Presessional Academic Programme 2009

The academic programme is designed to improve your overall standard of English; to give you an introduction to the conventions of Academic English; to start to get you accustomed to independent learning and at the same time to give you some insight into the British way of life. By the end of the course you should:

 have improved the accuracy of your grammar and spelling
  have a good idea of the structure of a piece of academic writing
  have improved your listening skills
  be more confident in expressing yourself orally
  have increased your vocabulary range
  realise the importance of working together
  be looking forward to your time at BCU and in Birmingham!

In order for you to achieve this, we have one very strict rule: ONLY ENGLISH MUST BE USED IN CLASS. Many class activities will be in pairs and groups; if necessary, speakers of the same language will be separated.

Here is a little more detail about particular classes. The links will take you to further information on our main website.

Coursebook
All students will be given an Academic Writing coursebook. You will also be able to use the book for any additional work you may wish to do outside class (homework!) We also give you a dictionary to use on and after the course.

Vocabulary
A wide range of appropriate vocabulary is very important in your academic work. Many would say that it is more important than your grammar. We will therefore look at ways of enlarging your vocabulary and give you practice in using a dictionary effectively.

Conversation/Social English
Almost all your spoken English will be in informal situations. It therefore just as important to interact socially in the right way as it is to speak more formally in seminars and meetings. We can give to some idea about this in class, but it is of course up to you to get as much practice as possible out of class!

Reading
You will be doing a lot of reading on your course, so it is very important to develop techniques for reading more quickly and selectively. The classes will give you a good idea, but again, it's important to get as much practice as you can out of the class. It doesn't matter what you read: magazines and newspapers are just as helpful as more 'serious' writing.

Listening
Listening is one skill which should improve with time: the longer you're in the UK, the more you should understand. The classes will guide you through listening to lectures and also the TV/Radio and give you practice to listening for both general and specific information.

Writing/Grammar workshops
These will focus on problems/questions which arise during the week and also give you the chance to discuss issues individually with your tutor. You will be introduced to key aspects of Academic Writing and given the chance to improve vital areas of grammar.

Project
The project will give you the chance to try out some basic researching skills, to work together as a group and to put into practice what you have been learning in the other classes. As well as an extended written project, there is also a group presentation of your project at the end of the course, which you will be able to practise in the speaking classes.

 

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