Primary teacher education

CORSE OBJECTIVES A placement test will be administered during the first lesson. Additional content of the course will be chosen based on the test results and additional materials will be chosen. The general aim of the course is to improve the current level of English of the students. The expected level of English of students is CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) B1 or B2, in all four skills: reading, listening, writing, speaking. The chosen course book will be the starting point for the course and it will be used as a means of consolidating students’ knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. General objectives: - Learn to understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization. - Learn to interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. - Learn to produce clear, detailed texts on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options. Other potential objectives: - Learn to understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts and recognise implicit meaning. - Learn to express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions, in order to use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Specific objectives: Speaking Interaction and Production: speak fluently without searching for language; communicate effectively in social and professional situations; give ideas and opinions and related their ideas to those of other speakers; talk about complex subjects and develop arguments. Listening: understand long complex speech; understand most television programmes and films. Reading: understand long and complex factual and literary texts, with different styles; understand specialized articles and long technical instructions. Writing: write long, clear, well-structured texts to express their points of view; write about complex subjects in a letter, an essay or a report; write in an appropriate style. By the end of the course, students will have mastered grammar points and vocabulary at the CEFR B2/C1 level, will be able to understand factual every-day and literary texts containing grammar points and vocabulary at the level. In addition, students will have mastered the most frequent reading strategies (reading for gist, reading for detail, etc.) The acquired skills will have improved the ability to face every-day situations in English. This will encourage students to interact in English with more confidence and consequently more easily. The acquired soft skills will improve the ability to face unfamiliar texts and contexts, not only in English but also in their native language, as well as learning about English-speaking countries’ traditions and customs, by means of activities that stimulate cognitive processes and texts on English-speaking countries’ customs and traditions. In-class activities and exercises, carried out in small groups, will help students to express themselves with ease; small-group work will have the aim to develop the feeling of group belonging, sharing, ability to negotiate and resolve conflicts, socialize and actively participate. Thanks to the participation in the in-class activities and exercises (such as, discussions on different topics in small groups, grammar and vocabulary exercises, text comprehension, role plays, etc.) students will be motivated to continue studying English, thus being enabled for lifelong learning.