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UNIVERSIDAD METROPOLITANA XALAPA

Inglés para propósitos específicos

ANTOLOGÍA

Material compilado por

MTE David Armando Morales Enríquez

Xalapa, Equez., Ver.

Marzo de 2017.

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English for specific purposes

English for specific purposes (ESP), not to be confused with specialized English, is

a sphere of teaching English language including Business English, Technical

English, Scientific English, English for medical professionals, English for waiters,

English for tourism, English for Art Purposes, etc. Aviation English as ESP is

taught to pilots, air traffic controllers and civil aviation cadets who are going to use

it in radio communications. ESP can be also considered as an avatar of language

for specific purposes.

1 Definition of ESP

1.1 Absolute characteristics

1. ESP is defined to meet specific needs of the learners (Maslow’s hierarchy of

needs).

2. ESP makes use of underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it

serves.

3. ESP is centered on the language appropriate to these activities in terms of

grammar, lexis, register, study skills, discourse and genre.

1.2 Variable characteristics

Stevens’ (1988) ESP may be, but is not necessarily: 1. restricted as to the

language skills to be learned (e.g. reading only);

2. Not taught according to any pre-ordained methodology (pp.1-2)

Anthony (1997)

1. ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines;

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2. ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that

of general English;

3. ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level institution

or in a professional work situation. It could, however, be for learners at secondary

school level;

4. ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students;5. Most ESP

courses assume some basic knowledge of the language system, but it can be used

with beginners

(1998, pp. 4-5)

2 Teaching

ESP is taught in many universities of the world. Many professional associations of

teachers of English (TESOL, IATEFL) have ESP sections. Much attention is

devoted to ESP course design. ESP teaching has much in common with English as

a Foreign or Second Language and English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Quickly

developing Business English can be considered as part of a larger concept of

English for Specific Purposes.

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III.- Course Design in ESP.

III.1.- Language descriptions

1. Classical or traditional grammar

2. Structural linguistics

3. Transformational Generative Grammar

4. Language variation and register analysis

5. Functional/Notional Grammar

6. Discourse (Rhetorical) analysis

III.2.- Theories of learning

1. Behaviorism: learning as habit formation

2. Mentalism: thinking as rule-governed activity

3. Cognitive code: learners as thinking beings

4. The affective factor: learners as emotional beings

5. Learning and acquisition: conscious process vs unconscious process

6. A model for learning

a) Acquisition

b) Previous knowledge makes it possible to acquire new knowledge

c) Items of knowledge have different meanings

d) The learner must see the language as a system

e) Acquisition: means for motivation

III.3.- Needs analysis.

Why is the language needed?

How will the language be used?

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What will the content areas be?

Who will the learner use the language with?

Where will the language be used?

When will the language be used?

III.4.- approaches to course design.

1. Language-centered course design

2. Skills-centered course design

3. A learning-centered approach

III.5.- The syllabus: what will (what should) be learnt.

a) The evaluation syllabus: what the learner will know at the end of the course

b) The organizational syllabus: states the order in which things will be learnt

c) The materials syllabus: the contexts in which the language will appear

d) The teacher syllabus: the teacher influences the images the learner receives

e) The classroom syllabus: the dynamic interactive environment in which the

language will occur

f) The learner syllabus: it enables the learner to understand and store language

knowledge

III.6.- Materials evaluation.

a) Select from existing materials: materials evaluation

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b) Write your own materials: materials development

c) Modify existing materials: materials adaptation

III.7.- Materials design.

The model consists of four elements:

1. Input: text, dialogue, video, diagram, etc.

2. Content focus: language as a means of communication (information, feelings)

about something

3. Language focus: the aim is to use the language

4. Task: communicative tasks in order to use the language

III.8.- Evaluation.

a) Learner assesment

1. Placement tests

2. Achievement tests

3. Proficiency tests

b) Course evaluation

What should be evaluated?

How can ESP courses be evaluated?

Who should be involved in the evaluation?

When (and how often) should evaluation take place?

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III. Course design on ESP

Approaches to course design

Course design is the process by which the raw data about a learning need is

interpreted in order to produce an integrated series of teaching-learning

experiences, whose ultimate aim is to lead the learners to a particular state of

knowledge. There are probably as many different approaches to ESP course

design as there are course designers. We can, however, identify three main types:

1. Language-centered course

design: it aims to draw as direct a

connection as possible between the

analysis of the target situations and the

content of ESP course:

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2. Skills-centered course design: it is founded on two fundamental

principles:

a) The basic theoretical hypothesis is that underlying any language

behavior are certain skills and strategies.

b) The pragmatic basis for the skills-centered approach sees the

ESP course as helping learners to develop skills and strategies which

will continue to develop after the ESP course itself.

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3. A learning centered approach: we

must look beyond the competence that

enables someone to perform, because

what we really want to discover is not the

competence itself, but how someone

acquires that competence. It takes

account of the learner at every stage of

the design process. This has two

implications:

a) Course design is a negotiated process.

b) Course design is a dynamic process.

The learning-centered

course design process is

shown in this diagram:

Tasks: 1. Analyze Upstream C1 and

decide what approach has been used to design it.

2. What do you think a fully learner-centered course would be like?

3. A learning-centered approach to course design is complex and time-consuming. Do you think it is worth the trouble?

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ESP. Syllabus.

What do we mean by syllabus?

A syllabus is a document which says what will (or at least what should ideally) be

learnt. There are several ways in which a syllabus can be defined:

g) The evaluation syllabus: what the learner will know at the end of the

course

h) The organizational syllabus: states the order in which things will be learnt

i) The materials syllabus: the contexts in which the language will appear

j) The teacher syllabus: the teacher influences the images the learner receives

k) The classroom syllabus: the dynamic interactive environment in which the

language will occur

l) The learner syllabus: it enables the learner to understand and store

language knowledge

Why should we have a syllabus?

a) Syllabus should go from easy to complex

b) It makes the language learning task manageable divided into units

c) It should be commercial or potentially commercial

d) Teacher and learner not only have the idea of where they are going, but

how they might get there

e) A syllabus tells the teacher and the student not only what is to be learnt, but

why it is to be learnt

f) A syllabus provides a set of criteria for materials selection and/or writing

g) A syllabus is one way in which standardization is achieved (or at least,

attempted)

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h) A syllabus provides a visible basis for testing

Tasks

1. How would you use a syllabus for?

2. Make a table of the advantages of having a syllabus.

3. ‘A syllabus is a statement of an ideal’ How far would you agree with

this? What implications does it have for the use of the syllabus?

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Material design in ESP

Materials are physical objects that store knowledge through forms and codes in

order to develop academic work within the classroom context. Materials comprise

paper, disc, or screen. They convey content, information or message. They are a

symbolic way of representing information with educational aims. Material writing is

one of the most characteristic features of ESP in practice. In marked contrast to

general English teaching, a large amount of the ESP teacher’s time may well be

taken up in writing materials. There are a number of reasons for this:

a) A teacher or institution may wish to provide teaching material that will fit the

specific subject or area of particular learners

b) Even when suitable materials are available, it may not be possible to buy

them because of costs.

c) ESP materials may also be written for non-educational reasons.

Materials are a visible product of activity, regardless of whether such activity is

useful or even necessary.

1. Defining objectives: What are materials suppose to do?

a) Materials provide a stimulus to learning. Good materials do not teach:

they encourage students to learn. Good materials will contain: interesting

texts, enjoyable activities which engage the learners’ thinking capacities,

and opportunities to use their existing knowledge and skills.

b) Materials help to organize the teaching-learning process. They provide a

clear and coherent unit structure which will guide teacher and learner

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through various activities in such a way to maximize the chances of

learning.

c) Materials truly reflect what you think and feel about the learning process.

d) Materials should try to create a balanced outlook which both reflects the

complexity of the task, yet makes it appear manageable.

e) Materials can have a very useful function in broadening the basis of

teacher training, by introducing teachers to new techniques.

f) Materials provide models of correct and appropriate language use.

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2. A materials design model

The aim of this particular model is to provide a coherent framework for the

integration of the various aspects of learning, while at the same time allowing

enough room for creativity and variety to flourish. The model consists of four

elements:

a) Input: This may be text, dialogue, video-recording, diagrams or any kind of

communication data, depending on the needs you have defined in your

analysis. It provides a number of things such as stimulus material for

activities, new language items, correct models of language use, a topic for

communication.

b) Content focus: Language is a means of conveying information and

feelings about something. Non-linguistic content should be exploited to

generate meaningful communication in the classroom.

c) Language focus: Our aim is to enable students to use language. Good

materials should involve both opportunities for analysis and synthesis. Thus,

students have the chance to take the language to pieces, study how it works

and practice putting it back together again.

d) Task: The ultimate purpose of language learning is language use.

Materials should be designed, therefore, to lead towards a communicative

task in which learners use the content and language knowledge they have

built up through the unit.

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The primary focus of the unit is the task. The model acts as a vehicle which leads

the students to the point where they are able to carry out the task. The language

and content are drawn from the input and are selected according to what the

learners will need in order to do the task. It follows that an important feature of the

model is to create coherence in terms in both language and content throughout the

unit. This provides the support for more complex activities by building up a fund of

knowledge and skills.

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The syllabus in ESP 4.-What role should a syllabus play in the course design

process?

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In the institutionalized frameworks in which most teaching takes place, we must

accept the predetermined syllabus as a fact of life. Used sensibly and sensitively a

syllabus can provide the support and guidance that creativity thrives on; it is a

working document that should be used flexibly and appropriately to maximize the

aims and processes of learning.

TASK: 1. How can the ESP course designer take account of the ‘learner syllabus’?

2. Choose one of the syllabuses above. What assumptions about language and

learning do you think underlie the ordering in it?

Adapted from: Hutchinson, T. & Waters, A. (1987). English for Specific

Purposes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp.65-77.

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GLOSARIO

Currículos abiertos: Programas de estudio que permiten a profesores y

alumnos participar intensamente en la planificación de los objetivos,

metodología de evaluación de la enseñanza.

Currículum (currículo, en español): Término para referirse a la

distribución de las materias del plan de estudios; al fundamento y desarrollo

general de dicho plan de estudios, incluyendo los fines y los métodos

didácticos, además de las bases psicosociales para elaborarlo.

Currículo nulo: Serie de conocimientos no previstos en los programas

educativos y a los que los estudiantes tienen dificultad por conocer.

Currículo oculto: Conocimientos, actitudes y valores tácitos en el tipo de

enseñanza que se imparte, difiere de institución a institución.

Desarrollo curricular: Proceso a través del cual se llevan a cabo una serie

de cambios en la institución docente, adaptando ciertas características del

plan inicial a las necesidades de los alumnos. Este desarrollo cuenta con

dos niveles de especificación: a) -la elaboración del currículo atendiendo a

las necesidades de la institución escolar; b) la elaboración del currículo

atendiendo a las sesiones programadas en clase.

Modelo: Lo que es puesto como testigo a los ojos de todos y que –

referencia ideal- es susceptible de ser imitado, ofreciendo de entrada una

estructura a aquel que se deja dar forma (sean cuales sean sus

intenciones, su nivel de conciencia, incluso de inconsciencia).

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Programa escolar: Determina y organiza las asignaturas o temas globales

para cada uno de los grados escolares: los programas seleccionan y

distribuyen la materia de cada asignatura o las unidades de trabajo de cada

tema global.

Teoría: Representación o construcción mental que lleva a la relación de

fenómenos y leyes, donde de los primeros pueden ser deducidas las

segundas, en el entendido que en la práctica no corresponde con rigurosa

exactitud.

Adaptado de: Meza, J. (2012). Diseño y desarrollo curricular. Estado de

México: Red Tercer Milenio S.C

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ESP bibliography

Duddley-Evans, T. and St. John, M. ( 1998).Developments in English for

Specific Purposes. A multi-disciplinary approach. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.

Hutchinson, T. and Waters, A. (1987). English for Specific Purposes.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Robinson, P. (1991). ESP today: A Practitioner's guide. Hertfordshire:

Prentice Hall.