Didática das Línguas - Multilinguismo e Educação para a Cidadania Global

This course  aims to provide 3rd cycle students in the area of foreign language didactics, with an understanding of the role of interaction in language learning. Studies show that teachers in first to third cycles and secondary education still resort to teacher-centred lessons, where learners have few opportunities to experiment with language, and where speaking tasks often require  learners to repeat pre-formed utterances, leading to learners who are anxious about speaking and unable to express themselves meaningfully in the target language. The aim of the course is to raise participant' awareness to the potential of interaction to promote learning in the foreign language classroom, highlighting  areas such as the characteristics of student/teacher interaction versus peer interaction, the role of age and the influence of interaction patterns in peer interaction.  The course also contemplates more practical questions such as how materials to promote peer interaction for different age groups can be designed, how learner talk can be analysed and how peer interaction can be assessed.