All Language Centre courses

Why this course might make a difference:

With 1st year reports coming up, and PhDs to write, the purpose of the Editing Groups is to help you think, write and edit your academic English more effectively.

Throughout the day, we aim to give you a set of simple but effective diagnostic tools, and make the implicit principles of academic English explicit, by focusing on 3 key concepts: ‘Old before New’; ‘Simplicity First, Complexity Last’; ‘Being Confidently Cautious’.

Run for the last two years, quantitative results included: 100% of participants found the training ‘useful’, ‘intended to apply the training’ and would ‘recommend it to others’; all scored it 7/10+, with 20% scoring it 10/10.

Qualitative feedback included: It's revolutionised how I write. Also, I feel much more confident about my ability to write a clear, convincing, and stylish dissertation. NB you could substitute lecture, article, book, research proposal, grant application, email, student essay feedback, etc for 'dissertation' in that last sentence. I learned an excellent array of clear and effective techniques that I can apply easily and simply to my own writing, and anyone else's! These techniques also help me to 'untangle' others' writing so I can understand what I read more clearly.

Assertiveness is the ability to express ideas and feelings in an open and direct way. It recognises our rights whilst respecting the rights of others. In this Communication Skills coaching group, you will learn the qualities of assertive communication and its difference from passive and aggressive communication. Some assertive communication strategies will be explained and you will role-play some assertiveness scenarios.

Face the challenges of the all-important Easter term by attending an Academic Planning and Productivity coaching group. Review how best to manage your time and ensure that you meet all your deadlines. Learn how to set priorities and use your time most effectively.

Good negotiating and persuading skills are central to the art of influencing others. In this Communication Skills coaching group, you will learn to understand the difference between negotiating and persuading, and how to use both skills positively -- to convince others of your ideas and achieve the outcomes you really want. Some negotiating and persuading strategies will be explained and you will role-play some negotiating and persuading scenarios.

Overwhelmed by your workload? This Academic Planning and Productivity coaching group will help you identify and work towards achievable study goals and targets.

For those of you who wish to know more about the fascinating history of Cambridge both as a town and a university this session provides a journey through the centuries from the Romans to the Science Park and beyond. In so doing we will touch upon some of the key factors that have shaped the development not only of the town we live and work in but of the country itself.

If our writing is cohesive there are logical connections between words, sentences, paragraphs and sections. This workshop explores different techniques for increasing cohesion, which should make your writing easier to read and more effective.

This workshop builds on topics covered in previous in the Wednesday’s session, partly by analyzing exerts from published journal articles for their cohesion. Although attending the previous workshop is an advantage, it is not prerequisite.

So much hard work is compromised due to poor editing. Editing is much more than just simple proof-reading. It involves a critical approach to planning, setting out information, constructing argument, paragraphing, sentencing and ultimately understanding the effect of what we write on the reader. In this workshop we look at a variety of elements in the editing process and we use good models and student work to help us.

This workshop will show you to how to edit efficiently and effectively. We’ll be looking at a number of strategies with examples and the aim is to edit ‘smart’, and create a text that presents your ideas as fluently and coherently as possible.

This workshop discusses the basic principles of academic style, helping you to write more formally, persuasively and precisely. Learn how to attain clarity and accuracy and how to use the passive voice and tentative language (hedging). Students will apply their learning to practical examples.

Idioms form an important part of everyday spoken English and offer insights into British culture and society. In this informal workshop, you will explore English idiomatic expressions within their cultural context and will put them into practice through a range of simple exercises.

This workshop will discuss ways in which meaning can be conveyed in spoken English by intonation and stress, and offer students ways to improve the clarity of their spoken English and their comprehension of the spoken language.

Methodology ad results are two very common chapters in academic papers and dissertations/theses, especially in scientific subjects. This workshop will focus mainly on linguistic aspects of these chapters.

This workshops offers students the chance to give a short presentation, with or without PowerPoint. Its aim is to hone the skills required for an effective academic presentation, and to receive feedback in a supportive and friendly environment. A maximum 7 students only to present. Participating students MUST bring a pre-prepared, short (10 mins maximum) presentation with them on a USB stick. Interactive whiteboard available for use; no laptops required. It is recommended that you also bring a printout of your presentation (6 slides per page) for feedback. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO PRESENT, PLEASE NOTE THIS UNDER THE SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

In this workshop we will look principally at the components of ‘fast speech’. These include use of weak forms, linking, stress time etc. The aim of the session is both to recognise those aspects of pronunciation which aid listening and to get plenty of practice. Students who have come to previous sessions on pronunciation with me are advised that some material will be repeated.

Are you a speaker of Spanish, Catalan, Portugese, Italian or French? Would you like to have the chance to work on aspects of your English pronunciation? If so, join us for this fun and informal workshop, which offers pronunciation practice for speakers of Italic (Latin-derived) languages. Vowel and consonant sounds, linking, stress and intonation will be covered.

Are you a speaker of Spanish, Catalan, Portugese, Italian or French? Would you like to have the chance to work on aspects of your English pronunciation? If so, join us for this fun and informal workshop, which offers pronunciation practice for speakers of Italic (Latin-derived) languages. Vowel and consonant sounds, linking, stress and intonation will be covered.

This workshop offers a friendly forum in which speakers of Asian languages can practise aspects of English pronunciation. The focus will be on speakers of Chinese and Japanese, but speakers of all Asian languages may attend.

This workshop offers a friendly forum in which speakers of Asian languages can practise aspects of English pronunciation. The focus will be on speakers of Chinese and Japanese, but speakers of all Asian languages may attend if space permits.

Foreign students tend to have different pronunciation problems according to their first language. This workshop focuses on a group of related sounds that are often problematic for speakers of Chinese, Japanese and Korean, so these students will be given priority. However, speakers of other languages can register an interest and be placed on a waiting list. They will be given a place if space permits.

This workshop offers an introduction to various techniques for proof-reading a text, to try to ensure that it is as error-free and coherent as possible. It will also teach how to read and use basic proof-reading symbols.

This workshop will consider ways of referencing in a coherent and legible fashion, establishing what might be best practice for the needs of particular academic formats (dissertation, article, paper etc). Footnoting will also be looked at.

The exams that take place towards the end of the academic year can sometimes seem threatening. They don’t have to. This workshop will look at ways to prepare efficiently and effectively in the run-up to exams, working on various aspects of the revision process all the way through to the exams themselves VENUE: - http://cam.adobeconnect.com/revisionskills/

Academic writing should be clear and concise. It should be simple, easy to read and ‘to the point’. To ensure that your writing meets these criteria, you should edit it with care. This workshop will focus on attaining clarity and concision through a range of simple self-editing exercises.