This subject develops pre-service teachers’ understanding of how English functions as a system of meaning-making in communication and learning. Students explore the subsystems of language – phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and discourse – and apply this knowledge to the explicit teaching of grammar, vocabulary, writing, and speaking. Drawing on Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and genre pedagogy, students will learn to analyse texts, identify patterns of language use, and plan effective K–6 instruction aligned with the NESA English K–6 Syllabus (2022) Components A (Foundational Skills) and B (Understanding and Creating Texts). Framed through a Christian worldview, the subject emphasises language as God-given, relational, and purposeful, enabling teachers to support students in using language ethically and creatively to engage with their world.
Derewianka, B., & Jones, P. (2021). Teaching Language in Context (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.