Teaching Academic Vocabulary to Foreign Graduate Students
The foreign graduate student in an American university needs
to exhibit a wide range of academic skills. To participate effectively in the
research-oriented environment of the American university, he needs an excellent
command of vocabulary both technical and academic. Technical and academic
vocabulary are not synonymous terms. Technical vocabulary is the specific
vocabulary related to a particular discipline. Each field has a technical
vocabulary. The technical vocabulary is obvious. The academic vocabulary items
are: computations, based on, models, verified, and significantly.
The vocabulary submitted was evaluated according to the
following pedagogical criteria:
1. It should be unfamiliar to or incorrectly used by many
students.
2. It should not only help the student recognize familiar
items but also help him extend his knowledge to include unfamiliar items. Thus,
wherever feasible, the vocabulary should be presented both structurally and
contextually.
3. It should be useful to the student in all four areas of
language use- listening comprehension, speech, reading comprehension, and
writing.
4. It should reinforce and be reinforced by a wide range of essential academic skills including outlining, paraphrasing, taking exams, note- taking, writing papers, and giving seminars.
4. It should reinforce and be reinforced by a wide range of essential academic skills including outlining, paraphrasing, taking exams, note- taking, writing papers, and giving seminars.
The three groups appropriate for teaching:
The Research Process
The vocabulary of the research process (primarily verbs and
nouns) is essential for the foreign graduate student. The vocabulary is
presented in a context which discusses the five steps of research: formulating,
investigating, analyzing, drawing conclusions, and reporting results. Then the
steps are listed, along with synonyms and possible activities within each step.
The Vocabulary of
Analysis
The second set of academic vocabulary, the vocabulary of
analysis, includes high-frequency verbs and two-word verbs which are often
over- looked in teaching English to foreign students but which graduate
students need in order to present information in an organized sequence.
The Vocabulary of
Evaluation
An excerpt from a book review, first without and then with
evaluative adjectives, follows: The first section of the book is an examination
of twentieth century research in the field. In the second section he elaborates
his theory of primate socialization. Warren's study is reading material for any
scientist with an interest in primate behavior. The first section of the book
is an exhaustive examination of twentieth century research in the field. In the
second section he elaborates his controversial theory of primate socialization.
Warren's coherent study is indispensable reading material for any scientist
with an interest in primate behavior.
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