I currently teach a technical writing course to graduate students and science English course to all first year university students. My courses draw upon both content-based instruction and project-based learning approaches. Some examples of projects that we are undertaking in the classroom include a hometown data presentation, a scientific measurement problem solving project, and a model science project where students design and construct model solar cars, pasta bridges or catapults.
I find that my students are eager to learn new things, and if English happens to be the medium of instruction, they are willing to work with a second language in order to learn new concepts. It is when students see little value in the content being taught that they soon lose their desire to learn.
