Education

Teachers need to do more than just translate their lectures

Don’t waste your time on language lessons, but do follow a didactic course. That’s Dr. Renate Klaassen’s advice for the TU’s Dutch lecturers, who are going to switch to English in September.

Only then will students accept your pidgin English.

Dutch aerospace engineering students who chose to take first-year courses taught in English achieved the same course results at the end of the year as their fellow students, who followed courses in Dutch. The only disadvantage of being taught in English occurred during the first six months, when the students’ grades on application and integrative tests decreased as a result of the language of instruction, concludes Dr. Renate Klaassen, of the faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, in her theses. These somewhat surprising findings cannot, for instance, be explained by the fact that cleverer students chose for first-year, English-medium aerospace engineering courses, because Klaassen factored in the students high school grades as well.

Klaassen’s opinion about English-medium education changed during her thesis research. At the start, she believed that English-language instruction would be a disadvantage for Dutch students. But she’s now in favour of English-language courses at TU Delft.

However, the university must devote more thought to what they’re hoping to achieve by switching to English, according to Klaassen. Beginning in September 2002, all MSc. courses will be in English. Do they simply want foreign students to be able to follow the same courses as the Dutch students, or do they also want to improve students’ English-language skills and improve their ability to work in multicultural teams?”

If the latter, then more must be done than just translating lectures into English. A language teacher must critique student presentations and reports, for example. And more projects with foreign universities must be established.

Eye contact

Lecturing behaviour in English-medium courses tends to be less positively received by students and observers, Klaassen discovered. Clarity of presentation is much more important when students are being lectured to in a foreign language. Students, therefore, want their instructors, when lecturing in English, to engage in livelier argument, to maintain better eye contact, and to use more supporting gestures. They also want more concrete and specific examples to be used, as well visual aids. Teachers must do more than just translate their lectures, therefore, if quality levels are to be maintained. Some instructors may need to take a didactic course. It is, however, striking that a positive change in didactic skills doesn’t result in better test scores for the students.

Students also prefer native English speakers. Improving the language skills of teachers to a native speaker standard is not realistic, according to Klaassen. %Most teachers already have good English-language skills. To improve them to a native speaker level can only be done through very intensive courses. A 13-week course will only improve their English a bit.”

Don’t waste your time on language lessons, but do follow a didactic course. That’s Dr. Renate Klaassen’s advice for the TU’s Dutch lecturers, who are going to switch to English in September. Only then will students accept your pidgin English.

Dutch aerospace engineering students who chose to take first-year courses taught in English achieved the same course results at the end of the year as their fellow students, who followed courses in Dutch. The only disadvantage of being taught in English occurred during the first six months, when the students’ grades on application and integrative tests decreased as a result of the language of instruction, concludes Dr. Renate Klaassen, of the faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, in her theses. These somewhat surprising findings cannot, for instance, be explained by the fact that cleverer students chose for first-year, English-medium aerospace engineering courses, because Klaassen factored in the students high school grades as well.

Klaassen’s opinion about English-medium education changed during her thesis research. At the start, she believed that English-language instruction would be a disadvantage for Dutch students. But she’s now in favour of English-language courses at TU Delft.

However, the university must devote more thought to what they’re hoping to achieve by switching to English, according to Klaassen. Beginning in September 2002, all MSc. courses will be in English. Do they simply want foreign students to be able to follow the same courses as the Dutch students, or do they also want to improve students’ English-language skills and improve their ability to work in multicultural teams?”

If the latter, then more must be done than just translating lectures into English. A language teacher must critique student presentations and reports, for example. And more projects with foreign universities must be established.

Eye contact

Lecturing behaviour in English-medium courses tends to be less positively received by students and observers, Klaassen discovered. Clarity of presentation is much more important when students are being lectured to in a foreign language. Students, therefore, want their instructors, when lecturing in English, to engage in livelier argument, to maintain better eye contact, and to use more supporting gestures. They also want more concrete and specific examples to be used, as well visual aids. Teachers must do more than just translate their lectures, therefore, if quality levels are to be maintained. Some instructors may need to take a didactic course. It is, however, striking that a positive change in didactic skills doesn’t result in better test scores for the students.

Students also prefer native English speakers. Improving the language skills of teachers to a native speaker standard is not realistic, according to Klaassen. %Most teachers already have good English-language skills. To improve them to a native speaker level can only be done through very intensive courses. A 13-week course will only improve their English a bit.”

Editor Redactie

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