These slides accompany the morning presentation and workshop given on 27th January at Masaryk University Language Centre in Brno, Czech Republic. https://www.cjv.muni.cz/cs/benoit-guilbaud-1/

1. LANGUAGES FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES
IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Benoît Guilbaud, University of Sussex, UK
TYDEN CJV, MASARYK UNIVERSITY, 27/01/2017
@BENGUILBAUD

2. TODAY’S SESSIONS
➤ Morning session:
• Languages for Specific
Purposes in Higher
Education (UK initiative)
• Medical language teaching
at the University of
Manchester
• Throughout: group work on
key issues in LSP pedagogy,
course design, teaching
challenges

3. TODAY’S SESSIONS
➤ Afternoon session:
• Report on two case studies:
• Improving collaboration
using online discussion
forums
• Collaborative vocabulary
building for LSP courses
using mobile technology
• Throughout: discussions
around possible uses and
development of above case
studies

4. ABOUT ME
➤ Teaching Fellow in French, UK
• Manchester Metropolitan
University (2007-2012)
• University of Manchester
(2012-2016)
• University of Sussex (2016-
present)
➤ Taught medical French, French
for law & business
➤ Research interests: L2
pedagogy, ed tech, LSP
➤ Co-organiser of LSPHE
conference

5. ABOUT YOU
In a few words…
➤ Which courses do you teach
on?
➤ Which levels are covered?
➤ In which ways are they
specific?
➤ What are the main challenges?
➤ Which areas would you like to
improve on in the future?

6. UK HE CONTEXT
➤ Decline in number of students
studying languages in HE as a
degree course
➤ Number of students studying
languages in HE in a non-
specialist capacity on the rise
➤ (Source: UCML/AULC survey on
IWLPs, 2012-2016)
➤ In 2014, HEA summit looking
at key issues in IWLP & LSP
➤ Apparent increase in demand
for language courses on specific
purposes?
➤ LSP revival?

7. STARTING POINT
➤ 2015 conference presentation
“What’s so special about LSP?”,
(Guilbaud, Kantus & Tual,
2015)
➤ Surveyed UK institutions
through AULC mailing list to
gauge interest in taking part in
an LSP meeting
➤ Over 20 institutions
responded
➤ Received sponsorship from
DAAD (German Academic
Exchange Service) to organise
an event on LSP

8. LSPHE
➤ Organisation of “Languages for
Specific Purposes in Higher
Education” (LSPHE) conference
➤ Developed into a yearly event
➤ Now part of the AULC as a
Special Interest Group (SIG)
➤ Raising the profile for LSP in
the UK, generating interest
➤ Promoting good practice in
language teaching, showcasing
existing LSP provisions
➤ Reaching out to EU (despite
Brexit)

9. LSPHE 2015
➤ University of Manchester,
Friday 11th September 2015
➤ Triple focus on management,
course design and teaching
practice
➤ 43 delegates
➤ 8 presentations (1 non-UK)
➤ 1 workshop

10. LSPHE 2015
➤ Conference highlights:
“Rebooting LSP”
(Nick Byrne, LSE)
“Institutional headache”
(Mark Critchley, Durham)
➤ Points for discussion:
Tutors’ (lack of) specialist
knowledge
anxiety? (Coates & Thoresen
(1976)
Specific / general balance?
Approaches to skill-based
teaching?
Networks: need for links and
support!

11. LSPHE 2016
➤ University of Cambridge,
Friday 9th September 2016
➤ Focus on task-based learning
➤ 50 delegates
➤ 11 presentations in total,
with parallel sessions
➤ Keynote speaker: Jean-Jacques
Richer (Université de
Bourgogne, France)

12. LSPHE 2016
➤ Conference highlights:
“Incorporating text types
and culture in TBL for LSP”
(J.J. Richer, Université de
Bourgogne)
“Scoring LSP tasks”
(Prof. Christian Krekeler,
Hochschule Konstanz HTWG)
➤ Points for discussion:
Incorporating TBL (Nunan,
2004)
Task-based language
assessment (Ellis 2003,
Wigglesworth 2008)
Teaching LSP to beginners

13. NEW IN 2017
➤ New website: LSPHE.org
News about the conference
Archives (programmes,
slides, references)
Resource sharing section
Other conferences on LSP
Contribute!
➤ Twitter account:
@LSPHEconference

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17. @LSPHEconference
#LSPHE2017

18. LSPHE 2017
➤ University of Oxford,
Friday 8th September 2017
➤ Local committee members:
Tania Batelli-Kneale
Véronique Davis
Esmeralda Frances-Martinez
➤ Conference themes:
teaching practice &
methodology
developing students’ skills
curriculum design
assessment
ICT
training, teacher’s role and
skills
➤ Call for papers is out!

19. GROUP ACTIVITY
➤ In your groups, complete
activity 1 on the handout
provided.
Discuss three to five of the
10 questions provided.
Your group will then share
their answers with the
other participants

20. MEDICAL
LANGUAGE IN
MANCHESTER
AN EXAMPLE OF LSP
PROVISION IN THE UK

21. MEDICAL
LANGUAGE IN
MANCHESTER
AN EXAMPLE OF LSP
PROVISION IN THE UK
➤ “MBChB with European Studies
programme”
➤ 5-year integrated programme
➤ French, Spanish and German, B1 entry
➤ ≃170 students in total (10% of Medical
School)
➤ Largest medical language provision in
the UK
➤ Graduates practising abroad, working at
Médecins Sans Frontières, etc.

22. MEDICAL
LANGUAGE IN
MANCHESTER
AN EXAMPLE OF LSP
PROVISION IN THE UK
➤ ≃ 2 hours per week for 4 years
➤ Up to two self-arranged 4-week placements
in L2 country
➤ One 4-month compulsory Erasmus
placement in year 5
➤ Classes in the day in years 1-2, in the
evening in years 3-4
➤ External speakers once per semester
➤ Anglo-French Medical Society (AFMS)
conference each year
➤ Skype-based exchange scheme (E-Tandem)

23. MEDICAL
LANGUAGE IN
MANCHESTER
AN EXAMPLE OF LSP
PROVISION IN THE UK
➤ Skill-based internal examinations
➤ External examinations:
Diplôme de Français Médical B2
Diplôme Avancé de la Langue
Française C1
Certificado Básico de Español de las
Ciencias de la Salud Level B2
Certificado Superior de Español de
las Ciencias de la Salud Level C1
Goethe Zertifikat Level B2
Goethe Zertifikat Level C1

24. SAMPLE SKILL-BASED SYLLABUS (YEAR 1)
Week #1 Anatomy Week #6 Treatment prescription
Week #2 Pain and symptoms Week #7 Pharmacology
Week #3 History taking Week #8 Hospital structure
Week #4 Clinical examination Week #9 Healthcare systems (1/2)
Week #5 Diagnosis Week #10
Healthcare systems (2/2)
+ revisions

25. GROUP ACTIVITY
➤ In your groups, complete activity 2 on
the handout provided.
In your groups, design a 10-week
syllabus for an imaginary LSP course
of your choice, including assessment
Present your work to the rest of the
participants

26. CHALLENGES
➤ Motivation and retention
➤ Lack of literature and external exams in
some languages (esp. German)
➤ Mix of language abilities, including
native speakers
➤ Lack of medical expertise from tutors,
and lack of access to experts
➤ Timetable constraints / commute to
teaching hospitals: suggested Skype
sessions
➤ Financial viability

27. GROUP ACTIVITY
➤ In your groups, complete activity 3 on
the handout provided.
In your groups, think of a difficult
classroom situation (draw from your
experience). Write it out in detail.
Another group will have to come up
with a solution and will then act out
the situation and its resolution.

28. Benoît Guilbaud, University of Sussex, UK
TYDEN CJV, MASARYK UNIVERSITY, 27/01/2017
@BENGUILBAUD
THANK YOU
VERY MUCH