BES-124: Language Across the Curriculum

The course ‘BES-124 Language Across the Curriculum’ is one of the core courses studied in the first year of IGNOU B.Ed. programme. This is a two-credit course. The concept of Language Across the Curriculum emphasises the key role language plays in learning. It is based on the understanding that language and thinking are deeply connected and promotes learning. Learning takes place when new facts are assimilated through listening and talking, reading and writing about what is being learnt, and by relating this new learning to what has been learnt before or the previous knowledge. Speaking and writing involve thinking, what we write and speak is a manifestation of that thinking.Language helps in conceptualising and expressing our thought clearly. The task of the teacher is that of developing language abilities into subject specific thinking and communication in every subjects. Teachers need to build cognitive and communicative competencies in learners while teaching their specific subjects. Language Across the Curriculum, advocates an understanding and transaction of the curriculum based on the following premises:Language is more than communication skills.Language is also linked to the thinking process.Language is a tool for conceptualising, for thinking, for networking.Language supports mental activity and cognitive precision.Language for academic purposes helps to express thoughts more clearly (this is especially true for writing)Language helps to structure discourse and practice discourse functions.This Course attempts to sensitise the teachers to the linkages between language and learning and to motivate them to adopt such practices in teaching of their specific disciplines so that language becomes a tool for facilitating learning. This Course has two Blocks, namely, Understanding Language Across the Curriculum and Teaching and Assessing Language Across the Curriculum.

Week

E-Content

E-Tutorial

Assessment

Week-1

Unit-1

Language and Society

Linguistic Diversity in India: Contributing Factors

10 MCQs

Standard Dialects and Language of Instructions

Development of Language: Dialects, Regional Variation and Scripts

Week-2

Unit -2

Language and Learning

Home Language and School Language

10 MCQs

Language Learning: from mother tongue to other tongue

Language Learning: Role of a Subject Teacher

Week-3

Unit -3

Understanding Language Across the Curriculum (LAC)

How Language varies: Everyday Registers and Academic Registers

10 MCQs

Language as a tool of communication: Features and Structure

Language Across Curriculum (LAC) Approach: Basic Assumptions, Characteristics and Need

Week-4

Unit -4

Language as a Space for Discourse

Classroom Discourse and its Features

10 MCQs

Negotiated Interactions and Classroom Interaction Competence

Classroom Discourse- repair, Speech Modification, and Scaffolding

Week-5

Unit -5

Teaching Listening across the Curriculum

Various forms/types of listening

10 MCQs

Listening Across the Curriculum: Developing Strategies

Assessing Listening: Tools and Strategies

Listening Comprehension

10 MCQs

Week-6

Unit -6

Developing the Speaking Abilities

Understanding Spoken Discourses

Speak to Learn and Learn to Speak

Speaking abilities across the Curriculum

Week-7

Unit -7

Reading Comprehension

Developing critical reading skills

10 MCQs

Reading Visuals, KWL Chart

Reading comprehension

Features of a text, various forms of text

Week-8

Unit -8

Writing across the Curriculum

Writing as a Process

10 MCQs

Forms of writing

Writing Across the Curriculum

Writing Speech Thinking

Week-9

Unit -9

Assessing Language Across the Curriculum

Assessing writing: Tools and strategies

10 MCQs