Improve your support for students’ language development
Hello Johanna McElwee, director of studies at the Language Workshop. You are inviting all teachers to workshops in June 2023 on how to support students’ academic reading and writing. Register for the workshops no later than 7 June 2023.
Which teachers do you think should attend?
“All teachers! These workshops are aimed at all teaching staff at the University. Anyone interested in discussing how we can support students’ academic language skills is welcome to attend.”
Why should a teacher attend a workshop at the Language Workshop, isn’t it better to focus on helping the students who need support?
“The Language Workshop welcomes many students from across the University for tutoring (last year we carried out almost 1,300 tutoring sessions). We therefore have thorough experience of talking to students about the writing process and helping them interpret instructions and comments, meaning we can act as a bridge between students and course teachers. Through our workshops for teachers, we hope to reach even more students and help the University’s courses and programmes develop strategies to support students’ academic language development.”
What will participants take away from the sessions that could benefit them as teachers?
“The hope is for participants to feel that they have been given concrete ideas about how to promote their students’ language development. In addition to providing an opportunity for discussion, the workshops offer participants a chance to try out various tools that can be used to support students’ reading, give concrete and constructive feedback on students’ texts and develop clear writing instructions, for example.”
Have you received any feedback from teachers who attended your previous workshops?
“In order to make the workshops as useful as possible, the participants have had to bring their own examples of writing instructions or student texts that they’ve had the chance to test out using the various tools we discussed. Several of the teachers who participated last semester emphasised that they particularly appreciated being given concrete advice and the chance to test out different tools themselves. Several participants also mentioned that it was valuable to exchange experiences with teachers from other departments and faculties.”
What can you do if you don’t have the opportunity to attend in June?
“We plan to offer similar workshops again this autumn. In addition, departments and teaching groups can invite us to hold a lecture or workshop on any topic relating to methods for supporting their students’ academic language development. This type of session can be a good starting point for a discussion within your own teaching groups about how to support your students’ language development in a consistent and explicit way and enhance progression within a programme.”
Anders Berndt
Workshops in June 2023
The Language Workshop in inviting teachers to workshops in June 2023 on how to support students’ academic reading and writing. Register no later than 7 June 2023.
- June 14: Constructive text comments (two parallel workshops, one in Swedish and one in English)
- June 14: Assignment instructions (given only in Swedish)
- June 15: Reading strategies (given only in Swedish)
Facts about the Language Workshop
- The Language Workshop is free and available to all Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral-level students at the University.
- The Language Workshop offers individual tutoring in academic writing and oral presentations in both Swedish and English.
- The Language Workshop also offers support to departments and other units in the work of strengthening students' and doctoral students' academic languages.