Giving Lectures in English: Guidelines _ for specialist university teachers
PREFACE
This textbook is intended for university teachers who plan to deliver lectures in the field of
their specialism or to participate in professional conferences with public presentations in
English. The book is specially designed for the course of teachers’ professional
development in Samara State Aerospace University. The materials were piloted and won
the course participants’ approval.
The professional development course “Giving Lectures in English” requires at least B1
level of proficiency in English according to the Common European Framework of
Reference1. Participants are supposed to have knowledge of basic grammar structures and
lexis of high frequency as well as English equivalents to terminology in their fields of
study. The participants’ specialisms do not matter as the course is not aimed at teaching
content in any particular sphere; rather can it be considered as teaching English for
academic purposes.
The main goal of the course is developing public speaking skills in English. A special
emphasis is placed on structuring an English text, effective rhetoric techniques, and
expanding academic vocabulary and functional language. According to the syllabus, the
participants of the course are exposed to effective reading, writing, and speaking strategies.
Socio-cultural aspects of communication are also in the highlight. Grammar is tackled in
the way that helps the participants get rid of their typical mistakes and improve the usage
of structures that are frequently used in the academic context.
The learning outcomes of the course are (1) a PowerPoint presentation of a mini-lecture;
(2) Glossary of specialty terms, defined with the help of different definition techniques;
(3) written documents such as a business card, biodata, a CV, and an abstract. The
assessment tool used in the course is Participant’s Portfolio, which helps learners not only
monitor their progress, but also keep their Portfolio entries as document templates for
further use.
The allotted time is 72 contact academic hours; the course also requires individual
preparation and exploring internet resources and online instruments to make the process of
learning more effective. The course is also supported by a specially designed web site.
The textbook consists of five units, each focused on a separate issue. There are various
activities in the book fostering all the four language skills. All the activities are named and
numbered. The textbook also comprises several appendices to assist the participants with
functional English and linking words. There is also a supplement with a number of
exercises to improve delivery skills. The bibliography list provided at the end contains
both materials used in the course and sources that can be used for further reference.
Certain symbols are used throughout the book, such as
^symbolizing the unit start with its focus and materials 0
indicating a Portfolio entry
showing that an explanation will follow in the section “What’s
this?” и marking useful phrases to practice and remember.
1
http://www.cambridgeenglishteacher.org/what is this
3
The course is run as an interactive one with group, pair, and team work. The
methodological principle it is based on is reflective practice. Such techniques as role
plays, simulations, peer correction, self-evaluation, and peer assessment are employed.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank specialist teachers of Samara State Aerospace University
for using and sharing comments on the book. They generously permitted to use their
papers as material for some of the activities in the book.
The author also expresses her sincere gratitude to the reviewer, Gulnara Dudnikova, who
carefully read the book and praised its methodological value. Her ideas and comments
were very useful for completion of the book. A big Thank you also goes to Sergei A.
Ishkov, the head of Professional Development Institute, who helped to organize and
supported the course.
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