Teaching English for Specific Purposes
4.5/5
()
About this ebook
Related to Teaching English for Specific Purposes
Related ebooks
The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners®: Academic and Other Specific Purposes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTeaching Grammar, Revised Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCurriculum Design in English Language Teaching Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5ELT Article Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTeaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Second Language Acquisition Applied to English Language Teaching Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Teaching English for Academic Purposes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTeaching Listening, Revised Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTeaching English as an International Language Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow To Write Reading And Listening Activities Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Teaching Speaking, Revised Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPerspectives on Teaching Adults English in the Digital World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaterials Development Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTeaching Writing, Revised Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSociolinguistics and Language Teaching Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Teaching Reading, Revised Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Task-Based Language Teaching Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners®: Adult Education and Workforce Development Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTeaching English as a Foreign Language Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Content-Based Instruction Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Strategies for Teaching English Language, Literature, and Content Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5100 TESOL Activities for Teachers: Practical ESL/EFL Activities for the Communicative Classroom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Language and Esol Methodology- a Unique Perspective Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsELT Basics: A Beginner’s Guide to English Language Teaching Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMore Than a Native Speaker, Third Edition: An Introduction to Teaching English Abroad Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fifty Ways to Teach Vocabulary: Tips for ESL/EFL Teachers Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Teaching Vocabulary, Revised Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How To Write Pronunciation Activities Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
ESL For You
39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For Teenagers and Adults Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Advanced Writing Skills for Students of English Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Let's Learn Spanish: First Words for Everyone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5CELPIP Vocabulary Builder, Levels 10-12: Ace the CELPIP Exam with this Vocabulary Workbook Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/51,000 Conversation Questions: Designed for Use in the ESL or EFL Classroom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I Love to Help Me encanta ayudar (Spanish Children's Book): English Spanish Bilingual Collection Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/567 ESL Conversation Topics with Questions, Vocabulary, Writing Prompts & More: For Teenagers and Adults Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn Greek Top 40: How to Flirt in Greek Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5365 American English Idioms Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Pit And The Pendulum: Bilingual Edition (English – Russian) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Drama Book: Lesson Plans, Activities, and Scripts for English-Language Learners: Teacher Tools, #6 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dictionary of Root Words: Greek and Latin Roots Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Webster's New World: American Idioms Handbook Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fifty Ways to Teach Writing: Tips for ESL/EFL Teachers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Don Quixote: Bilingual Edition (English – Spanish) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Love My Mom Amo a mi mama (Bilingual Spanish Kids book): English Spanish Bilingual Collection Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5ESL Writing Activities, Games & Teaching Tips: Practical Ideas for the Classroom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crime and Punishment: Bilingual Edition (English – Russian) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Best Grammar Workbook Ever! Grammar, Punctuation, and Word Usage for Ages 10 Through 110 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I Love to Sleep in My Own Bed Me encanta dormir en mi propia cama: English Spanish Bilingual Collection Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/550 Ways to Be a Better Teacher: Professional Development Techniques Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best Little Grammar Workbook Ever! Use Alone or with Its Companion Book, The Best Little Grammar Book Ever! Second Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWord Roots, Prefixes & Suffixes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Great Book of American Idioms: A Dictionary of American Idioms, Sayings, Expressions & Phrases Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for Teaching English for Specific Purposes
2 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Teaching English for Specific Purposes - Vander Viana
Farrell
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
This book focuses on the teaching of English for specific purposes (ESP), which may be a new area within English language teaching (ELT) for you. In order to contextualize our discussion of ESP, the book starts by highlighting the key features of English for general purposes (EGP) and by indicating how ESP differs from it.
English for General Purposes (EGP)
As its name indicates, EGP relates to the mastery of English without any specific use being prioritized. The target to be reached in EGP is students’ proficiency, and the focus lies on the development of their general communicative ability.
Several decisions are taken before EGP students enter the classroom. These can be made by governments (e.g., curricular guidelines), language institutes (e.g., identification of the content to be assessed), textbooks (e.g., their language foci), teachers (e.g., their decision of what to teach), and other stakeholders. However, students are not usually consulted; that is, they are not asked why they are learning English and what exactly they want to study, for instance. In some contexts, that is understandable: Asking 5-year-old children how they plan to use English in their lives might be beyond their understanding. The same might not hold true in relation to adults, for example.
EGP curricula are frequently determined a priority—even before students enroll for these courses. Because of their emphasis on general language, EGP courses prioritize interactional and social texts (e.g., face-to-face conversations between two friends, phone exchanges to book a hotel), and they generally focus on the skills of speaking and listening (Hamp-Lyons, 2001).
English for Specific Purposes (ESP)
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
What do you know about ESP?
How does it differ from other English lessons?
ESP does not aim at improving students’ English proficiency indiscriminately. Instead, students are acknowledged as important stakeholders who have decided to study this language for particular reasons. After these reasons are mapped, we, as teachers, can help them reach their goals.
The gold standard in ESP is to allow students to use English to fulfill their needs (e.g., read a manual, write a dissertation, listen to a lecture, present a sales pitch). For example, there is little point in teaching writing to bus drivers in an ESP course. For these professionals, the skills of listening and speaking are probably the most important ones since they will have to interact with passengers (e.g., charge the fare), colleagues (e.g., negotiate their schedule), and police officers (e.g., ask for directions if they come across road diversions).
ESP curricula cannot be predetermined in a social/educational vacuum; they need to be prepared in response to specific contextual factors. The texts to be used in ESP courses are likely to differ widely even when the development of the same skill is being targeted. For instance, ESP writing courses vary depending on the target students: Accountants might need to study financial reports, journalists will need to learn about news stories, and lexicographers should specialize in the writing of dictionary entries. In sum, the texts to be used in ESP should relate to the tasks that the students have to undertake in their daily routines.
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS
Think of an ESP course that you have taken or taught, and consider the following questions.
What was its overall objective?
Which skills were emphasized in the course?
Which (spoken/written) texts were used?
To what extent did the