Analysing and developing linguistically responsive tasks within the frame-work of the cross-disciplinary Erasmus+ project sensiMINT

Abstract

Scientific literacy is required to judge and act in an informed and responsible manner. Science education strives to enable learners to become scientific literate. To achieve this, there are science-specific and linguistic challenges to overcome. When teaching and learning chemistry, it is important to be aware that language varies according to the discourse topic, the relationship between the interlocutors, and the medium of communication. In the context of chemistry education, students are meant to learn how to extract information from subject-specific text-types such as lab reports, diagrams, etc., and to produce them autonomously. To do so, understanding and applying the conventions of academic language and the subject-specific scientific registers is necessary. To deal with these challenges, the Erasmus+ project sensiMINT was initiated to support both teachers and learners. In cross-disciplinary communities of practice, linguistically responsive tasks are analysed, developed, and refined. The paper presents the theoretical background and introduces genre charts of different chemistry-specific text-types as constructed by the sensiMINT experts. The application of the genre charts for understanding and producing chemistry-specific text-types is demonstrated with concrete examples.