Eva Čoupková & Daniela Dlabolová
Masaryk University Language Centre, Brno, CZ
Conference skills comprise a wide range of activities and tasks students should master to be professional and informed conference participants. The paper discusses a theoretical background, individual tasks, goals, and scenarios developed within the framework of the project called a “Mock Scientific Conference”, as well as the setbacks and challenges the instructors and students encountered during the project preparation and implementation.
The conference simulation may be seen as an instance of Project Based Learning, which advocates for a student-centred and experiential approach to education through exploring the real-world situations and problems (Pellegrino and Hilton, 2012). This approach also emphasizes the deeper learning and the development of skills needed for success during university studies, career, and life in general. In keeping with other student-centred and inquiry-based approaches, it promotes critical thinking, collaboration and learner-independence. Parker at al., 2013, also stress that the subject or content of Project Based Learning should be authentic.
For the students of science, the format of a scientific conference appears to be an appropriate project, as they often participate in various student conferences in the course of their undergraduate and postgraduate studies, and in specialized scientific conferences as soon as they embark on their professional careers. The students find the conference simulation to be highly motivating because it gives them the opportunity to show their expert knowledge and erudition as well as the ability to collaborate and interact with their peers. In the course of the project development, they are expected not only to prepare abstracts, bionotes and posters, and then deliver their presentations, but also to compile the book of abstracts, call for papers and conference programme, and participate actively in the event by adopting various roles, i.e. give opening and closing speeches, chair individual sections and organize discussions about the papers. Therefore, they enhance their speaking and writing skills in a context relevant for their future careers and acquire a range of transferable skills such as organizing an event and communicating effectively.
Konferenční dovednosti zahrnují celou škálu aktivit a úkolů, které studenti potřebují zvládnout. Pro studenty přírodovědných oborů je vědecká konference praktickým a autentickým projektem, úzce svázaným s jejich studijním programem i budoucí kariérou. V prezentaci uvádíme teoretická východiska pro nácvik konferenčních dovedností spolu s nastíněním organizace a rozvržení projektu, jednotlivých aktivit, zapojení studentů a výsledného tvaru vědecké konference nanečisto. Zmiňujeme i možná úskalí a překážky, které bylo třeba při vývoji a implementaci kurzu překonat. Z ohlasů studentů vyplývá, že tento typ projektu napomáhá aktivnímu a nezávislému přístupu studentů k jazykové výuce, rozvíjí jejich samostatnost a kritické myšlení, a ukazuje jim důležitost spolupráce a efektivní týmové komunikace.
References:
Parker, W.C., Lo, J., Valencia, S.W., Nguyen, D., Abbott, R.D., Nolen, S.B., Bransford, J.D., and Vye, N.J. (2013). Beyond breadth-speed-test: Toward deeper knowing and engagement in an advanced placement course. American Educational Research Journal, 50(6), 1424-1459.
Pellegrino, J.W., and Hilton, M.I. (Eds). (2012). Education for life and work: Developing transferable knowledge and skills in the 21st century. Washington, DC: National Academic Press.
Eva Čoupková is an assistant professor at the Language Centre of Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. She teaches Academic English and English for Specific Purposes for Mathematics, Physics and Geography students. Her field of interest is Gothic Literature and English Romanticism of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. She obtained her PhD in 2003 from Palacký University in Olomouc for her dissertation on Gothic Novel and Drama as two related genres of English literature. She also does research in the area of ESP, collaborative learning and project-based learning.
Daniela Dlabolová works as a lecturer at the Language Centre of Masaryk University. She teaches Academic English and English for Specific Purposes at the Faculty of Science and at the Faculty of Sports Studies. Substantial part of her professional activity is designing language courses for the students of chemical disciplines. Her interest in innovative methodology springs from her research on the experimental method in pre-romantic English novel upon graduation, while at present she is interested in project-based learning and simulations in EAP and ESP classroom.