Reevaluating the Roles of the Stakeholders in Language Education: How Student Autonomy Is Promoted through Projects in E
Students’ ability to develop their English and function without assistance from teachers during their academic studies and professional lives is an objective within the context of language learning in higher education, especially in an English Medium Inst
- PDF / 331,424 Bytes
- 13 Pages / 439.37 x 666.14 pts Page_size
- 97 Downloads / 139 Views
Abstract Students’ ability to develop their English and function without assistance from teachers during their academic studies and professional lives is an objective within the context of language learning in higher education, especially in an English Medium Instruction setting. This chapter aims to show, with practical examples, how projects customized to students’ specific needs in various disciplines, at the end of advanced level English for Specific Academic Purposes courses, can promote student autonomy. By working through the project process, which enables students to choose their topic and materials, synthesize skills and strategies from the course and apply diverse resources in a learner-centred approach, students are engaged in challenging tasks which allow them to practise language skills in a natural setting. Furthermore, projects can increase effectiveness of the course by utilizing new technologies and encouraging autonomy, through self-access, self-monitoring and collaboration in real-life tasks, thereby placing more responsibility on the student. In light of shifting language needs in the academic and work environments, the roles and responsibilities of the language instructor and student should be reevaluated, considering more student-centred approaches for preparing undergraduates with language skills for their studies and for the workplace. Keywords English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) • Student autonomy • Project-based learning (PBL) • Attitude to language learning • Authentic communication • Learner-centred learning • Blended learning
M. Symon (*) English Language Unit, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya, Israel e-mail: [email protected] © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 R. Breeze, C. Sancho Guinda (eds.), Essential Competencies for English-medium University Teaching, Educational Linguistics 27, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-40956-6_12
169
170
1
M. Symon
Introduction
In view of changing language needs, with the growth of English Medium Instruction (EMI) at university even in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, and the acceptance of English as the lingua franca of the global workplace (Charles 2007), students need to attain some degree of autonomy in order to become effective language users (Nunan 1997). Accordingly, higher education should adapt from traditional input-driven teaching to focusing on the learners and the learning outcomes (Raisanen and Fortanet-Gomez 2008). Indeed, the Council of Europe’s (1998) Recommendation R(98)6 concerning modern languages encouraged teaching institutions to foster the development of student autonomy to enable independent lifelong language learning. This chapter explores how project-based learning in English courses develops student autonomy, by examining specific examples of projects in an EFL context, and considering the role of the stakeholders in enabling them to achieve that objective. In this chapter I am building upon the well-known “Bergen definition” where, Learner autonomy is characterized by a readiness to tak
Data Loading...
