University of Tartu, Estonia
Fall 2007 Description
Seminars on Language Development and Intercultural Teaching are for academic teaching faculty at the University of Tartu who are interested in developing fluency and accuracy in their English language skills, particularly as those skills relate to their academic teaching or work environments. Each seminar is a stand-alone workshop designed to focus on a specific element of learning or teaching. The content strives to highlight aspects of excellence in higher education teaching; however, the seminars will be conducted in English and have a dual focus on the language-related skills necessary for success in the participants’ international academic environment. Participants may choose attend one, a few, or all of the seminars listed below. Pre-registration for the seminars is required and space will be reserved for those who respond first.
Pre-registration for individual seminars is required Pre-registration for seminars is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Should seminars fill, a waiting list will be maintained and participants will be notified should additional spaces become available.
Enrollment limit: 20
Meeting times: Fridays 9-12 a.m.
Meeting place: Ülikooli 17, room 323
Schedule of Seminars
| Date | Topic | Pre-Registration Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| October 5, 2007 | More Hallway Talk | October 3, 2007 |
| October 19, 2007 | Active Learning during Lectures | October 17, 2007 |
| October 26, 2007 | Stellar Presentations I | October 24, 2007 |
| November 2, 2007 | Stellar Presentations II | October 24, 2007 |
| November 16, 2007 | Academic Listening | November 14, 2007 |
| November 30, 2007 | Dynamic Discussions | November 28, 2007 |
| December 14, 2007 | Advanced Grammar for Grammarphobes | December 12, 2007 |
Seminar Topics
More Hallway Talk
Because it is important to be able to speak both inside and outside of the academic community about your work, this workshop focuses on the language skills and cultural knowledge necessary to simplify technical topics and communicate the relevance of your work to a broad audience. Participants will practice these skills and receive feedback. (Pre-registration deadline: October 3, 2007)
Active Learning during Lectures
This seminar focuses on simple ways to enhance the content of your lectures with creative and communicative practices to capture student attention and improve student learning. (Pre-registration deadline: October 17, 2007)
Stellar Presentations I and II
This two-part seminar helps participants better their presentation skills for international conferences or lecturing. The first seminar will focus on audience awareness, communication style, organizing language and presentation techniques, and the importance of stress and intonation in presenting. The seminars will include practice and feedback, as well as a final video-taped presentation on topics related to the participants’ disciplines during the second meeting. At the end of the seminar, participants will receive individualized feedback from the instructor and other participants.
*Participants interested in these workshops must attend both workshops. (Pre-registration deadline: October 24, 2007)
Academic Listening
Participants focus on the skills needed to understand the English-speaking classroom. The seminar will focus on listening comprehension and skills useful for better understanding the verbal organization of academic lectures/presentations. We will look at authentic lectures (video/audio) and practice a variety of listening strategies, including topic identification, signaling, and note-taking. Participants will improve their academic listening and be better prepared to help international students better understand their own lectures. (Pre-registration deadline: November 14, 2007)
Dynamic discussions
In this seminar, we will focus on aspects of leading and participating in positive and engaging classroom discussion. We will examine techniques and language for facilitating productive discussions. Participants will actively participate in practicing discussion techniques during the seminar. (Pre-registration deadline: November 28, 2007)
Advanced Grammar for Grammarphobes
If you like English but continue to fear its grammar, this seminar is for you! We will take a fun look at grammatical issues that plague native and non-native speech such as pronoun usage, typically misused words, punctuation, and email English. (Pre-registration deadline: December 12, 2007)
