Lower Secondary School English Language Teacher Training

Through studying for the Master’s degree graduates gain the necessary competences that allow them to critically apply the use of their pedagogical and psychological knowledge in practice as a teacher at a primary or secondary school. Graduates are fully qualified to pursue the profession of a teacher. They are ready to base their professional conduct on well-structured knowledge and skills from their fields of approbation (content knowledge). The effectiveness of their professional conduct is conditioned by their subject-didactic (pedagogical content knowledge) and broader pedagogical and psychological knowledge and skills (knowledge of the broader background of education, knowledge of educational practices, knowledge about people involved in education, etc.).

The degree develops students’ analytical and comparative skills, which enable them to understand the diverse pedagogical reality and to use subject-specific, pedagogical, and psychological publications in their work for planning, implementing and reflecting on educational activities. They develop communication skills important for communication and collaboration with pupils/clients, colleagues in the workplace, with parents of pupils/clients and with practitioners. An important benefit of the degree is the development of self-reflective skills that provide space for the development of attitudes towards one another, to educated individuals and to the profession: perception of the responsibility of the teaching profession, the acceptance of the moral obligations of a helping profession and its ethics.

The studies emphasise the principle of interdisciplinarity (interconnection of some pedagogical and psychological subjects) and the principle of sequence and gradation of themes and courses, from the more general to the more specific. The concept is also characterized by the interdependence of theory and practice. An important part of the concept is the reflective teaching practice. The principles of reflection on teaching practice and self-reflection are related both to practice and to other experience-oriented subjects. An important part of the concept is also the promotion of inclusion, which is perceived as a cross-curricular theme (also supported by a separate course).

The aim of this study programme, which it is possible to study as a single or double–subject programme, is to prepare lower-secondary school teachers of English in an inspiring, stimulating and creative environment.

The Master’s degree programme focuses primarily on the study of the didactics of the English language and on forming relationships between the particular linguistic, cultural, and literary disciplines and the didactics of English. An emphasis is put on the didactic implications of all the disciplines and the practical application of all the knowledge to teaching practice at lower secondary schools.

The programme is designed for graduates of the Bachelor’s degree programme Specialization in Pedagogy, Teacher Training in Foreign Languages - English Language, the Bachelor’s degree programme Philology, English Language and Literature at faculties of arts, or the Bachelor’s degree programme Specialization in Pedagogy, Lower Secondary School Teacher Training in English Language and Literature (double-subject study) at faculties of education and for graduates of similar study fields.

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

• plan, implement and reflect on their own teaching at the appropriate level of established professional competences
• use basic professional terminology and information sources of pedagogical and school psychology in describing, analysing, interpreting and evaluating typical teaching situations, as well as describing the educational environment of the school
• use basic methods and tools of pedagogical diagnostics in teaching and gain data which is available for the support of an individual pupil/client. The results can be communicated appropriately to pupils, teachers, and parents .
• explain and to reflect on the principles of inclusive education at the level of culture, politics and practice of the school in their educational activities
• create an inclusive environment in the classroom, to apply at least some strategies of individualization and differentiation in teaching
• describe and individually explain specific learning processes with a specific example from their portfolio
• reflect on the experience of their own teaching practice in the professional community and to use reflection and self-reflection as a tool of professional learning
• communicate in speaking and writing at C1+ level of CEFR
• creatively analyse different types of texts, interpret them and use them when designing exercises in teaching; apply linguistic knowledge in the teaching profession
• interpret specific relationships between language and culture, analyse the influence of intercultural factiors on communication between the members of different cultures, apply the knowledge in teaching at lower secondary schools
• demonstrate knowledge of Anglo-American literature including the literature for children and young adults. The graduate understands literature not only as a source pf authentic language but also as a way to enhance cultural values.
• understand the basics of language acquisition, be familiar with basic curricular documents relevant for English language teaching
• plan lessons and courses, employ a combination of teaching methods and patterns of interaction of English language teaching including modern approaches (project teaching, e-learning) and evaluate them critically
• use modern information technologies and cooperate on teaching with the help of e-learning courses.

The study with us will help you to acquire the necessary competences of a teacher of English at a lower secondary school or at language schools. Besides, you can work in institutions which run afternoon clubs and anywhere where excellent knowledge of English is required (e.g. in civil service).

• Teacher of the second level of primary school

Teaching practice will help you to acquire professional competences indispensable for teacher’s everyday work. You will learn about the roles the teacher performs while teaching. It will help you to realise your own needs related to the teaching profession. Gradually, you will become responsible for planning, delivering and evaluating your teaching. You will get a clear idea of what teacher’s everyday work represents. Teaching practice consists of 380 hours divided into three terms and is conceived as a structured system of subsequent courses. Reflective seminars will provide you with a unique opportunity to share and reflect on your experience.

The final work of the student demonstrates the ability to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the course of study in working on a specific professional-pedagogical problem. The type of final thesis corresponds to the content and level of the given degree of study. The student chooses from the following types of works: a) theoretical-applied, b) theoretical-empirical (research), c) theoretical. The types of work and recommendations for their implementation are further guided by the APA manual. The length of the final thesis ranges from 117,000 to 200,000 characters, including gaps, i.e. 65-80 standard pages.

The standards for the implementation of the final theses at different departments are in accordance with the Dean's Instructions No. 1/2015 on implementation of the final work (Bachelor's, Master’s, post-graduate non-PhD and final works for Life-long Education) in the version effective from 1.11.2015.

The thesis follows the following goals based on the profile of the graduate of the Faculty of Education of MU. Students:

- demonstrate an awareness of the current issues of their field of study, they can clearly and comprehensibly define the topic of the final thesis and its objectives, describe the initial state of knowledge and propose appropriate methods of achieving their stated goals;

- work with appropriate primary and secondary sources of information, cite them according to a valid standard (APA) and in accordance with the ethics of academic work ;

- through the creation of their own text they demonstrate stylistic competence, and the ability to create an academic text;

- demonstrate the ability to ask questions and solve problems, to formulate new ideas and conclusions that bring at least some new knowledge about the phenomenon being studied, or enrich the methodological (in the area of research) or methodical (in the area of education) procedures in relation to clearly defined target groups (pupils at primary and secondary school, groups with specific educational needs, etc.).

As master study programme graduates you can (having met the admission criteria) continue studying in the doctoral study programme of Didactics of Foreign Language.