The Language-Integrated Knowledge Education (LIKE)

Project

Steven L. Thorne (WLL)

+ intrepid colleagues across PSU

Why LIKE? (Language-Integrated Knowledge Education)

• Human knowledge fundamentally mediated by specialized uses of language– STEM, social sciences, humanities, professional

fields

• “thinking is a form of communication … learning is modifying and extending one’s discourse (Sfard, 2007)

• What terminology is specific to your field or course of study?

• What phrases and collocations (words that co-occur) do you notice in textbooks, research articles, lectures, and other materials?

• What high-frequency language patterns seem most relevant for – writing meticulous lab reports– documenting computer code or architectural renderings– presenting compelling business plans– producing abstracts for literature conferences– engaging in post-structural analysis of the public sphere?

Calculus

Ecology

Architecture

Sociology

Chemistry

Linguistics

Continental philosophy

“matrix”

“hypothesis”

LIKE Critical discourse awareness

• Mastery of academic discourse essential to university and professional success

• Explicit attention to disciplinary genre conventions enables full participation

• Language is power – command of specialized language performing academic identities

• All discourse conventions reducible to morphosyntactic realizations!

• A life-long learning skill

LIKE Portfolios

• From passive comprehension to active production and mastery of academic discourse

• Web-based LIKE portfolios for all PSU students– Designed upon existing ePortfolio models – English as well as foreign languages– Open multilingual repository of academic language– Peer review (MOOCs model)– Badges or endorsements upon completion– Shareable with future employers and grad programs