Pedagogical and Professional Development of Graduate Student Instructors at Berkeley

Fully committed to promote excellence in teaching, UC Berkeley's German Department emphasizes the thorough pedagogical and professional development of Graduate Student Instructors. All of our graduate students have ample opportunity to teach in a vibrant and innovative language program while receiving extensive training in teaching language and culture on the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. The pedagogical issues raised reach beyond the language classroom to students' future roles as professors of literature and linguistics. By reflecting on their own teaching practice and its relationship to current theory, our graduate students are prepared for a strong start on the job market and for continuous professional development throughout their teaching careers.

Distinguishing Features

Our core development sequence for professional development goes far beyond that offered by most graduate programs and includes the following components:

• A three day, interactive pre-semester orientation and workshop for all new GSIs
• One day refresher workshops for continuing GSIs at the beginning of each semester
• Two three-unit pedagogical seminars on Teaching College German: 350 and 351 focusing on the theory and practice of foreign language pedagogy
• Weekly practicum/coordination meetings in which issues related to syllabus development, lesson plans, assessment questions etc. are being discussed
• Peer, coordinator, and faculty observations on a regular basis
• A stimulating atmosphere of mentorship and collaboration through continuous professional development and innovation linked to a dynamic language program
• Unique opportunities for funded research and further professional development through the Berkeley Language Center and the University's GSI Teaching and Resource Center (see below)

Bridging Theory and Practice: The Seminars in Language Pedagogy

The first semester of the language pedagogy seminar (German 350, see sample syllabus) focuses on principles of teaching methodology, research in Second Language Acquisition, skill-specific techniques, assessment, roles and tasks in the classroom, teaching culture, and approaches to critical reflection. The second semester (German 351, see sample syllabus) looks toward the teaching of intermediate and advanced language/culture courses. Instructional technologies, teaching writing, teaching the literary text, and issues in curriculum design form the main topics, with a continued emphasis on current research and critical reflection. In addition, each course includes a practical component in which graduate student instructors relate the seminar principles to current classroom activities, receive guidance, exchange materials, and generally coordinate their teaching efforts.

Gaining Experience: Teaching Opportunities

In the course of their studies, graduate students have the opportunity to teach a broad range of courses. Generally, all of them will teach at least the first two years of German (German 1-4). This experience alone covers a range from communicative teaching of the basics to content-
based instruction with an emphasis on critical inquiry into the nature of language and culture.

Other teaching opportunities include conversation courses, German for Reading Knowledge, a German Gender Perspectives course and the freshman composition courses, 5A and 5B. The latter are taught in English and include extensive readings of German literature in translation on a topic developed by the instructor.

Supporting the Professional Development: Courses and Centers

The campus offers a rich and unique support system for the professional and intellectual development of teachers. The GSI Teaching and Resource Center (director: Linda von Hoene) and the Berkeley Language Center (director: Rick Kern) offer a range of pedagogical workshops and lecture series which regularly feature world-renowned researchers in the fields of Second Language Acquisition and Applied Linguistics as well as stimulating panel discussions and seminars on issues directly relevant to language teaching and learning at Berkeley and in other institutional contexts. In addition, the BLC offers up to six graduate research fellowships each year to conduct research on ways to improve instruction in any of the languages taught on the Berkeley campus.

Sample Syllabi

German 350    [ Top ]
Spring 2010
Teaching College German: Seminar in Language Pedagogy (I)

Meeting Times: Wednesdays 4-6
Instructor: Nikolaus Euba
Office: 5403 Dwinelle
Email: euba@berkeley.edu
Hours: Tuesday 2-3; Wednesday 3-4 and by appointment

Goals and Objectives:

In this course, we will focus on the theory and practice of foreign language pedagogy. It is designed to provide you with knowledge and tools for your career as a teacher in the language classroom and beyond, ultimately promoting continual professional growth. The critical reflection of pedagogical practices will be emphasized and you will be introduced to the relationship between the fields of Second Language Acquisition research and language pedagogy. This should provide you with a basis for staying theoretically informed as your career progresses and for participating in the professional discourse of a rapidly developing field. This course also includes a practical component (the 1-hr Praktikum which will deal with the daily challenges of planning and implementing the elementary German courses that you are simultaneously teaching).

Materials:

Most of the readings are selected from these major works:

• GSI Teaching and Resource Center. Teaching Guide for Graduate Instructors. UC Berkeley, 2007.
• Brown, H. Douglas. Principles of Language learning and Teaching. 4th ed. Longman 2000.
• Helbig, Gerhard, Lutz Götze, Gert Henrici und Hans-Jürgen Krumm (eds). Handbuch Deutsch als Fremdsprache. De Gruyter 2001.
• Huneke, Hans-Werner und Wolfgang Steinig. Deutsch als Fremdsprache: Eine Einführung. 3rd ed. Schmidt 2002.
• Kramsch, Claire. Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford UP 1993.
• Ommagio Hadley, Alice. Teaching language in Context. 3rd ed. Heinle & Heinle 2001.
• Roche, Jörg. Fremdsprachenerwerb und –didaktik. 2., überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage, Tübingen: Narr 2008.

Reading Assignments:

Each week, a master copy of articles and excerpts will be made available on the b-space site for the course.

Portfolio:

Similar to the students in the language program, you will create and maintain a portfolio which serves as a vehicle for implementing one of the central objectives of this course: to further your development as a teacher through "reflective practice". The portfolio will contain your self-reflections (one at the beginning, one at the end of the semester), representative activities and/or lesson plans you have created, and an informal list of "critical incidents" that have occured during your teaching including a brief analysis of why you think certain things happened as they did, and any connections you may see to theoretical and research insights gained from the course readings and discussions.

Mini-Presentation and Research Report:

During the semster you will give a 5-10 minute long presentation on one of the major teaching methods. At the end of the semester, you will give an oral report on a specific area of second language acquisition and/or methodological research, in which you will read and critique recent articles in the subfield, and present your findings to the class (10 min). Alternatively, you may choose to work in groups of two or three on a common topic. You will have the freedom to choose your own topic, with approval. Suggested topics include but are not limited to: Cognitive theories of SLA; Sociocultural theory; Individual learner variation and SLA (or research on any single characteristic in this category: e.g. aptitude, age, learning styles, personality factors, etc.); Role of affect in SLA; Research on teaching pronunciation/ listening/ speaking/ vocabulary; Focus on form (research on grammar pedagogy and/or SLA processes); Language learning strategies - e.g. research on instructional strategies, effectiveness; Motivation; Assessment (single-skill [e.g. oral assessment] or comprehensive; alternative approaches); Task-based instruction; New definitions of/research on "communicative competence" or "proficiency"; Methodological comparison studies; Discourse-based approaches; Project-based approaches; Action research; Classroom culture and ethnographic inquiry; National Standards (implications, critique); Multiple Literacies Approach (Georgetown); Common European Framework of Reference etc.

Grading:

Grades are assigned on a S (Satisfactory)/U (Unsatisfactory) basis. For satisfactory progress in this course it is expected that you thoroughly read the materials assigned in advance, regularly attend all seminar and practicum meetings, actively participate, and give a research presentation that meets the academic standards expected from graduate students in the German Department. It is also required that you keep a portfolio which serves a central point for the reflection of your teaching experiences. Furthermore, you are expected to have visited two classes taught by fellow GSIs during the semester and have been observed twice by fellow GSIs, once by the Assistant Coordinator, and once by a member of the German Department faculty. A log/record of these observations should be kept in your portfolio.

Vorläufiger Semesterplan:

Datum	Thema
Week 1	Einführung Leistungsmessung / Workshop (1): Testen
Week 2	Lehr- und Lernziele: “Kommunikative Kompetenz”, “Proficiency”, “Standards for Foreign Language Learning”, “Europäischer Referenzrahmen”
Week 3	Die Lerner: Personenmerkmale, Lerntraditionen, Lernertypen, Alter und Lernen, Geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede, Anlage
Week 4	Das Lernen (2): Sprachverstehen und Sprachproduktion, Mentales Lexikon, Wortschatz, Fehlerkorrektur
Week 5	Methoden (1): Grammatik-Übersetzungsmethode (Referat) Gouin und Berlitz (Referat)
Week 6	Methoden (2): Die audiolinguale Methode (Referat) Der “Natural Approach” (Referat)
Week 7	Methoden (3): Der kommunikative Ansatz (Referat) Literacy (Referat)
Week 8	Fremdsprachenerwerb
Week 9	Sprache und Fertigkeiten: Grammatik und Wortschatz; Lesen, Hören, Schreiben und Sprechen
Week 10	Workshop (II): Textbuchauswahl und -evaluation
Week 11	Forschungsreferate
Week 12	Forschungsreferate
Week 13	Forschungsreferate / Zusammenfassung

German 351    [ Top ]
Fall 2010
Teaching College German: Seminar in Language Pedagogy (II)

Meeting Times: Wednesdays 4-5
Instructor: Nikolaus Euba
Office: 5403 Dwinelle
Email: euba@berkeley.edu
Hours: Monday 11-12; Wednesday 2-3 and by appointment

Goals and Objectives:

The continued focus of this course will be on the theory and practice of foreign language pedagogy. Aimed at providing you with knowledge and tools for your career as a teacher in the intermediate and advanced language classroom and beyond, this seminar is designed to promote continual professional growth. The critical reflection of pedagogical practices will be emphasized and as you will be introduced to the relationship between the fields of Second Language Acquisition research and language pedagogy. This should provide you with a basis for staying theoretically informed as your career progresses and for participating in the professional discourse of a rapidly developing field. This course also includes a practical component (the 1-hr Praktikum which will deal with the daily challenges of planning and implementing the elementary German courses that you are simultaneously teaching).

Materials:

Most of the readings are selected from these major works:

• GSI Teaching and Resource Center. Teaching Guide for Graduate Instructors. UC Berkeley, 2007.
• Brown, H. Douglas. Principles of Language learning and Teaching. 4th ed. Longman 2000.
• Helbig, Gerhard, Lutz Götze, Gert Henrici und Hans-Jürgen Krumm (eds). Handbuch Deutsch als Fremdsprache. De Gruyter 2001.
• Huneke, Hans-Werner und Wolfgang Steinig. Deutsch als Fremdsprache: Eine Einführung. 3rd ed. Schmidt 2002.
• Kern, Richard. Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. Oxford UP 2000.
• Kramsch, Claire. Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford UP 1993.
• Lightbown, Patsy M. and Nina Spada. How Languages are Learned. Oxford UP 2005.
• Ommagio Hadley, Alice. Teaching language in Context. 3rd ed. Heinle & Heinle 2001.
• Roche, Jörg. Fremdsprachenerwerb und –didaktik. 2., überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage, Tübingen: Narr 2008.

Reading Assignments:

Each week, a master copy of articles and excerpts will be made available, with the expectation that these materials are shared and/or distributed as appropriate and thoroughly read in preparation for the following meeting.

Portfolio:

Similar to the students in the language program, you will create and maintain a portfolio which serves as a vehicle for implementing one of the central objectives of this course: to further your development as a teacher through "reflective practice". The portfolio will contain your self-reflections (one at the beginning, one at the end of the semester), representative activities and/or lesson plans you have created, and an informal list of "critical incidents" that have occured during your teaching including a brief analysis of why you think certain things happened as they did, and any connections you may see to theoretical and research insights gained from the course readings and discussions.

Research Report:

At the end of the semester, you will give an oral report on a specific area of second language acquisition and/or methodological research, in which you will read and critique recent articles in the subfield, and present your findings to the class (10 min). Alternatively, you may choose to work in groups of two or three on a common topic. You will have the freedom to choose your own topic, with approval. Suggested topics include but are not limited to: Cognitive theories of SLA; Sociocultural theory; Individual learner variation and SLA (or research on any single characteristic in this category: e.g. aptitude, age, learning styles, personality factors, etc.); Role of affect in SLA; Research on teaching pronunciation/ listening/ speaking/ vocabulary; Focus on form (research on grammar pedagogy and/or SLA processes); Language learning strategies - e.g. research on instructional strategies, effectiveness; Motivation; Assessment (single-skill [e.g. oral assessment] or comprehensive; alternative approaches); Task-based instruction; New definitions of/research on "communicative competence" or "proficiency"; Methodological comparison studies; Discourse-based approaches; Project-based approaches; Action research; Classroom culture and ethnographic inquiry; National Standards (implications, critique); Multiple Literacies Approach (Georgetown); Common European Framework of Reference etc.

Grading:

Grades are assigned on a S (Satisfactory)/U (Unsatisfactory) basis. For satisfactory progress in this course it is expected that you thoroughly read the materials assigned in advance, regularly attend all seminar and practicum meetings, actively participate, and give a research presentation that meets the academic standards expected from graduate students in the German Department. It is also required that you keep a portfolio whic serves a central point for the reflection of your teaching experiences. Furthermore, you are expected to have visited two classes taught by fellow GSIs during the semester and have been observed twice by fellow GSIs, once by the Assistant Coordinator, and once by a member of the German Department faculty. A log/record of these observations should be kept in your portfolio.

Vorläufiger Semesterplan:

Datum	Thema	Readings
Week 1	Introduction Workshop: The Teaching Portfolio Stating your Teaching Philosophy	Richard Kern: “Communication, Literacy, and Language Learning”
Week 2	Communication, Literacy, and Language Learning	Jörg Roche: “Interkulturelle Sprachdidaktik”
Week 3	Intercultural Language Teaching and Learning	Katra Byram and Claire Kramsch: “Why is it so difficult to teach Culture as Language?” Monika Chavez: “Variation in Beliefs of College Students about Teaching Culture” Report from the AATG task force
Week 4	Teaching Culture	Claire Kramsch: “Teaching the Literary Text”
Week 5	FL-Teaching and the Literary Text	O’Brien: “Foreign Language Writing”
Week 6	The Writing Process	Erwin Tschirner: “Skill, Text and Register: Rethinking Grammar in the IT Age”
Week 7	Focus on Form	TBA
Week 8	Focus on Form and Genre	Gerhard Neuner: “Vermittlungsmethoden: ein historischer Überblick” Excerpts from Kumaravadivelu
Week 9	Revisiting Foreign Language Teaching Methods	Richard Kern: “Perspectives on Technology in Teaching and Learning Languages”
Week 10	Instructional Technology	TBA
Week 11	Workshop: Preparing for a Professional Career	Margit Sinka and Reinhard Zachau. “An Articulation Study of Post-Secondary German Students: Results, Implications, and Suggestions.”
Week 12	No Seminar (ACTFL conference)	Jamie Rankin: “Re-Visiting Der Besuch der alten Dame: Strategies for Interpretation and Interaction at the Intermediate Level” Individual readings for research projects
Week 13	Seminar postponed to 12/2	Individual readings for research projects
Week 14	Presentations - Double Seminar Session (2hrs); Wrap-up; Seminar Evaluation