An approach to Teaching English to scientific students at a University

of sciences.

An applied perspective

-Author: Loubna Haddi

Assistant Professor

At faculty of sciences Ben Msik Sidi Othman

Hassan II University Morocco

-Author: Assia Benabid

Assistant Professor

At Faculty of sciences Ben Msik Sidi Othman

Hassan II University

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Abstract

The English language is known to be the language of science, the adoption of a de facto universal

language of Modern Sciences has had an amazing impact on the scientific communication: by

learning a single language, scientists around the world gain access to the huge scientific resources

and can communicate with any other scientists anywhere in the world.

However, the use of the English as a universal scientific language, presents real defies for non-

native English scientists.

This paper aims to shed light on the distinct challenges that Moroccan scientific postgraduate

students are facing when they are obliged by the end of the academic year to publish their scientific

outcome in English. It unveils also certain weakness points, lack and misconception concerning the

existing instructional methods.

Then, as a University teacher, who has a quite a good experience with scientific students, I will

debate few practises that a Moroccan university English teacher can embrace instead of the old

classical methods. I would also advocate an amendment and enrichment of the existing pedagogies

in teaching English as a second language. University students are interviewed and asked to rate some

of the best and worthiest activities in the English Classes. The findings from the research are analysed and

introduced in the paper for our own benefit and for sharing with other teachers within the faculty.

As regards the research methodology, surveys and interviews were conducted. The questions were agreed

in advance with students who are attending English classes and through them, we collected information

about their attitudes and their general vision of the best practices in English classes, in order to motivate

and prompt the scientific postgraduate learners to improve their English level and to prepare them

to become authors of scientific research papers.

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Table of contents

Introduction

Literature review

Chapter 1: Learning and teaching English language within faculties of sciences in

Morocco.

1) Background to English language learning within Moroccan Universities of sciences

with reference to (Ben M’sik, Sidi Othmane Faculty of sciences).

2) Teaching English language in scientific Moroccan universities With reference to

(Ben M’sik, Sidi Othmane Faculty of science).

3) Findings and Discussion.

Chapter 2: An applied perspective in teaching English within scientific

establishments.

1) Essential elements in learning English for scientific student I would suggest.

- The Importance of Motivation

- Exposure and focus on form:

- Engage

- Managing the teaching and learning process:

2) Away from random selection, of course content, towards an attentive mapping of

the course elements.

3) Incorporation of new technology and other creative approaches in teaching English

in scientific Moroccan universities.

4) Language games towards enhancing technical vocabulary retention.

5) Evidence of course success.

6) Opportunities and challenges for non-native English scientific students:

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7) recommendations for writing and evaluating scientific research papers with regards

the non-native English researchers:

8) Conclusion.

Keys words

EFL English as Foreign language.

SEL Scientific English language.

ESP English for science purposes

CALL Computer-assisted language learning

LMD an acronym for Licence-Master-Doctorat, which correspond to the BA, Master’s and PhD

degree. This name is related to the long-term reforms planned by the Moroccan Government to

seek compliance with the American and European standards.

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Introduction

Although it comes second after Mandarin (the official Chinese language) in the total number of

speakers, English is the language used most widely. It is spoken in more countries than any other

language. Indeed, English is the language that gives the best return for any efforts learner put in,

either for scientific learners or learners who have different targets and objectives.

As English continues to dominate as the language of sciences, the need for ESP was increasing

rapidly, particularly in non-European countries where English is mainly used for scientific and

professional purposes. People in these countries, including Morocco, learn English in order to

accomplish the education curriculum requirement, to attain promotional or professional

development at work and to produce scientific research in English. So, Instead of learning General

English, it is better and in their interest to learn English on the subjects of their professional or

research fields. Because of this, more and more Universities all over the world started to offer ESP

classes to meet students’ future career needs.

In order to be in line with these new trends Hassan II University is doing precisely the same,

offering English classes for scientific postgraduate students at faculty of sciences.

In fact, the role of mastering the English language in studying sciences is very prominent. In order

to publish a research paper in top journals, scientific student should have a deep knowledge of the

English language, in addition to the research content. This is a major problem for researchers whose

first language is not English. It does not matter what they invent, they cannot publish until

presenting their papers in a suitable format for journals.

Although the research task is a great pleasurable challenge for scientific learners, writing and

publishing the papers is a big tension. Particularly, for those who are not fluent in English,

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especially, that Most of us think in our native language then translate into English. In addition to

that, you cannot describe your research in an informal way, because no journal will publish it.

In simple words, I will explore in this paper the importance of the English language for the

Moroccan scientific students. Then and will outline few techniques that English teachers in

Moroccan Universities should adopt to motivate their scientific students and to help in the teaching

process of the English language as a foreign language (ELF). Therefore, to prepare them for the

next part of their academic career which is pulishing scientific research and communicating with

scientists all over the world.

Chapter1: Literature review

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) arose as a term in the 1960’s as it turned to be more and more

aware that general English classes did not meet learners’ needs.

According to Robinson (1989) English for specific purposes is a term that refers to teaching or

studying English for a particular profession or for sciences, law, or for a business activity. There is

a specific reason for which English is learned. Robinson (1989) describes ESP as a type of English

language teaching and defines it as: “Goal oriented language learning.” implying that the learner

has a specific goal that is going to be accomplished. Indeed, those specific goals are closely linked

with learners’ interest in various disciplines, or faculties they are enrolled in. Thus, learners learn

English for a specific purpose, which corresponds to their subject matter, in order to gain and

develop certain knowledge and skills through English. Therefore, students learn English not only

because they are interested in English language but also because they have to accomplish a task in

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English. In fact, their know-how in the English language must be in such an adequate level that

they can communicate and generally perform well in their major field of studies.

Hutchinson and Waters (1987) in their paper surveyed three factors that led to the emergence of

ESP in the late 1960s, both theoretical and practical, which have shaped its subsequent

development.

As with most developments in human activity, ESP was not planned and coherent movement, but a

rather a phenomenon that grew out of a number of converging trends. Many trends have operated in

a variety of ways around the world, but we can identify two main reasons common to the

emergence of all ESP.

1.The high demands of the new world:

End of the Second World War heralded an age of enormous and unprecedented expansion in

scientific, technical and economic activity on an international scale. Therefore, English became the

accepted international language of technology and commerce. It created also a new generation of

learners, who knew specifically why they were learning language. Mechanics who had to read

instruction manuals, doctors who needed to keep up with developments in their field, businessmen

who wanted to sell their products and a whole range of students whose course of study included

textbooks and journals only available in English. All these and many others needed English and

most importantly, they knew why they needed it. However, the development was accelerated by the

oil crises of the early 1970, which resulted in a massive flow of funds and western expertise into the

oil-rich countries.

The general effect of all this development was to exert pressure on the language teaching profession

to deliver the required goods. Whereas English had decided its own destiny, it now became subject

to the wishes, needs and demands of people of the other language teachers.

2. A revolution in linguistics:

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At the same time as the demand was growing for English courses tailored to specific needs,

influential new ideas began to emerge in the study of the language. Traditionally the aim of

linguistics had been to describe the rules of English usage, that is, the grammar. However, the new

studies shifted attention away from defining the formal features of language usage to discovering

the ways in which language is actually used in real communication (Widowson 1978). Indeed, the

language we speak and write varies considerably in a number of different ways, from one context to

another.

Swales (1985) published an article as early as 1962 on the nature of scientific English, but it was

the late 1960’s and early 1970s, which saw the greatest expansion of research into the nature of

particular varieties of English. For example- description of written scientific and technical English

by Ewer and Latorre (1969), Swales (1970) and others. Most of the work at this time was in the

area of English for science and technology and for a time ESP and EST were regarded as almost

synonymous. However, there were studies in other field too, such as the analysis of doctor- patient

communication by Candlin, Bruton and Leather (1976)

In short, the English needed by particular group of learners could be identified by analysing the

linguistic characteristics of their specialist area of work or study.

According to Tony Dudley Evans (1998) in his book entitled ‘Developments in English for Special

Purposes’ ESP has absolute characteristics.

It is designed to meet specific needs of the learner. It is also related in content in its both theme and

topics to particular activities, special discipline and occupation; it makes use of the underlying

methodology. Moreover, The ESP is centred on the language appropriate to these activities in terms

of grammar, lexis, register, study skills, discourse and genres appropriate to these activities. The ESP

is a complete contrast with ‘General English’.

The division of the ESP into absolute and variable characteristics in particular is very helpful in

resolving arguments about what ESP is and which one is not ESP.

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According to Dudley’s definition, ESP is not necessarily concerned with a specific discipline and it

has to be aimed at certain age group or ability range.

The Variable Characteristics of ESP are:

ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines; it may be used in specific teaching

situations, a different methodology from that of General English. It is likely to be designed for adult

learners, either at a tertiary level institution or in a professional work situation. It could however, be

for learners at secondary school level. The ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced

students. Dudley has also stated that Most ESP courses assume some basic knowledge of the

language system.

According to Stevens (1988), there are advantages of learning ESP that we can sum up as follow:

Learning ESP does not waste any time, because it focuses on the learner’s need, This field of study is

relevant to the learner and it is successful in imparting learning. Moreover, ESP is more effective

than ‘General English’ because of various specific works and there is eagerness of the learners to

know more about the material.

Chapter 2 : Learning and teaching English language within

universities of sciences in Morocco

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I. Background to English language learning within Moroccan Universities of

sciences with reference to (Ben M’sik, Sidi Othmane Faculty of sciences).

It has been now more than five years, when the English classes were cancelled from the Moroccan

university syllabus of the undergraduate students (B.S Bachelor of Science and licence

professional) who are studying scientific modules.

As a postgraduate English teacher within Hassan II University, I was informed about this change

related to the latest reforms within the Moroccan university system (LMD Reform) that seek

compliance with American and European higher education standards. Nevertheless, until now no

one explained the reason to such crucial decision yet.

Then, few years later, I was called to provide English classes for Master’s level, but before, I had to

joint in the positioning test team to put every Master’s student in the suitable level where he is

supposed to carry on improving his English skills.

The integration of the English language to the scientific syllabus of the faculty of sciences of Ben

Msik Sidi Othman was achieved, thanks to a personal initiative taken by the Dean of the faculty

himself, PR Mohammed Talbi and his teamwork. He decided to incorporate the English module

again within the postgraduate students (Master’s’ students) to promote their learning and to

consolidate students’ English skills. An Initiative that I would greet him for such wise decision.

According to my experience with teaching English to Master’s students during last years, I would

evaluate majority of learners within scientific Moroccan universities, having difficulties in writing

an assignment with a good English skills , the prevailing level is in between intermediate and

beginner’s one.

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A typical English lesson at a Moroccan scientific University usually consists of exposing students

to short extracts from any ordinary English Textbook or from internet sites. The instructor invites

the class to delve into a silent reading activity for a few minutes followed by few loudly readings to

check students pronunciation then by a discussion of reading comprehension questions that target

an evaluation of students’ understanding of both the content knowledge standards and the difficult

vocabularies. Then, shifts to grammar and language points. The lesson ends up with a brief written

expression assignment that prods students into paraphrasing and/or summarizing the text they have

at hands.

As we all know, Most of the time the level in one classroom is nonhomogeneous, which means

some student may feel bored, others not motivated and sometimes even not interested.

Moreover, the number of English classes scheduled for Master’s groups within one semester is not

enough, for postgraduate student, who is required by the end of the academic year or may be before

its end, to produce a perfect scientific research paper or to attend a scientific conference in English

or even prepare his own scientific discourse to deliver it before audience.

The classical method might fit those who are interested in learning general English whose primary

need is to be able to read, speak and understand English…no more. However, the adapted method

shrinks the objectives of an English class to the mere preparation of students for the reading of

printed texts and the acquisition of a certain dose of general vocabulary with little room for writing

activities. While these are key sought after goals, they remain part of a whole and reflect a limited

sight of what scientific university students need to further, grasp from English for Science purposes

(ESP). Indeed, after graduation, many university students end up working as assistant professors in

university departments where they are required to lecture either in French or in English (if foreigner

guests are attending their lectures) in a particular area of expertise. As part of their academic

activities in postgraduate level and professional ones after, they take part in national and

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international conferences, seminars, and symposiums where they need to resort to spoken scientific

discourse to skilfully present an academic paper or research findings before an audience. Working

for Moroccan National or Multi-national companies such as Dell, CPC international, Crown

Cork and Seal Company, Maya Gold & Silver and others necessitates from the Moroccan

graduated student, the skill of verbally reporting technical problems on the work ground, discussing

the progress of a project with the manager, exposing the financial status of the company in an

official meeting, etc. Our pedagogy disdains verbal practice of scientific English (English used by

the community of scientists all around the world).

in an ordinary general English course, our conception and use of English language is limited to

printed text from textbooks and internet sites …etc.

These text forms stand as the backbone of our instruction and the only means of presentation of

English lesson but reading digital scientific texts including audio-recordings and documentary

videos can be a very promising and rewarding material that offers an alternative way of acquiring

scientific literacy in English. Scientific students are more likely to gain better confidence to use

scientific discourse in professional and non-professional situations if trained to consume and

deconstruct spoken and written scientific discourse alike. Thus, Why not nudge them towards

learning to listen to scientific English and listening to it to learn it? Indeed, a pedagogy that relies

solely on reading material and a little bit of writing practice is not effective. It is my belief that a

skilful amalgamation of the four language skills: Reading, writing, listening, and speaking is of

paramount importance if we are to harvest the utmost benefit from English class.

II. Teaching English language in scientific Moroccan universities With

reference to (Ben M’Sik, Sidi Othmane Faculty of science).

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Being the prevalent language of sciences makes it both, a must and a necessity for Moroccan

scientific Students to seek a certain level of proficiency in scientific English if they are to achieve

effective communicative skills and competencies that respond to international standards.

As a university English teacher in a Moroccan faculty of sciences, I would suggest an approach in

teaching English as a foreign language through the present paper, which urges both an amendment

and an enrichment of the existing pedagogies in teaching English for Moroccan university scientific

students. This paper unveils certain weaknesses, lacks, and misconceptions concerning the existing

instructional methods, on one hand, and offers key considerations in the preparation of a

challenging and engaging scientific English course, on the other hand.

It is high time to rethink our pedagogies in teaching English to university learners who are

studying sciences. We need to remedy for our absurdly unstructured courses by designing a well-

woven syllabus based on logical principles and practical Considerations that meet students’

learning necessities and needs. Limiting the course agenda to the reading of printed Texts of

general English and the writing of relevant summaries is disturbing students’ growth. Instead,

integrating the four language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking in addition to viewing

maximizes their learning and engagement. Incorporating students’ mini-lectures, role-plays,

Windows Live Movie Maker video projects, documentaries, recorded lectures, guest speakers, and

field trips into the course is very rewarding. Organizing workshops that train students in producing

scientific texts themselves interpret medical leaflets, posters, and brochures, break the routine and

the classical activity of summarizing texts.

III. A questionnaire to know the best practices in ESP courses:

To prove that there is a positive attitude towards the best practices in ESP course. I used both

qualitative and quantitative research methods by which I gathered data to prove our assumptions. I

created a questionnaire consisting of five questions that were examining students’ opinions about

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best practices in English classes. With that instrument, we measured the level of manifestation of

good teaching practices and the level of students’ satisfaction with these practices. Their responses

were then analysed and shown on the chart.

The interpretation and discussion of results gained from the data collection instrument are presented

in this part. After asking students to express their views concerning the best practices in ESP

courses at the Language Center their perceptions are reported and then discussed. Students in the

academic year 2016-2017 were the target group. They were asked about the ESP best practices in

order to collect information whether or not they consider ESP practices as positive with regard to

their ESP needs. A questionnaire was designed in a form that both qualitative and quantitative data

were collected. The questionnaire consisted of five close ended questions turned into open ended

questions to keep the conversation going about the best practices in ESP. the majority of

postgraduate students were studying health sciences, Biology, renewable energy and environment

science. Their total number was 160. Both genders responded to the questions.

Question 1: what do you think of the integration of the new technology in the English classes?

Do you agree or disagree?

Figure 1

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75%

12%

13%

integration of new technology in English classes

agreeddisagreedno answer

According to the results documented in figure 1, 75% agreed -120 students13% disagreed-21 students12% didn’t answer the question- 19 students

75% of respondents have affirmed favourable attitude towards integration of the new technology to the

English classes have not. When asked why, they gave different reasons for that. The respondents, who had

positive attitude, generally mentioned the qualities of the planned lessons, their approach to the learning

process, their openness and readiness to assess the educator in the teaching process. They also

appreciated the communication skills of the teachers as one of their best qualities. As regards the

respondents with negative view towards the new technology, most of them expressed concerns regarding

the lack of time to practice more reading and writing activities, which are very important skills in producing

their scientific papers by the end of the academic year.

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Question 2: What is your attitude towards the debates and the open discussion activities in the English classroom with regard to your English language needs? Favourable/ Unfavourable. Why?

Figure 2.

91%

8%2%

attitudes regarding the debates and the open discussions activ-ities

favourableunfavourableno answer

Students’ Attitude towards the debates in the classroom. Favourable 91%-145students Unfavourable 8% - 12 students No, answer 2%- 3 students

According to the results from figure 2, 91% of the students expressed favourable attitude towards

classroom debates and 8% have not. The comments of the interviewee with the favourable attitude

are summed up as follows: We need to practice speaking and the debates in the classroom

encourage us to interact with each other, help us to revise and apply the learned vocabulary and

develop speaking fluency in English. Debates also help us to develop an argument for a given topic.

Increase our confidence and self-esteem. As regards the interviewees who expressed unfavourable

attitude towards debates, they mentioned that debates are not desirable for every student because of

the following reasons: In debates, strongest students impose themselves. Some students get

offended when their point of view is challenged, and sometimes the debate can quickly escalate

into something furious. Some other students get ignorant of other people’s views and this distresses

others.

Question 3.How useful the language games with regards to your scientific needs ? Useful/Not Useful. Why?

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Figure3

88%

8% 4%

attitudes towards language games

agreeddisagreedno answer

According to the results documented in figure 3, 88% agreed -140 students8% disagreed-13 students4% didn’t answer the question- 7 students.

Based on the outcome shown in figure 3, we can see that 88% (140 students out of 160) responded

positively to language games activities. The ones that did appreciate the language games claimed

that they learn more while having fun, according to them teaching games spice up the course and

aid better vocabulary retention. Moreover, the classroom turns into a friendly environment to

learning since there is lot of interaction happening between students themselves and the teacher. the

learners who did not appreciate the language games stated that sometimes the teaching time not

controlled and that the activities are not done individually, usually they work in groups or in pairs

which mean the individual assessment never done correctly, especially that the level within one

classroom is not always homogenous.

Question 4: would you prefer that all English classes would be ESP to focus more on the

technical and scientific vocabulary needed in your scientific career??? Or shall we keep the

General English courses???

Figure4

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94%

2%4%

ESP classes or General English lessons

ESP classesGeneral English

According to the results documented in figure 4, 94% ESP classes -150 students2% General English-3 students4% were confused, couldn’t make up their mind- 7 students

According to the results shown on, most of the students 94% (150 students) preferred having ESP classes to learn English instead of the general one. According to them, ESP class engenders high level of motivation, interest, curiosity and involvement. moreover, they will be very grateful to us for offering them an outstanding and effective scientific English course that will be very beneficial to them in the future since it will offer then the technical vocabulary needed in their professional life very soon.

Question 5: Do you like the Oral Presentations activity? Yes/No. Why?

Figure5

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64%

36%

oral presentation

agreeddisagreed

According to the results documented in figure 5,

64%- 90 students agreed the oral presentation36% -50 students disagreed the oral presentation

Referring to figure 5, we can see that 64% of the students (90 out of 160) liked oral presentations. The reasons why they think so, were of different types: they prefer talking, like to be before audience, it’s a challenge to talk in a foreign language and they like to practice talking. Whereas, 50 (36%) said they do not like oral presentations. Their reasons were as follows: In general, good oral presentation takes time to be prepared, they are not enough advanced in English to do a presentation and most of the presentations end up in reading from slides. 5

Referring to the collected data. I conclude that scientific university students, generally perceived the best practices as partly positive. There were positive findings on the Debates and open discussions but on Oral Presentation and incorporation of the new technologies were noticed some concerns. However, most of them expressed positive attitude to ESP classes. Undoubtedly, the findings lead to the conclusion that teachers should carefully think about the practices in ESP course. They should enforce the ones most liked by students and modify the ones less liked.

Chapter 3 : An applied perspective in teaching English within

scientific establishments

I. Essential elements in learning English for scientific student I would suggest.

1. The Importance of Motivation

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What is motivation? Motivation is the thoughts and feelings, scientific student should have to turn

his wishes, into action, i.e. motivation influences:

Why the scientific student decided to learn English?

How long he wants to learn this language.

Is he able to lay out his objectives?

How hard is he prepared to work in order to achieve an advanced level to grant him the approval of

his future scientific English paper?

Many factors influence the Moroccan scientific postgraduate student’s motivation to learn English.

These factors include:

The strong interest in the target language culture, in addition to having the ability to explore different

scientific resources and publish his own papers in the near future. Indeed, even in countries, where

English is not an official language, we will find many curriculums in sciences and engineering are

written in English. Because it is the prevailing language in the sciences.

Feeling good about learning the language: it’s the emotion that should submerge any scientific

student who achieved success, self-confidence, autonomy, independence, while learning this

language and feels responsible for and in control of his own learning)

Encouragement and support from other: teacher, parents, classmates, society…. Those major factors

affect the student psychology, a student who encouraged by people surrounding him is more

productive and determined than other who is neglected by his family and all his surroundings.

Interest in the learning process: the relevance of the course content, classroom activities, the

teacher’s personality and the teaching methods.

Learners may have strong motivation in one of the aspect of the English language and little in

another one, or their motivation may be quite balanced. Different learners will also be motivated in

different ways from one another.

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2. Exposure and focus on form :

The more a scientific student is exposed to the English language, the more he will acquire it.

Research has identified three main ways in which we learn a foreign language.

Firstly, an acquiring language means the same as picking it up. To learn a foreign language we

need to be exposed to lots of examples of it, and that we learn from the language of our

surroundings. We need to read and hear lots of language which is rich in variety, interesting to us

and just difficult enough for us, i.e. just beyond our level, but not too difficult. Acquisition takes

place over a period, i.e. not instantly, and we listen to and read items of language for a long time

before we begin to use them (a silent period). That is why I suggested an increasing of English

classes, instead of 2 hours weekly for every Master’s group.

Secondly, to learn language we need to use it in interaction with other people. We need to use

language to express ourselves and make our meaning clear to other people, and to understand them.

The person we are talking to will show us, directly or indirectly, if they have understood us or not.

If they have not we need to try again, using other vocabularies, until we manage to communicate

successfully….to keep trying we need motivation and a lots of self-confidence….qualities that we

can gain when increasing English classes and provide stimulating interesting English lessons with

important scientific topic.

Thirdly, research shows that foreign language learners also need to focus on form. This means that

they need to pay attention to language, e.g. by identifying, working with and practising the

language they need to communicate.

Nowadays, experts generally agree that we do learn a foreign language best through learning

grammar and translating (the grammar-translation method). or we learn by constantly practicing

until we form habits (behaviourist approach) or just by communicating ( the communicative

approach). We learn by picking up language, interacting and communicating and focusing on form.

Nevertheless, the research continues, and we do not yet fully understand how foreign language are

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learnt. However, the most important thing is that an effective English teacher should keep himself

updated all the time with the newest theories in teaching language and he should take advantages of

his years of experience to find out the most suitable and effective way to transfer his knowledge.

3. Engage

In the engage portion of your lesson, the goal is, to engage your students. To attract their interests.

This should happen at the beginning of the English lesson with a scientific topic, but it can also

happen as students learn more about the topic they are studying they may show more curiosity.

At the start of the lesson, students should remember what they already know about the topic at

hand, so they can make natural connections to that knowledge. You might also ask them questions

to get them thinking about the topic.

There are plenty of ways to engage students and get them thinking about a new topic. One of my

favourites is doing a K/W/L chart. It is a simple three-column list.

K: In the first column, brainstorm with your class what they already know about the topic at hand.

W: In the second column, brainstorm any questions they might have, the things they want to know.

L: The third column should be filled in after the unit is complete and is a list of what they learned

throughout the unit.

4. Managing the teaching and learning process:

Using language appropriately for a range of scientific classroom functions.

Instructing: we give instructions at different stages of the lesson, for example at the beginning of an

activity. The language of instructions is often the imperative however, for learners at higher levels;

we might use other language forms.

Narrating, giving the university student chance to tell about experiences and things that have

happened in their lives.

Eliciting when an effective teacher get information from his students rather than giving it to them.

This information can be about topics or English language. For example, we can show learners

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pictures and ask, “What can you see in the picture?” we v*can also ask learners to give us general

information…

Prompting learners: when we say things to help learners to think of ideas, or to remember a word or

phrase by giving them a part of it.

Checking learning: we check learning all the time during our lessons, but we do this most often

after we have presented a new language, and at the end of a lesson to give us information to plan

the next lesson. We can use concept question to check learners understanding, for example: can you

give me a sentence using this word?

Conveying the meaning of new language. When we convey meaning, we show the meaning of new

words or structures. We can do this in a number of ways, such as bringing in realia, using mime or

by asking concept questions. We may want to explain the meaning, to demonstrate it, or in some

situations where the meaning is very difficult to explain in English, to translate it.

The language-teaching classroom:

The language we use in university for scientific student must be appropriate for the students’

objectives and level. For example, we should not use language that is not too formal… we need to

grade our language to suit the language level and age of the learners, grading the language means

choosing to use classroom language that is at or below the language learners level. Grading means

that our language is at the right level for the student to understand.

II. Away from random selection of course content, towards an attentive mapping of

the course elements:

It is simple: When you teach students contents that they are already familiar with, they have a leg

up on the lesson. They can focus on the language you are using because they already know the

information you are presenting.

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Not only that, but because they already have the information established in their brains, they will be

able to link the specific language that you use to that brain area. Moreover, those naturally

occurring connections in the brain mean your students are moving beyond language learning into

language acquisition.

Therefore, after setting clear objectives that are likely to meet students’ needs and remedy for their

lacks, the next challenge is to create the course outline and build its content. In this respect, I

decided to divide the course skeleton into what I chose to call “folders.” Every folder bears the

name of the target science and encompasses up to four files, each holding the name of the theme

that constitutes the focal focus of study.

By devoting a whole folder to a particular discipline. I drift away from the random unstructured

selection of topics and from the routine practice of tackling merely one single text from a specific

scientific field throughout the whole course. The impracticality and impossibility of covering a

myriad of scientific fields within a limited number of academic semesters remains a characteristic

of both methods alike. At least, we are likely to gain the following:

1. Endow the course map with enough clarity and logic to guide students throughout their learning

journey instead of a random selection of topics from differing disciplines.

2. Help students acquire a fair load of scientific literacy in English in a given discipline.

3. Widen students’ vocabulary repertoire in a particular scientific field.

4. Acquaint students with the characteristics and particularities of the scientific discourse of a

specific science.

5. Initiating students for conducting research in English in the target scientific area.

The number of folders and files we chose to tackle is obviously tailored to the quantity of

instruction devoted to the

Course –a 120 minutes class held once a week over 14 weeks. While we encourage our students to

learn bits and pieces from every single scientific field with no exclusion or preference of one upon

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the other, the period remains a hurdle towards covering as much material as we want. Thus, we

thought of privileging sciences that are very close to students ‘practical life and that would benefit

and serve them even in their daily life. While it is quite common for a student to lead a

conversation about a relative who has diabetes or blood pressure, a flu he caught, a throat infection,

colon problems, and other health issues, it is rare to happen that he speaks about stars, planets,

comets, nebulae, or galaxies.

Although interesting, learning about astronomy might not be as useful and practical as learning

about health sciences.

A consideration of students’ background and environment also is a key principle in folder selection.

Animals including sheep, cows, chicken, rabbits, plants and trees This makes veterinary medicine

and biology good targets for an English class with topics related to these subjects.

III. Incorporation of new technology and other creative approaches in teaching

English in scientific Moroccan universities.

An English for scientific students is a rich arena for introducing a myriad of classroom activities

and assignments beyond the routine reading and writing practice and for using a wide range of

material other than printed texts retrieved from books or from internet websites. In this regards I

want to suggest the

Incorporation of student’s mini lectures, role-plays, windows live moviemaker video project,

documentaries, recorded lectures, guest speakers, field trips, writing workshops that train students

in producing scientific texts themselves, use realia medical leaflets, posters and brochures.

IV. Language games towards enhancing technical vocabulary retention.

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Routine exercise teachers of English check the memorization of English terminology of their

students by the classical instruction: “Fill in the gap in the following sentences”. While this

language aspect can be boosted through a number of different methods: studies indicate that

students learn better and quicker while having fun. In this respect, teaching games spices up the

course and aid better in vocabulary retention. Studying Sciences and memorizing high technical

vocabulary in English while having fun is possible through the integration of language games such

as Last Man Standing, Pictionary, Charades, Taboo Word, Letter Scramble, What am I thinking

of?, word Bingo and others. These suggestions are only a few amongst a myriad of others that we

can come up with to endow our classes with a creative talents and help to foster the smart learning.

Here are some possible games to take advantage of in an English class for scientific Students:

Last Man Standing:

This game is fast-paced, but allows students some time to think. It also encourages peer learning, as

students will notice words they hear others speaking. To play the game, I grab a ball and have all

the students form a circle. I name a category or theme, such as ‘terminology used in health

sciences’, and so on.

Begin by tossing the ball at a student. That student will shout a word related to the theme and throw

the ball to another student. As each person catches the ball, they need to come up with another

word that fits the theme. If they repeat a word that has already been said or cannot think of a new

one within a few seconds, they are out and must sit on the side-lines. They will still be learning!

Take things up a notch with a different version of “Last Man Standing.” Instead of naming a theme,

each student gives the next student another theme. For example, you might start with “plant.” The

first student to catch the ball could say “soil” and then choose another topic and throw the ball to

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the next student. This makes the game much more difficult, since students cannot think of a word

until they know what their theme is.

Pictionary

Most English speakers are familiar with Pictionary, the drawing game. You can use the cards from

the actual board game to create a classroom activity that will thrill your students. This is a good,

high action game that students really get into.

I Divide the class into two or may be three teams and create a small column for each team on one

side of the board. You will record their points here. Have one person from Team a come up to the

front. I write words on slips of paper for students to choose.

The student must convey the word to his or her team using only drawings. Students cannot use

words, symbols or hand gestures. Limit the time to three minutes maximum. Each correct word is a

point and the first team to get 10 points is the winning team.

Charades

Charades is quite similar to Pictionary, but it uses actions to communicate the secret word in place

of photos. This is a great game for those days when the class is dragging and people are falling

asleep. I Get them up and get them moving!

I write down words on slips of paper for students to choose. Verbs are likely to be the easiest, but I

can also use more complicated words, provided I am sure most of the students know them.

I Divide the class into two teams and have one person from each team choose a piece of paper and

act out the word. The teams must guess the correct word before three minutes run out. For each

correct word, that team receives a point. The team that hits ten points first is the winning team.

Taboo Words

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Taboo Words helps students practice with synonyms and descriptions. I Separate the class in half

and have the two teams sit on opposite sides of the room, facing each other. Each team will choose

a person to sit in front of their team, facing them in the “hot seat.” I stand behind the students and

hold up a piece of paper with a word on it. The students in the hot seats will not be able to see these

papers.

Teams have three minutes (or any amount of time I can set) to get their hot seat member to say the

word on the paper. The catch is that they cannot say the word under any circumstances.

When I have a large class. I usually divide students into teams of 5-6 people and have only one

team go at a time.

20 Objects

I Test your students’ memories and vocabulary at the same time with this fun game. All you need is

a clear desk and 20 common items from around the classroom. I can even grab things from

backpacks or from my purse.

Arrange the objects on the desk and let students gather around to look at them. Cover everything

with a sheet (or something similar) after one minute and send everyone back to their seats. Each

students should write out as many items as they can remember on a piece of paper, all in English.

When everyone is done, I write a list of the items on the chalkboard and I allow students to self-

correct. Alternatively, I can call out the objects and give a point for each one that is correctly

written.

Categories

Students usually beg to play this game once they get the hang of it! It is a great way to fill up the

last few minutes of class, too.

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I ask students to draw six columns on their paper and write a category at the top of each column. I

choose categories that fit what they have been studying in class or go with some scientific

terminologies. Popular categories include food, names, cities or countries, furniture, verbs and

clothing. However, for scientific students I prefer to keep them within their field of study.

I choose a random letter and write it on the board. I give students enough time to write down a

word for each category that starts with that letter.

Letter Scramble

I take a list of words that my students have recently learned and I write a scrambled version of each

on the board. I Allow students to unscramble the

Words on their paper. The first one to finish deciphering all the words wins.

Chalkboard Acronym

I write a word vertically on the board and then have students come up, one at a time, to write a

word starting with each letter of the vertical word.

For example: Cute / under / Porcelain

Make this tougher by requiring the words to be related to the acronym.

What Am I Thinking Of?

I pair students up and I ask them think of an object. Each student should write 5-10 words

describing the object on a piece of paper. When I call time, the students swap papers and try to

figure out what the other person described. The first team to have both words guessed correctly

wins.

Word Bingo:

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I usually spear a little preparation for this game, but it is well worth it. I make bingo sheets with a

4×4 grid and add words to each square. I hand these out (each one should be unique) and have

students mark the correct word when you call it out. The first person to finish marking their entire

page wins.

There are some fun variations to Word Bingo!

Picture Bingo: Use pictures on the Bingo card and call out the words that relate.

Synonym Bingo: Get those brains working by giving students a word that means the same thing as

a word on their card.

Antonym Bingo: This is just as it sounds. I Call out the antonyms of words on their cards and see

how many students get it.

Vocabulary games make class time a little more exciting. You can use them to review previously

learned words, but keep in mind that games also make great rewards for when your students do

well in class.

V. Evidence of course success.

As a professor who designed and taught English lessons to scientific students, I initially rate my

approach (combination of the old teaching methods and the modern one, and the integration of new

technology) as outstanding, tremendously fruitful. Student’s texts, exams, projects, classroom

participation, vocabulary retention, understanding of scientific notions, motivation and engagement

during the flow of the course were exceptionally awe-inspiring.

VI. Opportunities and challenges for non-native English scientific students:

It is estimated that less than 15% of the world's population speaks English, with just 5% being native

speakers. This extraordinary imbalance emphasizes the importance of recognizing and alleviating the

difficulties faced by non-native speakers of English if we want really to have a truly global

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community of scientists. For scientists whose first language is not English, writing research papers

and scientific contributions, preparing oral presentations, and communicating directly with other

scientists in English is much more challenging than it is for native speakers of English.

Communicating subtle nuances, which can be done easily in one's native tongue, becomes difficult

or impossible. A common complaint of non-native speakers of English is that journal editors often

focus on criticizing their English, rather than looking beyond the language to evaluate the scientific

results and logic of a paper. This makes it difficult for their journals to get a fair review and,

ultimately, to be accepted for publication.

We believe that the communications advantage realized by native speakers of English obligates

them to acknowledge and to help alleviate the extra challenges faced by their fellow scientists from

non-English-speaking countries. Native speakers of English should offer understanding, patience,

and assistance when reviewing or editing manuscripts of non-native speakers of English. At the

same time, non-native speakers of English must endeavour to produce manuscripts that are clearly

written.

VII. recommendations for writing and evaluating scientific research papers with

regards the non-native English researchers:

I suggest the following are important points that should be taken into consideration for writing and

evaluating scientific research in the context of the international community of scientists:

1.Non-native speakers of English can produce effective scientific papers, despite errors of

grammar, syntax, and usage, if the manuscripts are clear, simple, logical, and concise. (We note

that native speakers of English sometimes write manuscripts exhibiting good grammar, yet filled

with muddled and confusing logic.)

2.When possible, reviewers and editors of manuscripts should look beyond errors in grammar,

syntax, and usage, and evaluate the science.

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3.It is inappropriate to reject or harshly criticize manuscripts from non-native speakers of English

based on errors of grammar, syntax, or usage alone. If there are language errors, reviewers and

editors should provide constructive criticism, pointing out examples of passages that are unclear

and suggesting improvements. Reviewers and editors may also suggest that authors seek the

assistance of expert English speakers or professional editing services in preparing revised versions

of manuscripts. Finally, all involved should bear in mind that most journals employ copyeditors,

whose job it is to correct any lingering errors in grammar, syntax, and usage before final

publication of an article.

4.Non-native speakers of English must be aware that reviewers, editors, and journal staff do not

have the time or resources to extensively edit manuscripts for language and that reviewers and

editors must be able to understand what is being reported. Thus, it is essential that non-native

speakers of English recognize that their ability to participate in the international scientific enterprise

is directly related to their ability to produce manuscripts in English that are clear, simple, logical,

and concise.

The fact that English is the de facto global language of science is not likely to change anytime soon.

Optimizing communication among members of the international community of scientists, and thus

advancing scientific progress, depends on elimination of obstacles faced by non-native speakers of

the English language. This ideal can best be achieved when all members of the scientific

community work together.

VIII. Conclusion.

It is high time to review our pedagogies and approaches in teaching English to scientific students in

Moroccan universities. We need to have another look at our out-of-date unstructured English

courses by designing and planning a well-woven programme based on logistical and distinct

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considerations that meet scientific students learning necessities and needs. Limiting the course

agenda to the reading of printed texts and the writing of relevant summaries is disturbing students’

progress. Instead, integrating the four language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) in

addition to viewing maximises the learning and the engagement of the students. On another hand, a

certain degree of tolerance from scientific papers reviewers is highly recommended, and more

focusing on the core of a scientific research instead of its format, In order to promote and support

the scientific contributions all over the world.

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