Knowing that – knowing how. A love-driven, enquiry-based teaching pathway

Although several works on the importance of ‘learning-by-doing’ are available (Ellis 2003; Littlewood 2004; Steffens et al. 2015; Niemeier 2017), methodological resources applied to the myriad learning contexts where English is taught and learnt for professional purposes need to be updated continuously. Here the focus is on a work-in-progress approach that I have tested, retested and modified, while teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry of the Sapienza University of Rome. Clinicians, like all other professionals, need to be up-to-date with the latest findings in the field, hence the importance of knowing how to access all available medical information and identify the scientific evidence required to make informed clinical decisions in order to provide patients with the best possible care. The didactic pathway, if appropriately adapted, might be applied to other academic contexts but also to secondary-school Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) programmes. This model is a felicitous combination of tailor-made learning, the creation and interpretation of knowledge-enhancing data and skills, and a quest for professional expertise.