Writing at EAP and ESP

Critique of The theory and Practice of Online Teaching and Learning: A Guide for Academic Professionals. The Theory and Practice of Online Teaching and Learning: A Guide for Academic Professionals is a freebook published by Routledge that compiles excerpts from different titles aimed at providing educators with the basic steps into online teaching. Even though virtual environments have become increasingly common, many professionals are still reluctant to introduce technology in their practices because they feel vulnerable in the face of this change. They could mistakenly believe that physical presence and synchronicity are critical in learning. Nonetheless, communication can be successful if the parties involved embrace this new environment enthusiastically.             In chapter 1, Ko and Rossen (2010) establish a comparison between online and conventional teaching. They offer tips to plan an online course or convert a tradition...

Warwick, L. (2016). The use of assessment criteria in classroom speaking tasks.  Research Notes: The 2015 Cambridge English/English Uk Action Research Scheme , 66, 16-21. This paper describes a two-phase study conducted with a class of nine pre-intermediate adult students at a private language school in the UK over a 7-week period. The purpose of the study was to explore the use of success criteria in relation to self-assessment and the development of speaking skills. In the first phase, learners were presented with a set of criteria after a speaking activity. In the second phase, they were given the criteria before the activity. In comparison, self-assessment ratings were closer to those of the teacher in the second phase, when students knew in advance what was expected from them. The results concluded that having a set of criteria to assess themselves before tasks improved the students’ speaking skills. The use of success criteria may have a positive effect on learni...

In 2005, Steve Jobs delivered a speech at Stanford in which he revealed three personal stories to new graduates. The purpose of this paper is to summarize his words. In the first place, he advised them to “Connect the dots” (Jobs, 2005). Even when we cannot make sense of different situations in life, we must remain confident because everything will fit together in the end. Jobs resorted to an anecdote to illustrate this idea. After dropping university, he felt lost and a disappointment to his parents. He attended a calligraphy course and although he found it fascinating, there was no clear purpose. However, this class was a great help ten years later when he designed the first Macintosh and was able to put his knowledge into practice to create beautiful typography. In his second story, Jobs encouraged them to learn from loss and to follow their hearts. He explained how he was fired from his own company, Apple, and how he came back due to perseverance, determination, and love for h...