Introduction to Academic English

Lecture 4: Participating in Discussion / Preparing for Lectures

Participating in Discussions / Preparing for Lectures

Participating in Discussions

Orientation Task

Working in a small group, can you solve this logic

puzzle? A farmer buys a fox, a goose, and a bag of beans
from the market. To get home, the farmer must cross the
river in his small boat, but he can only carry one thing at
a time: the fox, the goose, or the bag of beans.

If left alone, the fox would eat the goose, or the goose
would eat the beans. So how can the farmer get himself
and all his purchases to the other side?

After four minutes, determine which groups have solved

the problem. Discuss:
• Did your group discuss together to try to solve it, or
work as individuals? Why?_____________________
• Were the groups that worked together more or less
effective in solving it? Why? ___________________

Working in a Group

At HKU SPACE you will frequently be given the opportunity to work, communicate and solve problems
in groups. You will need to give suggestions and opinions, and also listen to those of others, and perhaps
agree or disagree.
Group discussion and problem solving is also required in the workplace, as it considered more effective
than working alone. However, it is only beneficial if team members cooperate and communicate effectively.

Task 1

a) Give some reasons why working in a group might be difficult (also think about your experiences, your
social life, family life, and in education).

b) Do you have any strategies for overcoming these difficulties?

c) At college, you will often be required to participate in group discussions. What excites /worries you
about this kind of activity?

1
 Introduction to Academic English
Lecture 4: Participating in Discussion / Preparing for Lectures

Task 2

a) On the next page are comments from college lecturers about the purpose of discussions. Complete each
blank space with an appropriate word from the box.

challenged progress opportunity feedback

sharing deeper critical discussions

“I think that by a)__________ “I feel that e)____________ are a great

information with others, students are
b)___________ to think about topics
in new ways and to practice
c)______________thinking skills. This
can help them gain a d) ___________
understanding of academic issues.”
f) _____________ for students to think
about their g)__________ during the
course. They can apply what they learnt in
the lecture and the lecturer has the chance
to see how they are progressing and give
them the h)_______________ they need.”

b) Do you agree with their opinions? Why/ Why not? ________________________________________

2
 Introduction to Academic English
Lecture 4: Participating in Discussion / Preparing for Lectures

Task 3: Discussing Issues

Working in a group of three or four, discuss the following statements to decide how wrong you think the
actions are. Try to agree on a number that matches your opinion (10 = most wrong). After some time to
discuss, your tutor will ask one person in your group to share your group’s ideas with the class.
Remember that group work is only effective with active participation, so it is not acceptable to say nothing
or simply ‘I agree’. To encourage this, you should ask for and support the opinions of others. Some of the
expressions from above may be helpful, such as:
“Where do you stand on the issue of Euthanasia?”
“Yan makes a good point about it being voluntary only and another thing is …”
Try also to use some relative clauses in your discussion, for example:
“I believe that Euthanasia, which is actually illegal in Hong Kong, is….”

Least wrong Most wrong

Killing someone in self-defence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Eating on the MTR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Sitting in the priority seat on a bus or the MTR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Working parents paying someone else to raise their children 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Keeping $50 change given by a shop assistant by mistake 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Throwing litter in the street 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Hitting a naughty child 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Euthanasia (helping a disease-suffering person to die) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Telling a ‘face saving’ lie (a lie to avoid your own embarrassment) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Using DNA/ genetic techniques to produce healthy, intelligent babies 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Refusing to fight when your country is at war 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Dating more than one person at the same time 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Marrying someone of a different religion 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Lying about your qualifications in a job interview 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Stealing a chocolate bar from a large supermarket 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Copying someone’s answers in a test or exam 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Sharing photos of a friend online without their permission 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Using a forged sick note for absence from college or work 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Your IDEA 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Your IDEA 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

3
 Introduction to Academic English
Lecture 4: Participating in Discussion / Preparing for Lectures

Preparing for Lectures

Task 4
‘Academic Culture’ is the beliefs, opinions and behavioural norms shared by those working or studying in
a tertiary-level institution. Academic culture may vary from country to country – something to consider if
you are to study outside Hong Kong in the future.
In a group, discuss whether the following statements are true or false, based on what you know about the
academic culture in Hong Kong:
T/F
1. If you arrive late to a lecture, you shouldn’t enter the room.
2. If your phone rings in class, it is acceptable to answer it.
3. You will get good marks for an essay if you can show you support your
lecturer’s opinion on the subject.
4. You should always ask the lecturer’s permission if you wish to take
photographs or make a recording during the lecture.
5. It is up to both the lecturer and the students to create a positive class
atmosphere.

When finished, report one of your conclusions to the class. For example:
“For number one, we thought that it was true/ false that you could enter a classroom late like this, at least
at HKU SPACE, because….”

Some lectures will be harder to understand than others. However, a lecturer will not wait for you and check
that you understand, so you should do some preparation before the lecture. At a minimum, you should
find out what topic(s) will be covered and how it is organised, so that the information is familiar. Not only
does this increase your interest and motivate you to listen and learn, it can make it easier to learn: your
mind finds it easier to understand new ideas if it can connect them to familiar ideas. At HKU SPACE, you
can do this by going to the SOUL platform and looking at the teaching materials before each lesson.

4
 Introduction to Academic English
Lecture 4: Participating in Discussion / Preparing for Lectures

Task 5: Lecturing Style – Being prepared

Watch the first 45 seconds of this psychology lecture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tchPwFUNbus

and answer the following:

a. Every lecturer has their own style. Would you categorise this lecturer’s style as:
i. Reading ii. Conversational or iii. Interactive? Why? _____________________________
b. In what way does the lecturer use gestures and body language? Does it help to add meaning?
__________________________________________________________________________________
c. Does the way he varies his speech or stresses words also add meaning? In what way?
_________________________________________________________________________________

d. Do you think listening to and understanding this lecture will be difficult? Why?

_________________________________________________________________________________

Task 6: Pre-lecture Reading – Being prepared

Imagine you are studying psychology, and you know the lecturer’s style is challenging, so you check the
course materials, and you see this “organisation” slide. Read the slide and answer questions a-d below.

Lesson 3 The Authoring Programme: Getting What You Want

 Introduction – wishes and aims

 Purpose of the Two Authoring Assignments

 Assignment One – Autobiography – understanding who you are

 Assignment Two – Future Authoring – your five-year plan

 Results of the Authoring Programme

a) What do you think this lecture will be about?

b) What do you think the main ideas are?

c) What do you know about the psychology of aims?

d) What has been your experience of setting aims? Have you always succeeded? Why?

5
 Introduction to Academic English
Lecture 4: Participating in Discussion / Preparing for Lectures

In addition to adapting to the lecturer’s delivery style and reading and thinking about the content you will
hear, you can also learn key subject vocabulary to prepare.

Task 7: Language Relevant to the Subject.

Match the original language on the left with the non-academic language on the right

1. intuition that aiming above the mundane has the A. The people around us shape our thoughts of
potential to transform themselves what is normal, so they also shape what we want.

2. articulate your character B. meaningful to me

3. a theory of malevolence C. powerful emotions / thoughts I want to avoid

4. your territory that you did not master D. explain why people want to hurt others

5. decrement in people's mood in the short term E. write about who I am / what’s important to me

6. you are nested in systems that transcend you F. my brain tells me “I’m happy” and I feel it

7. if they were going to degenerate G. unhappy for a few weeks or months

8. you get a little dopamine kick H. not caring about myself so I become bad.

9. intrinsic meaning I. I have an idea that trying to do stuff that isn’t

ordinary might improve me and my life.

Develop Listening Skills through Practice.

Task 8: Listening for Meaning

In many cases, you do not need to understand all the details in a lecture, but you must try to understand the
general meaning of what is being said, and the important points. Now you have prepared for the lecture by
adapting to the lecturer’s style, understanding the organisation, thinking about the content, and learning
relevant language, watch the lecture and answer the following questions. First, read the questions so that
you can predict what you will hear.

Introduction
a. Circle the general meaning of what he says about “wish upon a star”.
1) People want a light in the darkness 2) He wants the students to aim at something high
3) Stars sparkle like diamonds 4) He likes deep metaphors

Outline

b. Why is it important to do the past authoring before the future authoring?

___________________________________________________________________________
c. Why do some people avoid setting goals?
___________________________________________________________________________

6
 Introduction to Academic English
Lecture 4: Participating in Discussion / Preparing for Lectures

Assignment 1 – past authoring/autobiography

d. What should students write about in the past authoring programme? Why?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Assignment 2 – future authoring
e. What should students write about in the future authoring programme? Circle the ones you hear.

1) friends 2) an intimate 3) family 4) career 5) out-of-work

relationship activity
6) health 7) substance abuse 8) a yacht 9) your 10) a bad future
character
f. Is accomplishing something the best way to be happy? Explain____________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

g. Circle the general meaning of what students should aim for in 3 to 5 years.
1) Realistic, worthwhile targets 2) Dopamine kicks, happiness
3) A job at Starbucks, strong arguments 4) Progress but it’s not too easy.

h. In addition to getting what you want, what is the other benefit of pursuing goals?
_______________________________________________________________________________
Results of the authoring programme
i. What evidence is there that doing the ‘authoring programme’ benefits university students?
_________________________________________________________________________________

[For complete lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8Xc2_FtpHI]

Task 9: Follow-up Questions

Discuss the following in your group. Be prepared to share your answers with the class.
a. Was the meaning of the lecture clear? Why/ why not? __________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
b. You have tried different techniques including adapting to the lecturer’s style, checking the
organisation, thinking about the content, learning key language, and practicing listening. Which
techniques were the most effective? Why?____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
c. Does this lecture in a Canadian university reflect a different academic culture to that in Hong
Kong?_________________________________________________________________________

d. Do you think that the ‘authoring programme’ would benefit you? ________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________