The document discusses the challenges international students face in adapting to the expectations of academic writing at the master's level in Western universities. It notes that concepts like plagiarism, citation, and evidence-based writing may be unfamiliar to some students from educational systems where copying text without attribution was accepted. The presentation aims to model a critical thinking approach to help students understand academic discourse and develop their academic writing skills. It encourages students to apply questions around academic language, hedging, structure, and use of other research to sample texts and their own writing. The overarching argument is that mastering the discourse of academic writing is a core competency for advanced study.
5. Back home, all assessments were blatant copy-paste from website. Reading literature was unheard of. Referencing was never done. Nobody heard of EndNote let alone plagiarism. So adapting to a system where quoting three consecutive words without a citation was tantamount to plagiarism was difficult! [India]
6. Academic English is nobody’s mother tongue. ‘If you can’t write, you don’t have a voice’ Malcolm Gilles, 2010
7. Doing Model a critical thinking approach Analyse a piece of academic writing Discussion
17. Nanotechnology Evaluate the importance of nanotechnology for the development of smart materials using case studies from one of the following: smart biological materials; smart molecular materials; or smart electronic materials.
21. Nanotechnology Applying the critical thinking questions to reading academic articles Prep: reading Kelsallet al to identify examples of: Academic language Certainty vs probability (hedging) Structure, signposting Using other people’s research
22. Nanotechnology Applying the critical thinking questions to writing Kelsallet al to identify examples of: Academic language Certainty vs probability (hedging) Structure, signposting Using other people’s research
23. Nanotechnology Applying the critical thinking questions to reading each other’s work Checking for: Academic language Certainty vs probability (hedging) Structure, signposting Using other people’s research
33. Thank you! a.e.seabourne@leeds.ac.uk lucubrat.wordpress.com twitter.com/lucubrat Something you found useful Something you want to know more about [Your name]
Penetrating the mysteries of academic style and producing written assignments of an acceptable quality are two of the most demanding tasks faced by all students at university. However, due to unfamiliar approaches, differing expectations and perplexing uses of language, international students in particular often struggle to negotiate the transition to the requirements of academic discourse at Masters level. Taking a critical approach in their studies can also be a mode to which they are unaccustomed. The challenge for learning developers is to engage students in recognising academic discourse, developing their understanding of it and applying this knowledge to their own writing.
London Met VC
Based on Paul, P. & Elder, L. (2006) Critical Thinking: Learn the tools the best thinkers use, concise edition. Pearson.
Why have you chosen this session? – Post its?Personal interest
Increasing numbers of international studentsGap between students and academics’ expectationsPoints of viewStudentsParentsGovernment policyLearning developersDifferent educational backgrounds
LanguagePre-sessional programmesEAP vs contentIt can be taught!
Lea and Street?Can be taught
The practice of academic wrting as socially situatedCDA – as a barrierhttp://www.mendeley.com/groups/961271/critthink-at-aldcon/papers/
Case studies hereAlso - sli
Critical thinking questionsTest – write an abstract
Chinese proverb or native american prayer?Tell me, I’ll forget!Recognise it first, then do!
