Upper Secondary School Teacher Education in English Language and Literature

Graduates of this degree programme will be qualified to teach English as a foreign language at various types of Czech upper-secondary schools. They will be well-grounded in the theory and practice of teaching English to adolescents and young/emerging adults.

It is expected that the students who enter the programme possess a sound knowledge of English linguistics, literary theories and the literatures and cultures of English-speaking countries, and that their written and spoken proficiency in English corresponds to the CEFR C2 level. These capacities will make it possible for the students to understand the educational reality of language teaching and develop their professional knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs in the field of teaching English as a foreign language, including professional ethics.

More specifically, the graduates will be able to perform activities that manifest their professional competences in the following fields: planning (of lessons, series of lessons, courses), learning environment, learning processes, assessment and evaluation, reflection on their own teaching, school development and collaboration with colleagues, collaboration with parents and wider community, and their professional development. They will have read and critically assessed studies from up-to-date professional publications. Furthermore, the graduates of the single-subject and major studies will be able to design, conduct and evaluate classroom research.

The added value of this programme lies in:

(1) Small numbers of students and intensive interaction with individual students,

(2) Focus on specific aspects of teaching English in upper-secondary education, such as working with materials used in upper-secondary schools, with higher proficiency levels, dealing with (inter)cultural and literary topics, English for specific purposes, maturita examination and certificates, dealing with the specifics of adolescents and young/emerging adults.

(3) Teaching practice. Teaching practice takes place within the Internal and External teaching practice. During the Internal Teaching Practice, students teach and observe in onsite English as a foreign language courses, analyze and reflect on their performance and do research. During External Teaching Practice students collaborate with their mentors and faculty members, take part in their mentor’s everyday activities. They also analyze and reflect upon their performances and observations with their mentor and faculty members. Close collaboration of the faculty and mentors at selected upper-secondary schools make the teaching placement an important and invaluable step in the career of a novice teacher.

(4) Research skills. Students have many possibilities to learn about and contribute to the research activities conducted at the Department by the faculty members, who are active researchers (e.g. students can discuss research findings in seminars, take part in more specialized research seminars, analyze data with researchers, do empirical research in their diploma theses). Students also conduct classroom research within the teaching practice component of the programme.

(5) International dimensions of the programme. Students can spend a semester abroad at one of many universities, the academic staff at the Department include native speakers of English, the academic staff have extensive experience of participating in international conferences, collaborate with foreign experts and publish in international journals.

Practical training

Teaching practice is an inherent part of this teacher education programme. Students enrolled in single-subject study plans do classroom observation, weekly teaching practice (1 semester) and block teaching practice (4 weeks). In major and minor study plans the total hours spent on teaching practice equals roughly to a half, as compared to single-subject study plans.

Students are guided not only to prepare, teach, evaluate and reflect on their lessons, but also to become familiar with everyday tasks that upper-secondary school teachers do. Teaching practice is accompanied by a number of tasks, in which students use various methods (e.g. classroom observation, collection and analysis of learner language, analysis of video-recordings with their own teaching) to connect the findings discussed in EFL didactics courses with the reality of language teaching. Students can also discuss their lived experience at reflective seminars.

Further information

More details about the programme: https://english.phil.muni.cz/ELT

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Graduates of this degree programme are fully qualified to teach English as a foreign language at Czech upper-secondary education. They can also teach in language schools. Graduates are also prepared for work in adult English language education and training, education projects, education policy making and educational NGOs, as well as a broader range of public institutions. In addition they may find work in the private sector, where key transferable skills such as high-level English-language oral and written communication, analytical and research skills, as well as teamwork ability, organisation and time management skills are required. They are also prepared to enter doctoral-level degree programmes in applied linguistics or foreign language didactics, continuing on to an academic career.

Deadline for submitting applications: January 1 - April 30

Who the programme is intended for: The programme is offered to graduates of Bachelor’s studies who prove their knowledge of English language and literature corresponding to the level of Bachelor’s studies of English at FA MU.

Subject matter of the entrance examination: The entrance examination consists of two parts:

• 1st part - written test in practical English
• 2nd part - oral interview verifying relevant subject knowledge based on recommended literature and exploring candidate motivation for choosing study programme.

The written test of practical English verifies the level of the students’ language competence (roughly C2 according to CEFR). To proceed to the second part of the entrance exam, it is necessary to obtain at least a score of 70% on written test - only these applicants will be invited to the interview.

The interview is based on knowledge linguistic, cultural and pedagogical issues related to English (see recommended literature) and verifies that the applicant understands some basic concepts and has the necessary relevant subject knowledge, skills and motivation.

Only applicants who pass the written examination will be invited to take the interview in the Upper Secondary School Teacher Training in English Language and Literature.

Waiver of the entrance examination: The written part of the entrance examination can be waived for graduates of the single-subject and major study plan of the Bachelor’s study programme in English Language and Literature, who have passed the Bachelor’s examination in the field/programme of English Language and Literature at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University with an excellent (A) or very good (B) (i.e. the overall result of the written part, which covers: practical language, linguistics, literature, and cultural studies). The applicants will need to take part in the interview irrespective of their Bachelor's examination result. Applicants can ask for a waiver for the written part of the entrance examination via email to prijimaci.rizeni@phil.muni.cz.

Website Department of English and American Studies.

General information on the course of the admission procedure to the follow-up Master’s degree programmes at FA MU can be found here. Documents for the current admission procedure are kept in Materials for Applicants.

Criteria for evaluation

The first part of the exam tests the students' level of language competence (approximately C2 according to the CEFR). In order to pass this part of the exam, you need to score at least 70%.

The second part is based on the literature provided and verifies that the candidate understands some basic concepts and has relevant subject knowledge and skills in the field of linguistics, literature and culture. To pass the entrance examination, a minimum score of 70% is required in this section.

Recommended literature

Recommended list of books:

• Biber, D., Conrad, S. & Leech, G. (2002).Longman student grammar of spoken and written English. Harlow: Longman.
• Mair, C. (2015). English linguistics: An introduction. Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto.
• Scrivener, J. (2011). Learning Teaching. The Essential Guide to English Language Teaching. 3rd ed. Oxford: Macmillan.

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Minimum score and numbers of accepted applicants in past years

After successfully completing the studies, the graduates can enter doctoral degree study programmes in philology.