Information for BA(Ed) students reading English Language as an Academic Subject (AS)

Information for BA(Ed) students reading English Language as an Academic Subject (AS):

Selection of English Language Electives for the July 2016 Semester

This information handout has been prepared for BA(Ed) students who need to register for English Language (EL) electives for the July 2016 semester.

Please refer to your programme structure or personal academic plan for the number of EL electives you need to take.

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Instructions:

1.  Electives on offer in the July 2016 semester

·  Appendix A contains the list of 2nd Year electives available in the Jul 2016 semester, along with brief course descriptions.

·  Appendix B contains the list of 3rd/4th Year electives available in the Jul 2016 semester, along with brief course descriptions.

·  Appendix C contains the full course outline of AAE447: Independent Reading and Research. (The course outline for AAE447 has been included here because this elective is different from the other electives in terms of its requirements.)

2.  Further information

For further information about the BA(Ed) English Language courses and course chairs, please see:

·  http://www. nie. edu. sg/our-people/academic-groups/ell/programmes/initial-teacher-preparation-programmes/ba-bsc-ed-english-language

·  http://www. nie. edu. sg/our-people/academic-groups/ell/faculty

3.  Online Registration & Add/Drop (for all 2nd, 3rd and 4th Year Students)

Online Registration	13 Jul 2016 (Wednesday) 10 am to 5 pm 14 Jul 2016 (Thursday) 9 am to 5 pm
Add / Drop Period	12 Aug (Friday) to 15 Aug 2016 (Monday) 9am to 5pm Strictly no adding/dropping allowed after this period.

Please note that:

·  you should double-check the NIE Portal yourself to make sure that there are no changes to the dates / times of your online registration, and

·  although this information handout deals only with English Language AS electives, online registration is also required for core AS, SK, and CS courses. (Please refer to your programme structure or personal academic plan to see which courses you need to register for.)

4.  Difficulties faced during Online Registration or Add/Drop Period

a.  Technical Difficulties (e. g. if you need to reset your login password, or are not able to access the NIE Portal page): Please direct enquiries to NIE Service Desk: *****@***edu. sg

b.  Administrative Difficulties: If you encounter administrative difficulties such as not being able to enroll for your courses due to clashes in the exam timetable, please direct your queries to *****@***edu. sg

c.  For other academic advice: Pease email Programme Administration Unit/OTE at *****@***edu. sg

5.  Timetable issues

·  Due to the difficulties of time-tabling so many courses for the entire NIE in any given semester, there are bound to be clashes in the timetable. Therefore, it may not always be possible for you to enrol for the electives of your choice because of clashes with your Core Courses or other Elective Courses.

·  Please carefully check the master-timetable for clashes before you enrol for your electives. Individual lecturers cannot move lecture or tutorial timeslots to accommodate students with timetable clashes.

·  Please also check the examination timetable before you decide on your combination of electives.

6.  Penalties

·  Please do not enrol for more electives than you intend to take. This deprives other students of a place in electives which might otherwise still have vacancies.

·  If it is discovered that you have enrolled for more electives than you intend to take, the Office of Teacher Education (OTE) may choose to de-enrol you from any of the electives that you have enrolled for.

7.  Procedures for Appeals after the Initial Online Registration

·  The appeals process is for students who are not able to find places in enough electives to fulfil their academic requirements. For example, if your programme structure or personal academic plan indicates that you should be doing three AAE electives in a particular semester, and you are able to enrol for only two electives, you are eligible to appeal.

·  If you can’t get into a course of your choice because it is already full, but your timetable allows you to take another elective which still has places, please do NOT submit an appeal. Instead, please enrol for an elective which is not full.

·  We understand that you may have your preferences, but there are a limited number of places in each elective. Therefore, appeals for places in courses which are full will only be considered from students whose timetables will not allow them to take another elective which still has places.

·  In short, you are eligible to submit an appeal for a place on a course which is already full ONLY IF:

o  you are not able to enrol for enough electives to fulfil the requirements of your programme structure or personal academic plan, AND

o  you cannot enrol for one of the other EL electives which still has places because doing so would result in a timetable clash between the EL elective and another course that you are enrolled for.

·  If you find that you meet the above criteria, we would be happy to help you. Please write to us after 5 pm on Thursday (14 Jul 2016) and before 10 am on Monday (18 Jul 2016).

o  Appeals for places in 2nd Year electives should be directed to Dr Guo Libo at libo. *****@***edu. sg

o  Appeals for places in 3rd and 4th Year electives should be directed to Dr Jason Loh at jason. *****@***edu. sg

·  Please do NOT write to us during the Online Registration Period as numbers may fluctuate then and you should keep trying to enrol for the courses of your choice until the online registration period is officially over.

·  In your appeal email, please cut and paste the following table and provide all the required information. If you do not provide the information, your appeal cannot be processed.

(a)  Your name and student matriculation number
(b)  The number of English Language elective courses you are supposed to enrol for, based on your Academic Plan
(c)  The course code(s) and title(s) of the English Language elective course(s) you have already enrolled for successfully during THIS online registration exercise
(d)  The course code(s) and title(s) of the English Language elective course(s) you wish to appeal to get into	First choice = Second choice =
(e)  Reasons for why you cannot take the other EL electives on offer (Please list down all the EL electives on offer for your level, and give a reason for why you cannot enrol for that elective instead.)	Example (please delete this and give your own reasons) AAE23C – Already full. I am appealing to get into this course. AAE23D – Lecture for AAE23D clashes with my Geography course ACG2PQ. AAE23E – I took this course last semester. AAE23K – I have enrolled in this course. AAE23M – Already full (my second choice) etc.

·  After 10 am on Monday 18 Jul 2016, no further appeals for courses will be considered.

·  As soon as a decision has been made on the appeals, we will write to you.

·  If your appeal is successful, we will also write to OTE and OAAS to inform them.

8.  If you need to get in touch …

·  If you need further clarification, you are welcome to email us.

Queries relating to English Language AS courses (Years 1 and 2):

Dr Guo Libo Office location: NIE3-03-14A libo. *****@***edu. sg

Queries relating to English Language AS courses (Years 3 and 4):

Dr Jason Loh Office location: NIE3-03-106 jason. *****@***edu. sg

Have a good holiday and break, and see you again in the new semester!

May 2016

Appendix A

BA(Ed) Level 200

English Language Electives for Jul 2016 Semester

	Courses/Electives	Quota
1.	AAE23C: The Social Variation of Language Chair: Dr Ruanni Tupas	17
2.	AAE23D: Language Meaning and Use* Chair: Dr Kim Younhee	17
3.	AAE23E: Language Acquisition and Development Chair: Dr Norhaida Aman	17
4.	AAE23K: The Role of Language in Education Chair: Dr Mark Seilhamer	17
5.	AAE23M: Language and Literacy Chair: Dr Warren Liew	17

* AAE23D runs in the 1-hour lecture and 2-hour tutorial format. Before you register for this courses, please check the timetable carefully and make sure that there will be no clash for both lecture AND tutorial timeslots.

The rest of the courses run in the 3-hour session format.

BRIEF COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

AAE23C: The Social Variation of Language

This course introduces students to basic concepts in sociolinguistics, including socially determined variation in style and register; language varieties reflecting social class, gender and ethnicity. Topics also include investigations of factors influencing language choice in bilingual societies, as well as related phenomena such as code-mixing and code-switching. Discussion of issues such language maintenance and language shift; the emergence of new language varieties such as pidgins and creoles, and the impact of globalization and new communicative orders on the status of languages will also be covered.

AAE23D: Language Meaning and Use

This course looks at the meanings of English and how we use meaning to represent and interact with reality and other people, from word to discourse level, and in contexts of real interaction and use. It will consider the nature of meaning, different types of meaning, relationships between meaning and form, the nature and characteristics of words, different types of word, how words are linked by different meaning relationships, how meanings and words change over time, how we use metaphor to create new meanings, the role of dictionaries, how computer corpora can provide information about meaning, words, idioms, grammar and use, how meanings function in spoken and written discourse, how we use meanings and meaning patterns to construct different kinds of text, and how we can use meanings and words conventionally and creatively, as rule and imaginative resource.

AAE23E: Language Acquisition and Development

This course examines theories and issues of language learning from both psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives. It introduces important concepts about how languages are learnt and used in society. Making links between psychological and social factors, the course considers the normal path of development for English monolinguals and bilinguals at home and in school. It highlights features of English language development in primary and secondary schools in multilingual societies such as ch knowledge can help teachers understand key factors that influence language learning and make informed decisions about instruction.

AAE23K: The Role of Language in Education

This course explores the centrality of language in education, where it is both the medium and the message. Through language the process of teaching and learning takes place, and one of the principal aims of education is to foster students' ability to use language. Among the key questions raised are the following: What is the relationship between language and learning, and how can teachers use language effectively to promote learning? Which language, or types of language, should be taught in school and why? Why do some students learn the language, or types of language, of schooling more readily than others?

AAE23M: Language and Literacy

Literacy is a growing field within applied linguistics, education and media studies. Despite the field’s new prominence, current treatments are often weighted towards the propagation of a particular view or approach. This course strives to help students understand some of the currents of thought on literacy, be they post-modernist, cognitivist or Vygotskian. The course aims to provide a balanced, introductory account of the nature of literacy. The course is driven by a belief that (1) literacy must be examined through a balance of approaches if we are to appreciate its true nature; (2) literacy cannot be described simply as a situated, social activity; (3) literacy is the sign systems and the uses of language that foster and reflect its social existence; and last but not least, (4) literacy is a property of the mind.

Appendix B

BA(Ed) Level 300/400

English Language Electives for the July 2016 Semester

	Courses/Electives	Quota
1.	AAE432/AAE43D: Topics in Phonetics / Phonology** Chair: Dr Low Ee Ling	11 for AAE432 1 for AAE43D
2.	AAE435/AAE43H: Critical Discourse Analysis Chair: Dr Csilla Weninger	11 for AAE435 1 for AAE43H
3.	AAE445/AAE43N: Language across the Curriculum*** Chair: Dr Sally Jones	11 for AAE445 1 for AAE43N
4.	AAE447: Independent Reading and Research (Prerequisite: AAE347) Chair: Dr Younhee Kim	10 NOT open to those on the Enhanced Degree Programme

** AAE432/AAE43D runs in the 2-hour lecture and 1-hour tutorial format.

***AAE445/AAE43N runs in the 1-hour lecture and 2-hour tutorial format.

Before you register for AAE432/AAE43D or AAE445/AAE43N, please check the timetable carefully and make sure that there will be no clash for both lecture AND tutorial timeslots.

AAE435/AAE43H runs in the 3-hour session format.

BRIEF COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

AAE432/AAE43D: Topics in Phonetics/ Phonology

This course provides an in-depth description of the vowel, consonant, stress, rhythm and intonation systems of English. It will include an overview of phonological theory, including a detailed study of phoneme theory as well as an introduction to generative phonology. Students will also learn how to measure features of their own speech, and they will be required to compare their findings against existing research on Singapore English. Finally, students will investigate and report on their own intonation and other patterns of their discourse.

AAE435/AAE43H: Critical Discourse Analysis

Critical Discourse Analysis or CDA, for short, is an approach to discourse analysis which looks at issues of power and ideology and the ways by which they are reproduced through language.  This critical approach to discourse analysis will explore areas like media discourse, gender discourse and political discourse to uncover the linguistic processes that underlie the ideological construction of contemporary society, in Singapore and elsewhere.

AAE445/AAE43N: Language across the Curriculum

This course emphasises the crucial role of language in learning, the important role that teachers play in the thinking and learning processes, and progress, of their students at primary and secondary levels, developing awareness of, and knowledge about, the language of subjects across the curriculum. The course will explore the use of language in primary and secondary subject classrooms, the nature of the texts and textbooks used in schools, and the ways in which theories of language and learning can be put into practice so that teachers can address the learning needs of their student teachers more effectively and confidently.

AAE447: Independent Reading and Research

Please see the detailed course outline for AAE447 in Appendix C.

Important message for students who successfully register online for AAE447: ·  Please complete the Research Proposal Form on the final page of this handout. This is to enable the course coordinator Dr Younhee Kim to match you with a suitable research mentor before the start of the semester. ·  Please submit this form in soft copy to Dr Kim at younhee. *****@***edu. sg by no later than Tuesday 26 July 2016.

Appendix C

Academic Year 2016-2017

AAE447: Independent Reading and Research

Course Outline

Target: This course is aimed at BA(Ed) students who possess a keen interest in research and have demonstrated academic abilities in English language. It is meant especially for students who have intentions to pursue a higher research degree.

Pre-requisite: Students who enrol in this course must have taken AAE347 (Research Methods).

Description:

This course provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to do independent reading and research on a topic of their choice in English Language under the guidance of an ELL staff member. Students use this opportunity for independent, focused reading to first explore an area of study or issue in an area of English language studies that relates to their academic and/or professional interests. They will then be guided by a research mentor to help them design and pilot a small research study, drawing on what they have learnt from AAE347 (Research Methods) which they have taken.

Objectives:

After the completion of the course, students will gain a better understanding of the nature of academic research and the process of carrying out, and writing up, academic research through:

Locating, understanding and evaluating critically research literature pertaining to their chosen area of study in English language and/or language education, Applying their knowledge and understanding of research methods to design independently a small scale research study and pilot it, Accounting convincingly for their research focus and their choices of research instruments, and Assessing the strengths and limitations of their research and reflecting on the learning gained.

Assessment:

There are three assessment components for this course:

1.  a 1500-word Literature Review assignment, including full reference details (30%)

2.  a 3500 to 4000-word Research Report presenting the background, research objectives, methodology and findings from the pilot study undertaken (60%)

3.  Participation (Attendance and preparedness for the meetings with a coordinator and meetings with supervisor) (10%)

Course coordinator

Dr. Younhee Kim

younhee. *****@***edu. sg

AAE447 Tentative Course Schedule (to be confirmed at the start of the semester)

With Course Coordinator	With Research mentor
Week 1	• Orientation meeting -  General briefing on the course to familiarize the students with the course structure -  Students will have submitted their research interest before the term starts so that they can be matched with a research mentor as early as possible (see the next page for the research proposal form. Please fill in this form when you register for the course and send it to younhee. *****@***edu. sg)	week 1	• First meeting with research mentor -  Students will meet with research mentor to discuss, clarify, and focus on the area of research -  Mentor will recommend specific readings and sources of research literature pertinent to the student’s area of research interest to get student started on broader literature survey
Week 2	week 2
Week 3	• Meeting with coordinator -  Guidelines on how to write a literature review	week 3	• Students will independently look for, read, and summarize the relevant research literature in preparation of a Literature review Assignment
Week 4		week 4
Week 5		week 5	• literature review due
Week 6	• Meeting with coordinator -  Orientation on small-scale presentation	week 6	• Second meeting with research mentor -  Discuss research design
Week 7	• small scale presentation: -  Informal sharing of research projects among small groups of students and their research mentors will be organized by course coordinator • grade and comments on the Lit review assignment is due (to be returned to students)
Recess week
Week 8		week 8	• Students will work on data collection, data analysis, and possibly writing-up the findings
Week 9	• Meeting with coordinator -  How to write-up findings	week 9
Week 10		week 10	• Third meeting with research mentor -  Discuss research findings
Week 11		week 11
Week 12		week 12
Week 13		week 13	• Final research report due

*Although there are only three official meetings scheduled between the student and the research mentor, additional meetings can be and are encouraged to be arranged at the discretion of the mentor. Timing of the meetings can be negotiated between the student and the mentor.

AAE447: Independent Reading and Research

Research Proposal Form

Name: ______________________________

Contact Details: __________________________ (Email) __________________ (Mobile)

1.  What is your topic/area of research interest? Please be as specific as you can, and provide us with two options in case we cannot find a suitable mentor for your first choice topic.

Example: A how motivation affects language acquisition

  B writing narratives in primary school

(Note that something very general like “second language acquisition” or “reading” would not be very helpful)

A (First choice): _________________________________________________________

B (Second choice): _________________________________________________________

2. Who do you wish to work with as your Research Mentor?

A (First choice): _________________________________________________________

B (Second choice): _________________________________________________________

C (Third choice): _________________________________________________________

General Guidelines for choosing a Research Topic

1.  Look back at the courses/modules (both AS and CS) you have completed so far in your programme, and think of the ones that you were most interested in or excited about. What was it that interested or excited you?

2.  Is there an issue/question/problem that you would like to investigate further? This does not have to be something restricted to one particular course/module you have done; it can be something that cuts across different courses/modules. In fact, exploring the AS-CS link in some specific area can be an interesting and fruitful of creating new ideas for research. For instance: applying a specific reading theory to teach primary school students in Singapore; making use of computer-assisted learning to help remedial students to improve their grammar or pronunciation; to what extent can a specific text analysis approach/technique you have learnt enhance teaching methodology for reading/writing classes in Singapore schools, etc.)

3.  Bear in mind that an important goal of this course is for you to apply what you have learnt in the pre-requisite course, AAE347: Research Methods. As such, in thinking of your research topic and related research questions, you’d be well-advised to consider which research instruments would be most appropriate to help you investigate the issue/question/problem you are interested in.

4.  Since this is just a 3-AU course, like all the other electives, there is limited scope and time for you to really embark on a full-scale research. What is required is for you (a) to survey the research literature to find out what other researchers have done in the area you are interested in, (b) design a research study by applying what you have learnt in AAE347, and finally (c) pilot the study by collecting a small sample of empirical data and analyzing it. In deciding on your research topic, you should therefore consider how you can focus on an area that is both broad enough for you to design a meaningful (i. e. research-worthy) study around, as well as specific and accessible enough for you to pilot the study (i. e. you must be able to collect some samples of the intended data and analyze it within the time-frame specified in the course schedule.