澳大新語 • 2022 UMAGAZINE 25 35 專題探討 • TOPIC INSIGHT ‘In the 21st century, students no longer learn English simply to communicate with native speakers, but they are also driven to exchange knowledge with people from around the world. This is why the world’s leading universities have insisted that proficiency in English is a basic academic requirement,’ adds Prof Moody. Curriculum Reform to Strengthen Students’ Academic English Proficiency The English Language Centre (ELC) at UM is committed to improving the academic English proficiency of students. After several years of researching UM student needs and effective pedagogy for their learning contexts, this year the centre officially launched a reformed English language curriculum to target and strengthen students’ academic English proficiency in university disciplines. According to Prof Katherine Chen, director of ELC and associate professor of applied linguistics in FAH, the curriculum reform aims to better meet the academic learning needs of new students from Chinese-medium secondary schools as they adapt to the English-medium education environment at UM. Through the years, the centre consulted faculty members about students’ academic English needs in areas such as social sciences, business administration, and advanced technology. To develop foundational-level courses, namely University English 1-3, the centre surveyed available general academic English teaching materials in the market and decided to adopt an academic English textbook series from Oxford University Press (OUP) into project-based learning materials and interactive Moodle activities, which incorporate blended-mode multimedia teaching that complements the learning of the four language skills (speaking, reading, writing and listening), grammar, and academic vocabulary among students. The intermediate-level courses in the new curriculum use ELC’s in-house designed material, including a course that won the British Council English language teaching design award, and focus on academic research-based learning. Students not only hone specific English skills for academic essay writing, discussion, and presentation, but also learn the process of knowledge interpretation, evaluation, and production in the context of English for general academic purposes. 17th century and the British East India Company established a presence in Macao around the start of the 18th century. Andrew Moody, deputy director of the Centre for Linguistics and associate professor in the Department of English, is an expert in the study of world Englishes and one of the few western scholars who has attempted to compile a comprehensive examination of the history of languages and language teaching in Macao. His research is committed to documenting Macao’s long tradition of multilingualism and he has published Macau’s Languages in Society and Education, offering a macro-sociolinguistic examination of English within the multilingual ecology of languages in Macao. He is also currently the editor of English Today, a prestigious academic journal published by Cambridge University Press; the journal is especially known in the academic circle for its debates on the evolution of English over time. ‘Macao was the centre of English-speaking culture in South China before 1842, but that is a type of forgotten history. At that time, English speakers were already influencing the multilingual and multicultural development of the city,’ says Prof Moody. ‘Since the 1999 handover and with more and more investment in Macao coming from Asia, Europe, and the United States, we see a growing demand for English speakers that are not only proficient in the language for daily communication but also capable of developing professional skills based on the needs of local industries. To the degree that Macao can successfully retain this talent within the territory, this would help build Macao into a world-class tourism and leisure centre.’ 陳海瑛教授 Prof Katherine Chen 2021 UMAGAZINE 24
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