Language Centre's Fifth CPD conference 2018

12 April 2018

Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm

Creatively Navigating Current Controversies in EAP: Applications for Classroom Practice

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) is an ever-changing continuum of controversies in teaching approaches, which requires practitioners to navigate their classroom practice in the face of specific teaching and learning contexts. These controversies might include English as a Foreign Language (EFL) vs. English for Academic Purposes, English as a Lingua Franca Academic (ELFA) vs. Native Speaker Paradigm (NSP), Technology vs. Traditional Classroom Practice, Skills vs. Self-Regulation Strategies, and English for General Academic Purposes (EGAP) vs. English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP). How the practitioner creatively navigates these controversies might create bridges along the continuum, or lead to favouring one approach over another.

Key questions the conference explored are: 

• Which aspects of EFL teaching can enhance EAP teaching, and which are likely to be less useful in an EAP context?
• Should we change our teaching to reflect the new ELFA paradigm, as recently suggested by Jennifer Jenkins?
• Does technology serve to liberate EAP practitioners, or enslave us?
• Is the teaching of study skills and language learning strategies redundant, and do self-regulation strategies point the way to the future?
• Is there a future for EGAP teaching in light of the trend towards more and more ESAP teaching in UK HE?
  

Language Centre CPD 2018 Programme [PDF 349KB]

View the conference output [web page]