The reception and representation of English as an academic language among foreign students in Poland and its influence on (re)shaping individual identities

The article discusses selected problems of learning and using English as an academic language from the perspective of foreign students in Poland. The theoretical part of the paper concentrates on the issues related to the concept of identity and the status of English as an academic lingua franca, especially in the light of the growing role of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in university education. Such theoretical background is intended to serve as a kind of introduction to the discussion which centres around the influence of this specific social variation of the English language on the process of shaping or reshaping identities among students who have decided to continue their education outside their native language environment in the multilingual context of a university language department. Seen from such a perspective, university courses in EAP may be treated as a form of practical implementation of multilingual pedagogy and, more specifically, the idea of inclusive “classrooms” with a particular goal-oriented curriculum. The empirical part of the article presents the research project which aimed to examine the above-mentioned phenomena as experienced by a group of language students of different ethnic and national background who have been studying (and living) in Poland for at least a year. The main research technique used in this qualitative study was the semi-structured interview, selected with a view to obtaining an in-depth picture and highly personalised account of the process of (re)constructing individual identities in a specific social context and educational setting

Współpraca dydaktyczna na poziomie zaawansowanym: cele, zasady i formy

Jak efektywnie doskonalić się w komunikacji ustnej na poziomie zaawansowanym? Publikacja niniejsza podejmuje tę kwestię w sposób całościowy i nowatorski, sytuując ją w perspektywie autonomizacji. Jest to plon 2-letniego projektu badawczego zrealizowanego na Wydziale Neofilologii UAM przez zespół pod kierunkiem prof. W. Wilczyńskiej, złożony z psychologa i 10 filologów aż 5 specjalności językowych. Część I obejmuje zagadnienia ogólne: specyfikę komunikacji ustnej, kształtowanie postaw proautonomicznych i osobistej kompetencji komunikacyjnej, relację współpracy dydaktycznej, zastosowaną metodologię badań, implikacje dydaktyczne. Część II zawiera 9 szczegółowych sprawozdań z badań dotyczących m.in. kształtowania samooceny, wrażliwości językowej, umiejętności argumentacyjnych i postawy podmiotowej. Całość uzupełnia słowniczek terminów dotyczących autonomizacji oraz bibliografia. W sumie praca ta stanowi dobre wprowadzenie do badań glottodydaktycznych, a także autorską i pogłębioną refleksję nad wybraną problematyką

Terminological problems in foreign language teaching – sources, examples and consequences

The present paper discusses selected terminological problems typical of the field of foreign language teaching and learning. The discussion concentrates on several terms commonly used in various glottodidactic debates, namely: competence, communication, interaction, discourse, authenticity and individual differences. The article attempts to indicate the sources of inconsistencies in the terminology, offers several examples and interpretations of these terms in questions from the relevant literature, and determines potential consequences. The aim of the paper is also to indicate areas of glottodidactic research which may be particularly sensitive to such terminological confusion and to stress the necessity of identifying the theoretical perspective and defining the terms central to the particular research project or discussion

Theoretical approaches to interaction – the multifaceted character of the notion

The paper concentrates on the notion of interaction with regard to se-lected theoretical orientations and perspectives. First, the definitions of the three frequently overlapping terms – communication, discourse and interaction – are discussed with particular attention given to their mutual relationships within presented interpretations. Next, the status of interaction in some psychological, sociological and pedagogical ori-en¬tations is briefly illustrated and a closer look is taken at interaction within cognitive, sociocultural and interactionist approaches to foreign language teaching and learning. The following part of the article fo-cuses on types of interaction in the foreign language classroom. Finally, the selected interpretations of the construct of interactional com-petence are presented and analysed

Autonomy in teaching and learning English at the advanced level – between theory and practice

The present article concentrates on the concept of learner autonomy as an increasingly popular trend in language learning and teaching. The paper discusses the importance of language awareness training, the new roles of the teacher and presents the forms of evaluation typical of autonomous learning environments. It also suggests some solutions for the classroom practice which seem most effective in promoting learner autonomy at the advanced level of language proficiency and briefly examines the research findings in the field

Problems and challenges in teaching and learning speaking at advanced level

The article deals with the problems of teaching and learning speaking, in particular those which are most relevant in the context of developing oral skills at the advanced level of foreign language proficiency. The complex nature of spoken discourse must be taken into account and reflected at each stage of the learning process. Thus, the article examines the difficulties connected with choosing the appropriate framework and approach and discusses the typical patterns of interaction in the foreign language classroom. It also examines forms of control and evaluation and suggests some speaking activities which seem most suitable for advanced language learners in the light of the above theoretical considerations

Approaches to describing and analyzing classroom communication

The article discusses some selected approaches to classroom communication and addresses the problem of its authenticity. The complexity of the subject, together with the multiplicity of the models, interpretations and research methodologies used in the process of data collection and analysis contribute to the fact that classroom discourse is generally regarded as a problematic and demanding research area which requires a multi-dimensional approach and a well-grounded choice of analytic framework.Instytut Lingwistyki Stosowanej Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznani

GENRE-BASED APPROACHES IN TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES (EAP)

In recent years English for academic purposes (EAP) has become one of the mainstream fields of practice, study and research within lan-guage education, mainly due to the position of English as the interna-tional language of higher education and scientific research. The paper briefly examines the main assumptions of the approach in the context of its links to ESP (English for specific purposes), systemic functional linguistics and new literacy studies. However, the main focus of the present discussion is on genre-based pedagogy as the leading frame-work and an important point of reference for EAP education. To illus-trate this perspective within the field, the notion of genre and its in-terpretations in foreign language teaching are discussed. Finally, two closely related academic genres – discussion and debate – are ex-plored with the aim of indicating their potential benefits, areas of dif-ficulty and challenges for students and teachers in the EAP classroom