Teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP)
Course Summary
This stimulating and informative teacher training course provides a learner-centred approach to Teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP), with a focus on developing communicative competence in a specific business or professional area, for example, finance, management, engineering and human resources. Starting with key fundamentals such as how to conduct a needs analysis and establish SMART objectives, the course also looks at designing and organising a programme and creating relevant and meaningful materials. The course is fast-moving, highly interactive and full of practical and user-friendly tips, techniques and materials from experienced ESP professionals.
Fast Facts
| Course dates: | 04 – 08 March 2019 22 – 26 April 2019 08 – 12 July 2019 19 – 23 August 2019 21 – 25 October 2019 |
| Max. group size: | 12 |
| Entry level: | B1 |
| Min. age: | 23 |
| Course materials: | Included |
| Hours/week: | 21 |
| Price: | £395 |
| Booking fee | £50 |
| Terms and conditions |
Target Audience
This course is for teachers who probably already have experience in teaching English as a foreign language and would like to adapt their teaching skills for the teaching of English for Specific Purposes. Participants need to be at a minimum B1 level of English.
Preparation
After registration, participants on this course programme will receive:
- a pre-course questionnaire which will enable trainers to learn about the participants’ teaching backgrounds
- information about the Europass Mobility Certificate
- a recommended reading list to prepare participants for various aspects of the course
- information about York to prepare teachers for their cultural experience
Objectives
By the end of the course participants will:
- understand what is meant by ESP and how it differs from ESL / EFL
- be able to conduct an effective needs analysis and set objectives for short, intensive and longer courses
- use a learner-centred approach
- use the principles of language in context to generate practical, relevant materials and practice activities
- have developed a sound understanding of the language for common business situations: socialising, presentations, meetings, telephoning and correspondence
- be able to respond to specialised content requirements
- understand the importance of confidence-building and motivation
- enable learners to think strategically and create realistic action plans
Methodology
Sessions demonstrate and train Teaching English for Specific Purposes and the different approaches, methodologies, techniques and knowledge. An interactive communicative approach is applied, which provides participants with their own experiential learning of the activities and methodologies. Input sessions are in the form of hands-on workshops and involve brainstorming, analysis, problem-solving, and role-play, both in pair work and group work. Participants are actively involved in the sessions to maximize their learning and to experience activities from their learners’ point of view.
Teachers are asked to reflect on the activities, inviting discussion with regard to their own knowledge and experience, teaching methods and contexts, and on adaptation of activities to their own teaching and learning situations.
Participants are also introduced to key resources related to the further development of their teaching skills and personal professional development. Both theory and practice are explored, analyzed and discussed, further enabling the participants’ use and development of their teaching and classroom management skills regarding Teaching English for Specific Purposes.
Follow Up
The course ends with an evaluation session, where teachers are asked to reflect upon the value of the knowledge gained on the course. They are also encouraged in this session to create a Personal Development Action Plan, and select activities which they would like to try out in their own classes. They are invited to join the York Associates Community, which allows networking and contact with the trainers and fellow colleagues, and with participants from other courses.
Sample Course Programme
| TIME | Session One | Session Two | Session Three |
|---|---|---|---|
| MONDAY | Ice-breaker Introduction to the course: objectives and methodology | Key principles of ESP Combining subject matter and language learning Language in context | Having a clear direction: purpose for learning needs analysis setting SMART objectives trainer/learner contract |
| TUESDAY | One-to-one training: tailor-made intensive responsive learner as a resource creating the right environment | Course contents the ‘need to know’ approach combining professional skills with language identifying which language skills | EQ in intensive training Responsibility of teacher in guiding directing / supporting Work pressures The ‘older’ learner |
| WEDNESDAY | Selecting, designing and organising relevant and meaningful course materials Managing longer programmes | Contextualised language training Generic business situations: socialising, presentations, meetings, telephoning and correspondence Importance of functional language | Dealing with specialised content Combining learner/trainer knowledge and competencies Useful resources |
| THURSDAY | Vocabulary: being strategic and selecting what to learn gap analysis through output Recycling language | Providing the right output: immediate personalised with stated objectives confidence-building | Feedback and correction – what, why, when, how .....? Motivation Reappraising objectives |
| FRIDAY | Equipping the learner: strategies for learning personalised recommendations action plans resources | Professional skills practice | Conclusion and Reflection Week Review and Evaluation |
21 hour teacher development courses may use a 8.00- 12.30 or 13.30 -17.30 time slot. Afternoon programmes will finish earlier on certain days for social programme options.
