Category Archives: ESP

English for Specific Purposes – including EO/PP & EAP

One-To-One Teaching

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Introduction

Much ESP is taught in one-to-one situations. When I first started teaching businessmen English in Japan in 1976, the classes were mostly one-to-one. I then spent five years teaching English to adult professionals in an ESP institution in the UK mainly in a one-to-one context. More recently, I have been teaching a Syrian refugee through CARA. in a one-to-one situation online. The participant was an agricultural engineer working as a project manager. It was then that I first started thinking seriously about one to one teaching and what it involved and I will probably continue for ever!.

Some thoughts:

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The 6 principles for exemplary teaching of English learners:  Academic and other specific purposes.

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The 6 principles for exemplary teaching of English learners:  Academic and other specific purposes. TESOL International Association (2020),

TESOL International Association have recently published 2 more books of interest to ESP teachers in their 6 principles for exemplary teaching of English learners series. The third book in the series focusses on teaching English for academic and other specific purposes.

The book consists of a preface and 5 chapters.

The preface introduces the 6 principles of exemplary teaching on which the series is based and describes the intended audience for the series. The 6 principles provide a solid foundation for any ESP programme, and, though they need a some localised refinement for the wide diversity of ESP contexts, they are an excellent source of
reflection on current teaching practice.

The 6 principles provide a basis for decision making, planning and teaching. They are:

  1. Know your learners,
  2. Create conditions for language learning,
  3. Design high-quality lessons for language development,
  4. Adapt lesson delivery as needed,
  5. Monitor and assess student language development,
  6. Engage and collaborate within a community of practice.

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The 6 principles for exemplary teaching of English learners:  Adult education and workforce development.

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The 6 principles for exemplary teaching of English learners:  Adult education and workforce development. TESOL International Association (2019)

TESOL International Association have recently published 2 more books of interest to ESP teachers in their 6 principles for exemplary teaching of English learners series. The second book in the series focusses on teaching English in Adult education and workforce development programmes.

The book consists of a preface and 5 chapters.

The preface introduces the 6 principles of exemplary teaching on which the series is based and describes the intended audience for the series. The 6 principles provide a solid foundation for any ESP programme, and, though they need a some localised refinement for the wide diversity of ESP contexts, they are an excellent source of
reflection on current teaching practice.

The 6 principles provide a basis for decision making, planning and teaching. They are:

  1. Know your learners,
  2. Create conditions for language learning,
  3. Design high-quality lessons for language development,
  4. Adapt lesson delivery as needed,
  5. Monitor and assess student language development,
  6. Engage and collaborate within a community of practice.

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EMI – English Medium Instruction

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Is EMI ESP? Does EMI belong to ESP? No, but some people think it should do and that does not make sense to me.

ESP is about teaching English. EMI is about teaching other non-language subjects.

As Macaro (2018) defines it, EMI is

The use of English language to teach academic subjects (other than English itself) in countries or jurisdictions: where the first language of the majority of the population is not English.

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METHODOLOGY AND PRESENTATION IN RELATION TO PUPIL INTEREST

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METHODOLOGY AND PRESENTATION IN RELATION TO PUPIL INTEREST

In schools that train pupils in the vocations and in special techniques, in those devoted entirely to the arts or sciences, and in those offering specialized courses and training for other than an academic degree, great care must be exercised not only in selecting textbooks but in drawing up a course of study which will be in harmony with the particular interests of the students. Unfortunately very few specialized language textbooks are available for such schools, but material can be mimeographed and distributed to the students.
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Routledge Introductions to English for Specific Purposes

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ESP books are rare, but Routledge have recently published a series called: Routledge Introductions to English for Specific Purposes, edited by Brian Paltridge and Sue Starfield – well know joint editors of the Handbook for English for Specific Purposes (Wiley, 2013).

According to the blurb: Routledge Introductions to English for Specific Purposes provide a comprehensive and contemporary overview of various topics within the area of English for specific purposes, written by leading academics in the field. Aimed at postgraduate students in applied linguistics, English language teaching and TESOL, as well as pre- and in-service teachers, these books outline the issues that are central to understanding and teaching English for specific purposes, and provide examples of innovative classroom tasks and techniques for teachers to draw on in their professional practice.

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