Working in groups as a way to work with specialist text

Bibliogr. s. 67

The article presents my ideas for using authentic texts in the course for doctoral students "English in the Natural Sciences". As an ESP course, it is specifically oriented towards the subject content and the teacher’s role is to facilitate the process of learning by drawing on students’ knowledge of the subject matter. Combining subject matter and English language learning is highly motivating for students, nevertheless it is particularly challenging for the teacher to select and adapt suitable materials, as well as use them effectively to generate communication in the classroom. For a non subject specialist, it is essential to design working with authentic materials so as to give students a meaningful context and opportunity to exchange their background knowledge and practice the language. The first part of this article is devoted to a brief discussion of the difficulties that an ESP teacher must face while adapting authentic materials for the course. The second part contains some examples of materials and activities used in the course.