Integrating an ESAP component into an EGAP course

Integrating an ESAP component into an EGAP course. BALEAP 2017 Bristol Sue Teale: s. teale@bham. ac. uk Birmingham International Academy (BIA), The University of Birmingham

Outline o Why is ESAP important? o A brief background to BIA Presessional Programmes o Teacher Assistants (TAs) and English in Your Subject o My research aims and methodology o Benefits o Future research

Why is ESAP important? Inclusion of subject experts provides “authenticity” and “credibility” (Jordan, 1997: 121). o “Authentic materials are essential to EAP and are intrinsically motivating for students” (Alexander et al. , 2008: 20). o Good collaboration leads to “effective course delivery”. (Charles and Pecorari, 2015: 10). o ESAP can be hard to organise due to the “range of learners” or due to “financial constraints” (Gillet, 2013). o

BIA Presessional Programmes EAP Post-Graduate (PG) Programme o 373 students o 40 different departments / 100 destination degrees o 30 class teachers and 30 Teacher Assistants o 10 and 6 -week subject specific classes o EGAP 85% ESAP 15%

Teacher Assistants (TAs) o Postgraduates not lecturers o Ph. D in preference to MSc/MA o Mostly international students English in Your Subject (Ei. YS) o 2 x 90 minutes sessions a week o 1 TA per 10 -week class (shared at 6 -week stage)

Aims of research 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) What actual knowledge / insights does the TA bring, that the teacher cannot provide? Does it matter if the TA is not in the exact discipline of the students? What are the responsibilities of teacher and TA in the Ei. YS lessons? Does the suggested syllabus match the reality of what is taught / needs to be taught? How could we improve the induction?

Research Methodology – Preliminary Study o Analysis of questionnaires - TA and teacher o Comparison of materials with suggested syllabus o Recorded, in-depth interviews with the pairing o Analysis of end of course feedback forms

1) What actual knowledge / insights does the TA bring? o Knowledge of postgraduate life o How to transition from Presessional to degree o Knowledge of research trends o Subject specific terms o Students believe TA (TA interview, 2017)

2) Does it matter if the TA is not in the exact discipline of the students? “the students would prefer it if the TA was from their discipline” (Teacher Interview, 2017) o “I told them what my research area is… at the beginning” (TA Interview, 2017) o “Works harder” to find materials (TA Interview, 2017) o Had to become familiar with subject specific terms o Requires flexibility - 6 -week classes very mixed o May lack knowledge of the specific department o Problem with the TAs that apply o

3) What are the responsibilities of teacher and TA in the Ei. YS lessons? o Teacher decides on what TA should do o Teacher approves materials produced by the TA o Teacher uses materials in follow-up lessons o TAs “are not hired to teach” (TA Feedback, 2016) o TA creates hands-on materials o TA does short presentations o TA is key to the Academic Research Project (ARP)

4) Does the suggested syllabus match the reality of what is taught /needs to be taught? TA and teacher pairing: o Covered most of the syllabus, but concentrated on Subject specific core skills: – – Searching for relevant sources Awareness of genres Referencing Critical analysis o Changed the order o Spent time on key areas dictated by student needs

5) How could we improve the induction? o o o o Teachers/TAs share some of the same induction sessions Clarify roles, expectations and hours Encourage regular communication TA / teacher Match carefully: – new and experienced – personalities Highlight essential elements of Ei. YS lessons Give suggestions for practical presentation of materials Share / collate materials used in previous years

Benefits for the University / BIA o Students gain greater understanding of specific research skills / trends o Increases employability of Uo. B students o Distinguishes our course from other EAP courses o Creates bank of materials

Benefits for the students o Feel able to contact the TA o Find out information about living in the UK o Understand life as a postgraduate. o Appreciate there is life after the presessional o See the course as tailored to them o Have relevant, up-to-date, subject specific, materials

Benefits for the teachers o Do not have to be subject experts o Are provided with up-to-date specific materials o Less pressured to judge relevance of ARP topics o Can focus on the language when a TA is presenting o Have the opportunity to manage

Benefits for the TAs o Gaining teaching experience / presenting o Learning from an experienced teacher o Gaining confidence o Reflecting on own research skills o Earning money

Future research o Start earlier o Involve more pairings (successful / not successful) o Observe the Ei. YS classes o Collect more material from the Ei. YS lessons o Interview the students o Track the students through their future degree

Conclusions o ESAP component incorporated by employing TAs o Core subject specific skills emphasized o Induction needs careful control o Benefits: teachers, TAs, students and the University o Wider research is needed

References University of Birmingham Materials and data: o Data from the 2016 EAP PG Course at the University of Birmingham o Interviews with a TA and Teacher conducted at the University of Birmingham, January 2017 o Materials used in one English in Your Subject class in 2016 o Questionnaires sent to one TA and teacher o Teacher Assistant Handbook (2016), The University of Birmingham o 2016 EAP PG Presessional TA - end of course feedback questionnaires o 2016 EAP PG Presessional Teacher - end of course feedback questionnaires o 2016 EAP PG Presessional Student - end of course feedback questionnaires o o o Alexander, O. , Argent, S. and Spencer, J. (2008) EAP Essentials. A teacher’s guide to principles and practice. Reading: Garnet: Charles, M. & Pecorari D. (2015), Introducing English for Academic Purposes, Oxford: Routledge. Gillet, A. (2013) ‘EGAP or ESAP? ’ Using English for Academic Purposes. A Guide for Students in Higher Education , 4 February. Available at: http: //www. uefap. net/blog/? p=39 (Accessed 6 th March, 2017). Hyland, K. (2006), English for Academic Purposes, Oxford: Routledge. Jordan, R. R. (1997) English for Academic purposes. A guide and resources for teachers. Cambridge: CUP

Integrating an ESAP component into an EGAP course. BALEAP 2017 Bristol Sue Teale: s. teale@bham. ac. uk Birmingham International Academy (BIA), The University of Birmingham