Research findings for all: Popular science communication on global challenges

Courses on English for Academic Purposes (EAP) have traditionally focused on the production and consumption of written academic genres, especially journal papers. This is because information about research findings has been traditionally exchanged within the academic community, that is, by and for researchers. In recent years, however, there has been an increasing interest in popular science communication. In this type of communication, researchers repackage their findings to a lay audience, making these findings both accessible and appealing to the general public. EAP courses need to introduce students to different genres of popular science communication in order to cater for this new learning. The present 90-minute lesson fills this gap by having upper-intermediate EAP students explore an infographic, an online corpus of TED Talks, and an outreach website. Drawing on the topic of energy – a current global challenge, the lesson provides a model for the exploration of science popularization texts in the EAP classroom.