Introducing corpora and corpus tools into the technical writing classroom through Data-Driven Learning (DDL)

Abstract

Three of the most important components of any successful language-skills course are the identification of learner needs, the specification of target language that will meet those needs and the choice of a suitable teaching/learning methodology (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987; Nation and MacAlister, 2010). In the design of discipline-specific writing courses, however, course administrators face unique challenges when considering all three of these components. First, discipline-specific writing courses tend to be positioned as cross-departmental academic purpose courses targeting learners from a wide variety of disciplines with varying levels of interest and ability in writing. As a result, the needs of learners will also vary widely. Second, research has shown that the language, skills and genres of specialised disciplines vary significantly (Biber, 1988; Hyland, 2002, 2008; Hyland and Bondi, 2006). Hyland (2002), therefore, argues that a successful writing course should focus on particular disciplines and their unique differences. However, if a discipline-specific writing course is taken by learners of varying disciplines, no one specification of language can satisfy the class as a whole. This leads to the third challenge of choosing a suitable learning methodology. Some teachers, particularly in Asian countries, are most comfortable using a teacher-centered, prescriptive approach to writing instruction, in which they give students a set of rules (or guidelines) to follow, for example, in terms of paragraph structuring, choice of logical connections, or phraseology. Although this may be partially successful in a general English writing classroom, its success will be very limited in a discipline-specific writing classroom due to the heterogeneous nature of the learners. Also, even if a writing course is targeted at a homogenous group of learners, it is still questionable if a teacher-centered, prescriptive methodology should be utilised. Teachers of writing courses are unlikely to be specialists in the target field, and thus, will struggle to design a set of rules or guidelines that accurately map all its language peculiarities. A prescriptive approach would also not allow students to foster other essential skills that they needin the international workplace, such as the ability to adapt to new areas and methods of work through analytical, problem-solving skills and negotiated, teamwork-based discover learning (Dovey, 2006; Gee et al., 1996; Northedge, 2003). Gee et al. (1996: 165) emphasise this point when they state that the one key skill that people need in the international workplace is the ability to ‘learn how to learn’.

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