by Kerry Boakes
This post introduces a resource titled Seeking Transparency in AI – From Black Boxes to Radical Possibilities (ed.ac.uk) to my colleagues at CALD.
Tag: EAP
Perceptions of Autonomy
by Rachel Wall
Last year, I embarked on a series of research projects which led me on a merry dance through the avenues and rabbit holes of autonomy. They led me to question my own practice and the precarious balance of appropriate scaffolding; dive into the baffling world of Legitimation Code Theory (LCT); experiment with coding; observe the language choices of my fellow tutors; design surveys and observation instruments and fundamentally left me wondering if autonomy can ever really exist. I’m not going to lie: the process ‘flawed’ me on many occasions – in both senses of the homophone – and forced me to rethink my own approach to life, as both a tutor and a citizen of this luscious planet. (more…)
“Dear Miss Lady Doctor Tania” – The problem of inappropriately written emails in Higher Education
When I was first asked to write a blog post about completing my teaching diploma in Turkey, I was stumped. For me, the clear benefit had been the opportunity to revisit teaching general English to a monolingual group in a low-stakes environment. However, given that the diploma context was very different to that at CALD, how relevant would my observations and re-honed practices be?
The answer lay within a staff meeting where it was asked whether students needed extra support writing emails to members of university staff. This area directly coincided with research I conducted for one of my observed lessons, thereby giving me something to share. (more…)
“Grammaring with a twist” to suit the EAP classroom
If you, like me, learnt English, or any other language in fact, using Grammar Translation (a method which now generally enjoys a bad rap) at a time when communicative language teaching hadn’t perhaps quite taken off, this is the definition of grammar you will probably be most familiar with: (more…)
EAP in Prisons: working together to map out alternatives
by Diana Scott
Deputy Head of Pre-sessional Programmes, Durham University
I’m writing to all who share the mission of helping students respond effectively to their academic demands. You know who you are!
I want to flag up a category of HE student you may not have reached yet. There are multiple initiatives to bring higher education into prisons (see https://www.prisonerseducation.org.uk/pupil). A popular model involves delivering a UG/PG module inside prison to a ‘mixed’ class of prisoners and run-of-the-mill university students.
Moving into EAP: The Transferability of ELT Practices
After nearly 9 years in ELT I made the transition to EAP in January 2015 – I am now reflecting on how my teaching practice has evolved: (more…)