too narrow a focus, e.g.

choosing a discrete sub-skillor area of grammar

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Guiding Questions

Part 1: Introduction

Why did you choose this specialism?


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Guiding Questions


What theories and principles in the academic and professional literature have you found relevant, useful or challenging?


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Guiding Questions


What ideas from observation and experience have you drawn on?


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Guiding Questions


What have you found out from your research which is important for the design of your course?


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Guiding Questions

Part 2: Needs Analysis

Who is your specialist group?What are their main characteristics?

(e.g. age, educational and language level, nationality, learning style(s), motivations, job, etc.)


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Grasp of topic

When selected suitably, Part 1 was handled well.

Stronger assignments often had a section addressing issues which characterised the specialism, or showed how it differs from other kinds of teaching. Stronger assignments typically made reference to at least five or six relevant sources. Most candidates also made good reference to experience.


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Weaknesses

Failing candidates tended to have common problems such as:

failing to adequately focus the assignment by choosing a suitable specialism


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Weaknesses


considering in Part 1 only a specific class and context rather than issues relating to the specialism in general


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Weaknesses


not referring explicitly to key sources and theory


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Part 1: Topic area

Advice to candidates:


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Part 1: Topic area


It is essential that the whole assignment is clearly related to a specialism.


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Part 1: Topic area


Part 1 should consider general issues to be considered when teaching this type of class.

In Part 2 the focus will be narrowed to a specific class of learners.


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Part 1: Topic area

Advice to candidates:The review of the literature should go beyond simply finding one or two sources which describe the topic area, and should show that the candidate has read and synthesised a number (5 or 6) of key sources.

It should also contain an element of criticality.


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Part 1: Topic area


Outline in practical terms key features of

the specialism, ways in which teaching may differ from General English, and particular points which need to be considered when designing a course in this specialism.


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Part 1: Topic area

Examples illustrating the ways in which stronger assignments referred to background reading.


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Part 1: Topic areaExample 1

Although learner-centeredness has been a key concept in adult EFL for years, many teachers believe that teens are too young to have a say in what is taught. Puchta and Schratz disagree; connecting course content to students' real-life experiences "make the end goals of language learning seem nearer and more motivating" (1992:1).


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Part 1: Topic areaExample 2

A number of writers feel that there is a fundamental dichotomy between EAP and general English. Benson, for example, argues that with regards to listening skills, those required in an academic environment are “quantitatively and qualitatively different than those within an ESL classroom” (1989:422). From my experience in both sectors I would not go this far…….


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Session One:

Friday August 27th

3pm – 6pm

A review of key issues relevant to candidates’ specialities

Learning styles and motivations


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Learning Styles

Visual

Auditory

Kinaesthetic

(Tactile)

(Olfactory)

(Gustatory)


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Learning Styles

Environmental

Emotional

Sociological

Physiological

Psychological


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Learning Styles


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Multiple Intelligences

Core Intelligences

Linguistic

Logical

Personal Intelligences

Interpersonal

IntrapersonalNeil McMahon Delta 3

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Multiple Intelligences

Catalysing IntelligencesKinaesthetic

MusicalSpatial

NaturalistExistential


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Motivation

Maslow’s hierarchy of needsSelf-actualisation

EsteemBelonging and love

SafetyPhysiological


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Motivation

Intrinsic

Extrinsic

Instrumental

Integrative

Choice

Executive


Education

Delta 3 specialisms, learning styles, motivations