SOME ASPECTS OF IMPROVING ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEXTBOOKS FOR GEOLOGISTS AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL: CLIL VS. ESP

Abstract

Bearing in mind the enormous importance teaching materials have in the language classroom, the paper deals with the analysis of modern approaches to creating foreign language textbooks at the university level. Considering the influence of the English language as a world language in which almost all the latest research and achievements in the field of technical sciences and geology are published, this textbook example is thus based on English as the common language of the largest number of speakers. We believe, however, that it can be further translated into other languages, thus providing students with the opportunity to study the same material in two or more languages, with more success and less cognitive load. Also, it is of great importance that language textbooks go through such academic and practical adjustments that will replace the essential shortcomings of traditional teaching with useful and applicable educational models. Following such goals, the paper tries to: 1) present the importance of developing teaching materials through the principles of visual values, authenticity and scaffolding; 2) clarify and shed light on the essential shortcomings of traditional teaching materials by comparing ESP and CLIL methods, and 3) present practical suggestions for practicing and acquiring the language through three activities adapted to the stated principles.