Научная статья на тему 'Esp textbooks for medical students developed in and out of the local situation: pros and contras'

Esp textbooks for medical students developed in and out of the local situation: pros and contras Текст научной статьи по специальности «Языкознание и литературоведение»

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Аннотация научной статьи по языкознанию и литературоведению, автор научной работы — Kostenko V.G.

Much has being done to create knowledge about the specific needs to be covered in specialized language classrooms, in order to make this kind of language teaching as efficient as possible. Finding appropriate approach to design textbooks in English for medical purposes is one of the most important didactic tasks. The study has demonstrated the ESP textbook for medical students developed out of the local situation for the last decade are much superior than those domestic ones in helping students of medical sciences in our country to improve their job-related communicative skills and competence. But oversea textbooks are inconsistent with Ukrainian curriculum for medical students and designed for upper-intermediate English proficiency, while the majority of Ukrainian medical students are observed to have unsatisfactory command of English language. And, moreover, these books have lots of charts, grids, tables, pictures, extractions of related paperwork, audio-visual support. An ideal textbook for ESP should combine a process approach to develop writing, speaking, and listening skills, not giving the priority to the ability to read and comprehend science and job-related materials. It is desirable to design this textbook supplemented by extracurricular teaching aids such as other pamphlets, audio-visual aids.

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Текст научной работы на тему «Esp textbooks for medical students developed in and out of the local situation: pros and contras»

BICHHKBfl,H3y «yKpaïncbKa Medunna стомaтоnогiцna aKadeMm»

Summary

PROSPECTS OF INTEGRATING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS IN THE INSTRUCTION IN CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY

Kapustianska A.A., Moiseeva N.V., Vakhnenko A.V., Ryabushko M. M., Ostrovska G.Yu.

Key words: clinical pharmacology, higher medical education, multimedia learning tools, innovative technologies.

The development and integration of powerful and advanced digital technologies for learning are important for improving and promoting the market of educational services and innovations in the field of medical education. To achieve this objective, close cooperation of the information industry and education is strongly required. One of the main strategic objectives of development of the information healthcare society is to ensure computer and information literacy of students and healthcare providers by designing the system of education, based on the use of new information and computer technologies. In general, the applying ICT for the course "Clinical Pharmacology" is an extremely useful and fruitful educational technology due to its inherent interactivity, flexibility and integration of different types of multimedia educational information, as well as with the ability to take into account the individual characteristics of students and increase their motivation. Multimedia form allows of submitting the material as a system of bright clue images, full of well-structured information in a comprehensive algorithmic order. The purpose of such presentation of educational information is to develop students' imaginative thinking. Multimedia learning technologies are promising and highly effective tools to present information to a greater extent than conventional sources of information and in the sequence that corresponds to the logic of the course and the level of students' perception.

UCD 372.8+811.111.7. Kostenko V. G.

ESP TEXTBOOKS FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS DEVELOPED IN AND OUT OF THE LOCAL SITUATION: PROS AND CONTRAS

Higher State Educational Institution "Ukrainian Medical Dental Academy", Poltava

Much has being done to create knowledge about the specific needs to be covered in specialized language classrooms, in order to make this kind of language teaching as efficient as possible. Finding appropriate approach to design textbooks in English for medical purposes is one of the most important didactic tasks. The study has demonstrated the ESP textbook for medical students developed out of the local situation for the last decade are much superior than those domestic ones in helping students of medical sciences in our country to improve their job-related communicative skills and competence. But oversea textbooks are inconsistent with Ukrainian curriculum for medical students and designed for upper-intermediate English proficiency, while the majority of Ukrainian medical students are observed to have unsatisfactory command of English language. And, moreover, these books have lots of charts, grids, tables, pictures, extractions of related paperwork, audio-visual support. An ideal textbook for ESP should combine a process approach to develop writing, speaking, and listening skills, not giving the priority to the ability to read and comprehend science and job-related materials. It is desirable to design this textbook supplemented by extracurricular teaching aids such as other pamphlets, audio-visual aids.

Present-day global economy and high quality international collaboration requires career-specific language that includes workplace culture and jargon for effective delivery of professional services and the ability to coordinate research and treatment across borders. The spread of English as the language of international relationship, dissemination of knowledge ideas, and culture is well attested as there has being done too much investment in English education and economy globally, and global media - films, internet, games - reinforce its status. English is by far the most important and acceptable language of scientific and scholarly conferences, workshops and debates. Actually, no one can deny the fact that for the past few decades there has been a growing need to use the English language for the expression of information within specific professional fields. In response to this need, the teaching of ESP has become a major concern mainly in countries where English is taught as a foreign lan-

guage [3].

There is a range of definitions of ESP, but they all reflect the emphasis on how ESP teaching develops procedures appropriate to learners whose main goal is learning English for a purpose other than just language learning. In most general outline ESP can be defined as English instruction based on actual and immediate needs of learners who have to successfully perform real-life tasks unrelated to merely passing an English course or exam [7]. So, focus on learners' needs, and their identifying becomes equally paramount as the methods employed to meet those needs. Much has being done to create knowledge about the specific needs to be covered in specialized language classrooms, in order to make this kind of language teaching as efficient as possible.

There is well-founded statement Medical English cannot be taught at the level of or in the same methods of basic English language teaching [2; 6].

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According to Melodie Hull, current methods of instruction most commonly used today for health professionals, focus primarily on English language while secondarily embedding health care terminology in the lessons. These teaching strategies of lessons replete with medical terminology and simple dialogues about visits to the doctor's office and minor illnesses fail to meet the needs of the profession [2]. The language of medicine and health care is quite unique. It is closely allied with technical, academic language and abounding in slang, colloquialisms, abbreviations and acronyms. This career-specific, highly technical language must be contextually based, involving the most important and frequent elements of relevant interactions and case studies which would represent simple and complex medical practices, pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, pathology, treatment, etc. well beyond entry level of English.

Textbooks play an important role in the realm of general and EAP language programs and are considered the next important element after the teacher [5]. They are an effective resource for self-directed learning, an effective resource for teachers to present materials, a source of reference for learners, a source of ideas and tasks, a syllabus that mirror pre-determined learning objectives, and a support for inexperienced and less confident teachers [1]. Therefore, it can be stated that material evaluation and selection can act as the first and maybe the most important building block in the process of language teaching and learning.

The purpose of this article is to compare ESP textbooks for medical students developed in and out of the local situation for the last decade to see which one is better able to address the particular needs of students learning English.

Materials and methods

It should be emphasized the textbook evaluation is a subjective activity in spite of existing approaches to develop sound standards and criteria that can be applied to all educational contexts. J. McDonough and C. Shaw (2003) suggested a three-tiered model of textbook evaluation; first, external evaluation which examines the organization of materials stated by the author or the publisher; second, internal evaluation which investigates factors like the presentation of the skills, the grading, sequence, authenticity, and appropriateness of the materials; third, overall evaluation in which usability, generalizability, adaptability, and flexibility factors are examined [4]. Based on this approach, the present study makes an attempt to elucidate advantages and disadvantages of ESP textbooks in terms of content and needs achievement of medical students.

Results and their discussion

In Ukraine, as well as in other countries where English is used as a foreign language, textbooks serve as the basis for much of the language input learners receive and the language practice that takes place in the classroom. In some situations, the textbook may function as a supplement to the teacher's instruction in the ESL teaching and learning process. For most teachers, textbooks provide the foundation for the content of lessons, the balance of the skills taught, as well as the kinds of language practice the students engage in during class activities. Actually, they shape the content and nature of teaching and learning, and serve as a useful map or plan of what is intended and expected.

There is number of noteworthy oversea textbooks for Medical English available on the market today. The eye can be pleased by colourful covers, a beautiful layout and attractive artwork. Some of them as English in Medicine: A Course in Communication Skills (Cambridge Professional English,

2005) by E. Glendinning, B. Holmstrom, English for Health Sciences (Professional English Series,

2006) by by K. L. Johannsen, M. Milner, J. O'Brien, H. Sanchez, I. Williams, Professional English in Use: Medicine (Cambridge Professional English, 2007) by E. Glendinning, R. Howard, Good Practice: Communication Skills in English for the Medical Practitioner (Cambridge Professional English, 2008) by M. McCullagh, R. Wright, Medical English Clear & Simple: A Practice-Based Approach to English for ESL Healthcare Professionals (F.A. Davis Company, 2010) by M. Hull, English for Medical Purposes: Doctors (2012) by Virginia Allum are reputed as excellent resource for TEFL teachers to teach Medical English in a medical setting. The wealth of materials available makes the task of an ESP course-leader who decides to choose a published textbook particularly difficult. The textbooks are communication-focused courses designed to meet the learners' specific needs in themes and topics to particular disciplines, by offering a variety of interactive learning techniques to develop job-related communicative skills. Their activities facilitate to learn specific language functions, vocabulary and grammar related to the fields of Medicine. They are highly structured and intensive to meet doctors and medical students' specific needs. The books present authentic doctor-doctor and doctor-patient scenarios which allow for practicing the sort of conversations doctors are likely to have in the hospital environment. There are also CDs to support the books.

As most ESP courses assume basic knowledge of the language system, these resources are generally designed for intermediate or advanced students, that makes difficulties for the majority of Ukrainian medical students who feel uneasy about

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their English. Another significant drawback is their poor compatibility with Ukrainian curriculum for undergraduate medical course. Nevertheless, the books can be taught for beginners if careful attention is given to needs analysis and to an appropriate material design addressing the level of students.

The course of Medical English in Ukraine is claimed to meet the increasing demand for international scientific exchange and communication. English (Introductive and Basic Modules) is taught in the first and second semesters of the first year. It is a pre-intermediate course that is offered in the first term of specialization to health care students. It basically aims at equipping students with the necessary language skills they need to cope with the linguistic requirements of their specialisation and to use English properly and fluently in the professional environment they are expected to join. This course also introduces general medical vocabulary related to parts and functions of the body, medical and para-medical personnel, education and training. ESP (Medical Terminology) is taught in the first and second semesters of the second year. This course is aimed to improve communicative skills in the patient-, inter- and intra-profession interaction, focusing mainly on hospital environment, and to a lesser extent, on academic and research situations.

At the disposal of Ukrainian medical students there are few domestic textbooks for Medical English approved by the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine as English for Medical Students (2003) by L. Avrakhova, English for Medical Professionals (2010) by I. Znamenska, O. Pisotska, V. Kostenko, English for Professional Purposes (Medicine) (2013) by the group of authors at the base of Lviv National Medical University. Despite of their distinct features they have much in common with each others. They are intended to be used with low-intermediate students who are already familiar with the basic rules of the English language, and they can use these rules more or less successfully. It seems that the aim of the books is just improving reading comprehension while the way and the methods to develop other job-related competencies are not clearly specified. The students' activity is supposed to get the main idea of the text, to discuss the main idea, to paraphrase the text, to find the meaning of new vocabulary items through the contextual clues, to do language focus, and to summarize the text. Therefore, materials for reading play a crucial role in exposing learners to the language. The teacher faces a dilemma - on the one hand the students should work with authentic texts so that they develop relevant discourse skills, but on the other hand, the complexity of curtain medical texts, high level of lexical density often makes the comprehension process highly challenging. To stimulate and motivate, materials need to be

challenging yet achievable; to offer new ideas and information while being grounded in the learners' experience and knowledge. The solution is to explore the didactic potential of the use of reasonably modified texts in teaching English as a supplement to language activities based on authentic texts.

The basic texts are then followed by these items: pre-reading activities and post-text tasks including true/false questions, multiple choice questions (some of the choices are in sentence format and the others in single word format), oral answers to the questions, fill-in-the blank (either the appropriate form of the given words or just the given words), paragraph formation in which students are provided with a group of disordered sentences and are required to unscramble them. The question types which follow the second text for reading are very similar to the previous ones with a bit difference: true / false questions, multiple choice questions (this time choices are just in sentence format), written answers to the questions. Both texts are accompanied with an exercise which contains a list of words for which students are supposed to find suitable Ukrainian equivalents.

Writing research papers is a very important part in medical practice and medical students, future doctors, are very well aware that this is one of the ways of becoming equal members of medical community worldwide and expanding the field of work and professional development across the borders of their own country. Therefore, the textbooks need to include the conventions of writing in English, along with specific rules and propositions concerning scientific papers and job-relating papers, e.g. referral letters, discharge summary, etc. At this point attention should be paid to the specific genre, including style and form. Unfortunately, this aspect is not carefully represented throughout above mentioned domestic manuals.

Conclusion

The study has demonstrated the ESP textbook for medical students developed out of the local situation for the last decade are much superior than those domestic ones in helping students of medical sciences in our country to improve their job-related communicative skills and competence. But oversea textbooks are inconsistent with Ukrainian curriculum for medical students and designed for upper-intermediate English proficiency, while the majority of Ukrainian medical students are observed to have unsatisfactory command of English language. And, moreover, these books have lots of charts, grids, tables, pictures, extractions of related paperwork, audio-visual support.

Finding appropriate approach to design textbooks in English for medical purposes is one of the most important didactic tasks. Textbooks survive because they are the most suitable means of pro-

Актуальш проблеми сучасноТ медицини

viding the inputs for a teaching-learning system. A textbook demanded by the curriculum must satisfy the needs of students as learners of English. An ideal textbook for ESP should combine a process approach to develop writing, speaking, and listening skills, not giving the priority to the ability to read and comprehend science and job-related materials. It is desirable to design this textbook supplemented by extracurricular teaching aids such as other pamphlets, audio-visual aids.

References

1. Cunningsworth A. Choosing Heinemann, 1995. - 153 p.

your coursebook. - Oxford:

Hull M. Changing the Paradigm for Medical English Language Teaching // Paper presented at the 2004 International Symposium of English for Medical Purposes, Xi'an, China, October 16 -19th, 2004. - Retrieved

http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/changing-paradigm-for-medical-english-language-teaching.html

Gatehouse K. Key issues in English for specific purposes (ESP) curriculum development // The Internet TESL J. - 2001. - V.7, №10. - Retrieved http://itslej.org/Articles/ Gatehouse ESP.html. Mc Donough J., Shaw C. Materials and methods in ELT: A teachers guide (2nd ed.). - UK : Blackwell, 2003. - 423 p. Riazi A. Features of quality EAP textbooks: Insights from literature and book reviews. In G. R. Kiany & M. Khayamdar (eds.) // Proceedings of the First National ESP/EAP conference (vol. 1).Tehran : SAMT, 2005. - P. 35 - 44.

Richards J. C., Rodgers T. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 2001. - 278 p. Smoak R. (1996). What is English for Specific Purposes? // Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. English Teaching Forum. - V. 41, №2. - P. 22-30.

Реферат

П1ДРУЧНИКИ З АНГЛ1ЙСЬКОТ МОВИ ЗА ПРОФЕС1ЙНИМ СПРЯМУВАННЯМ ДЛЯ СТУДЕНТ1В-МЕДИК1В, ОПУБЛ1КОВАН1 В УКРАТН1 ТА ЗА КОРДОНОМ: ЗА I ПРОТИ Костенко В. Г.

Ключовi слова: англшська мова за професмним спрямуванням, пщручники, студенти-медики, оцшювання пщручниюв, мовленнeвi умшня.

У статт представлена спроба пор1вняльного анал1зу пщручниш з англшськоТ мови за професшним спрямуванням, виданих в УкраТы та за кордоном упродовж останнього десятил1ття. Анал1з фунтував-ся на трир1вневш модел1 оцшювання пщручнимв з ¡ноземноТ мови, розробленш Дж. Макдоноу та К. Шо. Пщручники, видан за кордоном, здебтьшого розрахован на вищий за середнш р1вень володшня анг-лшською мовою, мютять пропорцшний розподт завдань та вправ, спрямованих на розвиток основних вид1в мовленневоТ д1яльност1, включають чимало фрагмент1в документ1в р1зних жанр1в, релевантних для медичноТ сптьноти, представляють для ознайомлення так зван real-life ситуацп. Пщручники, видан! в УкраТы, вщповщають вимогам чинноТ програми з шоземно'Т мови для вищих медичних шкт, ор1-ентован на студент1в з нижче середнього та середшм р1внем володшня англшською мовою, переваж-но спрямован на полтшення навичок читання, дещо залишаючи поза межами уваги розвиток шших мовленневих умшь, не дають повного уявлення про жанри, поширен в англомовному медичному дискурс! та Тхн1 лшгвютичы та соц!окультурн! особливост!.

Реферат

ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНО ОРИЕНТИРОВАННЫЕ УЧЕБНИКИ ПО АНГЛИЙСКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ ДЛЯ СТУДЕНТОВ-МЕДИКОВ, ОПУБЛИКОВАННЫЕ В УКРАИНЕ И ЗА РУБЕЖОМ: ЗА И ПРОТИВ. Костенко В. Г.

Ключевые слова: профессионально ориентированный английский язык, учебники, студены-медики, оценивание учебников, речевые умения.

В статье представлена попытка сравнительного анализа профессионально ориентированных учебников, изданных в Украине и за рубежом за последнее десятилетие. Анализ проводился с использованием трехуровневой модели оценивания учебников по иностранному языку, разработанной Макдоноу и К. Шо. Учебники, изданные за рубежом, преимущественно рассчитаны на уровень владения английским языком выше среднего, содержат пропорциональное распределение заданий и упражнений, направленных на развитие основных видов речевой деятельности, включают достаточное количество фрагментов документов разных жанров, релевантных для медицинской общественности, представляют для ознакомления так называемые real-life ситуации. Учебники, изданные в Украине, соответствуют требованиям действительной программы по иностранному языку для высших медицинских школ, ориентированы на студентов, чей уровень владения английским языком - средний и ниже среднего, как правило, нацелены на улучшение навыков чтения, оставляя за пределами внимания развитие других речевых учений, не дают полного представления о жанрах, распространенных в англоязычном медицинском дискурсе, об их лингвистических и социокультурных особенностях.

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