This course will focus on the question of how languages are learned. Theories of acquisition and research based around these theories have had an impact on how teachers have approached second language teaching historically. We will examine the major theoretical schools of thought on acquisition and the bodies of research that have developed around them. The overall objective of the course is to give students a firm theoretical grounding upon which well informed decisions about methodological issues can be made.
Sharon Churchill has been an educator for nine years and has worked in Canada and the UK. She is a graduate of Acadia University (BSc), University of Western Ontario (BEd), and the Victoria University of Wellington (MA in Applied Linguistics) and also holds a CELTA Certificate. Since 2004, Sharon has been teaching in Acadia University's English for Academic Purposes program. She has played a key role in the development of the mutli-level EAP curriculum used in this program, as well as the establishment of off-site EAP programs in China.
