Academic literacy across the curriculum: Towards a collaborative instructional approach. (19th October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wingate, Ursula
• Is Part Of: Language teaching. Volume 51:Part 3(2018)
• Page Start: 349
• Page End: 364
• Publication Date: 2016-10-19
• Subjects: Language and languages -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; 418.0071
• DOI: 10.1017/S0261444816000264
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0261-4448

Abstract

Abstract : I respond to the conference theme 'English across the Curriculum' by suggesting that 'Academic literacy' should be taught across the curriculum. I first explain the concept of academic literacy, which describes the range of abilities that students have to acquire when starting out in a new academic discipline. I then discuss the dominant instructional provision at universities. As this provision fails to address students' real learning needs, I argue for curriculum-integrated academic literacy instruction that is based on the collaboration between English for academic purposes (EAP) specialists and subject lecturers. I provide examples of collaborative, discipline-specific approaches to supporting student learning, and present some insights from an intervention study that I have carried out to explore feasible ways of teaching and collaboration. Finally, I discuss the need for lecturer training to achieve a curriculum-integrated approach, and report on my experience of running a professional development module which aimed to enable lecturers to embed academic literacy development into their teaching practice.