Abstract
The students that I work with in the preparatory English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course outlined here share a vision of becoming members of a community — the English-speaking international community of development economists. They also share a sense of apprehension, knowing that the Master’s program they have chosen has a reputation for being extremely demanding, yet they differ widely in levels of English, academic skills, and economics knowledge. So that each student can appreciate his or her own position on the periphery of this academic community, the preparatory course is structured around projects and tasks embodying the practices of that community. By actively participating in the projects and tasks, students learn English and other new skills while they also demonstrate, share, and build on what they already know with peers and teachers. The course structure, like the scaffolding around a building under construction, is somewhat flexible to allow students to autonomously pursue their own needs, but it is closely aligned with disciplinary practices and norms which they will be expected to follow as economists.
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© 2012 Colin Rundle
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Rundle, C. (2012). Scaffolding Economics Language and Learning with Case Studies. In: Irie, K., Stewart, A. (eds) Realizing Autonomy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230358485_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230358485_8
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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