Back to Basics at the Swedish National Defence College

1. Back to Basics at the Swedish National Defence College October 2012 Ingrida Leimanis

2. Agenda • The Swedish National Defence College • Foreign Languages Section • College students • Officer Programme • Staff Training • Advance Staff Training • 3 compendiums

3. The Swedish National Defence College Stockholm City Karlberg Castle

4. The Foreign Languages Section • Our mission • Provide relevant languagetraining to officer students within the framework of theirmilitary studies.

5. NAVY

6. College Students • Officer Programme: 6 terms of military English. Graduate as 2nd lieutenants. • Staff Training: 1-2 terms of military English. Graduate as majors. • Advanced Staff Training: 2 terms of military English for majors amd major equivalents.

7. Swedish IntroductoryModule-Term 1 GroundedTheory Quantativemethod • Evaluation • Methods ConflictAnalysis Qualitative Research Methods Descriptive Statistics Literary Source • Research • Design Fundamentals of Methodology Measurement

8. 3 Compendiums • MILITARYENGLISH • OP 12–15 (220) - Compendium Swedish National Defence College Advanced Staff Training 12-14 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING

9. LearningObjective 1

10. LearningObjective 2

11. LearningObjective 3

12. Common features • Listening: “authentic” passages • Reading: meaningful material • Speaking: focus on context and fluency • Writing: professional requirements, lexical activities,some grammar

13. CompendiumContents Officer Programme • Military Vocabulary • Writing - Composing and planning an outline • Writing - Transitions and linking phrases  • Writing - effective paragraphs • Presenting Information and Briefings Staff Training Military Writing Presenting Information,Military Briefings Military Staff Work Organisation of Headquarters Staff Officers – Top Tips and Leadership Advanced Staff Training • E-mail – An Introduction • CorrespondenceRole-Play • Presenting Information, Military Briefings • Cohesion in Writing • Writing Effective Paragraphs • Seminars

14. Setting Personal Goals • Discuss with a partner: • What makes someone a good communicator when using English in the context of working and studying in the military? • Decide which of the following are most important, rank the top 5. • Write an email to your teacher at the end of the lesson saying what 5 areas you would like to improve during this course.

15. OP compendium – thematicvocabulary Tactics • strategic base • conventional military tactics • political machine • rational programs Counterinsurgency • counter insurgency campaign • insurgents • neutral majority • hostile minority • intensity of effort • means • active minority

16. OP compendium – listening • Clausewitz Trinity Theory The following words sometimes have more than one meaning and we require the whole context to understand them. Before listening to an extract, in which the words in the left column occur, see if you can match them with the contextual explanations given in the column on the right. Now Listen to an extract from the BBC Radio 4 programme In Our Time in which Melvyn Bragg discusses Clausewitz’s trinity theory with leading British War Studies Professors.

17. OP compendium – discussion • Discussion • Clausewitz's magnum opus On War, first published in 1832, is commonly regarded as the most important book about military theory ever written. How do you think it is still relevant today? • Galula’s theory is almost 50 years old. How is it relevant to today’s counterinsurgencies and small wars?

18. ST Compendium – briefing skills • Types of Military Briefings • There are 4 types of military briefing. Match the type with its description. • Work in pairs. Each pair should choose one heading and prepare to present a short set of dos and don’ts under the heading chosen. •  Preparation, and organization •  Delivery •  Language Each of these should include at least 3 items.

19. ST Compendium – briefings • You have been asked to brief a new unit on one of the themes below. You have 10 minutes to think about what you would like to say and the objective is to reflect on some of the aspects discussed and to put them into practice. •  Support •  Unitcohesion •  Leadershipqualities • You should prepare about 3 main points and use transition phrases to structure your briefing. • You do not need to prepare any visuals. • Listeners should take notes and ask questions after the briefer has spoken.

20. AST Compendium – seminartechniques Rate yourself on your ability to take part in seminars in English, highlight 3 areas you would like to improve. • I am a reflective listener and can respond to discussions by asking open questions that invite others’ contributions. • I can interrupt others politely and acknowledge their contributions respectfully. • I can clearly show comparisons between concepts

21. AST Compendium – seminartechniques • Functional phrases Showing agreement/disagreement, adding, sequencing, conceding and referring to previously made points etc. When developing an argument, it is good to show that you have considered different points of view, including those that are contrary to your own arguments, can compare and contrast and balance ideas etc. • Paired expressions • On the one hand ….. • In theory … • Under normal circumstances .. • In the short term …

22. Conclusions • Compendiums not toocomprehensive • Students prefer a compendium • Compendiumshaveclearobjectives • Students cansee the bigpicture • Teachersmoreconfident • Teachershaveopportunities to elaborate