Ella Aldengozhayeva

Almaty University of Power Engineering and Telecommunications

Teaching EFL for Engineering Students

Improved English language skills will enable engineers to keep abreast with recent developments in engineering areas. This is important in a ‘life-long-learning’ perspective as it may enable engineers to develop competences needed in new areas of engineering and for job opportunities in an international environment. It is equally important for engineering companies to have an engineering staff with good English language skills. They not only make good representatives but may also become an important asset in meetings and negotiations with foreign companies. The need for improved English language skills among engineering students calls for strategies that develop adequate language skills that are related to their profession. It has been argued that introducing bilingual instruction or lectures in English are feasible alternatives to EFL for developing English language skills. Supporters of bilingual education have come up with numerous arguments in favour of using this method of instruction. However, the scepticism against bilingual education is also growing. Those in favour of using English as the language of instruction in higher education argue that the students’ language competence will indirectly be improved. Their main reason for introducing lectures in English is, however, financially motivated; an increased number of exchange students from other countries will have a positive effect on the budget of the faculty or the institution. The two approaches are not designed for language learning in particular; they are primarily ‘subject-oriented’ and not ‘language-oriented’. They may to some extent help develop the students’ language skills and increase their vocabulary. However, as the language competence needed by our future engineers should be related to their profession, a language learning approach should be based on the activities that are relevant and typical of their profession in an international context. A language learning programme for engineering students will therefore have to improve not only the language skills as such, but will also have to enhance their cultural awareness so as to enable them to communicate adequately with colleagues from other nations.

WHAT ENGLISH – BR.ENG. OR AM.ENG

The abbreviation EFL is commonly used in a broad sense referring to the teaching of English as a foreign language. It does not say if this ‘English’ is American English, British English or something else. Nor does it distinguish between what is commonly called ‘General English’, ‘Technical English’ or ‘English for Specific Purposes’. Many English language teachers argue that correct English can best be taught and learned in a ‘General English’ context, also with respect to the teaching of English for engineering students. My experience is different. The fact that the purpose, the lay out, the discourse and the vocabulary of texts that deal with technically oriented subject matters are different from literary or newspaper texts, for example, these features justify the need for didactic approaches that are different from those applied to texts on general, social or literary topics. The term ‘Technical English’ is commonly used to refer to texts that deal with ‘technical subjects’ and to denote texts in which the discourse is different from that used in literary texts or texts on various social subjects. The term ‘vocationally-oriented English’ can also be used to denote English language instruction that aims at developing language skills that are relevant for a particular profession or group of professions.

SYLLABUS AND LEARNING MATERIAL

Basically, the overall aim of an English language course for engineering students should be twofold: to develop the students’ overall communicative competence, and to lay the foundation for further learning and refinement of language skills. In this respect, the syllabus, the learning targets, choice of learning material and didactic approaches should be relevant for the students’ area of engineering. The teaching of English should be implemented in situations and contexts that are authentic; that mirror ‘real-life’ as closely as possible to enhance the importance and relevance of the classroom activities so as to ease the transfer of knowledge and skills to future real life situations.

Learning targets commonly describe knowledge and skills areas of a subject. Assessment and grades express the level of the knowledge and skills that the students have achieved. Tests are used to offer the students an opportunity to demonstrate the level of knowledge and skills they have acquired. Tests and learning targets are closely linked. It goes without saying that the more precise the description of learning targets is, the easier it is to develop tests. Descriptions of learning targets should be precise with respect to skills and knowledge areas. Often it may be necessary to break down main learning targets into more detailed sub-targets and also to add examples to describe the targets accurately. My experience is that precise descriptions of learning targets and accurate linking between learning targets, assignments and assessment criteria will help students in their language learning and it will also make it easier for teachers when they design assignments.

In EFL the learning targets may consist of two main areas; the knowledge areas and the skills areas. Within EFL, the knowledge area has commonly included knowledge about countries such as the UK, the USA, Australia and the like where English is the national language. The learning targets have traditionally required the students to acquire knowledge about these countries, their history, people(s) and customs, for example. However, due to increased globalisation, cultural knowledge as a learning target should be included and related to other countries, particularly countries that it is reasonable to assume that the engineering students will visit in the future as engineers. Cultural knowledge is important, and perhaps equally important as language skills, but need not be taught as a separate subject. It can be acquired when necessary and relevant. Information related to culture can be found on the Internet or in books and students should be asked to apply such information in various exercises. The overall aim of including cultural knowledge in a language course for engineering students should be to raise their awareness of the fact that people from different countries express themselves differently due to their cultural background. Language mistakes can be corrected or compensated for on the spot. Lack of cultural knowledge and awareness cannot.

The skills areas consist of four skills: understanding written and oral communication, being able to communicate orally and in writing, in formal as well as in informal social settings or contexts. However, in most communicative situations and contexts, students will have to use their cultural knowledge. Language expressions are cultural expressions; they will contain and render implications that are culturally conditioned. They will indicate something about the culture you come from and the cultural knowledge you have about those you are talking to. The two areas - language skills and cultural knowledge – cannot and should not be separated. Moreover, awareness of culture may often ‘make or break’ communication and the success of negotiations. The learning material should cover the learning targets listed in the syllabus. Learning material for engineering students should primarily consist of authentic texts (i.e. texts written by engineers, for engineers, on engineering subjects but for other purposes than language instruction), and preferably written by native English speakers. As the students in their future profession will meet these types of text, the texts should be relevant for the particular area of engineering that the students are studying. The learning material should include documents, illustrations and graphic presentations used in contexts and situations that are typical of the students’ area of engineering. They should also include symbols, formulae and equations used in mathematics, physics and chemistry. As such, the texts will serve as resources and examples of language usage for particular purposes and in particular situations.

Depending on the level of the students’ language skills, authentic texts written in a national language and or in English by non-native English speakers can also be used for learning purposes. However, some of them may have to be edited or adapted. The extent of editing and adaptation will have to be related to the students’ level of skills as well as to the purpose and the context the texts will be used in.

REFERENCES

Huckin, Thomas N. and Olsen, Leslie A., “Technical Writing and Professional Communication For Nonnative Speakers of English”, McGraw-Hill International Editions, 1991, page 3.

Hellekjær, Glenn O., “The Acid Test: Does Upper Secondary EFL Instruction Effectively Prepare Norwegian Students for the Reading of English Textbooks at Colleges and Universities?” A dissertation submitted at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo, Norway, 2005

McArthur, Tom, “World English and world Englishes: Trends, tensions, varieties, and standards”, in Language Teaching, 34, 2001, pp.1-20, http://ltsc.ph-karlsruhe.de/McArthur.pdf Accessed March, 17, 2006.