Academic Communication Skills. Conversation Strategies for International Graduate Students PDF
Preview Academic Communication Skills. Conversation Strategies for International Graduate Students
Academic Communication Skills Conversation Strategies for International Graduate Students Li-Shih Huang University Press of ~merica,@In c. Lanham Boulder New York Toronto Plymouth, UK Copyright O 2010 by University Press of ~mericaI,n~c. 4501 Forbes Boulevard Suite 200 Lanham, Maryland 20706 UPA Acquisitions Department (301) 459-3366 Estover Road Plymouth PL6 7PY United Kingdom All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America British Library Cataloging in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Control Number: 2010933276 ISBN: 978-0-761 8-5280-3 (paperback : alk. paper) eISBN: 978-0-7618 -528 1-0 he paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI 239.48- 1992 Introduction vii Acknowledgements ix UNIT1 GETTINGST ARTEDA: GUIDET O KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS 1 1.1 Unit introduction 1.2 A little bit of theory: Key terms and concepts Highllow context Largelsmall power distance Individualism and collectivism Masculinity and femininity Tolerance for ambiguityluncertainty avoidance Silence Proxemics Time Affective factors A final note 1.3 Facing challenges and exploring hidden assumptions 2.1 Unit introduction 9 2.2 Facing challenges and exploring hidden assumptions 10 2.3 Mastering the mechanics of language 11 Telephone conversations 11 Leaving a phone message 13 Entering and maintaining conversations 14 Exiting conversations 17 Making appointments, seeking advice, and expressing gratitude 18 2.4 Application activities 19 Telephoning and meeting with a supervisor 19 Mini-experiment 20 Conversational ball 20 Let's mingle! 2 1 2.5 Strategies for success 22 Leaving a phone message: a few "do's and don'ts" 22 A few pointers on making new acquaintances Strategies for maintaining conversations Practicing active listening skills 3.1 Unit introduction 3.2 Facing challenges and exploring hidden assumptions 3.3 Mastering the mechanics of language Asking for repetition Seeking clarification or elaboration Paraphrasing ideas to confirm understanding Clarifying your comment by putting it in other words 3.4 Application activities Summarizing and sharing opinions Questions, questions, and more questions Panel discussion 3.5 Strategies for success Introducing oneself to a group Tips on asking questions More tips on participating in small group settings 4.1 Unit introduction 4.2 Facing challenges and exploring hidden assumptions 4.3 Mastering the mechanics of language Expressing an opinion Agreeing and disagreeing Participating idleading seminars or meetings Taking turns speaking 4.4 Application activities Pyramid discussions Informal debate - Take 1 Informal debate - Take 2 4.5 Strategies for success Turn-taking management Strategies and pointers for productively engaging in seminar discussions Test of evidence to consider 5.1 Unit introduction 5 1 5.2 Facing challenges and exploring hidden assumptions 52 5.3 Mastering the mechanics of language 55 The basics of presentation lingo 55 Communication strategies and language for fielding questions 57 5.4 Application activities 59 Panel activity for experts and questioners 59 Self-assessment 60 5.5 Strategies for success 6 1 Tips on successfully handling audience questions 6 1 Basics of effective language use 62 Preparing to answer questions in your proposal or thesis defense 63 UNIT6 TEACHINIGN THE CLASSROOM 65 6.1 Unit introduction 6.2 Facing challenges and exploring hidden assumptions 6.3 Mastering the mechanics of language Holding office hours Generating questions at different levels Handling students' questions Enhancing the clarity of explanations Dealing with challenging teaching situations 6.4 Application activities Course introduction Micro-teaching exercise Asking good questions 6.5 Strategies for success Vocabulary strategies for maintaining fluency Ten pointers on teaching by discussion Strategies for bridging the cultural/language gap in teaching - UNIT7 STEPPINOGU T CONFERENPCREE SENTATIONS, RESEARCH TALKS, TEACHING DEMONSTRATIONS, AND INTERVIEWS 87 7.1 Unit introduction 7.2 Facing challenges and exploring hidden assumptions 7.3 Mastering the mechanics of language Functional language for delivering a teaching demonstration Communication strategies and language for fielding challenging questions 7.4 Application activities Research talks Mock academic interviews Learn from those who have walked the path 7.5 Strategies for success Preparing to answer questions in your academic job interviews Tips for overcoming speech anxiety NOTESO N THE UNITS Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6 Unit 7 REFERENCEASN D FURTHERRE ADING ABOUTT HE AUTHOR Who are the intended users of the book? Many international graduate students who speak or are learning English as an additional language voice the sentiment that speaking is critical for functioning in the target language environment, as well as the most challenging aspect of using language in everyday life. Many find speaking in English more difficult than writing and find engaging in impromptu dialogues more difficult than presenting prepared monologues. Even many learners with high Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores feel that they lack academic speaking skills and regard improving their academic oral communication ability as highly important. International graduate students have several characteristics that set them apart from other English-as-an-additional- language learners who wish to improve their spoken English. These graduate students need to participate in academic conversations at advanced levels; they encounter daily many opportunities to speak English on topics about which they have sophisticated knowledge; they are required to share their expertise with others (in their roles as Teaching Assistants or Research Assistants); and they are usually highly motivated to improve their spoken English because they know that speaking fluency and confidence will impact their future career options. The importance of conversation in academic settings, the potential for miscommunication caused by cultural differences in conversation preferences, and the lack of suitable materials that address advanced conversation skills motivated me to write Academic Communication Skills: Conversation Strategies for International Graduate Students. In both its content and format, this book is intended to assist international graduate students as they create their own opportunities to expand their linguistic and strategic repertoires in English conversations. This book can be used either in a classroom or for self-study. It will harness target users' strong motivation to improve by facilitating the development of strategies for understanding, evaluating, and revising conversational strategies in various speaking situations. Rather than providing topics for discussion, I provide confidence-building tools and strategies that speakers can try when participating in a range of predictable academic interactions. This book draws on my years of experience teaching and developing pedagogical materials to help graduate students improve their academic communication skills. Users of this book are guided to examine common conversational challenges in academic environments, including culturally shaped assumptions that frequently cause miscommunication, and to explore strategies for increased effectiveness and confidence in cross-cultural academic conversations. Structure of the book The book is structured to fill the needs of advanced speakers who are becoming increasingly involved in their academic communities. International graduate students participate in academic dialogues in various settings, sometimes as participants and other times as leaders. This book consists of seven units: (1) Getting Started: A Guide to Key Terms and Concepts, (2) Engaging in Interpersonal Communication, (3) Participating in Small Group Settings I, (4) Participating in Small Group Settings 11, (5) Giving Departmental Presentations, (6) Teaching in the Classroom, and (7) Stepping Out: Conference Presentations, Research Talks, Teaching Demonstrations, and Interviews. The first unit provides an overview of key concepts. The iterative form and content of Units 2 through 7 are designed to help learners meet identified challenges with specific strategies as they participate in or lead increasingly larger and more complex conversational groups. These units include components on diagnosing speaking challenges, exploring and revisiting hidden assumptions, mastering the mechanics of speech, successfully completing applications, and developing strategies for achieving success in academic conversations. Each unit includes an introduction that summarizes the content that it will help learners master. The diagnostic section in each unit is designed to help learners reflect on and examine their own assumptions about and choices in day-to-day speaking encounters. Finally, the book is also supported by the "Notes on ... vlll Introduction the Unit" section, which consists of some additional learning and teaching suggestions for instructors who are using this book for classroom teaching, as well as for students who are using this book in self-study situations. The "References and Further Reading" section provides learning and teaching resources for exploring various aspects of academic conversation skills. A brief note to learners As stated above, this book has been designed to help those of you who are international graduate students learning English as an additional language to become more confident in your conversational English for academic purposes by enhancing your ability to recognize that the speaking situation, task, and partner(s) inform one's speaking choices in particular speaking situations. In addition, I intend to help you to become conscious of any assumptions that you and your speaking partner(s) from other countries may not share, and to expand your repertoire of communicative strategies to improve your spoken English. If you are using this book for self-study, I encourage you to discuss the questions contained in each unit with your peers and to apply the mechanics and strategies you have learned in your daily encounters in various academic settings. Improving one's academic oral communication skills requires more than a one-time effort. You will find it very beneficial to revisit the content in each unit as you continue to refine and develop your academic conversation skills though your continued application of and reflection on different aspects of your communication in the settings covered in the book until what you learn becomes an integrated part of your linguistic and strategic repertoires. I hope that you enjoy working with this book and that this book will become a valuable companion during your graduate studies and beyond in your development of academic conversational skills. A brief note to instructors As described at the beginning, this book is for international graduate students who are learning English as an additional language for academic purposes. The first six units of this book have been designed as an introductory course in academic speaking skills and are best suited to the initial years of graduate education, although the content has also been used very successfully in later years of graduate study. With students in the upper years, I encourage instructors to use the material selectively to suit their students' learning needs. Unit 7 deals with more advanced topics, such as conference presentations, interviews, research talks, and teaching demonstrations because, nowadays, it has become the norm for graduate students to engage in these activities and events at earlier stages in their graduate programs. The materials contained in this book have been refined, tested, and then re-implemented in real, highly successful academic communication skills courses and workshops for over five years. I hope you and your students find this book helpful and that, after working with the book, your students will be excited and proud of being able to engage in academic dialogues, to express the rich ideas that they have to offer, and to feel a sense of belonging through their improved participation in an academic community. Li-Shih Huang Victoria, British Columbia February 20 10 Grateful acknowledgement is given to the following publishers, journals, and authors for permission to reprint or adapt previously published materials. Waveland Press, Inc. for "Exercise 1: Practicing vocabulary strategies" by Smith, J., Meyers, C. M., & Burkhalter, A. M. from Communicate: Strategies for international teaching assistants, pp. 149-150, copyright O 1992 (reissued 2007), with permission from Waveland Press, Inc. Sage Publications for the article reprinted from "Fine-tuning the craft of teaching by discussion" by L.-S. Huang, from Business Communication Quarterly, Vol. 68(4), pp. 492-500, copyright O 2005, with permission from Sage Publications. Taylor and Francis Ltd. for the article reprinted from "Practicing speaking for academic purposes using Aristotle's Topics" by L.-S. Huang, from Communication Teacher, Vol. 21, pp. 62-67, copyright O 2007 National Communication Association, with permission from Taylor and Francis Ltd. (http://www.tandf.co.uk/journalosn) behalf of The National Communication Association. TESOL, Inc. for the article reprinted from "ESL for academic purposes: Pathway to participating in academic discussion through informal debate" by L.-S. Huang, from TESOL Journal, Vol. 11(4), pp. 30-31, copyright O 2002, with permission from Copyright. I am indebted to those who have helped, directly or indirectly, with the publication of this book.
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