Deconstructing student needs in EAP for STEM – Symposium

Presenters

Natasha Rust, University of Leeds

Sanchia Rodrigues, University of Warwick

Aaron Woodcock, University of Reading

Lori-Ann Milln, University of Southampton

Abstract

The BALEAP STEM SIG was developed to connect EAP practitioners working within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, with the aim of collating our practice, initiating scholarship and research collaborations, and supporting the transition into EAP for STEM. While it is widely understood and used within HE, the term ‘STEM’ categorises the needs of these students as a group, which has the potential to limit or oversimplify their language and discourse needs. This symposium creates a space to deconstruct the term.

We will explore key disciplinary differences that EAP practitioners and researchers should be aware of, referring specifically to our experiences in Chemistry, Physics, Engineering and Maths, with a view to understanding the demands of teaching, learning and assessments in these disciplines. We will also examine their common characteristics, asking what key similarities might be exploited to ensure the long-term sustainability of EAP STEM courses. 4 EAP practitioners from the SIG will speak alongside live Q&A reactions from the audience, followed by a longer audience-led discussion and a final summary, from an EAP researcher, of notions of intra- and interdisciplinarity within STEM disciplines. 

Speakers

Natasha Rust is an EAP Lecturer at the University of Leeds. She has developed, led and taught on pre-sessional programmes, foundation year modules and in-sessional materials for STEM since 2016. Her current interests lie in EAP practitioner development for STEM disciplines and exploring practical applications of SLA, in terms of noticing and metalanguage, into the toolkit of EAP practitioners and learners. In addition, she intends to help her in-sessional schools of Chemistry and Physics develop their curricula with fully embedded principles of EAP at programme level.  

Sanchia Rodrigues is a Teaching Fellow in EAP at the University of Warwick and a PhD student at the UCL Institute of Education. Since 2014, she has worked with postgraduate, undergraduate and pre-undergraduate students of the mathematical sciences both in the UK and overseas. Her doctoral research is focused on hierarchies of language and race in summer pre-sessional contexts, which reflects her wider interests in identifying and displacing coloniality in EAP. 

Aaron Woodcock is a Lecturer at the University of Reading. He has nearly 20 years’ experience working within international education, teaching both English language and science. He is currently responsible for designing and delivering English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) modules for undergraduate students studying subjects including chemistry, mathematics and environmental engineering. His current interests lie in ESAP courses for improving access to teaching and learning, and in exploring ways to increase the sustainability of ESAP delivery.