Conference+Paper+2+Özgür+Can+Kaya

EAP: how is it different from other forms of ELT? The session aim is to create an understanding in people on how the teaching environment and the qualities that are sought to be achieved such as the reasons, aims and such, and to show that teachers must be fully aware of the requirements of their desired aims in accordance with ELT or EAP. In this workshop, Olwyn Alexander and Sue Argent show how EAP is different from ELT by comparing how the two approaches would deal with the same topic using different texts and tasks, thus contrasting the ways in which the two approaches specify needs, formulate aims and judge the effectiveness of a lesson. Although I did know the term EAP which means English for Academic Purposes, it was really superficial; I did not know much about it in detail. Seeing the qualities of EAP and the reasons why they differ from an ELT shaped lesson was quite useful. The case study named The Jim Twins and the sample text perfectly exemplified the differences. In addition, I had never heard of Graduate Attributes before, and that was thoroughly new information to me. In my opinion the first thing that was highlighted in the session was what kinds of challenges one could encounter when moving from ELT to EAP, which were divided in three main parts named students, materials and activities. The second point in this session was the differences between ELT and EAP, which were related to the aims of the two different lessons that used two different texts that had the same topic. It was a great eye-opener to show people how our aims can change even if we are essentially using the same topic in our class. Finally, the graduate attributes was highlighted, and it was shown how important it is to understand possible quality and thinking differences between an undergraduate and graduate student in terms of rationale and critical thinking, for example. The language levels that you think the suggestions/ideas in the session are applicable to university level teachers who would like to improve themselves in shifting from ELT to EAP style teaching using different methods and context in mind. The students themselves could also benefit from this information mainly because of the fact that graduate attributes that are mentioned in this session are a great way to give brief information on what is to be expected of them if they wish to acquire such skills and attributes. Through this session, I have seen how different it is to teach when it comes to different requirements of the teaching itself, such as the aims of the lesson and the level of the student, or simply the aspect used in the class, be it ELT based or EAP based. I believe this insight will prove to be useful in terms of understanding the needs of my lesson and classroom better in future. On the other hand, I did not expect to see that much of a difference between two different texts (The Jim Twins) causing (and requiring) much different approaches towards the lesson. I can’t say it’s truly contradicting, but I thought there would not be so much changes and differences between ELT and EAP style teaching, which was indeed surprising for me. However, as I continued to think about it, I started to agree with the fact that in the end, the EAP requires a much more authentic and detailed teaching style where the content and the research is more important than simple language skills or people mentioned in it. I also agree that knowing and understanding graduate attributes better will most definitely enable students to shape and improve their own critical thinking style as well as create a whole new understanding on how to approach more complicated tasks and researches. I plan to learn more about these graduate attributes. As seen in the sessions, the ones given there were but some examples of a much detailed version of the topic, and I hope I can get to know these attributes better. To be honest, there weren’t so many points I had difficulty in understanding throughout the session, but I did miss some sentences. Thankfully I was still able to understand the main issues mentioned there. I would like to ask the presenter what her opinions on the shift from ELT and EAP, that if it would be different from one teacher to another. I would also like to ask her what would be the best way to understand and transfer information on graduate attributes mentioned in the session. I think that the case study that showed two different texts on the same topic would be a good example to use in English classes in Turkey to show people how it can change due to the language used and aims desired. However, I believe that explaining graduate attributes properly in schools could prove to be challenging mainly because of the fact that the topic itself is rather detailed and complex. The fact that presenters gave examples on what they were talking about was a really strong point of the presentation. Moreover, they started the session with a task, which was intriguing and helped motivate the listeners. The pacing however could be a bit faster, in my opinion. It was easy to catch on and understand, but because it was not fast enough, I felt bored in some places. I expected to learn more about ELT and EAP and their similarities and differences at the beginning of the session, and was happy to see that this session fulfilled my expectations very well. I have had a lot of new information as well as more detailed knowledge on what I knew before. I hope to use this knowledge to help my students understand the importance of knowing the aims of the lesson and the right selection of skills to be used is very important.
 * Özgür Can Kaya, 1734946 Reflection on Conference 2 **


 * Comment by Mehmet Ali Başak **

It was a pleasure for me to read your conference paper because I find it really coherent and well-written. The comparison between EAP and ELT made it clear that even though the topic may be the same, the language used, and the aim itself can cause some drastic changes in the language. I think it’s a very important aspect to consider; it shows the importance of choosing our aims according to our targets. Just because we are teaching English does not mean that every single approach or way can be implemented without a second though. On the contrary, as the conference suggests, the difference between EAP and ELT can play a dramatic role in what is best to choose.

Finally, I would like to add that we must not blindly hold on to a singular way of teaching and continue to apply it forever. We must always try to improvise our skills so that our students may have a better chance to learn English better.