Event

Using a College Success textbook for university English students

Saturday, June 24th, 2006, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Speaker: Mark Cunningham

?College success courses and textbooks help new students adjust to an environment where they must take more responsibility for their learning while avoiding the many problems that contribute to the high dropout rates at many US universities. They are an increasingly common feature in US higher education. This presentation considers how the language of learning skills and strategies in college success courses textbooks can provide a useful foundation for integrated-skills, content-based language instruction, valuable opportunities for reflective learning about other cultures, about the distinctive culture of the university, and about learning itself.

The presenter describes experience with the use of a college success textbook in an advanced English for Academic Purposes class during five terms in an intensive English program. Student surveys, interviews, classroom video, and student-generated and instructor-generated materials and activities are discussed, along with student?fs views of tasks used in conjunction with the text and the extent to which they brought about improvement in specific areas such as vocabulary and reading speed and comprehension. The remainder of the presentation will focus on practical techniques for using content.

Organization: Akita Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (Akita JALT)

Cost: JALT Members: free
Non-members: 1,000 yen (500 yen for students)

Venue: Room B103 at AIU (Akita International University)

Location: Akita City, Akita Prefecture, Japan

Contact Akita JALT

Suzuki Takeshi

Work phone: 0184-22-1562