designing a c2 technical english course for … · test format 5th bremen symposion february 2015...

DESIGNING A

C2 TECHNICAL ENGLISH

COURSE FOR MECHANICAL

ENGINEERS

5th Bremen SymposionFebruary 2015

Geoff Tranter

Agenda:

1. Background

2. What is C2?

3. Syllabus

4. Test Format


Geoff Tranter

C2 Technical English Course for Mechanical

Engineers

Agenda:

1. Background

# Who?

# Why?

# How?


Geoff Tranter


Engineers

Agenda:

1. Background

2. What is C2?


Geoff Tranter


Engineers

è Reports and Essaysè Creative Writing

è Notes, Messages and Formsè Correspondence

è Listening to Audio Mediaè Listening to Announcementsè Listening as a live audienceè Understanding native speakersèWatching TV / Films

è Reading Instructions

è Reading for Orientationè Reading for Information

è Reading Correspondence

1. Overall Written Production

2. Overall Written Interaction

3. Overall Reading Comprehension

4. Overall Listening Comprehension

5. Overall Oral Production

6. Overall Oral Interaction

è Sustained monologue: putting a case

è Sustained monologue:describing experiences

è Public announcementsè Addressing audiences

è Understanding a nativespeaker interlocutor

è Interviewing and beinginterviewed

è Information Exchange

è Informal discussion with friends

è Goal-oriented cooperation

è Formal discussion and meetings

è Conversation

è Transactions

The Skills and Sub-Skills of the CEFR2. What is C2?



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Geoff Tranter

Written Production

Can write clear, smoothly flowing, complex texts in anappropriate and effective style and a logical structurewhich helps the reader to find significant points.

Can produce clear, smoothly flowing, complex reports,articles or essays which present a case, or give criticalappreciation of proposals or literary works.

Can write clear, smoothly flowing, and fully engrossingstories and descriptions of experience in a styleappropriate to the genre adopted.

2. What is C2?


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Spoken Interaction

Can understand any native speaker interlocutor, even onabstract and complex topics of a specialist nature beyondhis/her own field, given an opportunity to adjust to a non-standard accent or dialect.

Can converse comfortably and appropriately, unhamperedby any linguistic limitations in conducting a full social andpersonal life.

2. What is C2?


Geoff Tranter


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Spoken Interaction

Can keep up his/her side of the dialogue extremely well,structuring the talk and interacting authoritatively withcomplete fluency as interviewer or interviewee, at nodisadvantage to a native speaker.

Can hold his/her own in formal discussion of complexissues, putting an articulate and persuasive argument, at nodisadvantage to native speakers.

2. What is C2?


Geoff Tranter


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Spoken Interaction

Has a good command of idiomatic expressions andcolloquialisms with awareness of connotative levels ofmeaning.Can convey finer shades of meaning precisely by using,with reasonable accuracy, a wide range of modificationdevices.Can backtrack and restructure around a difficulty sosmoothly the interlocutor is hardly aware of it.

2. What is C2?


Geoff Tranter


Engineers

Listening Comprehension

Has no difficulty in understanding any kind of spokenlanguage, whether live or broadcast, delivered at fastnative speed.

Can follow specialised lectures and presentationsemploying a high degree of colloquialism, regional usageor unfamiliar terminology.

2. What is C2?


Geoff Tranter


Engineers

Reading Comprehension

Can understand and interpret critically virtually all forms ofthe written language including abstract, structurallycomplex, or highly colloquial literary and non-literarywritings.Can understand a wide range of long and complex texts,appreciating subtle distinctions of style and implicit as wellas explicit meaning.

2. What is C2?


Geoff Tranter


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Oral Production

Can produce clear, smoothly flowing well-structuredspeech with an effective logical structure which helps therecipient to notice and remember significant points.

Can give clear, smoothly flowing, elaborate and oftenmemorable descriptions.

Can present a complex topic confidently and articulatelyto an audience unfamiliar with it, structuring and adaptingthe talk flexibly to meet the audience’s needs.Can handle difficult and even hostile questioning.

2. What is C2?


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Geoff Tranter

Processing Text

Can summarise information from different sources,

reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent

presentation of the overall result.

2. What is C2?


Geoff Tranter


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These definitions show that C2 is not a question of

(near-)native proficiency

But rather describes

a proficiency that ensures that professional tasks are dealtwith at a high level of communicative and linguistic quality.

2. What is C2?


Geoff Tranter


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Level C2, whilst it has been termed ‘Mastery’, is not

intended to imply native-speaker or near native-speaker

competence. What is intended is to characterise the degree

of precision, appropriateness and ease with the language

which typifies the speech of those who have been highly

successful learners. (CEFR Chapter 3)

2. What is C2?


Geoff Tranter


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Agenda:

1. Background

2. What is C2?

3. Syllabus


Geoff Tranter


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Reading:

# Do we understand 'risk' of mobile phone use?

# Digital distractions: Time to pay attention

# Flyers don't turn off phones in planes: survey

# What is Gravity Light?

3. Syllabus


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Engineers

Comparison of texts on same topic

Speculation , Detail Reading, Compare

Details with Youtube Clip

Reading:

# Nanotechnology

# Robots

3. Syllabus


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Individuals work on textabout one aspect of

topic, and then write an article synthesizing all

information

Listening:

# frontiers_20140702-2130a swarming robots

3. Syllabus


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Make notes on radioprogramme, write a one-page report summarising

the content

Speaking:

# Five minute presentations

3. Syllabus


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S receive a topic and have five minute to

prepare a five minutepresentation

a) Speaking Skills:

# Prepared Presentation (15 minutes) mit Question and AnswerSession (10 minutes)(The topic is agreed between student and teacher)

# A second unprepared presentation (five minutes) with follow-upquestions(The student chooses one of two topics offered by the teacher one hour

before the actual presentation.)

4. Test Format


Geoff Tranter


Engineers

b) Writing Skills:

# Term Paper – five pages(The topic is agreed between student and teacher)

# Report/Summary on the basis of a text (reading or listening)

4. Test Format


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Task:

You are going to hear a ten-minute report on developments in air trafficcontrol technology. You will hear the report once only.

While you are listening, make notes on methods of air traffic controlmethods today, in the second half of the last century and the planned futuretechnology.

Then write a report for less technically minded readers who are interested inquestions of passenger safety and the effects of air traffic control on theprice of tickets and the environment.

In the last paragraph give a short indication of your personal reaction to thecontent of the report.

You should write between 350 and 400 words.

c) Listening Skills:

# 30 minutes of recorded text:

+ 1-2 long texts (ca. 10-12 minutes)

+ 2 short texts (1-2 minutes)

.

4. Test Format


Geoff Tranter


Engineers


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Test Format

d) Reading Skills:

# 1-2 articles of with maximum eight/nine pages.


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7. Linguistic Competences

# General Linguistic Range# Vocabulary Range# Vocabulary Control # Grammatical Accuracy

# Phonological Control # Orthographic Control

8. Pragmatic Competences# Flexibility# Turntaking# Thematic Development # Coherence/Cohesion # Spoken Fluency # Propositional Precision

# InterpretingCues and Inferring

# Taking the Floor

# Processing Text# Note-Taking

Seminars, Lectures

# Compensating

# Cooperating

# Asking for Clarification

9. Strategic Competences

10. SociolinguisticCompetence


Geoff Tranter


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Can exploit a comprehensive and reliable mastery of a very wide range of language to formulate thoughts precisely, give emphasis, differentiate and eliminate ambiguity . No signs of having to restrict what he/she wants to say.

Has a good command of a very broad lexical repertoire including idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms; shows awareness of connotative levels of meaning.

Consistently correct and appropriate use of vocabulary.

Maintains consistent grammatical control of complex language, even while attention is otherwise engaged (e.g. in forward planning, in monitoring others’ reactions).

A good command of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms with awareness of connotative levels of meaning. Appreciates fully the sociolinguistic and socio-cultural implications of language used by L1 speakers.

Writing is orthographically free of error.

Can express him/herself at length with a natural, effortless, unhesitating flow. Pauses only to reflect on precisely the right words to express his/her thoughts or to find an appropriate example or explanation.

Text for training lexicalskillsand extending

repertoire

Grading Sheet forPresedntations (prepared

and unprepared)

Grading Sheet forPresentations (prepared

and unprepared)

Grading Sheet for WrittenWork (Term Paper and

Report)

Sample Written Work mid-course

Thanks for your attention!

Any Comments/Questions?


Geoff Tranter

[email protected]


Engineers

designing a c2 technical english course for … · test format 5th bremen symposion february 2015...

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