Page 18 - ELG1601 Aug-Sep Issue 439

Page xii ELrankings 2016

A purposeful academic
ou are an unusual beast in cipline-specific approach to EAP classes,
EFL – a science graduate who often drawing on corpus linguistics to
Ybecame a language teacher. evidence certain features associated with
What made you make this change different disciplines. This can be a chal-
and what was your biggest challenge Melanie Butler asks Andy Otaqui, International Science Foundation lenge when an EAP teacher is expected
when you did? to give classes in a particular subject area
Actually, I didn’t ‘graduate’ in science co-ordinator at King’s College London, about the challenges ahead they are less familiar with.
but started a medical/physiology degree Having said this, academia in gen-
when I was eighteen. I decided to switch eral is starting to value interdisciplinary
focus and got into English teaching, like with more surface errors if they are able their duties. I’ve read a lot about World approaches more and more, resulting in
a lot of people, with the idea of being to communicate their overall academic Englishes and to a great extent agree less certainty as to where the bounda-
able to travel with it. Over time, I did arguments and evidence effectively. with the idea of allowing non-RP or ries between different disciplines lie.
the obvious Celta, Delta and eventually 2. Needing to focus on specific non-‘standard’ pronunciations and other Additionally, I think experienced EAP
an MA Tesol, which was about the time subskills associated with studying in linguistic features in language classes, tutors are in some ways the ideal people
I switched from EFL to EAP teaching. university – listening to lectures, par- as long as communication is effective. to facilitate a push for more interdis-
I do think there is significant overlap ticipating in seminars, reading academic However, I am also aware that language ciplinary research as they are likely to
between languages and sciences. I take texts, and writing academic essays all is socially situated, and power relations have worked across so many different
a social science approach to linguistics, require skills which to some degree between people are affected by lan- academic departments.
which I think is a very broad church overlap with general language ability, guage varieties, of which pronunciation My own view is that there can be
– ranging from psycholinguistics and but there is a clear need to tailor teach- is often one of the most salient features. useful distinctions made on this, but
computer modelling of languages at the ing to meet these requirements. Thinking from a student’s perspective, the boundaries are fluid and becom-
‘hard science’ end to the more descrip- 3. Many EFL classes can and should I am less convinced that pronunciation ing more overlapping, which despite
tive grammar-type linguistics associated be driven by what the students want. If needs to be drilled and taught British some challenges is an advantage for
more with humanities departments all the students want to focus less on Council style. Thinking from an inter- EAP teachers generally. In terms of the
and general social sciences in the mid- reading and more on conversation skills, national lecturer’s perspective, I also merger of foundation programmes at
dle. I think ‘language’ studies can and then that is what can drive the classes. Courtesy Andy Otaqui don’t think pronunciation classes are King’s, the distinction will still be made
should influence and be influenced by In EAP there tends to be more onus on necessarily very useful, but perhaps as students will take modules based on
these different disciplines. One of the the teacher to make it clear what stu- some awareness of the ‘baggage’ that their academic subject choices.
many reasons I have enjoyed studying dents need in order to succeed in their can come with one accent or another. I You are about to embark on a whole
and working within the applied lin- academic studies and focus teaching on INTERDISCIPLINARY Andy Otaqui also strongly believe that more needs to new experiment with your integrated
guistics discipline is the range of other those skills. be done at an institutional level to make foundation year. What is your biggest
disciplines it connects with, and this is In terms of other skills needed to germane in a general English environ- UK universities more valuing of inter- challenge and what are you are most
obviously reinforced by teaching across teach ESAP, clearly an understanding ment. Pronunciation is a particular national staff and students, which would looking forward to?
different faculties in an EAP context. of the topic will help. Also, familiarity bugbear. Your masters was on accent go a long way to reduce negative per- The biggest challenge of the King’s
You now work in EAP at King’s with the genres associated with the dis- and pronunciation, and you’re work- ceptions of an individual’s accent. International Foundation Programme will
College London. What are the three cipline is invaluable. ing on a PhD on the impact of mother Where do you stand on the EAP be developing and delivering a variety of
main differences between general Our last two British Council inspections tongue on the performance of non- versus ESAP debate – all academic new modules under the new foundation
EFL teaching and EAP teaching, and have resulted in excellent results for our native speaker lecturers. Why do you English is fundamentally the same programme structure. All students will
what other skills do you need to teach department, which reflects the outstand- see pronunciation as so important? versus specific academic fields have now take four modules rather than three,
English for Specialist Academic Pur- ing team we have here and everyone’s To be honest, my PhD is not exactly different needs? And how is that with new modules such as business and
poses (ESAP), such as science? dedication to provide the best classes and focused on pronunciation of interna- reflected in the decision to merge the society, science and society, or an introduc-
I would say the three main differ- overall student experience we can. tional lecturers. I’m looking in slightly science foundation programme with tion to social sciences. The thing I am most
ences are: Many universities we speak to more general terms at how their varie- the separate programme for humani- looking forward to is pushing the increased
1. Needing to focus on overall aca- complain that the British Council ties of English, including pronunciation, ties and social science? academic rigour of the programme overall,
demic quality more than individual inspectors’ classroom observation grammar and vocabulary, affect their There have been strong moves in EAP a challenge I think all of the EAP teachers
features of language – students can get by is looking for things that are more working lives and the carrying out of research and literature to argue for a dis- at King’s are also excited about. n

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