Lower Secondary School Teacher Training in French Language

“Real education is not about telling you something but leading you.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry – Le petit prince /The Little Prince)

Master's degree programme, full-time study mode, single-subject, Czech, 2 years →

Master's degree programme, full-time study mode, double-subject, Czech, 2 years →

Master's degree programme, combined form, single-subject, Czech, 2 years →

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The main objective of the study of Lower Secondary School Teacher Training in French Language is to produce fully qualified teachers who have acquired solid knowledge and skills in the spheres of French language and the ways of teaching it, who can research and deal with professional issues and who are capable of further self-education based on their own self-reflection. The focus of this Master's degree is to synthesise and expand on existing professional linguistic, literary and historical knowledge as well as to develop further didactic methods of teaching French. The individual specialisations of each student play an important role. Emphasis is placed on acquiring active knowledge of contemporary language and culture of the French and francophone world, based on a solid methodological approach, and the ways in which these can be applied to teaching practice. Students can then apply the acquired knowledge and skills, and their creative application, in both educational or non-educational practice, in professional work placements.

Unlike the courses which concentrate on philology and translation studies as well as the courses preparing secondary school teachers which are based at Philosophical Faculties, Teaching French at Primary and Lower Secondary School Level is only available at the Faculty of Education, Masaryk University (MU).

The well-structured common core basis of the Faculty's teaching courses which concentrate on the pedagogical and psychological aspects, a combination of theoretical studies with practical work experience in schools and other cultural institutions, and a focused concentration on the appropriate didactic methods contribute to the undisputed high quality of graduates.

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After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

use French at the C2 level in receptive activities (listening and reading) and C1 level in production activities (spoken and written) according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (communication competency)
explain professional terminology; interpret linguistic and linguo-didactic professional literature and make use of it in their teaching practice (linguistic competency)
critically evaluate their own culture, compare it with the Francophone cultures and intermediate direct as well as indirect contacts with Francophone countries for their pupils (socio-cultural competency)
interpret literary styles of French and Francophone literature, especially for children and teenagers. Select suitable texts for their lessons in order to stimulate their pupils' interest and develop their personalities (literary sciences competency)
organise their lessons by combining the various methods from the field of French language didactics, using modern technologies and creating creative teaching materials (didactic competency)
build upon the above mentioned competencies and further their education, for example in the form of postgraduate studies of foreign language didactics or special teaching practices; or in the form of lifelong learning
react to developments in their field and new recommendations for language learning

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The graduates of this study programme are ready to actively and independently apply their well structured professional knowledge and skills within the framework of an educational curriculum at primary and lower level secondary schools and also in the sphere of after-school and leisure time activities. They are fully qualified teachers of French language for primary and lower level secondary schools. They are also qualified to work in institutions which require a pedagogical qualification, e.g. instructors or tutors at language schools authorised for state language examinations.

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The standard duration of this course is four semesters. The Master's degree in French consists of specialist subjects, teaching methods and foundation subjects compulsory for all programmes and courses at Masaryk University (e.g. languages, physical education, thesis preparation). Students must acquire 120 credits in required, selective and elective subjects.

Chosen programme - 52 credits (in the case of the double subject study programme, it is 26 credits for each field. Students choose subjects from the most recent catalogue of subjects available at MU)

Teaching methods - 41 credits

Faculty of Education, Masaryk University core subjects - 27 credits (foreign language, thesis preparation and optional subjects available across the whole University).

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Teaching practice is an obligatory part of the curriculum for this field. These courses are compulsory and are carried out in accordance with the Guidelines for Educating Future Teachers. Their system is optimised to develop students' professional competencies and prepare them for undertaking the full responsibilities of a teacher. Work experience on the Master's course builds on the work experience undertaken during the Bachelor's course. The mandatory work experience is organised between the specialist subject departments and the Department of Education. After the final teaching practice on the Master's course, the student should be able to work autonomously in a classroom and become a teacher who is ready to strengthen their competency in further education.

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The final state examination for the course consists of three parts - written, oral, and thesis presentation and defence (if part of this course). The written part consists of translation of a French text into Czech and writing an essay in French. The oral part tests students' knowledge with three randomly picked questions. These cover 1) linguistics (morphology, syntax, lexicology, stylistics and language development); 2) French literature and literature for children and teenagers; 3) French language didactic methods. Both the knowledge and its presentation are observed and marked. The relevant themes and recommended literature are known in advance and, together with more information, can be found at http://katedry.ped.muni.cz/francouzstina/studium/ukonceni.

If a student's Master's degree thesis is directly related to this course, the thesis and its defence is also part of the examination. The rules for writing a thesis follow the Course Standards for Theses for the Departments of English, French, German and Russian languages and literature, in addition to the further specifications for students of the Department of French language and literature. The wording of the standards and further information can be found on the Department's website and also at http://katedry.ped.muni.cz/francouzstina/studium/ukonceni.

Students are also required to present a portfolio in French, documenting their knowledge, skills, experience and professional attitude which they have gained during their studies at the Faculty of Education and other places.

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After passing the degree, it is possible to continue further with the postgraduate course Teaching a Foreign Language (after satisfying the admission requirements). There is also an option to undertake the State 'Examen Rigorosum' which tests whether the graduate has expanded their theoretical knowledge in the studied field, increased their ability to work unsupervised with new theoretical and practical developments, and commands academic methodology and research methods.

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Students

Defended theses

Field of study specifications

Field of Study:	Lower Secondary School Teacher Training in French Language
Abbreviation:	FJ2
Code:	7503T025
Type:	master's degree programme (following the bachelor's one)
Degree:	Mgr.
Accreditation:	to 31/12/2024
Programme:	N7503 N-ZS Teacher Training for Primary and Lower Secondary Schools