Teacher Strategies in Implementing English Medium Instruction - presented by Professor Jack C. Richards

Teacher Strategies in Implementing English Medium Instruction

Professor Jack C. Richards

Professor Jack C. Richards
Ask the seminar a question! BETA
TEACHING ACADEMIC CONTENT IN A SECOND LANGUAGE; TEACHER CHALLENGES WITH ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION Jack C Richards www.professorjackrichards.com
1
00:00
DEFINITIONS OF EMI An education system in which English is the primary medium of instruction particularly where English is not the first language of the majority of the population. The use of English in multilingual post-colonial societies where it serves as an official language and as an academic lingua franca in education and may also function as a community lingua franca alongside other local and official languages.
01:48
REASONS FOR THE ADOPTION OF EMI To provide a common language of instruction in countries with multilingual populations. To develop the skills needed to use English as an academic lingua franca. To enable institutions to attract international students. To increase the prestige of an institution. To promote the competitiveness of universities. To promote economic competitiveness through developing a proficient English workforce. To produce graduates with global literacy skills. To facilitate regional and international communication.
03:25
TEACHING AND LEARNING IN ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION An Introduction Jack C. Richards with Jack Pun
1
06:42
The emergence of EMI Features of EMI The implementation of EMI Learning in the disciplines: academic literacy Linguistic dimensions of academic literacy The EMI teacher Teaching in EMI Preparing students for EM through EAP Learning in EMI Professional development for EMI teachers Evaluation of EMI programs Best practice in EMI
07:11
The basic assumptions of EMI EMI is a strategy for learning English as a bioproduct of learning academic content through English Goals are both content learning and language learning Differs from CLIL (Content-Based Language teaching) CLIL is an approach to the teaching of English through content EMI is an approach to the teaching of content through English
09:05
ISSUES RAISED BY EMI What subjects will be taught in English? When will it commence in the school system? What kind of professional and language support will be needed for teachers? What kind of language support will be needed for students? What impact will it have on the learning of academic content? What impact will it have on the learning of English? What impact will it have on the status of local languages? What will be the basis for assessment - content or language learning? What resources will be required?
10:46
Teachers' attitudes towards EMI Accepted as a necessity because of the importance of English as an international language and the importance of English in their discipline "I never really reflected on it. If students are invited from abroad to study, it's obvious that we need to teach them in English". "I haven't questioned it. / don't think: "Would / like to teach this in Danish?" This is the way it is. It attracts international students and that's the name of the game". "I have benefited from the opportunity to practice my oral English". "I think it is completely natural to use English at the university level because it has been the language of science, language of publication for years. In that regard is completely natural it is all in English".
13:53
Teachers' attitudes towards EMI Accepted since it is official policy "But, what / can say? It was a kind of a law. You cannot escape it. It is an order from the Government, like a Presidential order. We are forced to do whatever possible to teach in English because this started in the whole country, from primary, secondary, even the universities". Offers potential to improve the quality of teaching "It provides a higher level of education, giving students a challenge, motivating them, making lessons more interesting, making problem-solving easier, and making concepts easier to understand". Offers advantages to the teacher "Personally, / improve my English [communication skills] and / feel highly motivated because / am part of a select group of teachers of the faculty who give classes in English. You are not an ordinary teacher anymore"
15:16
Teachers' view of whose responsibility it is to address language issues Belief 1: Disciplinary literacy will emerge and develop through immersion in the practices of the discipline and does not require specific intervention from the content teacher. Subject teachers may not see their role as supporting students' language development and may make significant use of translation and translanguaging and they may have little concern for the level of English their students' use. "I just say, okay I'm not your language teacher, / am in this sense, I will not check on anyone's language knowledge in the classical sense, I will tell the students that / am not a trained language teacher, and I'll make, when speaking, also my own mistakes, but what is important is that you keep talking, that is absolutely essential, and only through talking you learn the language". (Danish teacher) don't think that / take responsibility for training them in English. / don't correct their work in English". (Swedish teacher) "I'll only look for facts in assessing students. The language is the secondary part there. So we don't really bother" (Malaysian Math teacher)
17:08
EMI teachers' views of whose job it is to address language issues Belief 2: Developing EMI students' disciplinary literacy is the responsibility of the English subject teacher and those responsible for EAP and ESP courses. "The students should come to us with better English. What are the English subject teachers doing?" (Hong Kong teacher). Belief 3: Academic literacy is best taught through the process of learning the subject, and that subject teachers who are experts in their disciplines are in the best position to teach students how to use the specialized kinds of language needed to learn their subjects. "Although science teachers acknowledged that they were not "language experts", many of them used teaching methods that encouraged students to speak in English in class, attempted to model scientific language for their students, or provided students with more linguistic input related to the topic being taught". (Malaysia)
18:30
Objections to EMI in Holland Why should subject areas such as Dutch Literature, History, or Law be taught in English? Are disciplines like Psychology taught in English in order to attract international students and to compensate for a decline in interest among local students? Should the substantial contribution that international students make to institutional budgets and to the local and national economy count more than investing in quality education for local students? How does one counteract the declining interest of local students in Dutch language and literature?
20:44
Objections to EMI in Italy In 2012 by the Polytecnico de Milano in Italy required that all of its Master's and PhD courses be taught in English. This was strongly resisted by the university's teachers, fearing that EMI promotes Anglo-US cultural hegemony. They took their case to the Regional Administrative Tribunal, which decided in their favour and declared that teachers could choose whether to teach their courses in Italian or English.
21:25
THE ROLE OF ENGLISH IN DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES Teachers' views of EMI reflects the importance of English in their discipline. Considerable differences in the language demands of disciplines such as History, Physics, Maths, Science, or Law. In Sweden 85% of all university dissertations are written in English, but the distribution differs according to the discipline: 94% of dissertations in the hard sciences were written in English, 65% in Social Sciences, but only 37% in the Humanities. In some cases (e.g., Natural Sciences) teachers may hence feel their subject is best taught in English since English is the lingua franca of science.
22:07
THE ROLE OF ENGLISH IN DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES Academic tasks in some disciplines may pose greater linguistic demands than tasks in other disciplines since different disciplines make use of different genres and text types. Writing in Chemistry, for example, is very different from writing in Social Studies, and some disciplines require an advanced ability in English. In disciplines such as Law, the way language is used is an important part of the research process itself. There may also be less use of extended writing in some disciplines such as Engineering or Physics compared to others such as Zoology or Botany and greater dependence on numerical information.
22:59
THE NATURE OF ACADEMIC AND DISCIPLINARY LITERACY Each academic discipline is based on a core set of assumptions, concepts, ideas, and theories, together with the processes and modes of thinking and inquiry that define it as a field of study. Learning in a discipline involves participating in the communicative practices and accomplishing the academic tasks that provide the basis for the teaching and learning of academic content in that discipline. Academic literacy in EMI depends on the nature of the discipline-specific genres and text types used in spoken and written academic discourse. It encompasses both the literacy skills (reading and writing) and the specialized uses of language that are used in the genres and text types of a discipline.
23:55
Concepts and modes of inquiry Concepts in social studies: conflict, liberty, equal opportunity, racism, prejudice might be crucial to understand the content of the secondary school social studies curriculum Modes of inquiry in math: using problem-solving and computational skills and selecting appropriate problem-solving strategies for different kinds of problems. Cross-disciplinary thinking processes: calling up, connecting, predicting, organizing, monitoring, reviewing, evaluating, and applying Disciplinary specific processes: a greater degree of inferring and evaluating may be called for in social studies than in other areas of the curriculum
26:35
Academic and disciplinary tasks Some tasks are common to different disciplines such as planning a research project, interviewing a specialist, giving an oral presentation, writing a group report or developing a questionnaire to collect respondents' views. Some are discipline specific and reflect the cognitive processes, content, and knowledge schemata of particular subjects in the school curriculum. Arts, design and technology: give a brief description of an artwork or design in spoken or written form Economics and business studies: present a business plan to potential investors, asking for an investment in their company Maths: explain a graph that you have constructed in a presentation to the class Science: give instructions on how to carry out an experiment.
28:20
Texts Genres are realized through texts that reflect distinct patterns of organization. For example, research reports are texts within the genre of science writing and typically have the structure Introduction - Methods and Materials - Results - Discussion. Text types in content subjects in Hong Kong secondary schools: information texts, recount texts, procedural texts, explanation texts, persuasive texts
28:58
Linguistic dimensions 107 Table 5.4 Main genre families and genres found in undergraduate History, Sociology, and Engineering assignments Genre families Genres in History Genres in Sociology Genres in Engineering Case Study company report, accident report Critique book review evaluation of evaluations of research products, techniques, methods, performance, systems, book review tools, and buildings Design design plan Specification Essay exposition, exposition, exposition, discussion discussion, discussion challenge, factorial Exercise calculations, short answer Explanation industry overview, system overview Methodology lab report, design report Recount Narrative urban reflection on teamwork Recount ethnography, library search Proposal research proposal design proposal Research Report long essay dissertation project Source: Nesi and Gardner (2012, p.30).
1
29:29
Table 5.3 Common genres (text types) found in the English language and content subjects Category Example Subject areas Information reports English Geography Science Information texts Laboratory reports/ Social studies History Economics experiments Descriptive reports Investigative reports Essays Historical recounts English Geography Recount texts Biographical recounts Social studies History Newspaper reports Procedural Directions English Geography Science Math texts Instructions Recipes Rules Manuals Agendas Explanation Explanations on Social studies Geography Science texts sequence/process History Explanations on cause Economics and effect Persuasive Expositions English Geography Scienc texts Discussions Social studies History Advertisements Economics Editorials Source: Lin (2016, p.66). what tovt tunes each disciplit
1
30:09
DISCIPLINARY PEDAGOGIES Disciplinary grouping Teaching approach Hard pure Highly structured courses Natural sciences: e.g., Chemistry, Physics Highly related concepts and principles Hard applied Student career preparation Science-based professionals: e.g., Engineering Emphasis on cognitive goals (learning facts, principles, and concepts) Emphasis on ability to apply methods and principles Soft pure. Humanities Open course structures and social sciences: e.g., History, Anthropology Loosely organized Broad general knowledge Soft applied Social Emphasis on student character development and professions: e.g., Education, Management Studies effective thinking skills Creative thinking Emphasis on oral and written expression.
31:44
DISCIPLINARY PEDAGOGIES "In many engineering subjects, learning occurs individually. In our areas, learning occurs in a more socialized manner. We have a discussion activity which is a critical tool of learning. So, the choice of EMI or KMI [Korean] should depend on the characteristics of each subject". Korean engineering lecturer "I am a geography teacher. / teach differently from the way history or English teachers teach. " "EMI Maths and Science teachers in Malaysia teach differently. In Maths the teacher typically introduce a topic, explain concepts and terms, and then provide a demonstration of how to solve a specific maths problem. Science teachers use a greater variety of teaching strategies and often S help students learn the language features associated with a topic". "The English teachers and the science teachers they have their own separate curriculums. If / just suggested collaboration with science teachers / think / would be ignored. Or if they [English teachers] have to collaborate, they may [have] some bad feelings towards us [biology teachers]; there could be a lot of tension". (Hong Kong)
32:48
The language demands of EMI Native-like proficiency or something else? CALP Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency BICS Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills CALP = the language used to support academic learning, including the academic vocabulary, grammar, and modes of thinking and analysis that are used to express abstract concepts and thinking processes. Academic language is a vehicle for the transfer of information, has a high information load, may be lexically dense, and often requires the use of complex sentence structure. BICS = non-academic uses of language when it is used for social interaction rather than learning. It is the language students use at home or outside of the school or university campus. "But their [the Danish students] enviable colloquial fluency masks the rather obvious fact that Game of Thrones is a less than ideal preparation for understanding the intricacies of the law of state succession. / feel that insufficient command of English, especially of the written kind, among both Danish and exchange students, constitutes the biggest obstacle to realizing the full potential of further internationalization".
33:09
Teacher beliefs and assessment practices Beliefs about the role of Impact on assessment practices English a medium for teaching Made use of mid-term and final academic content examinations English a means to train students in Used weekly assignments and case academic skills study analysis English as a means for creating an Made use of projects, student interactive learning environment presentations and on-line interactive discussions
33:59
Teachers'reported challenges of EMI Creates stress for EMI teachers Requires a change in teaching approach Creates a concern for their proficiency in English Cannot use an improvisational style of teaching Impact on the teacher's sense of professional identity and expertise Has a negative impact on classroom climate Unfamiliarity with teaching a multi-cultural class
34:49
Different perceptions of the nature of teaching Chinese and Australian views of good teaching The trouble with Chinese teachers is that they've never done any real teacher-training courses so they don't know how to teach. All they do is follow the book. They never give us any opportunity to talk. How in the world do they expect us to learn? (Australian student studying in China) Australian teachers are very friendly but they can't teach very well. I never know where they're going - there's no system and I just get lost. Also, they're often very badly trained and don't have a thorough grasp of their subject. (Chinese student studying in Australia) (Brick, 1991)
1
36:04
Teachers' reported challenges of EMI Hinders the teacher's ability to cover topics in depth "We are forced to cover less materials than we would if we teach in our mother tongue". "We cannot go into sufficient detail, which results in students achieving an insufficient understanding of content knowledge". "For me, it all depends on how prepared / am. If / am well prepared, then it is the same for both languages". "I can understand the general framework of the subjects but it's not possible to say SO for the details. Many things in a mind remain incomplete. There're many points missing. / haven't learned many important subjects in great depth and detail". (EMI student) "Looking at my friends receiving their education in Turkish, / can see that their learning's much deeper compared to us". (EMI student) "I received my PhD in the United States and have taught for more than 10 years. But have to admit that / can convey only 70 to 80% of my knowledge when / lecture in English."
36:19
Language-related challenges Accented-English as a distraction for students: "I ask my other friends 'Can you follow what he is saying?' And also my friends can't follow. We just simply don't get used to that kind of accent. His Australian accent is so hard to follow" Hong Kong student Slower speech flow due to limited knowledge of specialized vocabulary "I think the main problem is / don't have a natural ability to handle the language SO / very often have to stop, interrupt myself, find the words. It's embarrassing. Sometimes it is like being naked. It is unpleasant for me and / can feel it in my body. / hate it". (Danish teacher) Reduction in content coverage due to limited language proficiency: Lectures may be shortened due to difficulty of speaking English for a long time period: "My language skills are SO bad that / can't give lectures for 2 or 3 hours. It is impossible. That's why / use a lot of time in my office together with my students on counselling" (Danish teacher). Avoidance of activities that require use of spontaneous and unplanned language: Overdependence on translanguaging:
36:21
Coping strategies of EMI teachers A literature review of 30 published accounts of EMI instruction in both secondary and tertiary contexts; transcripts of EMI science teachers' lessons in Hong Kong 25 issues that teachers reported encountered in planning or delivering their lessons as well as 75 strategies that used as responses to these issues Responses grouped according to whether they occurred before, during, and after EMI instruction. teacher factors (e.g. the teacher's English proficiency and sense of self-efficacy); pedagogic factors (e.g. effective organization and presentation of lesson content); linguistic factors (e.g. vocabulary, terminology); affective factors (e.g. classroom climate) and learner factors (e.g. students' English proficiency).
36:22
STRATEGIES TEACHERS USE IN IMPLEMENTING EMI Before teaching strategies Aspect Strategy Pedagogic 1. Provide suitable materials for use in Search the internet factors EMI lessons Develop specially designed materials 2. Help students follow the Prepare PowerPoint slides organization of the lesson Spend extra time on lesson preparation Sequence the lesson in small stages 4. Provide support for understanding Prepare bilingual versions of texts texts Highlight key points in the textbook Use shortened texts, simplified and accompanied by visuals or even a short glossary. 5. Prepare students for an EMI lesson Assign internet sources for students to watch/read before the lesson 6. Assist with comprehension of the Find good examples and explanations lesson of difficult concepts
38:09
STRATEGIES TEACHERS USE IN IMPLEMENTING EMI Before teaching strategies Aspect Strategy Linguistic 7. Prepare students for specialized Prepare bilingual glossary factors vocabulary 8. Integrate content and language Content and English teachers collaborate in lesson planning Find examples where content and language are integrated Teacher 9. Provide a well-structured Reorganize the sequence of topics in the factors lesson textbook 10. Obtain help planning the Collaborate with a teacher teaching the course same subject in the local language Anticipate difficulties and how to respond to them 11. Deliver the lesson fluently Prepare a script to help deliver the lesson Rehearse the lesson or aspects of the lesson
38:47
STRATEGIES TEACHERS USE IN IMPLEMENTING EMI While teaching strategies Aspect Strategy Affective 13. Provide a supportive Use humor factors and positive classroom Use students' names climate Vary activities to maintain interest Personalize and localize the content Use collaborative and group-based activities Code switch/translanguaging Pedagogic 14. Compensate for Use more direct instruction and transmission-oriented factors difficulties in teaching in pedagogy English Avoid using questions and an interactive teaching style Follow the textbook closely and use it to guide the lesson Avoid exploring topics in a great amount of depth Avoid improvisation Use closed-response rather than open-ended questions Avoid activities that require fluency in English, such as debates and discussion-activities Use body language and gesture Code switch/translanguaging
39:38
STRATEGIES TEACHERS USE IN IMPLEMENTING EMI While teaching strategies Aspect Strategy Pedagogic 15. Make the lesson Use frequent pausing and speak more slowly factors easier to follow Reduce the amount of content that one would cover in a non-EMI lesson on the same topic 16. Help students Say something first in English then repeat it in L1 understand new concepts Use examples from the students' daily life Use visual aids and multimedia software Use guided demonstration to introduce new concept After a first explanation, represent in simplen language Repeat and further develop students' responses Emphasize key words Code switch/translanguaing 17. Encourage students Discourage students using the mother tongue to use English Have students collaborate to frame responses and questions in English Use collaborative tasks that students must use English to complete (e.g. pair-share-report)
41:16
STRATEGIES TEACHERS USE IN IMPLEMENTING EMI While teaching strategies Aspect Strategy Pedagogic 18. Check students' Have students write summaries, reports, comments factors understanding of content Check comprehension with questions and expand and elaborate students' responses Summarize and recapitulate new information Probe students' current understanding and build and develop it further 19. Help students Note new concepts on the chalkboard or whiteboard as understand and retain a record and reference throughout the lesson lesson content Summarize the lesson in the last 10 minutes of class Give a bilingual or mother tongue written summary of key points 20. Give feedback on Give explicit correction of errors of grammar, language vocabulary and pronunciation Use recasts Repeat students' incorrect responses and encourage self-correction Use gestures to indicate incorrect language and to prompts students to self-correct or other-correct
41:35
STRATEGIES TEACHERS USE IN IMPLEMENTING EMI After-teaching strategies Aspect Strategy Teacher 24. Maintain a sense of Take part in a support group for EMI teachers factors self-efficacy 25. Develop further Take part in seminars and workshops understanding of EMI Take a certification course for EMI teachers instruction Take part in collaboration between EMI and English teachers 26. Improve proficiency Take an English proficiency course in English
41:41
THANK YOU Sources: Jack C Richards with Jack Pun (2022). Teaching and Learning English in English Medium Instruction. New York: Routledge Jack C Richards and Jack Pun (2022). Teacher strategies in implementing English Medium instruction. ELT Journal76,2, 227-237 Jack C Richards (2022) Exploring Emotions in Language Teaching. RELC Journal, 53(1), 225-239. Jack C Richards and Jack Pun (2021) A Typology of English-Medium Instruction. RELC Journal. 1-25
1
2
3
4
42:13
Settings
LALS Seminar Series
Linguistics and Applied Language Studies (Victoria University of Wellington)
Cite as
J. C. Richards (2023, March 17), Teacher Strategies in Implementing English Medium Instruction
DOI
doi.org/10.52843/cassyni.3rmvzy
Export
Citations
Share
Timestamped permalink
Details
Listed seminar This seminar is open to all
Recorded Available to all
Video length 52:53
Q&A Now closed