33009 IMMERSION LANGUAGE TEACHING

Year	No.	Offer	Mode	Description			Cred. Pts
99	33009 	S2  	X 	IMMERSION LANGUAGE TEACH'G	1.00

Contents

• Staffing
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Recommended References
• Student Workload
• Assessment Details
• Other Requirements

STAFFING:

Other Teaching Staff:

SYNOPSIS:

Since  the  early  80's in Australia, a number of schools  in  various
states  and territories have begun experimenting with the teaching  of
content  areas  such  as Mathematics, Science, Social  Sciences,  etc.
through  a  second  language. In most cases the teachers  within  such
bilingual  or  immersion programmes have had very little knowledge  of
the  theories and methodologies appropriate to such teaching. Although
such  teaching has existed overseas for some decades, the  concept  is
still  relatively  new  to  Australia  and  practising  and  potential
teachers  have  not  been able to obtain any extensive  and  intensive
professional  development  as no tertiary institution  until  now  has
offered a unit specifically targeting the needs of such individuals.

The  unit  will  introduce the students to the  concept  of  immersion
teaching, its historical roots in various countries, bilingualism  and
cognitive development, the results of international research into  the
effectiveness  of  immersion,  appropriate  teaching  strategies   and
methodologies  and how they can be used for particular  content  areas
and  age  levels,  early and late immersion programmes,  resource  and
teaching materials development.

OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the unit, the students will:

1. have a greater understanding of relationships between
   bilingualism and cognitive development;
   
2. be able to explain the differences between the various models
   of immersion and bilingual language teaching programmes;
   
3. demonstrate an understanding of research findings into
   immersion teaching;
   
4. be able to describe the different approaches taken to
   bilingual education by various countries and states within
   Australia;
   
5. demonstrate a greater knowledge and understanding of the role
   of age and second language acquisition, and its consequential
   results on early and late immersion programmes;
   
6. be able to produce teaching resources for different content
   areas appropriate to the year level and linguistic proficiency
   of their students;
   
7. demonstrate the ability to teach within a content area using
   only the second language;
   
8. discuss and evaluate the variety of teaching approaches and
   strategies appropriate to an immersion classroom.
   
9. be able to outline and discuss the difficulties likely to be
   encountered when engaged within or proposing an immersion
   programme;
   
10. have an understanding of the effects of external factors upon
    students - parents, peers, community, language status, etc.
    

TOPICS:

 Description                                                    Weighting(%)

Bilingualism and cognitive development                                10.00

Concept  of  the  "immersion method' of  second  language             15.00
teaching  and  its  place within the theories  of  second
language acquisition.

Immersion  models and the role of age in second  language             15.00
acquisition.

History   of  immersion  teaching  -  international   and             5.00
national.

Theories  and  research  findings on  bilingual/immersion             15.00
education.

Immersion  programmes:  conception  to  implementation  -             5.00
possible difficulties and solutions.

Methodology  of immersion language teaching -  techniques             20.00
and strategies.

Development of teaching materials and resources.                      10.00

Programme evaluation.                                                 5.00

TEXT and MATERIALS to be PURCHASED:

"Rising to the Bilingual Challenge" Michael Berthold (Ed) NLLIA,
Canberra, 1995.

RECOMMENDED REFERENCE MATERIALS:

"French Immersion: Process, Product and Perspectives", Compiled by S
REHORICK and V EDWARDS, Canadian Modern Language Review, 1992.

"An Early Start: Second Language at Primary School", Edited by M
CLYNE, River Seine Publications, Melbourne, 1986.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS:

	ACTIVITY				HOURS
Directed Study                                	100
Private Study                                 	40
Examinations                                  	2
Assessments                                   	30

ASSESSMENT DETAILS:

No  *F/S Marks     Due        Description                              Wtg(%)    LBL WWW
1   S              WK 6      ASSIGNMENT 1 (1500-2000 WORD ESSAY)       20.00     Y   N
2   S              WK 11     ASSIGNMENT 2 (1500-2000 WORD ESSAY)       20.00     Y   N
3   S              WK 14     ASSIGNMENT 3 (15 MINUTE VIDEO)            20.00     Y   N
4   S              WK 16     TAKE HOME EXAMINATION                     30.00     Y   N
5   S              PASSIM    REFLECTIVE JOURNAL                        10.00     Y   N

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

1    For  the  three  assignments and journal combined, students  must
     achieve at least half the marks.
2    Students must submit all three assignments and journal.
3    Students must have access to a class where they can teach content
     through a second language.
4    To  pass,  students must achieve at least 50% in  the  take  home
     examination paper and an overall mark of 60%.