The course aims to provide students with the tools to understand the main concepts of complex texts concerning both concrete and abstract topics, including the ability to discuss their area of specialization, pedagogy and education. The course prepares students to be able to interact with a certain degree of fluency and spontaneity so that they can communicate without difficulty to native speakers. In addition, the course helps them to produce clear and detailed spoken and written text covering a wide range of topics appropriate to level B2 and to present their opinion on a topic giving the positive and negative sides of different options.

Students will read, listen and analyse passages concerning education topics such as:

-      Advantages and disadvantages of preschool education

-      Culture and children’s development

-      Importance of early childhood development

-      Language development and literacy

-      Learning disabilities

-      Outdoor play

-      Technology in early childhood education

-      Inclusion in pre-school

None in particular, however both attending and non-attending students are strongly advised to study the contents of the Blended Learning site in self-study mode in order to make the most of the variety of material available to them.

Knowledge and understanding.

Students will be trained to understand the main points concerning topics such as work, school, leisure time etc. They will be able to understand the main points in a listening text dealing with topics related to their sector.

Applying knowledge and understanding.

They will be guided to apply their grammatical, lexical and content knowledge in order to demonstrate a B2 level in the use of the English language in all language skills.

Making judgments.

Students will be encouraged to express their opinions in situations concerning the educational field as well as common situations typical at B2 level

Communication skills.

They will be able to use appropriate language to discuss familiar topics or personal interests, or typical of a B2 level, for example, family, interests, work, travel, and current affairs. They will be able to participate in discussion on familiar matters, expressing and justifying their position. They will be able to present clear and detailed descriptions on a wide range of topics related to their sector, and explain a point of view by providing both the positive and negative sides of the various options.

Ability to learn (learning skills).

Students will be guided in exploring learning strategies that best meet their needs.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

The CLA (University Language Center) is strongly recommended if students need additional support. Courses and timetables can be found at https://cla.uniurb.it/

Teaching

The lessons will be frontal and with small groups or in pairs to create opportunities to encourage oral skills during the lesson.

Innovative teaching methods

• flipped learning with regards to the reading texts

• the use of tools such as Google Docs to share group work, ideas and summaries 

• quizes to review concepts

Attendance

Attendance is not mandatory, however it is recommended that students are already in possession of a B1 + level in order to successfully reach the level indicated by the course, and that they undertake to study all the additional material that will be uploaded to Blended and to attend the course in a constant way in order to successfully carry out the activities organised by the instructor.

Course books

In addition to the additional material uploaded on Blended and the slides of the lessons, students will have to obtain the following book for a more in-depth study of grammar and vocabulary:

English Grammar in Use Fourth Edition, 2019 by Raymond Murphy, published by Cambridge University Press. The version with the answer key is recommended for personal study use.

The texts relating to educational and pedagogical topics will be uploaded in Blended. Students must download the pieces before each lesson in order to read them before the lesson.

Assessment

The exam will be a spoken exam consisting of the following parts:

Part A: talking about yourself and answering questions about topics such as work and education, with particular reference to the current programme of studies;

Part B: present two of the articles studied during the course - one chosen by the student and one chosen by the professor;

Part C: speak more broadly about the topic of the text and exchange views with the examiner as well as answering questions about vocabulary.

Assessment criteria.

The oral test will be evaluated out of 30 based on the following criteria:

• demonstrate the ability to explain the pedagogical content of written and oral passages using communicative fluency appropriate to the B2 level of the Common European Framework,
• candidates must show the ability to paraphrase the content in their own words, and use suitable pedagogical vocabulary
• refer to the videos displayed during the course to consolidate the topic
• explain, with synonyms and examples, the key words and phrases of the text

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

The same as attending students. It is highly recommended however that non-attending students contact the professor in advance of the exam to clear up any doubts they may have about the programme.

Attendance

The same as attending students. It is highly recommended however that non-attending students contact the professor in advance of the exam to clear up any doubts they may have about the programme.

Course books

The same as attending students. It is highly recommended however that non-attending students contact the professor in advance of the exam to clear up any doubts they may have about the programme.

Assessment

The same as attending students. It is highly recommended however that non-attending students contact the professor in advance of the exam to clear up any doubts they may have about the programme.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.