Course Orientation to English for Studying

1
Course Orientation to English for Studying

• BeiwaiOnline
• Presented by Cao Wen

2
Where are you now?
Guide to Success 1 English in Daily Life English
at Leisure English at Work English in Current
Affairs
Reflect
Discover
Guide to Success 2 English for Studying Cross-cult
ural Communication English through
Literature English in a Changing World
Prospect
3
New Challenges
Guide to Success 2 English for Studying Cross-cult
ural Communication English through
Literature English in a Changing
World English-speaking countries today Language
60 Content 40

• A higher level of language performance than the
  daily situations we encounter at home or at work.
  
• A deeper understanding of language and its
  cultural background
• A more sophisticated linguistic command
  attainable by modern professionals

4
Common features

• Each course combines language learning with a
  particular academic field.
• Each course builds language learning upon
  particular knowledge base.
• Each course implies a different field of study
  which no single book can fully explain.
• If, for the first-year courses which focus on
  English skills, you slept on your already
  acquired English proficiency to marginally pass
  the courses, you wont have such a chance with
  your second-year courses which require a mastery
  of both language and content of certain academic
  subjects.

5

• What do I need to know about the course in order
  to meet its requirement?

6
assessment
resources
aim

• What do I need to know about the course in order
  to meet their requirement?

content
Study methods
Course design
My responsibilities
time
7
assessment
resources
aim

• What do I need to know about the course in order
  to meet their requirement?

content
Study methods
Course design
My responsibilities
time
8
Aim What can I do at the completion of the
course?

• Your questions
• What does the title of this course suggest?
• I have been doing writing tasks throughout the
  first year courses. Why should I work on writing
  again in a separate course?

9
Aim What can I do at the completion of the
course?

• My answer
• The title of this course suggests that the
  English in this course is mainly used for
  academic study.
• The writing tasks in the first-year courses are
  designed in such a way that they were subordinate
  to the other non-writing tasks (eg You write in
  order to consolidate the vocabulary you learnt or
  the speaking activities you practiced.) They are
  not systematic in view of developing writing
  skill. This course will not only reinforce
  previous writing practice by recycling some of
  the writing tasks, but also attempt to create
  more systematic and coherent opportunities for
  you to practice writing.

10
assessment
resources
aim

• What do I need to know about the course in order
  to meet their requirement?

content
Study methods
Course design
My responsibilities
time
11
Content What is the course about?

• The course focuses on the following issues
• Concepts and features of 7 types of writing
• Writing process
• Language use in writing
• Organization in writing
• Layout in writing

12
Content What is the course about?
13
Content What is the course about?
14
assessment
resources
aim

• What do I need to know about the course in order
  to meet their requirement?

content
Study methods
Course design
My responsibilities
time
15
Design How is the course structured?
Course
Task-based
Unit (8)
Activity(68)
Instruction
?
Task (48)
Exercise
Teacher-proof
?
Feedback
16
Design How is the course structured?

• How many tasks are there in this course?

201
Why do we count the number of tasks?
17
assessment
resources
aim

• What do I need to know about the course in order
  to meet their requirement?

content
Study methods
Course design
My responsibilities
time
18
Time How much time do I need to spend on the
course?

• Number of tasks 201
• Average working time for each task 25 min.
• Total working time 5025 min. (84 hrs)
• Time for the course 56 days (8 weeks)

90 min.
How much time a day?
4 tasks
How many tasks a day?
19
Time How much time do I need to spend on the
course?

• Now comes the critical question
• Can you spare 90 minutes a day to complete 4
  tasks?

Yes!!!
20
Time How much time do I need to spend on the
course?
Step 1 Count the number of tasks you are
required to do for the week (Unit 1 of ES)
21
Time How much time do I need to spend on the
course?
Step 2 Calculate time needed to do all the tasks
(Each task needs an average of 25 minutes). Make
sure that you leave 4 hours for review.
22
Time How much time do I need to spend on the
course?
Step 3 Make a weekly plan. Unit 1 of English for
Studying
23
assessment
resources
aim

• What do I need to know about the course in order
  to meet their requirement?

content
Study methods
Course design
My responsibilities
time
24
Assessment -How can I pass the course?
Scores of the three assignments

3

15
1.

Scores of progress reports 5
2.


Final exam
80
3.

Tutorial attendance bonus 15
4.
Final score (60 or above) 4.5 credits
25
Assessment -How can I pass the course?

• The final exam
• 1. Written exam
• Time 120 minutes
• Score 100
• 2. Guidelines and sample paper
• Available at the Announcement Column of the
  e-learning platform

26
assessment
resources
aim

• What do I need to know about the course in order
  to meet their requirement?

content
Study methods
Course design
My responsibilities
time
27
Resources -- What materials should I have?
Core resources
?
1 printed textbook
?
1 cassettes (to accompany the book)
A multi-media courseware (to cover ??)
?
An online courseware (Duplication of ?)
?
?
Demo tutorials ( 9VCDs4CD-ROMS)
?
Suppl. audio materials (2VCDs)
28
Resources -- What materials should I have?
Online resources
Tutorial resources
FAQ bank
Reference bank
Assignment resources
Online and offline learner support
Self-assessment bank
29
assessment
resources
aim

• What do I need to know about the course in order
  to meet their requirement?

content
Study methods
Course design
My responsibilities
time
30
Methods Is there a magic pill?

• Symptoms that need treatment
• This reading text is easy because I find no new
  words and structures in it.
• I complete all the tasks through reading.
• My writing is poor.
• I can improve my writing through a lot of
  practice.

31
Methods Is there a magic pill?

• Doctors diagnosis
• This reading text is easy because I find no new
  words and structures in it. -- Can you
  close the book and write the text?
• I complete all the tasks through reading. --
  Can you write with
  your eyes?
• My writing is poor. --
  Can you come
  to a doctor and just say I feel ill? without
  describing the symptoms?
• I can improve my writing through a lot of
  practice. -- Should
  you try all kinds of medicine when you are ill?

32
Methods Is there a magic pill?
Three types of tasks in the course To know
tasks tasks that are designed to develop your
knowledge about a particular type of writing, or
features of writing, etc. To know how tasks
tasks that are designed to develop your
understanding of the actual process of
writing. Practice tasks tasks that require
you to do the actual writing.
Reading, filling in the blanks, listening,
analyzing, thinking
Pick up a pen and write!
33
Towards professionalism in writing -- A three
As plan
Awareness A This piece of writing is
marvelous! B How come you say that? A Emm, I
just feel it is.
Application A I can make a long list of
transitional markers I can use when explaining
cause and effect relationship. B Then why
dont you use them in your writing? A I dont
know how.
Assessment My tutor seldom gives me detailed
feedback to my written assignments. I have no way
to know if I am correct or not.
34
Awareness
Read the text on page 35 of the coursebook (Unit
1, Activity 4, Task 4) and make a list of
features that make this passage a good example of
writing. Work in pairs for ten minutes.
35
Awareness Coherence

• Does each sentence lead naturally and logically
  to the next in explaining the central idea?
  Sentence relationship
• exemplification comparison and
  contrast
• cause and effect sequence
• listing
  definition
• condition extension
• contradiction

36
Awareness Coherence (examples)

• Family planning This is that
• To allow such This is particular so
• Turning from the One of these
• One of these With most women
• While young Spoiling them

definition
extension
exemplification
extension
cause and effect
37
Awareness -- Cohesiveness

• Are there devices (words/phrases) indicating the
  relationship between the sentences before and the
  sentences following?
• Transitional markers
• Pronouns
• Word/phrase repetition
• synonyms/antonyms
• Punctuation

38
Awareness Cohesiveness (examples)

• Family planning This is that
• One of these Another benefit
• Loneliness is also And beyond Finally the
  future
• Turning from the effects of population growth

pronoun
transitional markers
Phrase repetition
39
Awareness Unity

• Does each sub-idea support the main idea? Are
  the ideas logically presented? Is the central
  idea fully explored?
• Paragraphing
• Transition between paragraphs
• Topic sentence and idea development

40
Awareness Unit (a diagram)
Chinas birth control policy
Reason Topic sentence
Advantages and disadvantages
DisadvantagesTopic sentence
AdvantagesTopic sentence
Fact This is that
Disad. 1 in this way may
Ad. 1 One of these
Effect To allow such would result in
Disad. 2 is also
Ad. 2 Another is that .
Disad. 3 And
Extension This is particular so
Disad. 4 Finally
41
Awareness Language

• Mistake types
• !!! mistakes (Mistakes that can not be
  forgiven.)
• Oh mistakes (Mistakes that can be avoided with
  careful proof-reading.)
• Emm mistakes (Mistakes that can be avoided by
  consulting a reference book.)
• ??? mistakes (Mistakes that can be avoided as
  the language proficiency improves.)

Please refer to mistake type sheet for more
information.
42
Awareness Layout
Font type Times New Roman Font size 12 Line
spacing 1.5 Margin four sides
43
Awareness A summary
Coherence
Organization
Cohesiveness
Awareness (What makes a good writing?)
Language
Unity
Layout
You are likely to focus more on the individual
word use in your reading and writing. In fact,
you should have passed the stage of basic
vocabulary and grammar building and shift to
develop sharpness towards those techniques in
organization. Or, namely, to rise above the word
level to sentence level, paragraph level and
composition level.
44
Application
Step 1 Read and analyze (organization, language
and layout).
Step 2 Read and copy/reverse translate.
Step 3 Read, note key words/structures and
rewrite from the note.
Step 4 Read, make an outline/flowchart/diagram
and rewrite from them.
Step 5 Write on a similar topic of your own
experience, based on the organization, language
and layout of the sample
45
Application (examples)

• Rewrite from a key-word note
• Family plan policy take place stark fact.
  22 ... people 7 land. allow population
  expand unchecked outstripping ability
  countryside feed particular amount land
  available producing food reduced growth
  cities. (You reinforce the use of the key words)
• Rewrite from a key-structure note
• takes place against This is that but only
  To allow such would result in This is
  particularly so at a time when is being reduced
  by (You reinforce the use of the key sentence
  structures)

46
Application (examples)
Chinas birth control policy
Your own topic
Reason Topic sentence
Advantages and disadvantages
DisadvantagesTopic sentence
AdvantagesTopic sentence
Fact This is that
Disad. 1 in this way may
Ad. 1 One of these
Effect To allow such would result in
Disad. 2 is also
Ad. 2 Another is that .
Disad. 3 And
Extension This is particular so
Disad. 4 Finally
47
Assessment
To check organization -- using a diagram-tree

• Self-assessment
• Peer-assessment
• Tutor-assessment
• Sample-assessment

To check language -- using the mistake type sheet
To check layout -- using a standard
48
Towards professionalism in writing -- A final
remark
Awareness
Application
Assessment

• central idea
• development
• paragraph
• sentence
• word

Bottom up
5. central idea 4. development 3. paragraph 2.
sentence 1. word
Top down
49
A top-down approach

• When asked to write a composition, you need to
  consider the following questions (in order of
  priority)
• What is the central idea?
• What supporting ideas should I include to support
  the central idea?
• What are the transitional devices I should use to
  link these ideas?
• What are the sentence structures I should use to
  present the ideas?
• What are the words I should use to fill in the
  sentence structures?

50
assessment
resources
aim

• What do I need to know about the course in order
  to meet their requirement?

content
Study methods
Course design
My responsibilities
time
51
My responsibilities
A weekly responsibility checklist Date
Week 1. Make a weekly plan. 2. Keep to the plan.
3. Complete the tasks through learning by
doing (before the tutorial). 4. Complete and
submit progress report/assignment before the due
date. 5. Seek for help when I have problems. 6.
Review the unit (via tutorial, self-tutoring). 7.
Visit the e-learning platform at least once. 8.
Keep a minimum of 1-hour reading and 0.5 writing
each day apart from the time spent on the course.
Score _____
Yes
No
52
assessment
resources
aim

• What do I need to know about the course in order
  to meet their requirement?

content
Study methods
Course design
My responsibilities
time
53
Now can you answer the following questions?
aim
What can I do at the completion of the course?
content
What is the course about?
design
How is the course structured?
time
How much time do I need to spend?
assess
How can I pass the course?
resources
What materials should I have?
methods
Is there a magic pill?
responsibilities
What are my responsibilities?
54
What have we done?
Your general practice Your practice on the four
skills Your practice of the 36 strategies
Reflect
Experiment 1 Experiment 2 Seven intelligences
Discover
Aim, content, course design, time requirement,
assessment, resources, study methods (aware,
apply, assess), responsibilities
Prospect
55
Whats next?

• Dive into the course and enjoy your swim!

56
Thank you!

• See you online.