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Understanding learner needs

Empowering ESP practitioners: Rethinking the paths to ‘specialized knowledge’ through the lens of genre analysis An Cheng Department of English Oklahoma State University an.cheng@okstate.edu. Analyzing specialized discourses. Understanding learner needs. Developing curriculum.

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Understanding learner needs

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  1. Empowering ESP practitioners: Rethinking the paths to ‘specialized knowledge’ through the lens of genre analysis An Cheng Department of English Oklahoma State University an.cheng@okstate.edu

  2. Analyzing specialized discourses Understanding learner needs Developing curriculum Experimenting with methodologies (Dudley-Evans & St John, 1998; Hutchinson & Waters, 1987; Kennedy & Bolitho, 1984; Mackay & Mountford, 1978; Robinson, 1980; Selinker, Tarone, & Hanzeli, 1981; Schleppegrell & Bowman, 1986; Swales, 1985).

  3. Analyzing specialized discourses Learner identities Understanding learner needs Critical ethnography Developing curriculum ESP program evaluation Experimenting with methodologies Corpus linguistics Multi-methodological genre analysis (Mackay & Mountford, 1978; see also Holden, 1977; Kennedy & Bolitho, 1984; Robinson, 1980; Selinker, Tarone, & Hanzeli, 1981; Schleppegrell & Bowman, 1986; Swales, 1985; Basturkmen, 2006, 2010; Belcher, 2009; Belcher, Johns, & Paltridge, 2011; Paltridge & Starfield, 2013).

  4. “ESP has frequently been a hotbed of conflict—the Wild West of ELT” (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987, p. 158). How specific? Laurence Anthony What kinds of needs? Collaborate, corporate, team-teaching, or not at all? Wide-angled or narrow-angled? Product-oriented or process-oriented? Image from http://lukenixblog.blogspot.jp/

  5. Content knowledge, should we? How much? • “The most frequently asked questions and the core of many debates in the field” (Tsou & Kao, 2014, p. 5) • “A feeling of inadequacy” (Tsou & Chen, 2014) • Turning away from specialized ESP teaching (Anthony, 2011; Cai, 2004) • A part of teacher empowerment (Tsou, 2013)

  6. How much content knowledge? • Process-oriented skills (Anthony, 2011) • Specialist knowledge vs. specialized knowledge (Fergusson, 2014)

  7. Outdated easily Too much to learn Not easy to determine what a discipline is

  8. The third knowledge of genre  Linguistic Understanding the language of the discipline/profession Genres as structuredcommunicative events engaged in by specific discourse communities whose members share broad communicative purposes (Swales 1990) Structured:moves/steps as function units/indicators of communication functions Lexical grammatical features

  9. OPENING SALUTATION SUBJECT ACTIONS TAKEN DISCUSSION OF ISSUES (with [optional] clear distinct issue headings) SOLICIT ACTION EXPRESS AVAIL ABILITY CLOSING SALUTATION The recurrent schematic structure of Tax Computation Letters (Flowerdew & Wan, 2006, p. 141).

  10. The typical rhetorical organization of the introduction section of technical instructions • Describing the goal of the instructions, • Defining the intended readers of the technical instructions • Motivating the readers to read the technical instructions • Explaining the usage and conventions used in the technical instruction, including safety information • Providing a list of tools and equipment necessary for completing the tasks described in the instruction

  11. SOLICIT ACTION [politeness strategies and the avoidance of modal auxiliary] • Please note that the filing date of the above return is on. . . . • We look forward to receiving your agreement to the holdover application before.. .being the first payment due date of the provisional tax liability. • (Flowerdew & Wan, 2006, p. 147).

  12. Defeating purpose?

  13. Defeating purpose?

  14. Genres as structured communicative events engaged in by specific discourse communities whose members share broad communicative purposes (Swales 1990) Trajectory of inquiry in genre analysis (Bawarshi & Reiff, 2010; see also Basturkmen, 2010; implied in Fergusson, 1997) ) • Context • Culture of discourse community • Communicative purposes valued by discourse community • Text • Schematic structures (Moves and steps) • Lexico-grammatical features

  15. Genres as structured communicative events engaged in by specific discourse communities whose members share broad communicative purposes (Swales 1990) Trajectory of inquiry in genre analysis (Bawarshi & Reiff, 2010; see also Basturkmen, 2010; implied in Fergusson, 1997) ) • Context • Culture of discourse community • Communicative purposes valued by discourse community • Text • Schematic structures (Moves and steps) • Lexico-grammatical features

  16. Additional ways to turn genre into a window into context • Genre system • Meta genre

  17. Defeating purpose?

  18. Genres as structured communicative events engaged in by specific discourse communities whose members share broad communicative purposes (Swales 1990) Trajectory of inquiry in genre analysis • Context • Culture of discourse community • Communicative purposes valued by discourse community • Text • Schematic structures (Moves and steps) • Lexico-grammatical features

  19. Take-home messages/Implications for ESP? • The need for and quantity of specialist knowledge will continue to be an elusive question • The power of genre analysis enables us to ask the right questions • Not constrained by issues of specificity • Enable a particular stance of working with content experts

  20. Thank you!

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