Teaching scientific discourse

[Ilya_Gromov]

Hello, I really need help with the problem below.

I'm working out a pattern of teaching English scientific discourse (which includes reading and writing articles, making reports and presentations, discussing). The problem has been brought about by considerable differeces in approaches to science in Russia and, for example, in Europe or the US, which leads to differences in etiquette, composition and style of the pieces mentioned above. I certainly don't want my students to demonstrate the best of Russian English at forums and conferences.

The questions are:

• is foreign scientific discourse taught at higher education institutions in your countries?
• is English scientific discourse taught there (and what do you have to consider if English is a foreign language for you)?
• how is foreign scientific discourse taught there?

Thanks.

[swansont]

Part of the problem, I think, is that it really isn't "taught" in many places. In the US, the default seems to be you pick it up in the course of your studies, copying what your advisor (and everyone else in the group) does, and maybe trying to make adjustments to that based on what you see at conferences and read in the literature. There's nothing formal. Which is too bad, because some people are really bad at it, and there doesn't seem to be lot of incentive to be good at it.

[ajb]

All I remember was a very short introductiory course on this kind of thing, it mostly focused on making short presentations. Not very useful really.

 

But I don't think many UK universities have well designed courses on this kind of thing. As swansont says, you pick up what to do and what not to do by watching others at work.

[fiveworlds]

It certainly wasn't taught to me. In fact we were kinda taught the opposite like to stop google translate translating this page you add

 

<?php
echo "
<script>
if(window.location != \"http://{$_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']}{$_SERVER['PHP_SELF']}\")
{
location.assign(\"http://{$_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']}{$_SERVER['PHP_SELF']}\");
}
</script> ";

?>

 

to the top of a webpage. Some of the sites go further ie if your system clock and the allowable clocks for the site don't match you cannot view the page. This

 

<p id="demo"></p>

<script>
document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML = Date();
</script>

 

retrieves system date. It'll give things like the year too. Say for instance all allied nations use a standardised date on their servers then all non-allied nations couldn't view their pages. Now they wouldn't use a day but they might use a year or seconds from a perticular date. Now very rarely we might change all 6 values maybe if we were at war but not usually.

Edited July 4, 2014 by fiveworlds

[studiot]

Hi, Ilya and welcome.

 

British English is taught differently from the descriptions already given.

 

The language is formally separated into two subject, english language and english literature.

 

Much of what you seek is incorporated into the english language syllabus. In this syllabus the student is taught to read and understand what someone else has written and to be able to reproduce the meaning in his own words. He is also taught how to produce subject specific writing for example letters, obituaries, recipes, and so on. He is taught how to write to a particular length.

Additionally report writing skills (including powerpoint) are taught within science and engineering subjects themselves.

 

There are two levels of course/exam

 

That taken about at age15/16 - the GCSE

 

And that taken the following year - the GCE AS level

 

Here are the specifications for the AS level note particularly section 4.1 B "Writing for specific purposes"

 

http://www.wjec.co.uk/uploads/publications/3878.pdf

 

There are also international versions that also come in two flavours

 

The iGCE and iGCSE for English as a first language

 

 

The iGCE and iGCSE for English as a second language, which is probably the one you are looking for.

 

Cambridge University is particularly strong in this area, although googling the above phrases will find others.

 

http://www.cie.org.uk/programmes-and-qualifications/cambridge-igcse-english-second-language-oral-endorsement-0510/

 

Finally Bill Scott has written a particularly good book called

 

"Communication for Professional Engineers"

 

This was produced for and is published by Thomas Telford, the publishing arm of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

 

[Ilya_Gromov]

Part of the problem, I think, is that it really isn't "taught" in many places. In the US, the default seems to be you pick it up in the course of your studies, copying what your advisor (and everyone else in the group) does, and maybe trying to make adjustments to that based on what you see at conferences and read in the literature. There's nothing formal. Which is too bad, because some people are really bad at it, and there doesn't seem to be lot of incentive to be good at it.

 

That's just it. The situation in Russia is simply identical. Just speaking Russian is usually considered by non-linguists to be enough to communicate in any sphere including the scientific one. Which too often turns out to be a mistake, not to mention what sometimes happens when you have to speak a foreign language.

My own supervisor (I'm working on my Ph.D.) has devoted all her life to scientific discourse, only hers is nomination, now I've taken up organization and style.

All I remember was a very short introductiory course on this kind of thing, it mostly focused on making short presentations. Not very useful really.

 

But I don't think many UK universities have well designed courses on this kind of thing. As swansont says, you pick up what to do and what not to do by watching others at work.

 

And how do you find the idea of making such a course? Let's say, is there a need for it, will it make students' life easier?

Hi, Ilya and welcome.

 

British English is taught differently from the descriptions already given.

 

...

 

Finally Bill Scott has written a particularly good book called

 

"Communication for Professional Engineers"

 

This was produced for and is published by Thomas Telford, the publishing arm of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

 

 

That's very helpful, thank you! It's exactly engineering that I work with.

[ajb]

 

And how do you find the idea of making such a course? Let's say, is there a need for it, will it make students' life easier?

 

 

 

There is of course differences in style according to personal tastes and scientific area. That said, some formal introduction could be very useful. I have no idea what to include on such a coruse.