Developing Learning Environments: Creativity, Motivation and Collaboration in Higher Education

11. Incommensurable discourses? The possibilities for collaborative teaching ventures

11 Incommensurable฀discourses?฀ The฀possibilitie s฀fo r฀collaborativ e฀ >฀teaching฀ventures฀ Colin Barron INTRODUCTION฀ This chapter investigates issues of interdisciphnary collaboration between different departments. 1 It is unusual, because it reports a failure. Th e reason fo r doin g thi s is t o rais e th e discussio n o f collaboratio n an d interdisciplinarity t o new levels, especially t o the issue of reconcilin g conflicting philosophies . My aim i s to provide a n account t o explai n both success and failure in interdisciplinary ventures on three levels: • Methodological: issue s abou t differen t teachin g method s an d managing the process of collaboration . • Epistemological: issue s abou t wha t count s a s content , an d subordination o f English language teachers to subject content . • Ontological: issue s o f th e statu s o f disciplinar y entitie s an d boundaries, and incommensurable discourses arising from differen t ontological backgrounds. 210฀Colin ฀Barron฀ The specific situatio n is collaboration between th e English Centr e and th e Scienc e Facult y a t th e Universit y o f Hong Kong . It revolve s around conflictin g philosophies between th e functionalism o f much of English language teaching (ELT) and the realism of science, and between functionalism an d constructivism within ELT. There are four parts . In the first part, I take a look at the issues affecting ELT and science teaching, in particular functionalism i n ELT and realism in science teaching, th e dominant philosophie s underpinnin g thes e disciplines, and how the y affect collaboration . Th e nex t par t discusse s th e principle s o f collaboration t o offer a more dynamic alternativ e tha n discussions i n the ELT literature have suggested. The third part investigates the status of th e proble m domai n i n EL T an d scienc e teachin g an d offer s constructivism as an alternative teaching philosophy to provide a better possibility fo r collaboratio n tha n functionalism . Th e fina l par t offer s our experiences with the course to provide a practical illustration of the issues. ISSUES฀FOR฀TEACHERS฀ EAP฀teachers฀ A major development in ELT in the last 20 or 30 years has been English for academi c purpose s (EAP) . EAP is an approac h (Hutchinso n an d Waters 1987 ) that has absolute and variable characteristics. These are: Absolute characteristics: • I t is designed to meet the specific needs of the learners. • I t make s us e o f underlyin g methodolog y an d activitie s o f th e disciplines it serves. • I t i s centre d o n th e languag e (grammar , lexis , register) , skills , discourse, and genres appropriate to these activities. Variable characteristics: • I t is related t o or designed fo r specific disciplines . • I t may use, in specific situations, a different methodolog y from tha t of general English . Incommensurable฀discourses?฀The ฀possibilities฀for฀collaborative฀teaching฀ventures฀21 1฀ • I t is designed fo r learners at the tertiary level. (Dudley-Evans an d St. John 1998,4-5) . The characteristics of EAP suggest that collaboration should focu s on methodology . Epistemologica l issue s are resolved i n favou r o f th e discipline that is serviced. Ontological issues are ignored. The major influenc e o n EAP has been functionalism, enshrine d i n Halliday's systemic-functional gramma r (1994 ) an d eviden t i n genr e analysis (e.g., Swales 1981,1990), discourse analysis (e.g., Nunan 1993 ) and EAP (Dudley-Evans and St . John 1998) . Functionalism ha s a long history in the social sciences. It can be characterized as the theory which states 'form is always determined by function' (Malinowsk i 196 0 [1944], 149). 'It is a system of objects, activities , and attitudes in which ever y part exists as a means to an end. It is a mechanism, like clockwork, i n which the various elements are interdependent' an d '[s]uc h activities , attitudes and object s ar e organized aroun d importan t an d vita l task s into institutions' (Malinowski 1960 [1944], 150). Language, like culture, 'is essentially an instrumental apparatus' (Malinowski 1960 [1944], 150), and the parts cannot be described in isolation...