Interactive English Communication

Teacher(s)

Denis Philippe (coordinator);

Language

English

Prerequisites

Professional integration activity
Have reached the objectives of the course LANGL1212 or equivalent.

Main themes

The themes are related to their studies and fields of future professional activities.
Broadly speaking, these are all steeped in the English-speaking world's culture.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	grasp the content and significance of articles and reports on topics connected with their interests or their jobs. Reading comprehension : Level B2+ of the « Common European Framework of References for Languages »
2	understand the TV  programmes concerning general topics and oriented towards their fields of interest in standard and clearly articulated English language. Listening comprehension: Level B2+ of the « Common European Framework of References for Languages »
3	master enough grammar, vocabulary and phonetics to successfully take part in discussions, debates or language-focused activities and give their opinion on general topics. Speaking: Level B2  of the « Common European Framework of References for Languages ».

Content

This first semester is interactive and conversation-oriented. The teacher resorts to various techniques and media to help the learners hold a conversation, participate in debates and take the floor. The students will also be trained to report on published articles, video programs, lead a flipped class in line with their studies; discuss historical events and current news; argue about societal and philosophical debates...

The second half of the year will be devoted to the English-speaking world culture through the study of North America. Through reading the teacher's book, AlterNative America in Counterpoint (PUL, 2023) and watching a corpus of related videos, the attendees will get an insight into this leading country . Thought-provoking activities and challenges should give rise to lively discussions and hone the students' writing skills. In the second term, fostering literacy is the ultimate aim behind this CLIL seminar.

Teaching methods

• Training learners to become autonomous readers and listeners of authentic written documents
• Broadening the students' vocabulary scope
• Teaching key grammar points such as tenses, modal auxiliaries, connectives and the passive voice.
• Training students to use listening comprehension strategies in a foreign language
• Role plays, debates, discussions, student-led classes
• English pronunciation and stress patterns theory and practice.

As regards speaking skills, the emphasis will be on fluency and depth rather than accuracy.

The course is  taught in a classroom with technological support such as a Moodle platform, Teams and Internet sources.

Evaluation methods

The final mark is based on 5 criteria.

1. Class attendance and active participation (and completion of home assignments).
   Rewards: + 2/20 or + 1/20. Penalty: An English-language book to read for the next exam session. Or +0/20.
2. The end-of-first-term oral Phonetics exam, whose results will be factored in in the end-of-the-year grade. 20%
3. The team Student-Led Class about their discipline. Those classes are scheduled half-way through the 1st term. 20%
4. The written, mid-term Language Use test takes place in the second term. 20%
5. The May (or June) research-based, oral discussion on the basis of the teacher's book activities. 40%

September exam
Students will not be exempted for a part of the exam. If you take the September exam, you have to re-do the written exam AND the oral exam. Your continuous assessment mark will not be taken into account either. Should a student have been repeatedly absent, s/he will have to read a content-rich book in the English language.

Online resources

Mandatory

• AlterNative America in Counterpoint (PUL, 2023)
  A Pedagogical Insight into African-, French- and Irish-American Experiences and Expressions 1619-1919
  Philippe J. Denis
  https://pul.uclouvain.be/book/?GCOI=29303100477550
  
• Moodle Registration: Interactive Communication: Literacy and Language through Art and Society.
   https://moodle.uclouvain.be/course/view.php?id=628

Optional

• The LANGL1313 coursenotes:. http://moodleucl.uclouvain.be

Bibliography

Obligatoire

• AlterNative America in Counterpoint (PUL, 2023)
  A Pedagogical Insight into African-, French- and Irish-American Experiences and Expressions 1619-1919
  Philippe J. Denis
  https://pul.uclouvain.be/book/?GCOI=29303100477550
  
• Plateforme Moodle du cours LANGL1313

Falcultatif

• Syllabus du cours LANGL1313

Teaching materials

• AlterNative America in Counterpoint (PUL, 2023) Philippe J. Denis

Faculty or entity

> ILV