Syllabus Information

1.1. Introduction

The main goal of this subject consists of providing the students with the necessary knowledge and competencies to analyse, evaluate, adapt and create a good range of didactic resources and materials aimed at the learning of English, emphasising those activities that promote the acquisition of both the second language and the content of the diverse curricular areas in a globalised way.
In the same way, in parallel to the other subjects of the speciality, students are expected to develop the necessary skills for the adequate organisation and implementation of these materials and didactic resources in the Infant Education classroom.
Thus, this subject is mainly practical since students will examine, analyse and create materials and resources for the teaching of English in the stage of Infant Education

1.2. Recommendations to take this course

Students are advised to attend all the lessons and actively participate in the proposed activities. Students are recommended to have a B2 level of the English language according to the CEFRL before starting the course

1.3. Context and importance of this course in the degree

The objectives and learning outcomes outlined herein draw on the needs of future EFL infant education teachers, with a special focus on those involved in bilingual education. The pre-service teacher training provided in this module will help to raise students' awareness of the dearth of published materials suitable for children at this educational stage and, therefore, of the importance of developing their ability to tailor their own teaching and learning materials to the cognitive, linguistic and affective needs of their students.

1.4. Activities and key dates

They will be explained either in a written document provided by the teacher or on the ADD. The official dates of the final exams can be checked on the official websites of our different faculties.

2.1. Learning goals

At the end of the course learners should be able to:

1. Understand and apply the key theoretical principles that sustain the CLIL approach in order to select, evaluate and design materials and resources

2. Describe and make use of a good range of activities and didactic resources within the CLIL approach and the rest of areas within the curriculum of Infant Education

3. Implement and monitor learning activities where both content and language are taught, exposing students to some adequate input and promoting the communicative interaction in the classroom

4. Evaluate the teaching materials according to their potential to promote both the second language and content acquisition, also considering their appropriateness to the given stage of Infant Education

5. Adapt and create activities and resources for the classroom, always considering the curriculum of Infant Education

6. Create their own original materials adapted to the curriculum of Infant Education in the bilingual classroom, and promoting the development of the adequate skills for children at the level of Infant Education

7. Understand and be able to explain the possibilities offered by ICTs in the bilingual context in Infant Education, as well as possess and apply the necessary theoretical and technical knowledge and skills to create curricular materials incorporating ICTs

2.2. Importance of learning goals

On completing this and the other modules within the speciality of Bilingual Education, the students will have acquired practical skills enabling them to design activities and materials that integrate and combine the key teaching and learning principles of the official curriculum for Infant Education with those stemming from CLIL. Future teachers, therefore, should take advantage of the wealth of possibilities that the combination of both areas offers to students' learning in an infant education context.

3.1. Aims of the course

The programme will be structured around the different areas within the curriculum of Infant Education so that the students may be able to develop the necessary competences to foster a communicative and globalised learning of the foreign language (English) as well as the different curricular areas in this educative stage.
The development of the activities will follow the general principles that rule the communicative and bilingual approach, which will be revised in the first part of the syllabus. In the same way, the activities related to the diverse curricular areas will respect and exemplify the totalising and globalising principles that lie behind the curriculum of Infant Education.

3.2. Competences

On completing the module, students should be able to:
1: Demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the objectives, curricular contents and assessment criteria applied in Infant Education.
2: Promote and support a holistic approach to students' learning in early childhood that encompasses a range of dimensions: cognitive, emotional, psychomotor and volitional.

3: Demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the development of language skills in early childhood; to identify possible language disorders; to deal successfully with multicultural and multilingual learning contexts; and to show accuracy in their oral and written communication in general, and as applied to different knowledge fields.
4: Reflect on their teaching practice with a view to improving and updating their teaching skills; to acquire and hone their skills in autonomous and collaborative learning, as well as to promote its development and use among their students; and to choose the teaching and learning resources that are most relevant to particular classroom situations.
5: Develop their ability to communicate and teach both in their mother tongue and in other European languages.
6: Demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the learning and teaching of literacy skills; and to deal successfully with the teaching and learning of literacy in multilingual contexts.
7: Identify and show awareness of the appropriate use of verbal and non-verbal forms of communication;
8: Find and use resources that help to stimulate their students' interest in reading and writing.
9: Use ICTs in educational and academic settings.

4.1. Assessment tasks (description of tasks, marking system and assessment criteria)

The achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed as follows:
Students may choose between being assessed by means of ongoing assessment (option A) or a single final exam (option B).
Option A: the following activities will be assessed:

1. A written exam: a theoretical and practical exam where students will have to demonstrate that they have understood the key theoretical concepts and that they are also able to analyse, evaluate and perform a variety of activities.
2. A portfolio: this portfolio will include a selection of activities and original teaching materials (the number will vary each year) which will be created by the students. These activities will give proof that the student is capable of teaching English while integrating different skills, intelligences and the different curricular areas from the Infant Education Official Curriculum.
3. Active participation in class activities. These activities will include, among others, reading comprehension of academic texts, criteria-based teaching materials analysis and assessment, aims and objectives design, materials adaptation and implementation and peer-reviewed teaching.
Option B
1. Design and oral presentation of activities and tasks. These activities will encourage the development of language skills and they will foster the development of the communicative competence of English as a Foreign Language in the infant school classroom.
2. A final comprehensive written exam on the contents of the module.

Assessment criteria
The following assessment criteria will be considered:
1. Written exam

1.  General awareness of the key principles and theories of the subject.
2. Accuracy in the definition, description and use of terms, principles and concepts.
3. General understanding of key concepts.
4. Ability to contrast and evaluate different theories and approaches.
5. Application of key concepts and principles to the analysis and evaluation of materials and resources.

2. Portfolio

1. Design and description of the aims and contents of the activities.
2. Adaptation of the degree of difficulty of the activities and contents to the linguistic capacities of potential learners (very young children).
3. Description of the principles behind sequencing and procedure at each stage of the activities and lessons.
4. Application of the key learning principles and concepts studied at the module to the design of activities.
5. Creativity and originality in the designed materials and activities.
6. Formal aspects: accuracy in the use of terms and concepts; conciseness; adjustment to the formal requirements of the activity; general presentation.

3. Active participation

1. Interest in the matter: attendance to lectures; keeping up-to-date with the required readings of the seminars; meticulous and conscientious working on tasks and activities; readiness to cooperate and to share own ideas.
2. Degree of understanding of key concepts and required readings.
3. Critical assessment of the different proposals and methodological resources taking into account the key principles and concepts of the area. Appropriate use of L2 (teacher talk) when giving instructions, explaining activities, checking understanding and fostering interaction among students.

Grading criteria and minimum requirements to complete the module
Students must obtain at least 50% of the marks in each of the part of the chosen option in order to successfully complete the module.

Option A. Grading criteria:
1. A written exam of a theoretical and practical character (30%).
2. Portfolio of the module’s activities and materials (50%).
3. Active participation in the practical seminars (20%).

Option B. Grading criteria:
1. Design, elaboration and oral presentation of activities and tasks (40%).
2. A final comprehensive written exam on the contents of the module (60 %)
A fluent, appropriate and correct proficiency in English, corresponding to the B2 level in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, will be required in order to successfully pass the required assessment activities.
Final Comprehensive exam and September re-sits
Students may choose to be assessed by means of a final comprehensive exam (option B). This will include the following activities:
1. Design and oral presentation of activities and tasks. These activities will encourage the development of language skills and they will foster the development of the 

communicative competence of English as a Foreign Language in the infant school classroom. (40%)
2. A final comprehensive written exam on the contents of the module. (60%)
Re-sit exams are compulsory if students fail the subjects and they take place in September on the officially appointed dates. The re-sit exam will be conducted along the same lines as the “option B” exam, and the mark obtained at the exam will account for the whole mark for the course.

5.1. Methodological overview

The teaching and learning process in this module combines whole-class lectures with students' individual and group work. In both cases, students are expected to participate actively, to collaborate with each other, to engage in sustained critical reflection on and discussion of the contents, and to take responsibility for their own learning.

5.2. Learning tasks

Students will be helped to attain the expected learning outcomes through:
1: Lectures and debate sessions on the principles relevant to the learning and teaching of EFL in early childhood, and particularly on the pedagogic techniques applied to the analysis, creation and implementation of resources aimed at each of the curricular areas in a bilingual infant education context.
2: Seminars devoted to: the analysis of set readings, the assessment of pedagogic materials through a range of criteria, the identification of the objectives and contents underpinning an activity, and the creation and adaptation of materials.
Planning and calendar
The timetable for all the theoretical and practical sessions, as well as for the final exam, will be set out by each of the Faculties/Schools involved. The submission deadlines for the assignments will be agreed on with the students at the beginning of the semester.

5.3. Syllabus

The programme will be structured around the different areas within the curriculum of Infant Education so that the students may be able to develop the necessary competences to foster a communicative and globalised learning of the foreign language (English) as well as the different curricular areas in this educative stage.

The development of the activities will follow the general principles that rule the communicative and bilingual approach, which will be revised in the first part of the syllabus. In the same way, the activities related to the diverse curricular areas will respect and exemplify the totalising and globalising principles that lie behind the curriculum of Infant Education.

Unit 1. The communicative approach and CLIL: principles for the design and the implementation of teaching resources.
Unit 2. Principles of language use in early childhood.
2.1. Listening and speaking: comprehensible input, TPR and classroom interaction.
2.2. Reading and writing: teaching phonics.
Unit 3. Language and artistic expression. Principles, resources and techniques:
3.1 Children’s literature: Storytelling
3.2 Music: Using rhymes and songs
3.3 Drama and action games
3.4 Communicative activities in Arts and Crafts
Unit 4. Children and their environment. Principles, resources and techniques:
4.1 Learning about the body and about themselves. Daily habits and routines. Healthy habits.
4.2 Science and Maths. Learning scientific and mathematical concepts: numeration, measures, space, time, chance, ordering and patterning. Using experiments.
4.3 Culture and history. Learning about English speaking countries, different cultures and festivities.
4.4. The use of ICTs

5.5. Bibliography and recommended resources

[BB: Basic Bibliography / BC: Complementary Bibliography]