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Shevchenko M.V.
National Technical University of Ukraine “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”,
Ukraine
Principles of Effective English for Specific
Purposes Teaching
In
order to improve greatly students’ knowledge of English for Specific Purposes (ESP)
and their ability to study as a whole, it is necessary to stick to basic principles of effective English teaching
and learning at technical universities. These principles concern teaching (the
teacher’s individual characteristics and work), learning (the students’ personal
qualities and performance), and attributes of a successful university lesson.
In order to be
considered efficacious, the ESP teaching process has to comprise the following
features [1, p. 3; 2,
p. 3-6; 3, p. 2-14; 4,
p. 2-6]:
1. A lesson is a coherent sequence of learning activities, linked together
to form a whole, and contributing to learners’ language acquisition; the lesson’s goals and expected outcomes are clearly stated;
2. Listening,
reading, speaking and writing skills are integrated into teaching process and simultaneously developed, i.e. students not
only listen to or read authentic English materials but also have opportunities
to use English, including ESP, by themselves in practice;
3. Taught materials need to be attention-grabbing, delivered in multiple
modes, including the use of audiovisual aids, and their language must be authentic
and culturally relevant;
4. Vocabulary
development is crucial for students’ academic success. It should be taught
within multiple contexts, and used in
class frequently and in numerous combinations;
5.
Active learning
(brainstorming, problem solving, sequencing, decision making). Students
are embolden, active
participants in the in-class activities, provided with chances for practicing
English in a meaningful and successful way, being challenged with assignments that require high-level thinking, language
processing, and so, contribute to students’ language acquisition;
6. Students’ pair work and teamwork are fostered. Changing occasionally the
membership of groups and the seating arrangement in the auditorium can also
help to increase students’ involvement;
7.
Students’ cultural and
professional background knowledge is activated;
8.
Teachers,
providing their example, should promote students’ ability to use oral English
and create opportunities for them to use it;
9.
The teacher
guides the process of study but simultaneously teaches students to become self-regulating
learners, i.e. with developed metacognitive skills;
10. Recurrent, swift and timely feedback is important throughout the lesson;
11.
The
teacher is interested and committed to his/her work, while indifferent
lecturers cannot be expected to motivate students, which is essential;
12.
The
English teacher continuously develops professionally, improves his/her language
proficiency,
represents high professional standards and sound
principles of English teaching;
13.
The foreign language teacher has
high standards of excellence
and expectations for the students, respects various personality types,
diversified talents and skills, as well as addresses
non-cognitive issues that affect learning (helps students sustain motivation
and develop skills of autonomous work).
A positive learning
environment includes [3, p. 15-21]: a good classroom climate with good
behaviour upheld at all times; auditorium arrangement creating effective
learning of English (individual, pair, and group work are often used); efficient
lesson’s time distribution (the teacher avoids unnecessary and long
instructions, as well as predictable and repetitive exercises, uses at the
lesson a variety of activities with an appropriate level of difficulty, sets
the time for tasks performance clearly, monitors students’ work).
Effective education is
only possible when [2, p. 5]:
the taught information is meaningful, authentic and relevant to students’
speciality, since it is easier to remember and is better in attracting
attention; there is an ongoing practice or rehearsal that makes it easier to
retain an idea; categorization of concepts is done using mnemonics, which improves
memory; the process of concepts memorization is conducted via particular
contexts, rather than outside of them, as long as memory is context dependent.
Summing up all the
aforesaid, it is essential to take into account the basic principles of
teaching and learning in order to create the productive and interesting English
for Specific Purposes lesson at a technical university, and thus, encourage
students to continually improve their foreign language level and enrich vocabulary.
References:
1. Li, J.
(2012). Principles of Effective English Language Learner Pedagogy. Retrieved from:
https://research.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/publications/2012/8/researchinreview-2012-3-effective-english-language-learner-pedagogy.pdf.
Last accessed 27th April 2015.
2. Mintz, S.
(2004). The Fundamentals of College and University Teaching. Retrieved from:
http://gsas.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/GSAS_fundamentals_handbook.pdf.
Last accessed 27th April 2015.
3. Richards, J. C. and Bohlke, D. (2011). Creating Effective
Language Lessons. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 44.
4. Smittle, P.
(2003). Principles for Effective Teaching. Journal of Developmental
Education. 26 (3), 10-18.