To Integrate Successfully: Language and Subject Studies in ESP Teaching

Abstract

We look at the problem connected with the phenomenon of English becoming a medium of teaching other subjects in universities all over the world. We show that the foreign language can result in significant difficulties if a student has a low level of English, which is often the case in many non-English speaking countries. The purpose of the present work was to set up the basic principles of successful preparation of students to their further studies in English and design an ESP course for science students aimed at helping them to integrate into the international academic community. The task required target situation and curriculum analyses, detailed description of students’ needs, materials selection and a syllabus design. The methodology applied is based on an adjunct Content and Language Integrated (CLIL) model where language teaching runs parallel to the content so that to develop the ability to achieve higher-order thinking. The work resulted in an ESP course for mathematicians with a special emphasis on calculus. We share practical examples of assignments and demonstrate how the approach increases efficiency in learning English and helps develop and improve student academic skills. The experience, however, can be easily extended to students of any specialization.