+ interdisciplinary partnerships at the royal danish military academy lynda w. hansen, head of...
Post on 19-Jan-2016
215 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
+
Interdisciplinary partnerships at the Royal Danish Military AcademyLynda W. Hansen, Head of Language Department
+Agenda
Background
Potential pitfalls for language teaching
Defining the challenge
Potential gains in teaching an interdisciplinary curriculum
Design considerations
Where can an interdisciplinary approach be effective?
Examples from RDMA
Questions
+Background
From a 3-year bachelor to a 1 ½ year diploma for university graduates
Interdisciplinary curriculum viewed as a means of maintaining high level officer training with fewer ressources
Move towards cross-disciplinary teams delivering integrated training
+Potential Pitfalls for Language teaching
Language learning may become a hindrance to acquiring disciplinary knowledge
English merely included as an add-on at the end of a course design
Risk of curricula becoming fragmented without any clear scope or progression
English could be reduced to a medium for teaching other subjects
+Defining the Challenge
How do we integrate language teaching with other subjects to create real synergy without comprimising L2 acquisition and practice?
How do we convince instructors that an interdisciplinary approach is a more effective training methodology ?
+Potential Gains in Teaching an Interdisciplinary Curriculum
RELEVANCE - real–life context and content: students solve professional tasks by linking disciplines
BUILDS PROFESSIONAL SKILLS – Training mirrors work situations in that multiple disciplines merge
MOTIVATION IS ENHANCED: Students’ motivation increases due to greater professional relevance and less fragmention. Teachers gain insights into new subjects, perspectives and teaching methods.
+Design considerations
Interdisciplinary approaches require more time spent on preparation and coordination
Curriculum integration places high demands on students’ abilities to structure own learning and meta-curricular skills need to be taught
+Where can an interdisciplinary approach be effective?
Where basic skills and knowledge are well-established
Mono-disciplinary English training must be run alongside interdisciplinary modules to build and maintain a sufficiently high base level
Where there are relevant reasons for integrating disciplines
Well-structured situations (eg. Sandex) make knowledge transfer easier
+Example: 1-day TEWT
Held solely in English
SME design and recce a comprehensive scenario
Eng Dept take the lead: focus is on using English and military terminology with accuracy and fluency rather than producing the ”best” tactical solution.
+Example: Skills integration module
A 3-week Afghanistan COIN Scenario involving all 5 departments and cadets organised in O-groups
Preparation via single-subject teaching and self-study
Cadets prepare and deliver a series of presentations in English and receive feedback from lecturers from across the faculty
Interdisciplinarity peaks with issue of orders, followed by a 45-min Q & A session
top related