The number of language learners studying English in order to gain entry into an English higher education institution is continually increasing. English for Academic Purposes is a specialized area of English language instruction in which the focus is on providing students not just with the language in order to be successful in post-secondary education, but also with the academic skills for that success. The videos in this section focus on activities and techniques to use when teaching those academic skills.
Debating, a formal process to follow to argue a point or position, is an effective communication task to include in speaking classes in order to give students the opportunity to work on key speaking skills. These skills include offering opinion, agreeing, disagreeing and persuading. In this session, we look at how to use debates in our speaking classes to fully exploit student experiential learning.
In 2000, Averil Coxhead determined that there was a set of words that was crucial for success in an English academic context, the Academic Word List. This brought about a large change in the way vocabulary for English for Academic Purposes was viewed. In this course, we will look at what the Academic Word List is, the background to its development, why it is important for both instructors and students to be aware of it, and finally some strategies and activities to use when teaching the Academic Word List.
English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students have quite a challenge ahead of them. Not only do they need to learn the English language to quite a high level of proficiency, including complex vocabulary and complex grammar, they also need to learn different ways of thinking that will enable them to be successful in a higher education setting in an English-speaking context. In this session we will discuss the concept of critical thinking and its relationship to EAP student success, we will explore some of the cultural assumptions behind the concept, and finally, we will take a look at some possible approaches to teaching our students critical thinking.
Higher level students, particularly those who are looking to move into higher education studies at an English-speaking university, need to learn to read critically. Reading critically means not just understanding the words in the text but also being able to ‘read between the lines’ for other layers of meaning presented by the author.
The skills of quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing are largely expected in the academic environment of the North American culture. Often, the international student does not know how to explain in their own words what an expert has already stated. This course will examine different strategies needed in order to teach these skills.
