tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241125133393453616.post7251735556083523523..comments2024-02-02T00:15:53.336-08:00Comments on <b>EAPing</b>: What goes on outside the class?EAP Stephenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10062119777629083644noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241125133393453616.post-70734300098195451802015-11-26T16:00:50.164-08:002015-11-26T16:00:50.164-08:00Another use for rationale: clarifying to ourselves...Another use for rationale: clarifying to ourselves why we do things. :)Tyson Seburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04113881763418411873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241125133393453616.post-76210105964039031792015-11-26T13:09:16.389-08:002015-11-26T13:09:16.389-08:00Thanks for commenting Tyson. I saw your ARCs getti...Thanks for commenting Tyson. I saw your ARCs getting discussed in BALEAP talk and makes me realise that your idea of roles could really add to the post "homework" follow up (not sure why I put the quotes up there - trying to distance myself from the stern old fogey of a teacher I'm becoming)<br /><br />I do like to explain rationale. I think there's a dual purpose. One it helps students buy in and see the value. Secondly, I've found with some students they can be a bit dismissive of approaches in class simply because it doesn't match their expectation. By discussing rationale I am challenging students that if they have a better approach I am more than happy to change but they need to justify their position. <br /><br />Also , I've used the term learning plan. Or study plan. Or self study plan. It never lasts and after a while I slip and start referring to it as homework. EAP Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10062119777629083644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241125133393453616.post-12256206198387792262015-11-26T11:23:21.556-08:002015-11-26T11:23:21.556-08:00Giving students a rationale for doing it is brilli...Giving students a rationale for doing it is brilliant (and incidentally not always so obvious to us who administer this work). It is what we want EAP students to be able to do in their own writing, right? <br /><br />I also like Julie's idea of a quick pressie and even a Q&A, but have students be the experts on a particular task where classmates ask them. This tends to be how the ARC roles work out during the in-class group work, too .<br /><br />Maybe a working name for this is "learning plan"? i toyed around with that before myself, but may come off a little remedial: I accept that.Tyson Seburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04113881763418411873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241125133393453616.post-53708790909543991662015-11-26T00:35:21.938-08:002015-11-26T00:35:21.938-08:00Hi Julie,
Thanks so much for taking the time to ...Hi Julie, <br /><br />Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. And thanks for sharing the link to your session. I picked out a few really key points that you made:<br /><br />"Give the students a clear rationale"<br /><br />I think this is brilliant. I've found students buy in a lot more if they understand the reason things are done as they are and if they see the thinking that has gone into decisions made in the classroom. I've recently found that a lot of my EAP students come to class with very fixed ideas about what is "academic" English (e.g. every essay topic is "controversial" - academic=complex) and how they can best improve their writing. By getting into our rationale, I've found they are more accepting. I've also found that when they see the level of thought that has gone into stuff, they have tried to put similar levels of thought into their objections to certain tasks/activities/assignments etc. <br /><br />"..the important thing is to require students to report back."<br /><br />I'm obsessed with this idea. My assumption, rightly or wrongly, is that most people won't be too inclined to do work if there is no payback. And like you say, there are so many different ways to offer that payback - class discussion, Q & A, mini presentations. <br /><br />Lizzie mentions your idea of using abstracts. I remember you talked about this in your BALEAP session this year and I thought it was such a good idea. I'm definitely going to try and do more of that in the spring. <br /><br />As for the name, you're right - it is not really all that important. I just found saying "Let's check your independent reading study" a bit cumbersome compared to "Let's check your reading homework". As well as that, I've a bit of a bee in my bonnet about fancy names for what is essentially, an idea as old as the hills (way too many idioms in there) <br /><br />EAP Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10062119777629083644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241125133393453616.post-32487417313720339212015-11-25T06:11:48.174-08:002015-11-25T06:11:48.174-08:00I'm completely with you on the importance of f...I'm completely with you on the importance of following up on tasks you set students to do outside of class. It was one of the key points of my IATEFL talk a couple of years ago (there's a blow-by-blow write-up here by the wonderful Lizzie Pinard: http://reflectiveteachingreflectivelearning.com/2014/04/04/julie-moore-how-do-engineers-say-that-encouraging-academic-independence-in-elt-session-1/ ).<br /><br />I like to mix up how I follow up on tasks too, so sometimes, it'll just be a quickie Q&A around the class, sometimes I'll get them to do mini-presentations (just 30 secs) on something they learnt and sometimes I'll get them to rework something they wrote at home in class (perhaps in groups) before they hand it in. So one of my favourites is to ask them to write a 50-word summary of something at home, then in class they try and hone it down to just 25 words, say.<br /><br />And as to your question: does it really matter what we call it - except in blogs and CPD contexts? I think to my students I just refer to it as 'study' - they should see what they do in class and what they do outside as all part of them same thing.<br />Julie (Moore)The Toblerone Twinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13743525124595227083noreply@blogger.com