Using 3D Positioning System for language work

ALLU 3D Positioning System

When I was looking through the Pile Buck website (mentioned in my last post), I came across an article about an innovative 3D Positioning System: ALLU Introduces In Situ Mixing GPS 3D Positioning System. The innovation was of interest to a group of students working in construction engineering, but I also noticed ways the article itself could be used to focus on useful areas of vocabulary, grammar and text type features.

The article: http://www.undergroundconstructionmagazine.com/allu-introduces-situ-mixing-gps-3d-positioning-system

The first thing I noticed was the aspects of the article pertaining to process description. I generally tell my students that a process description should have the following information:

•  what it is
• what it does / what it was invented for
• what it looks like / what parts it has
• how it works

So I had them identify those parts in the text

What it is: "The ALLU 3D Positioning System."

What it does: "The new system uses GPS signals to precisely locate the ALLU PMX excavator-mounted power mixing head, guiding the excavator operator to feed the correct amount of binder and to thoroughly mix each block of the job matrix."

What it looks like: "The new system is comprised of four modules, including computer unit with software, touch screen, base station and GPS Sensor."

How it works: "...the Pressure Feeder Data Acquisition System tracks the amount of binder applied and the 3D Positioning System tracks exactly where it was applied. This provides the contractor with more accurate record keeping, a superior quality assurance plan and can result in faster acceptance of the project. The 3D Positioning System tells the operator when to change locations and begin stabilization from another point ..."

Since it's an innovation, we also looked at what was new about it, and which advantages are mentioned. Here is a sample:

"...there are significant advantages to the operation ... Due to the precise placement of the binder, only the optimum amount of binder is used, keeping material costs down."

"... tracks exactly where it was applied. This provides the contractor with more accurate record keeping, a superior quality assurance plan and can result in faster acceptance of the project."

This includes vocabulary that highlights advantages:

• there are significant advantages to the operation
• only the optimum amount of binder is used, keeping material costs down
• This is critical because... 
• provides the contractor with more accurate record keeping
• can result in faster acceptance of the project
• optimizing mixing production rates, while ensuring thorough mixing 

Then, we were able to add a number of adjective-noun collocations to students' vocabulary logs. For example:

•  specialized products
• mass stabilization
• cost-effective method
• contaminated soil
• hazardous constituents
• treated material
• significant advantages
• optimum amount
• material costs
• accurate record keeping
• assurance plan
• mixing production rates
• binder addition rates
• efficient use 

Finally, 3 adverb-verb collocations:

• precisely locate
• thoroughly mix
• tracks exactly

This work is now being used as a basis for students' own process descriptions, as well as descriptions of the advantages of new products.

Similar language work can be done with other articles that give information about an innovation in the students' technical field.