Negotiations and Second Language Acquisition Margaret Kersten SLa

Negotiations and Second Language Acquisition Margaret Kersten SLa. LS, Carleton University Ottawa, Canada Warsaw, June 2015

Overview • English for academic purposes • Methodology • Course design • Student feedback • Discussion

English for academic purposes • How do we prepare students to succeed at university? • What should the course objectives be? • How do we accomplish these objectives? • Should English courses teach only language?

Cognitive academic proficiency • Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills – 2 years • Cognitive Academic Proficiency – 5 -7 years • Academic language • Cognitive and critical thinking skills • • Compare/contrast Classify Evaluate Synthesise (Cummings, 2008)

What methods should be used? In order to: • prepare students for academic requirements • prepare students to cope with extensive reading • teach students how to use information from readings to produce their own texts • help sociolinguistic development

Language learning and acquisition • Development of linguistic competence • Acquisition: subconscious, “natural way”, “picking up language” – language rules not necessary for fluency • Learning: conscious effort to attain knowledge of language and language rules • Acquisition – central to linguistic competence • Learning – supporting role; monitors errors • Comprehensible input from texts, peers, teachers (Krashen, 1987)

Content-based instruction • Content – basis for course design • Natural acquisition: integration of four skills • Focus on meaning: social and communicative functions • Authentic texts • Language rules – supporting role; linked to content (no prescribed sequence) • Class dynamics • Student-centered • Group work; class discussions, problem solving tasks • Teacher – facilitator (Kasper, 1997)

Sustained-content instruction • Why not use regular university courses as a model? • Focus on one subject area • Input from a variety of sources • Assignments – typical for university courses • Benefits • Content knowledge • Academic language • Critical thinking (Pally, 2000)

EAP course • Advanced level EAP • students’ course load: EAP + three courses • Students – diverse backgrounds • • • Culture Language Education Program of study Age

Course design: theme choice • How do we decide on a theme that: • Is relevant to all students • Meets course objectives • Decision-making and negotiations • Everybody’s experience • Theoretical explanations easier to grasp • Social decision-making and negotiation – communication

Course design: components • Course-pack • Research assignment • Cases and role-plays What? How? Why? • Texts and activities • Cognitive tasks • Acquisition and learning

Texts and activities

Cognitive tasks

Acquisition and learning

Excerpts from negotiation journals What is he thinking? This is the worst offer I have received so far. After two days of waiting…I was so worried… it’s pretty stressful and I felt anxious waiting for the message. I will wait until tomorrow to think this better. It took me about two days to reach a decision regarding the offer that Mr. Mosico sent me.

Negotiation report • Objectives – test • Content knowledge • Critical thinking • Language • Sources • • • Course-pack NSSs Inspire Questionnaire Research assignment

Students’ feedback (1) • Theme • 100% - appropriate for the development of language skills and study skills • 90% - would use negotiation skills acquired in real life and at work • 81% - engaged in both face-to-face and Inspire negotiations • 90% - gained awareness of cultural differences in decision-making • 81% - gained awareness of cultural differences in negotiations

Students’ feedback (2) • Language • 90% - academic writing improved • 72% - academic reading improved • 72% - speaking on academic/business topics improved • Critical thinking • 100% - critical evaluation of sources improved • 100% - comfortable locating library sources • 100% - would use acquired skills in other courses

Teacher’s comments • Enhanced learning • Linguistic competence • Joint problem solving • Communication • Engagement • Differences in behaviour • Face-to-face teams • Online

Discussion • Challenges • • Updating/supplementing Research assignment – plagiarism Face-to-face – domineering individuals Inspire – not responding; accepting offers too quickly • Students’ feedback and grades confirm • Benefits of sustained-content model • Appropriateness of theme • Value of using problem-solving activities