Session 4A
Title: Can Academic Referencing be Fun?

Abstract:
When it comes to EAP classes, referencing is one of students’ greatest challenges. As for the teachers, approaching this in a manner that is effective and dynamic is probably just as hard. The purpose of this workshop is to look at the teaching of referencing in three main stages and provide teachers with some ideas for creative and practical activities.

Our first aim is to acquaint students with the existence of different voices in a text. Through the use of more accessible genres, (e.g. newspaper articles and short stories) students identify the participants in the text, and how the participants’ voices differ from the author’s. This is followed by an examination of more academic articles, where a comparison is drawn between the two different voices and the linguistic differences are noted.

The second step is to introduce the importance of adding expert opinion. Again, after starting with everyday situations in which students can easily identify different levels of reliability (you, your mother or Ronaldo claiming you are a talented soccer player), we then switch to an academic context and help students differentiate between academically trustworthy sources and unreliable, non-academic information.

Finally, we look at the mechanics of referencing and connect them to the different voices previously revealed, while showing the students the importance of following referencing conventions to avoid plagiarism. In the workshop, we provide teachers with a set of competitive games (quizzes, jeopardy) that can be used to help students master the necessary techniques.

Bio
Elaine Rodrigues is currently the Head Teacher / Academic Manager at AICE with 16 years teaching experience, the last 5 of which have been spent in Australian institutions. The opportunity to develop and teach academic programs has put her in a position to develop and deliver academically focused creative activities. Shane Veness is an EAP teacher at AICE, where he has shared his youth, knowledge and enthusiasm with students of all levels. His time in the ESL classroom as a teacher along with his experience as a local university student have equipped him with a thorough understanding of the needs international students have when looking to further their education in Australia.