English Language for Education

The mission of the study is to provide high quality education to pedagogical assistants and prospective English language teachers at elementary schools in an inspiring and creative environment. Emphasis is placed equally on the development of professional skills and the acquisition of knowledge of relevant disciplines that graduates will use in their pedagogical practice. The study forms and develops the basic attitudes and values for students to become active, responsible and independent members of their professional group and society.

The Bachelor's degree program will create the basics of knowledge and skills in the fields of linguistics, literature, culture and history of English-speaking countries and didactics. Graduates are expected to continue their studies at Master's level in order to acquire comprehensive teacher education, where emphasis will be placed on the study of English language didactics and on the creation of relationships between individual linguistic, cultural and literary disciplines and English didactics. The concept counts in the Master's degree with the didactic outcome of all disciplines and the application of all the acquired knowledge of linguistics, literature, history and culture to pedagogical practice at elementary schools.

By studying the bachelor's degree, the graduate will acquire the necessary competences that will enable him/her to think critically about the use of pedagogical and psychological knowledge in the practice of a teaching assistant or other pedagogical worker (e.g. an educator in youth homes, an educator in cooperative schools, in various civic associations engaged in pedagogical activities) and to act accordingly.

The study develops analytical and comparative skills, which allow to understand the diverse pedagogical reality and to use in their work disciplinary, pedagogical, psychological knowledge and skills for planning, implementation and reflection of educational activities. Develops communicative skills relevant for communication and cooperation with pupils/clients, colleagues in the workplace, parents of pupils/clients and practitioners. An important benefit of the study is the development of self-reflective skills which provide scope for the development of attitudes towards oneself, the individuals being educated and the profession: perception of the responsibility of the teaching profession, acceptance of the moral obligations of the helping profession and its ethics.

The study emphasises the principle of interdisciplinarity (interconnection of some pedagogical and psychological subjects); the principle of succession and gradation of topics and subjects, from the more general to the more specific. The concept is also characterised by the interconnection of theory and practice. Reflected pedagogical practices are an important part of the concept. The principles of reflective practice and self-reflection apply to both practice and other experientially oriented subjects. An important means of developing students' professional competences and their reflection is the Framework of Professional Competences of Student Teachers, through which the requirements of practice and the level of their development are analysed with students. An important part of the concept is also the promotion of inclusion, which is seen as a cross-cutting theme (also supported by a separate subject).

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

• master spoken and written English at C1 level under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
• orientate in basic linguistic disciplines, i.e. phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax and lexicology, which can adequately interconnect, apply and demonstrate
• demonstrate knowledge of the history, contemporary society and culture of the United States, Great Britain and other English-speaking countries; identify cultural values and standards and interpret their meaning
• distinguish the main literary directions of Anglo-American literature, their representatives and works; to define basic literary terms and, with the help of this knowledge to analyze and interpret them in an adequate way
• show a basic overview of the principles, methods and techniques of English language teaching in different age and advanced student groups; to select and creatively use appropriate learning materials for different student groups
• describe and analyse an educational situation using specialised terminology and rules of effective pedagogical communication and to propose a change; use their knowledge and skills in communication with pupils, parents and teachers
• cooperate with various teachers at school and under their leadership to plan, implement and reflect on the sequence of teaching and activities in relation to the appropriate school curriculum;
• use self-reflective skills to reflect on their actions: for example, to better justify and evaluate their arguments, to give voice to their emotions and their connection to some behaviour or to critically review their own attitudes towards education
• use basic methods and tools of pedagogical diagnostics in teaching to support differentiation and individualization in teaching, thus gaining data which is available for the support of an individual pupil/client.
• explain the basic principles of inclusive and special education; to reflect on their attitude towards diversity and its influence on their own teaching;
• explain the basic concepts of developmental and social psychology and identify potential development difficulties or difficulties in social competences or pupil adaptation at school based on the knowledge of the dynamics of the class.

As a graduate of our Bachelor’s programme you will be qualified to work as teaching assistants, and you can also work as English language teachers at language schools and on courses or as instructors in free-time centres. You can also work in various companies and institutions.

In addition to this career path, you can also take the path of further studies and continue in the follow-up Master's programme in Lower Secondary School English Language Teacher Training to become a fully qualified teacher.

Apart from the necessary knowledge and skills, we strive to develop the basic attitudes and values of students so that they become active, responsible and independent members of their professional group and of society.

• Teacher´s assistant

A future teacher or teacher assistant logically cannot be satisfied with just hearing about English teaching in lectures and seminars. In addition to the theory, the practical dimension is also essential in the preparation of future English teachers. That is why all of our students have to go through reflected teaching practice in primary schools under the guidance of English teachers. We cooperate with selected faculty schools in Brno and the surrounding area. During this teaching practice, an experienced English teacher lets you take a look at their own lessons and thus gives you a glimpse of what you will not find in textbooks.

In addition, we introduce you to a range of specific learning methods, principles, and tips in the lessons at the faculty - and we and the other students will always provide valuable feedback to you.

Last but not least, we believe that inspiration is also provided by ourselves, teachers at the Department of English Language and Literature, in our own lessons - we do everything we can to be a good model for you in what and how we teach.

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 81,000 to 130,000 characters, including gaps, i.e. 45-60 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.).

In their Bachelor Thesis students should demonstrate the ability to critically work with specialized texts, to elaborate the concepts and theories found in them and to find relevant answers to the given research question. In the practical part of the thesis they should demonstrate the ability to apply these on a particular material and to analyze it. An important part of the final thesis is to draw relevant conclusions.

Students must begin working on their bachelor theses in the fourth semester of their studies. Students who are studying a double-subject study program can choose whether to write their bachelor thesis in the English Department or in their other subject.

When choosing a topic for the bachelor thesis, students should choose a topic covered by one of the modules offered in this study programme. Students should then look at the topics suggested by members of our department in IS (under Packages of Topics, under Student) and select a supervisor to contact and work out the details of their cooperation with.

No matter what the topic, the theses must be written in English. The final version of the work needs to have minimum 81,000 characters, which translates to approximately 45 pages (not including figures and appendices).

The thesis must by uploaded into the IS archive by the deadline set by the Study Department. Two printed, spiral-bound copies should be submitted to the supervisor within a week after the deadline. Evaluation of the thesis will be given based upon a rubric for evaluation. Students should refer to the General Guidelines for Writing Theses, as well as the Sectional Instructions for Theses for those writing in either the Linguistics or Literature modules.

The Bachelor’s degree programme English Language for Education can be followed by the Master’s programme Lower Secondary School English Language Teacher Training.