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ERIC Number: ED295433
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1986-Apr
Pages: 15
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Teaching Scientific and Technical French at Napier College in Scotland.
Mitchell, Evelyne
Scotland's vocationally-oriented Napier College was funded by the French Government to develop language courses for scientists and engineers. The courses developed have been intensive and extensive, based on work started by a team of French scientists focusing on the language, concepts, and ways of thinking common to the scientific community. Instruction prepares students for the Paris Chamber of Commerce certification examination for scientific and technical professions, and emphasizes the specialized and unique characteristics of scientific and technical language use, including grammar, syntax, and discourse structure. An experimental course designed in France for a variety of foreign scientists was chosen for the core of instruction. The method uses a process similar to scientific inquiry, in which the participants make observations in controlled conditions. The materials consist of a dialogue of realistic interactions of professionals, a filmstrip of pictures for observation and description, a vocabulary list, and teacher's guides. Other materials are being collected for program use. Guest scientists are invited to speak to the classes. Experience to date suggests that the kind of target audience requires a different instructional approach and provides different opportunities than does the traditional adult language-learning group. Interest in the courses is increasing. (MSE)
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A