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We
learn best by doing
Modern education is based on the idea of learning by
experience. We think about something, perhaps read
about it, and then try it out. Then, we think again about
what happened, and how we can do it better. This idea of
'learning by doing' is the core of our teaching in the AEP program.
Your purpose in learning English
You are learning English because you want to use English to learn
another subject. That means, if we believe about
learning by doing,
that you should learn English partly through learning something else.
That is the essence of
content
learning.
Content-Centered language Learning
Content-centered language learning means that you learn language by
concentrating on meaning. In every AEP class, a real
university subject provides the framework for learning (see our
main course description for
details). You are not learning
about a language,
rather you are learning English by
using it to learn about something else. You are
doing exactly what you will be doing in university or your professional
life. Of course the form of the language, the grammar, is
important -- but concentrating on meaning is exactly how you learned
language as a baby. Your teachers are professionally trained
in balancing their lessons between instruction on meaning and the focus
on
form. Not only will your English improve rapidly, you will
also
have a real introduction to university life in a Western setting.
Communicative Language Learning
Another teaching technique that goes along with our focus on meaning
is Communicative Language Teaching, or CLT.
CLT emphasizes the use of language for real
communicative purposes.
Students learn by doing, so when you talk in class, when you
discuss the new ideas you are learning about academic subjects, you are
developing and extending your vocabulary and your understanding of
grammar.
A whole new way of looking at writing
You may be used to writing an essay to show that you know English.
That is
not
what you will be doing in our AEP program. The purpose of
writing at a university is to help clarify your ideas about a subject,
and then to demonstrate your understanding of those ideas. English is only a tool to these goals.
Your teachers will help you use writing to organize your
thinking, and then to explain your ideas clearly as you
write. Grammar
is
important, but at university, and in
professional life, it is
the
ideas which are the most important.
Task and Project based learning
Another teaching technique used frequently in the Academic
English Program is task and project based learning.
Students learn to present their ideas in the classroom by
doing just that -- making formal presentations. Many of you
will be earning income as you study abroad by acting as a Graduate
Teaching Assistant or GTA. The guided practice you receive
from our teachers in classroom presentations will prepare you for this
kind of employment abroad.
Motivation, Interest and Good Fun
Language learning, in fact any learning, should not be boring.
Our teachers know how to bring the academic subjects you are
studying '
alive',
and our classes are full of fun. University life is full of
social activities, and you need the language for these situations too. Foreign students often
study in our AEP program, and AUA provides plenty of opportunities to
get to know all your new friends and use English in real social
settings. Fun is very much part of learning at AUA.
