Abstract:

The development of generic skills has in the recent decades become a relevant topic in higher education, since the classical model of subject-specific higher education does not prepare the students for the rapidly changing labor market. This tendency, however, can incline to the other extreme where the students graduating from a university are not competent enough in their field of study, since the generic skills courses take up too much of their curriculum. We have tried to balance the dynamic between subject-specific and subject-independent (i.e. generic) skills and knowledge through incorporating the development of generic skills into the subject-specific coursework. In the coursework of ‘Introduction to Linguistics’ at the University of Tartu we use problem-based learning, scaffolding, process writing and peer feedback to guide the students through writing their own linguistic autobiography where they analyze their own language-related experiences and memories (e.g. acquiring their first language(s), learning to read and write, learning foreign languages) in the context of linguistic knowledge covered in the lectures and the sources. For this coursework, the students have to use linguistic terms and academic sources (determined in the instructions). This way, the students gain a thorough and practical understanding of the main concepts of linguistics, while also learning academic writing from sources and acquiring disciplinary literacy (see Moje 2011; Tragel, Komissarov 2022). In the course feedback students mentioned that the linguistic autobiography taught them to associate theory with “real life” and gave them new perspectives on their empirical experiences.

Although we have experience with using the linguistic autobiography as a coursework for first year undergraduates, it has been argued that this task could also be suitable in primary and secondary education (Teiva, Tragel 2021, 2022). The key to making this process a great learning experience for students at all ages is to help them to find resources that are easily understandable for them. For example, when at university level we expect students to use articles from linguistic journals and, for first year undergraduates, textbooks, then in elementary school using Wikipedia articles for this task might be accepted.

The level of difficulty of the materials can then be gradually raised, as the learners are adapting to reading and working with academic sources. Developing these skills of reading, writing and critical thinking prepares adolescents for their eventual university studies and competition in the labor market. In addition to that, teaching writing from sources and disciplinary literacy from early on creates a supporting environment for a future generation of scientists to feel at home with academic writing and scientific communication.

References:
[1] Moje, E. B. (2011). Foregrounding the Disciplines in Secondary Literacy Teaching and Learning: A Call for Change. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 96-107.
[2] Teiva, N. K. & Tragel, I. (2021). Keeleteaduslik elulugu 1. Teadlik ja teaduslik pilk oma keeleelule. [Linguistic autobiography 1. Academic perspective on everyday language.] Oma Keel, 2, 66-71
[3] Teiva, N. K. & Tragel, I. (2022). Keeleteaduslik elulugu 2. Kust sa pärit oled? [Where are you from?] Oma Keel, 1, 60-64.
[4] Tragel, Ilona & Komissarov, Liisa-Maria. (2022). Combining subject-specific and subject-independent competencies in teaching Linguistics.

Keywords:

Key competencies, generic skills, disciplinary literacy, writing from sources, linguistics.