Designing Teaching for Transfer in English for Academic Purposes

Abstract

Transfer of learning is an important goal of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) education where multilingual students learn knowledge and skills of academic literacy to use in other contexts of writing. Despite the importance of learning transfer in EAP, it does not often take place without mindful teaching for transfer. EAP teachers should make active efforts to help students shape the habit of transfer thinking and experience successful transfer while taking EAP courses. This action research aims at promoting learning transfer by designing and implementing pedagogical tools guided by the notion of high road transfer: (a) transfer guideline, (b) transfer feedback, (c) transfer journals, and (d) transfer imagination activity. The teaching for transfer innovation lasted over the 16-week semester in the target course where multilingual students, who use English as a second/foreign language, learned skills (e.g., how to design PowerPoint slides using different modes of communication, critical reading, source-use skills, synthesizing, finding sources, revising, editing, and reference style) and knowledge of writing (e.g., multimodality and rhetorical situation). Each pedagogical tool was implemented in the classroom so that students maintain their awareness of the importance of learning transfer while taking the target course. Overall, the teaching for the transfer project had positive impacts on articulating what students learn from the target course, leading to actual transfer of learning to other contexts of writing. Future pedagogical directions for promoting learning transfer in EAP are discussed.