Welcome to English for Teachers in Preschool Class and Primary School, Grades 1-3 15,0 Credits

Information from the course co-ordinator

Welcome to English for teachers in grades 1-3!

My name is Lisa Johansson and I am the course coordinator for this course.

To give you an overview of the work we will do, the course structure looks like the following:

Module 0010 Basic language structure 3.5 credits (wks. 14-17)

Module 0020 Children’s literature 4 credits (wks. 18-23)

Module 0030 English didactics 7.5 credits (wks. 14-23)

We will have an introductory meeting on Monday 31 March 11.00-12.00 on Zoom where we will give you an overview of the course, but also introduce our learning platform Canvas, and give you general information about examinations, assignments, on-campus meetings etc.

The first seminar in the Basic language structure module is scheduled for Tuesday 1 April and the first seminar in the didactics module takes place on Wednesday 2 April. Please note that the modules will be taught in parallel which means that you will be studying two modules at the same time (see weeks above). This means that you need to have obtained the course literature for modules 0010 and 0030 before the course starts. A more detailed time table will be found in Kronox.

To participate fully in this course, it is important that you prepare well for the seminars by reading instructed parts of the course literature. You should be able to discuss particular models and issues brought up in the literature rather than topics in general. Therefore, make sure that you order the course literature for all modules in good time before the course starts. You will not be able to access the course page on Canvas until two weeks before the course starts but the literature list can be found in the course plan, which is part of this welcome letter.

Students attending courses in English at the University of Gävle are required to attend class in order to receive a passing grade. Studying English at our college does not only involve obtaining subject knowledge, but also improving one’s ability to speak and write English, and this can only take place if students meet their teachers and actively participate in the instruction. Furthermore, most modules feature live, face-to-face group work in order to accommodate the general course objective that “students should be able to compare and critically evaluate one’s own and others' work”. Failure to participate in such activities will therefore make it impossible to attain a course objective. For these reasons, we require attendance, with only minor exceptions.

There will be several obligatory on-campus meetings within this course. The meeting takes place on the following dates:

Exam: 7 May (Basic language structure). This exam is held on campus or at your local learning center.

On-campus day: 8 May 9.00-16.00 (English didactics)

On-campus day: 9 May 9.00-16.00 (Children’s literature)

On-campus day: 3 June 9.00-17.00 (Children’s literature/book readings) according to a separate schedule.

Exam: 4 June 8.30-16.00 (English didactics/mini-class presentations).

Since this is a full-time course, you must be prepared to allocate 40 hours of study per week, including class attendance, reading and writing assignments. Studying for 30 credits in one term is like a full-time job.
Kommunikationssätt
You will automatically be registered on Canvas when you register on the course. This is our main channel for communication and where you will find material about our course such as the study guide, instructions, assignments, etc. This is also where the different instructors will post general announcements concerning the course and the individual sessions. Therefore, check the Canvas course page regularly.

Secondly, since you are to participate in group discussions throughout this course is important that you use a good headset with a microphone instead of the microphone on the computer only. This way you will be able to hear us, and we can hear you much better. A good camera is also essential for communicative purposes. Please note that you are expected to use your microphone and camera throughout the course since several of the course modules includes seminars where you are to participate in discussions.

The links to the Zoom meeting rooms will be found under each module folder in Canvas.
Övrig information
Cheating and plagiarizing are serious academic offences, which result in failing the module in question and being reported to the university’s disciplinary board. To learn about plagiarism and get basic information on how to avoid it, please read this information:

https://hig.se/Ext/Sv/Biblioteket/Skriva-och-publicera/Plagiering.html External link.

You will also be asked to take a plagiarism test on Canvas before you can access any of the course material.