Programme Overview

1. Title: “Supporting and Training Teachers Who Use English as a Medium of Instruction”

Workshop leader: Nick Munby

Time: 11:45-12:45

 

Bio: Language and communication teacher and teacher trainer based in Berlin for 24 years. Works at the Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht, the Bundestag and in the corporate sector. In the past four years has run Oxford University and British Council co-designed English as a Medium of Instruction courses for universities and technical high schools in Germany, China, Mexico, Ukraine and Palestine.

 

Abstract: In 2013, together with the Department of Education at Oxford University, the British Council devised a programme to support and train teachers, lecturers and professors who use English as a medium of instruction in tertiary education. Over the past four years I have run 26 of these training sessions in 8 countries. In this workshop I will report back on my personal experience - what seemed to be the difficulties faced by EMI teachers, their priorities, and various strengths and weaknesses. I will then encourage participants to consider what they feel constitutes effective EMI practice, and what teaching tactics are most likely to be successful. We will discuss what language level and competencies are required of both teacher and student, and to what extent these hold true of the different academic disciplines. I will also invite participants to explore broader associated issues, including different cultures of pedagogy.

 

 

 

2. Title: “Teaching Native and Non-Native Speakers Together”

Workshop leader: Donna Drucker, Technische Universität Darmstadt

Time: 13:45-14:35

 

Bio: Donna J. Drucker is Senior Advisor, English as the Language of Instruction at Technische Universität Darmstadt. She has also been a postdoctoral fellow and a guest professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at TUDa. She received a PhD in history from Indiana University (USA) in 2008. She has published two books (The Classification of Sex [Pittsburgh, 2014] and The Machines of Sex Research [Springer, 2013]), along with articles and shorter writings. Her research interests include writing pedagogy, urban and spatial planning, the history of science and technology, and the history of gender and sexuality.

 

Abstract: In the last two decades, an increasing number of universities across Europe offer bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in English that were formerly taught in the university’s national language. This pattern of internationalization as “English-ization” raises many pedagogical challenges, and this workshop draws attention to one of them: instructors, whether they themselves are native English speakers or not, increasingly face the task of teaching a subject to a group with significant differences in their levels of linguistic ability, particularly in academic writing. Students with high or native fluency levels become frustrated at the course’s seemingly slow speed, while the students with intermediate or low levels of fluency struggle to stay on track. This workshop addresses questions facing such instructors: how do I teach my subject effectively in a mixed classroom of native English speakers and non-native English speakers at varying levels of fluency? How can I best use classroom time to improve the learning and knowledge retention of each student?

 

This workshop seeks to answer that question by drawing on EAP and ESP theory, along with the speaker’s own experience. The workshop contextualizes this problem in the broader trend of English-ization at European universities, and it offers strategies for instructors in similar situations. They include in-class activities focused on new vocabulary learning, creating pools of student knowledge, and drawing on the intellectual strengths of students with lower fluency to improve learning for all. There are opportunities for participants to discuss and to share their own ideas for addressing this problem.

 

 

3. Title: “English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) –Supporting the Content Teacher”

Workshop leaders: Martin Bradbeer, TH Wildau & David Bowskill, Humbolt Universität Berlin

Time: 14:35-15:25

 

Bios: David Bowskill studied German at Newcastle University and trained to teach General Studies and German for further education at Huddersfield Polytechnic. He has taught German in secondary schools in the UK and EAP/ESP in further and higher education in Germany. Since 1994 he has been a lecturer in English for Academic and Legal Purposes at the Language Centre of HU Berlin. Since 2010 he has jointly organised the annual teaching practice week for Max Weber postdoctoral fellows from the European University Institute held at the HU Language Centre.  He also offers semester courses in Teaching in English for postgraduate students and university teaching staff at the HU.

 

Martin Bradbeer teaches English at the University of Applied Sciences Wildau, near Berlin, where he has been since 2010. He has many years of teaching experience spread over the UK, Barcelona and Berlin, has worked for international publishers, is an author of EFL materials and worked in the area of English as a Medium of Instruction for several years. Martin is also the Director of Studies of the European Management bachelor programme, a significant part of which is taught using EMI.

 

Abstract: In many countries, English is increasingly becoming the medium of instruction alongside and even replacing instruction in the national language(s) of the countries. Even for advanced users of English as a foreign or second language, teaching in the language can be a challenge. After an introduction to the programmes and support offered at the institutions of the workshop facilitators (HU Berlin and TH Wildau) we will go on to discuss the following factors in supporting content teachers:

 

• Delivery (accent, intonation, pronunciation, fluency and pace)
• Body language, use of classroom space and audio-visual aids
• Listening and speaking skills of L2 users (contrasted with L1 users)
• Classroom discourse (explanatory and interrogatory language, giving instructions)
• Linguistic management of whole class discussions and group work
• Inter-cultural competence (e.g. teaching styles, use of humour etc.

 

This workshop is for all those who teach teachers using EMI as well as for those non-native English speakers who actually teach using EMI. We would like to share and discuss issues that would help to improve students’ experiences being taught subjects in English by content experts who do not have English as a mother tongue.

1. Title: “Academic Literacy beyond Subject Boundaries: Applying the ‘Osnabrück Framework for Academic Literacy’”

Workshop leaders: Stefan Serwe, Janna Gerdes & Frank Lauterback, Universität Osnabrück

Time: 11:45-12:45

 

Bios: Janna Gerdes is coordinator of the English language writing lab (Schreibwerkstatt Englisch) at the Osnabrück University language centre. She received her academic degree (Magister) in English and American Studies, Psychology and Teaching English as a Foreign Language at Gießen University in 2009. She then worked as a research fellow at TU Braunschweig and Osnabrück University, with a focus on English for Academic Purposes. In her dissertational project, she uses a corpus-driven approach to investigate phraseology in empirical research articles.

 

Frank Lauterbach is Head of Foreign Languages for Academic Purposes at the University of Osnabrück's Language Center. Prior to that, he coordinated various programs at the Graduate Academy of the University of Oldenburg and both the Language Center and the International Writing Center at the University of Göttingen. He also has many years of experience in teaching Academic English skills such as writing and publishing, conference presenting, poster delivery, international networking, and academic communication.

 

Abstract: Recently, university stakeholders have been demanding an increasingly subject-specific focus in English language instruction. Accordingly, many German university language centers are now offering specialized ESAP courses for ever more narrow Fields of study. However, research in applied linguistics implicitly questions the necessity for and the significance of such subject-specific language curricula by suggesting that a broad range of language features and literacy practices is relevant across the academic spectrum. The "Osnabrück Framework for Academic Literacy" pursues such suggestions and proposes a comprehensive concept of academic literacy that is interdisciplinary and, thus, applicable beyond subject boundaries. This workshop, therefore, aims to discuss the practicability of the Osnabrück Framework as a tool for syllabus development and task design in the face of growing calls for subject-specific English courses.

 

In the first, opening part of the workshop (approx. 10 minutes), we will introduce some of the issues that have led to the development of the Osnabrück Framework. This will form the basis for the second, major part (approx. 30+ minutes), in which the workshop participants will be given practical, hands-on tasks. They can then try out and discuss, in small groups, the feasibility of offering an interdisciplinary course that, nonetheless, involves students in subject-specific challenges of language usage. The Final, concluding part of the workshop (approx. 10 minutes) will use the results of the group work to critically examine the call for ESAP courses and ask whether interdisciplinary EAP courses may not actually be sufficient or even advantageous.

 

At the end of the workshop, participants will have tried out certain aspects of the Osnabrück Framework and reflected upon its transfer to their own teaching practice. In turn, we invite the participants to share their perspectives on the ESAP/EAP-debate and the Framework.

 

 

2. Title: “Fishing for coherence and cohesiveness: Improving academic writing skills”

Workshop leader: Michelle Hunter, freelance teacher, www.demandhighsilently.com

Time: 13:45-14:35

 

Bio: Based near Stuttgart, Michelle Hunter is a Business English teacher of 19 years, in-company business skills trainer for the last 12 years, university adjunct since 2008, and relatively new EAP tutor. She has taught on 3 summer pre-sessionals at Bristol University and developed a warm appreciation for academic skills. She recently achieved a MA in Coaching in Education (WBIS) with distinction, is co-author of the A-Z Coaching photocopiable activities book, and author of Why Coaching in ELT? She has presented at many conferences, including BALEAP 2017 held in Bristol.

 

Abstract: Academic writing often relies on the deductive, "general-to-specific" approach to structuring essays. What "shape" helps you explain how to build a coherent and cohesive piece of writing? Have you ever used a "Fishbone"?

 

Inspired by my colleague Katherine from Bristol University and her happy, motivated students, I intend to apply similar tactics in my upcoming pre-sessional course this summer. The most impressive thing she told me was how her students took to the fishbone idea and made the visual their own.

 

Based on Katherine and her students’ ideas, this workshop will explore how we might use the "Fishbone Model" with our own students. We shall start discussions by comparing definitions of "coherence" and "cohesion”, and share best practice on how to teach these important academic concepts. Then we shall test out how to apply them to the bones of a virtual fish.

 

As Katherine discovered, by encouraging our students to let their creativity flow, we can watch their critical thinking skills develop “as they transition through the process of planning, drafting and editing” (High, 2016) their work. Be prepared to get hands on with some fishbones and exercise your own critical thinking skills. By the end of our hour together, you will be well-equipped to go fishing for coherence, cohesiveness and critical thinking with your own students.

 

 

3. Title: “Flipping ESAP: Integrated Task Design for Blended Language Learning”

Workshop leaders: Mary-Jane Radford Arrow, Technische Universität Berlin -- ZEMS

Time: 14:35-15:25

 

Bio: I have been teaching English to university students for nearly 15 years, but have found my niche in English for Academic and Specific Purposes. As a program administrator at TU Berlin’s Modern Language Center, working with colleagues to share ideas, solve problems and become better at what we do is my focus. I began experimenting with the “Flipped” approach about three years ago and view my Moodle-based ESAP courses as works-in-progress. I am currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Liverpool’s Centre for Higher Education Studies. My research centers on the role of professional identity in technology adoption by university ESAP teachers.

 

Abstract: The “Flipped” model is widely used in the teaching of STEM disciplines, but it also offers enhanced opportunities for language teaching and learning in the Higher Education context. Individual, self-paced study before class is mediated by the virtual learning space to work hand-in-hand with collaborative, authentic language activities in the physical learning space; together these comprise the flipped classroom. The integration of language and content in ESAP courses is enabled by a wealth of academic and technical English language material available on line, materials which require task structuring and scaffolding in order to maximize their potential for the university language learning classroom.

 

The proposed workshop would focus on the adaptation and design of tasks for ESAP courses that allow for both the integration of language and content and the virtual and physical learning spaces. The goal is optimising the potential of online independent study before class and maximizing precious classroom time for language use around the before class learning.

 

Tried and true ESAP tasks do not have to be abandoned or completely redesigned, but rather can be adapted to work within the flipped paradigm. I will offer examples of tasks that have been adapted in this way to my own ESAP courses, and we will work together with tasks that participants have brought with them or that are provided to come up with concrete ideas for trying them out using this integrated approach.

1. Title: “"Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Assessing Linguistic Ability through Concept 

Familiarity"

Workshop leaders: David Zook & Ruben Bieker, Modern Language Centre at Philipps-

Universität Marburg

Time: 11:45-12:45

 

Bios: Dave Zook has been teaching ESL courses, mainly to German students and businessmen, since his days as a Philosophy student at Phillips University, Marburg, where he earned a Magister degree in the early 90s. His early emphasis was on Business English, but he now teaches primarily academic writing and special purpose (Geography, Law) courses at the Language Center of Phillips University. In addition to his work at the Language Center, he brings his ESL experience and translation skills to bear as the Head of Language Services at a small software consulting firm near Frankfurt.

 

Ruben Bieker has been a teacher of English since 2010. He began his career in adult education, teaching ESP courses as well as Cambridge exam preparation courses to working professionals in Germany. Between 2015 and 2017, he worked as a business English teacher in the Paris area and taught English for Arts to undergraduate students at Université Paris VIII. He currently teaches English for Students of Business and Economics and exam preparation courses at the Modern Language Centre of Philipps University Marburg. He holds a degree in English Language Studies and completed a CELTA in 2014.

 

Abstract: An important issue in including subject-specific content in EAP assessment is the fact that EAP practitioners are generally not trained subject specialists; assessing students’ subject knowledge is therefore a challenge. In our workshop, we seek to provide a solution to this issue by reporting on cases in which we relied on tests that required the students to link subject knowledge with linguistic knowledge in explaining discipline-specific concepts using the target language. Participants will be given an opportunity to design test questions of this kind and will discuss and reflect on the applicability of the principle to their specific contexts.

 

 

2. Title: “TOEFL iBT® integrated tasks, elements of task-based teaching and their value for a

CLIL classroom”

Workshop leader: Timothy Kryaninko, ETS Global

Time: 13:45-14:35

 

Bio: Timothy has been working as an Academic Relations Coordinator for ETS Global (TOEFL iBT and GRE Tests) since April 2014. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Literature from West Virginia University and a Masters in Social Sciences from Humboldt University. Tim has had several years of experience in the education sector, including 2 years teaching in the English language preparatory department of Bosphorus University in Istanbul, and 3 years with Language Direct, an online- based language school, where he held the position of Educational Coordinator.

 

Abstract: One benefit of following the integrated tasks approach that ETS has developed for the TOEFL iBT® test in a CLIL classroom is that these tasks help develop skills relevant to the demands of real-life academic settings in a highly relevant context. For example, students need to read an academic passage, listen to a fragment of lecture about the same topic, and then synthesize and summarize the information in a written or oral form. Such tasks make it possible to set the focus on meaning and give a sense of a clear communicative aim. Depending on the primary learning objectives, the goal of similar tasks can also be placed on the outcome, which will make them even more closely aligned with a number of assumptions of Task-based teaching and learning (TBL).

 

Participants in this highly practical workshop will have a chance to explore sample TOEFL iBT® integrated tasks and related classroom activities which match the criteria of tasks for TBL set by Willis and Willis (2007). They will also leave the workshop with an awareness of how to design or select similar activities that can benefit their students not only in terms of knowledge gained but also thanks to developing their academic language skills.

 

3. Title: “Teaching Subject-Specific Academic Writing to EAP students”

Workshop leaders: Georgina Willms, Universität Bielefeld, Fachsprachenzentrum

Time: 14:35-15:25

 

Bio: Georgina Willms is the Coordinator of English at the Fachsprachenzentrum, Universität Bielefeld.  She has studied English literature and Classical Studies in both the US and the UK, and specializes in teaching academic writing for non-native speakers, especially higher level students and researchers. 

 

 

Abstract: One of the main challenges when teaching English academic writing at the university level can be with subject-specific language.  Often the needs of students and researchers can be quite specific, especially at the master and doctorial levels, and the teacher may be at a loss.  Ideally academic writing would be guided by someone well-versed in the student’s chosen field, but this is not always possible.  Therefore EAP writing teachers must figure out ways to help students not only in general academic writing, but also to supply them with skills to improve their subject-specific writing.  I would like to propose a workshop investigating how to deal with the problem of teaching intensive writing skills, especially in terms of assessment: how can we assess writing outside of our discipline? In this workshop we will discuss how to teach students how to tailor general writing skills for their own discipline, and as an instructor, how to assess work of this nature.  Ideally we will come up a working process of assessment that can be used for specialized academic writing from any discipline.