Right after the Christmas break, I started teaching again. I'm working as a free-lance instructor for the Friedrich Alexander University here in Erlangen. My friend, who teaches in the English department, heard that the Sprachenzentrum (Language Center) was looking for someone to teach English classes in the biology department. Since I'm a biologist, she recommended me.
Thus far, I've taught scientific writing to master's degree students in a four-week genetics module. I basically gave a few lectures on writing research papers and then edited the students' papers with them. I was impressed at how serious these students were. They really wanted to improve their writing and they wanted to understand the grammar rules. In Chicago, my students used to ask why papers in biology had to be grammatically correct. "But this is not an English class," was their usual response. My German students actually intimidated me with all their questions, because sometimes I didn't know how to explain the grammar rules.
Tomorrow, I begin my next course--oral presentations in English--in the immunology department. This group is PhD students, so they may be even more intimidating. I hope not.
Monday, February 14, 2011
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