BALEAP 2017 Towards an EAP Teaching Future in China: The University of Bristol – Centre for English Language and Foundation Studies <　　　　　　　　　　　　> Towards an EAP Teaching Future in China: Professional Development and the First National Certificate in Teaching EAP. Markus Davis, Stuart Perrin, and Tim Marr

Transnational Education (TNE) – a 2000’s phenomena One element of the internationalisation of education. Typically (and incorrectly) associated with exporting of English speaking education and educational models. Asia and especially China has been particularly active in TNE (Huang 2007) with the British Council (2013) identifying China as a country with TNE opportunity. The 1995 Education Act of the People’s Republic of China encouraged cooperation with foreign Partners. Now many partnerships and joint ventures between Chinese and UK/USA/Australian institutions. National Plan for Medium and Long Term Educational Reform and Development (MoE 2010): - achieving educational modernization - forming a learning society - transforming China into a country with competitive human resources

Impact of TNE in China Growth of EMI delivery – institutions/programmes/modules Movement towards giving students real/usable language skills Questioning English language teaching in the curriculum and re-evaluation of how teaching takes place/what is taught Movement away from CET and exam-focused teaching Re-evaluation of how teaching takes place/what is taught > NCTEAP

Follow-up observations What is NCTEAP? 8 trainers in pairs Follow-up observations Team training Attendance Workshop style Duration Pass Reflective Essay (1500-2000 words) Two or three weeks Full-time Trainee-centred 1st cycle: 19 trainees

English as an International Language NCTEAP – Threads Inform Everything English as an International Language Review & Consolidation Critical Thinking Observation & Reflection

Content Themes Classroom 02 01 03 04 05 Practice The EAP Teacher as Language Expert Classroom Practice 01 03 Teaching the Language Skills 04 EAP Course Design and Assessment 05 Materials and Technologies

We assumed shared… Definition of EAP Application of the P Terms of reference: discourse community, genre, needs, language acts, etc Definition of EAP Application of the P

! Trainees Demanded “When will you give us the EAP book?” “When will you tell us how to teach?” “When will you tell us what to teach?” 8

Was our refocus well received? Refocus: Frame of Reference Sociolinguistics Terms and Notions Practitioner Identity Was our refocus well received? “My initial expectation was that this course would concentrate more on EAP teaching strategies and techniques for general EAP contexts, so there was some disappointment there.”

TEAP Training should Create Neglect the underpinnings: ideas come first Be a series of demonstrations of teaching activities / tasks Just model use of a “good” course book Promote ‘pseudocontent’ as authentic Create institutional leaders designers and developers EAP professionals Foster observation culture institutional collaborative culture

Further lessons Importance of getting the core concepts clear: ‘Academic’ does not translate easily into Chinese: the commonest Chinese word summons up images of ‘top experts… probably in white coats, in a laboratory.’ Centrality of the discipline, and the way disciplinary identity is formed and expressed through language (trainees had tended to assume that there was ‘an EAP’ – a single one) Acknowledgement that Chinese teachers typically have very limited autonomy: institutional and cultural constraints are very strong (teachers are expected to behave ‘like teachers’). Sensitivity to this context is appreciated

References Huang, F.T. (2007). Internationalisation of higher education in China: A focus on foreign degree- conferring programs. RIKE International Publication Series, 10, 421-432. The British Council. (2013). The shape of things to come. The evolution of transnational education: data, definitions, opportunities and impacts analysis. http://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/britishcouncil.uk2/files/the_shape_of_things_to_come_2.p df. Accessed 8 June 2016.