Course for international guest/part time students

Faculty

Faculty of Primary and Pre-school Education

Organization

TÓK Department of Foreign Language and Literature

Code

ERA42E

Title

Theory and Practice of Bilingualism

Usual semester

Spring

Published semester

2025/26/2

ECTS

4

Language

en

Learning outcomes

The objective of the course is for students to gain state-of-the-art knowledge about bilingualism and the theory and practice of bilingual pre- and primary school education. By incorporating the latest Hungarian and international educational research findings into the training, students develop a language pedagogy approach that focuses on the holistic development of young learners.

Course content

Students become familiar with the theoretical and practical foundations of managing pre- and primary school life and EFL lessons. During the course they · study the definitions, types and characteristics of bilingualism, beliefs and misbeliefs about bilingualism and multilingualism in the light of research results; · learn about the psychological and pedagogical foundations of pre- and lower primary school education in the target language; · learn about objectives, tasks, challenges and ways of young learners' education in the target language; · learn about the activity types and techniques that can be applied in the course of education in the target language; · acquire the language pedagogy approach which focuses on promoting the holistic development of children; · acquire the special vocabulary related to bilingualism; and · prepare for the examination. Topics: Language learning vs. language acquisition. Bilingualism – definitions, types, characteristics. The images of bilinguals. Negative and positive assumptions. Bilingual education. Early CLIL. How young learners think and learn. The role and image of the bilingual teacher.

Assessment method

Active participation in classes Assignments and homework tasks Portfolio Examination (five-point evaluation) The students · are familiar with the theoretical foundations, types, advantages and challenges of early childhood bilingualism; · have specific knowledge about the methodology and relevant activity types in early childhood second language development; · speak the target language at a high standard with appropriate pronunciation and are familiar with the special vocabulary of bilingualism.

Bibliography

Kovács, J. & Trentinné Benkő, É. (2016). The World at Their Feet: Children’s Early Competence in Two Languages Through Education. Eötvös József Könyvkiadó.

Recommended bibliography

Mehisto, P., Marsh, D. & Frigols, M. J. (2008). Uncovering CLIL. Content and Language Integrated Learning in Bilingual and Multilingual Education. Macmillan Coyle, D., Hood, P., & Marsh, D. (2010). CLIL. Content and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge University Press. Kovács, J. & Trentinné Benkő, É. (2011). A Task-based Reader on Methodology and Children’s Literature (5th edition). ELTE Eötvös Kiadó. Calabrese, I. & Rampone, S. (2007): Cross-Curricular Resources for Young Learners. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Nikolov, M. and Curtain, H. (Eds.) (2000): An Early Start: Young Learners and Foreign Languages in Europe and Beyond. Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg. Dale, L., & Tanner, R. (2012): CLIL Activities with CD-ROM: A Resource for Subject and Language Teachers. Cambridge University Press. Deller, S., & Price, C. (2007). Teaching Other Subjects Through English. Oxford University Press. Slattery, M. & Willis, J. (2001). English for Primary Teachers. Oxford University Press. Trentinné Benkő, É., Márkus, É., Svraka, B. & Árva, V. (Eds.): Languages, Inclusion, Cultures and Pedagogy: Research and Good Practices 1. https://www.eltereader.hu/kiadvanyok/https-www-eltereader-hu-media-2022-10-languages_inclusion_cultures_and_pedagogy_1-pdf/

Programmes of the course